Relaxing Bath Salts

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Adding bath salts to your tub can seem like a real indulgence. But did you know there are many health benefits to bath salts too? Learn how to make your own homemade relaxing bath salts and the benefits you can expect from using them.

What You Need to Make Homemade Relaxing Bath Salts

You only need a few simple ingredients to make homemade bath salts. You can probably even find everything at your local Walmart.

To make bath salts, you need Epsom salt, dead sea salt, and baking soda. Essential oils will make the bath salts smell good, but they are totally optional. Let’s look at each of these ingredients to see their benefits.

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Epsom Salts

Epsom salt isn’t really a salt at all. It is called a salt because its chemical structure is similar to table salt.

However, Epsom saIt is actually a combination of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen that is known as magnesium sulfate. It was originally discovered in a town called Epsom in Surrey, England, hence the name.

Epsom salts have many health benefits that include soothing sore muscles, drawing out toxins from the body, easing stress, reducing inflammation, and promoting relaxation.

Dead Sea Salt

Dead sea salt is salt that is mined from the Dead Sea in Israel, the saltiest sea on Earth. Sea salt can help treat conditions such as psoriasis and Rheumatoid arthritis but it can also be used by anyone to reduce inflammation, redness, and dryness. 

Sea salt is also an excellent exfoliator when used in scrubs and soap bars.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is added to our DIY bath salts to soften the water and help detoxify your body. It will give the water a smooth, silky feel when you step into the tub.

Homemade DIY Relaxing Bath Salts

Here’s the easy recipe for homemade bath salts. You can find a printable version at the bottom of this post.

• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 1/4 cup dead sea salt
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 10-15 drops of essential oils (Plant Therapy is my favorite brand. You can get them on Amazon or straight from the company and they always offer free shipping.)

Pour baking soda into a small dish. Sprinkle 10-15 drops of essential oils over the baking soda.

Using a spoon, smush the baking soda and essential oils together to distribute the oils throughout the baking soda. Stir in Epsom salts and dead sea salt.

Transfer the mixture to a glass jar for storage.

To use your homemade relaxing bath salts, pour 1/3 cup bath salts under running water as you fill your tub. Hop in and enjoy a nice, soothing bath.

What Essential Oils Should I Use in Bath Salts

While you can use just about any combination of essential oils for your homemade bath salts, I prefer to stick to relaxing scents, especially since I tend to take tub baths in the evening.

Essential oils like lavender, rose, sandalwood, and cedarwood promote feelings of contentment and may even help you fall asleep faster at night.

Here are some suggestions of essential oil combinations to use for your homemade bath salts.

• lavender – When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with plain lavender.
• 4 drops lavender, 4 drops frankincense, and 4 drops orange
• 6 drops lavender, 4 drops of bergamot, and 4 drops ylang-ylang
• 7 drops lavender, 7 drops cedarwood
• relax blend – Plant Therapy has their own blend of relaxation oils already blended together. It contains a combination of  lavender, marjoram, mandarin, patchouli, Geranium bourbon, and Roman chamomile.

What Shouldn’t Be Added to Homemade Bath Salts?

One thing you have probably seen quite often on the internet are pictures of bath salts with flecks of herbs mixed throughout. I don’t recommend this. Why?

Putting dried lavender buds or other dried herbs in your bath salts means you will have that stuff floating with you in the tub.

And then, when you are done with your bath, all that plant matter either goes down the drain (and can possibly clog your pipes over time) or you have to clean the remaining residue out after your bath.

And I don’t know about you but when I’m finished with a bath, I don’t usually want to clean. I just want to go to bed.

So while it certainly looks cute for pictures, I recommend sticking with just plain essential oils to scent your bath salts.

Related Posts

Looking for some more easy DIY projects for yourself or for gifts? I’ve got you covered!

• Homemade Sugar Scrub – This simple scrub whips up in minutes at a fraction of the cost of ones you can buy.
• Homemade Candles – Turn your bath into a spa-like experience with homemade candles. You can even scent them to match your bath salts.
• For the complete spa experience, make your own homemade soap. Scent the soap with the same essential oils and give bath salts, a candle, and a bar of soap as a complete package! This makes a lovely gift basket idea.

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