How to Make Bath Salts
Bath salts are the essence of luxury, and you should have no problem making your own. They soothe sore muscles after a long day, giving you the pampering you deserve after working hard. Relaxing fragrances have a calming effect that transforms ordinary bathing into spa treatment. The best news is that bath salts are super easy and inexpensive to make. Much more economical than a trip to the salon, making your own bath salts allows you to create exactly the blend you want. Basic bath salts are so simple that making them the ultimate spa refreshment is as easy as stirring in a cup of moisturizing oil or adding a little color.
To make the most basic bath salts all you need is some Epsom salt or sea salt and essential oil. Epsom salt is a pharmacy staple. The more exotic sea salts, like Dead Sea salt, Atlantic sea salt, and Hawaiian Red salt add another dynamic. Mix one of these with Epsom salt to up the sumptuousness of your bath while still keeping within a reasonable budget. Essential oils provide the aromatherapy that takes bath salts from relaxing to luxurious. Just make sure not to use basil, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, or bay leaf, as these scents can be irritating. Because people have varying degrees of sensitivity, you should test any essential oil you intend to use by dabbing a drop or two on your skin before you immerse your entire body in a tubful of it. For each three cups of salt, add five to ten drops of essential oil. Put a few drops of different scented oils to create combined scents. Stir the salt to distribute the oil evenly throughout. Let sit for at least two days before use.
Adding color makes bath salts just that much more of an indulgence. It's important to make sure you get non-staining and non-irritating color. There are three main ways of coloring your bath salts. You can add powdered mica, which gives the bath salts delicate hue and a pearly iridescence. You can use a liquid dye, such as an FD or a C dye. Or you can add a colored powdered soap. This is the easiest option, as it is available in a wide range of colors and scents.
To make your bath salts even more luxurious, you can add a moisturizing oil. When you step out of the tub, your skin will be left soft and silky. Olive oil is the gentlest and most soothing choice. Avocado oil will leave your skin the softest. Castor oil has anti-inflammatory properties. Apricot oil moisturizes without clogging the pores, so it is the best choice for oilier skin. All of these are readily available. Simply stir in a cup of oil to every three cups of salts when you add the essential oils. You'll also want to add a cup of baking soda to keep the extra oil from causing the bath salts to clump. Luckily, baking soda is itself good for your skin.
Armed with these easy techniques, you can give yourself your own specialized spa treatment. Make your bath salts exactly as you want them for relaxation and luxuriousness right in the comfort of your own bathroom.
