This is my first experiment with making bath salts! My boyfriend and I wanted to make bulk gifts for christmas and we thought bath salts would be a nice and fun thing to make! We debated very long about what scent we wanted. After visiting our local herbal shop (which carries essential oils) I remembered a hookah flavor and scent that I had loved from my college days. Thus we set out to make lemon rose scented bath salts. In these easy to follow instructions I will take you through our process!

Step 1: Ingredients

1 Cup Dead Sea Salt
1 Cup Corse Sea Salt
1 Cup Epsom Salt
1 Cup White Kaolin Cosmetic Clay or Bentonite Clay
1/2 Cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Dried Rose Petals
Several Drops to 1 TBSP essential Oil (recipes below) *Note* Essential Oils can be very expensive so I have found it easier and cheaper to make my own.

Lemon Essential Oil:

Zest 1-2 Lemons. Place the lemon zest in a small glass container. Fill the container half full and with the remaining space add cold pressed olive oil. Place in a window where sun can access the container. Or wrap black gaffer tape around the glass bottle to encourage heat. Shake once a day and leave for a few days. The longer you leave it the more potent it will be.

Rose Essential Oil:

Gather fragrant and fresh rose petals. Crush the petals into the oil, and let the mixture stand for a day. Press the oil out of the petals, then strain the oil to get out any remaining pieces. Add fresh rose petals to the oil, press and strain it again. Do this at least six or seven times, and the fragrance will get stronger each time.

Step 2: Mixing

Mix the salts, clay, rose petals, and baking soda in a large clean bowl. I have found if you are making the bath salts for gifts that it is easier to mix the scented essential oil in the correct amount that you want to give people. This way you can control the scent potency for each mixture. I find that today many products are over scented and lack the enjoyable subtly of a scent. However this is purely my opinion and I encourage experimentation! Both Rose and Lemon are powerful scents and can easily overpower one another. It is important balance the scents so I suggest a little at a time until you reach the right scent for you.

Place in glass containers with lids and mail to friends to enjoy! (Next page gives you a list of the benefits of each ingredient).

Step 3: Possible Ingredient Benefits

Sea Salts (healthguide.org) (International Journal of Dermatology, Bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead Sea salt solution improves skin barrier function, enhances skin hydration, and reduces inflammation in atopic dry skin, Ehrhardt Proksch MD, phD*, Hans-Peter Nissen phD, Markus Bremgartner MD, Colin Urquhart phD, 2005)

• It gets rid of dead skin cells, cleans skin pores and helps in skin regeneration.

• It helps firm up skin tissues and strengthens these against infections.

• It helps in treating skin ailments such as eczema and psoriasis and lessens inflammation of dry skin.

Kaolin White Clay (mountainroseherbs.com) (1991, Ferrand and Yvorn, Thermal properties of clay pastes for pelotherapy, Applied Clay Science)

White Cosmetic clay (also known as Kaolin clay) is one of the most versatile clays, and is also the mildest of all cosmetic clays. It is commonly found in skincare preparations and cosmetics because of its gentle nature, mineral content, absorbent properties, and ability to “fix” scents. White clay is made up of fine clay particles, and has a lightweight fluffy consistency. This clay is more widely used than any other cosmetic clay, and is frequently found in powders, body packs, skin care products, deodorants, soaps, scrubs, poultices, cosmetics, facial masks, and toiletries. This clay will gently draw impurities from the skin without removing natural oils while simultaneously exfoliating, cleansing, and stimulating circulation. White clay is suitable for all skin types, whether it be oily, blemish prone, normal, sensitive, dry, or mature skin.

Bentonite Clay (mountainroseherbs.com) (1991, Ferrand and Yvorn, Thermal properties of clay pastes for pelotherapy, Applied Clay Science):

Bentonite clay (also known as Montmorillonite) is an edible clay from naturally occurring volcanic ash sediments, and contains over 70 trace minerals. This clay is one of the most effective and powerful healing clays used to treat both internal and external maladies. The largest and most active deposits come from Wyoming and Montana. (Mountain Rose Herbs stocks a Wyoming variety). Bentonite clay is traditionally used as an internal supplement to assist with mineral deficiencies, and to help bind toxins making them more soluble. Externally, Bentonite is used as a clay poultice, mud pack, in the bath, and in skin care recipes. Bentonite clay has the ability to absorb toxins, impurities, heavy metals and other contaminants from the body, and is ingested to treat mineral deficiencies, anemia, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, intestinal problems, hemorrhoids, and for general organ health.

Baking Soda (www.livestrong.com), (cosmeticsinfo.org): Baking soda granules can be used mixed with water as a mildly abrasive exfoliant. Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sesquicarbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate are used to control the acid-base balance of cosmetic products. In cosmetics and personal care products, Sodium Bicarbonate may also be used as an abrasive, a deodorant agent, and an oral care agent.

Rose Essential Oil (organicfacts.net): has been attributed to anti depressant, anti phlogistic, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti viral, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, cholagogue, cicatrisant, depurative, emenagogue, haemostatic, hepatic, laxative, nervine, stomachic and uterine. Note* DO NOT rely on rose oil to cure all of these ailments, it may aid in relief and relaxation in bath salt form but should NOT be substituted for traditional medicine.

Lemon Oil (organicfacts.net) : can be attributed to its stimulating, calming, carminative, anti-infection, astringent, detoxifying, antiseptic, disinfectant, sleep inducing, and antifungal properties. These benefits of lemon oil include its ability to treat stress disorders, fever, infections, asthma, over weight, insomnia, skin disorders, hair disorders, stomach problems and tiredness. Note* DO NOT rely on lemon oil to cure all of these ailments, it may aid in relief and relaxation in bath salt form but should NOT be substituted for traditional medicine.