Lavender Bath Salts

Living in the Southwest can be very drying to the skin. I discovered the benefits of bath salts; which heals dry skin and is a remedy for reducing pain associated with arthritis. Bath salts helps to remove toxins from the body and contains magnesium which is best absorbed through the skin. Minerals can be difficult for a lot of people to digest. There are many health benefits such as; circulation, bones, nails, stress, tendinitis,and psoriasis, just to name a few. Salts from the Dead Sea are the best. A good brand of bath salt can be expensive so I decided to make my own. This tutorial will show you how easy it is to make therapeutic bath salts. Lets get started!

Step 1: Ingredients

1 Cup Epsom salt.
1 Cup Baking soda.
1 Cup sea salt.
1 Cup powdered milk.
17 drops of Lavender essential oil.
3 Tablespoons 100% jojoba oil. I did not have this so I used olive oil. Please read bottom note.
1 Capsule or ( vitamin E oil ) I used a needle and punched a hole in it.
1/4 Cup lavender buds.

Jojoba oil and vitamin E oils are the best oils to use for the skin. I read a health article several years ago that Jojoba oil is the closest oil to our own skin. I am out of Jojoba oil so I substituted it with olive oil instead; which is a good alternative. This recipe makes a little over 4 cups of salts.

Step 2: Utensils

1 Large glass mixing bowl.
1 Glass measuring cup.
1 Tablespoon.
1 Large spoon. I used an old wooden spoon because I was not sure about using a metal spoon with this.
1 Large Container with a lid to store the bath salts in; or several small containers.
1 Small scoop or cup that fits in the jar for scooping.

Step 3: Method

Measure all the dry ingredients and put into the bowl except the lavender buds.
Mix thoroughly.

Step 4: Adding the Oils

Measure the Jojoba oil or Olive oil and pour into the bowl.
Mix thoroughly.
Add the Lavender oil.
Mix thoroughly.
Poke a hole in 1 Vitamin E capsule and add the oil to the bowl.
Mix thoroughly.

Step 5: Add the Lavender Buds

Add Lavender buds.
Mix thoroughly.

Step 6: Container

Pour the bath salts into a pretty container.
Add the scoop.
Replace the lid.

Step 7: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

Now that you know how easy it is to make bath salts, maybe you will make some, so you can enjoy the health benefits from using them. I will be adding a little more oil to my recipe because my skin is so dry. I like making my own products when I can, because I can change the recipe to meet my personal needs. I will be making another Instructable very soon about how to make a salt scrub. Thank you for stopping by and have a relaxing day!
Sunshiine

Comments

[Mothermecury]

I would like to lightly color this (lavender color). Any suggestions how to do this? I've tried with food coloring, but it always turns out gray or blue, not the lavender shade I'm trying to achieve: a just barely there lavender shade

[sunshiine]

If I were trying to color this I might try colored sugar or Kool-Aid. I would make sure it is safe first though. Hope this helps. Thanks for you comment and do have a great day.

sunshiine~

[Mothermecury]

I tried the grape Kool-aid. Thinking it would only take a smidgen. It just turned the product gray and smelled of grape. : ( Same thing with sugar. Going to Hobby Lobby, perhaps they have something I can use. Thanks again for your suggestions! I do appreciate it!

[Jeepdog]

If you do not add the lavender buds, do you need to increase the essential oils? I don't like buds in my salts.

[sunshiine]

I am not sure. Lavender is one of those essential oils that can be kind of strong and over powering. If you remove the buds, I would make the recipe the same as it is here. You can always add more oil later. Or you could add more oil and if it is too strong add more salts. Thanks for asking and I hope you try this sometime. Have a nice week.

sunshiine ~

[digerdo2]

This sounds like heaven.

Thank you

[Pavlovafowl]

Very interesting recipe! It's so good to make cosmetics and beauty products at home because then you know exactly what goes into them. Using your own home-grown flowers and plants is a double bonus! Thanks for posting.

[sunshiine]

Thank you for commenting! Have an awesome week!
Sunshiine

[Marcaine Art]

Anyone have any idea on how much actual lavender I would need to do something like this? I have several lavender plants and would love to use them for this or soaps or something useful that I could give away to friends and family.

[Pavlovafowl]

The ratio of lavender flower spikes to how much essential oil you can distil is 1:150 by weight, e.g., to get a pound of essential oil you would need 150 pounds of flowers. You can make your own still with a kettle, a length of tubing and some ice. Another way of expressing oil from plants is by infusion, this is not as strong as essential oil but for making your own cosmetics or household products can be practical if you don't have lots of flowers available, particularly with something like roses, where you need about an acre of rose bushes to make a pound of essential oil! First you need to dry out your flower spikes and/or leaves then cram them into a glass jar and cover with a light vegetable oil such as sweet almond, apricot kernel or safflower. Put the jar in a bain marie on the stove and place lid lightly on jar. Keep testing the temperature of the oil by placing a thermometer right in the centre of the oil and flower mix. When the temperature reaches 150°F the cells which contain the plants essential oil burst and release the oil into your base oil. You can then use this oil to make recipes. I make calendula oils and moisturisers this way and am posting a video shortly - so you will be able to see the process on film.

[sunshiine]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I used about 1/4 cup of just the lavender buds. It did not take very many stalks to make that much. The recipe makes a little over 4 cups of salts. How much to infuse the lavender to make the oil, I would not know. Have a beautiful day.
Sunshiine

[sunshiine]

Thanks for commenting! Roman shoulders always had Lavender in their packs for their journey! It has many many benefits! Have a splendorous day! Sunshiine

[canucksgirl]

Awesome idea, and very lovely photos. Great job!

[sunshiine]

Thanks! Have a nice relaxing evening!
Sunshiine

[ChrysN]

This sounds so lovely!

[sunshiine]

Thanks CHRYsN! It smells soooo good! : )

[jessyratfink]

This looks wonderful. I love lavender. :D

[sunshiine]

Thanks for commenting jessyratfink! Lavender is one of my favorite herbs! I appreciate its color also! Have a terrific day!
Sunshiine

[pecospearl]

Oh you make me want to soak in this luscious concoction.

[sunshiine]

If you were here I would draw the bath water and light the candle! Have a sunshiine lavender relaxing kind of a day! : )
Sunshiine