Homemade Bath Salts Recipes - Homemade Epsom Salt Recipes and Benefits

Homemade Fizzing Bath Salts Recipe & How to Avoid Exploding Bath Salts

2013-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Homemade Fizzing Bath Salts Recipes - Learn How To Make Your Own Homemade Fizzing Bath Salt & Avoid Exploding Bath Salts On The Way

How do homemade fizzing bath salts sound? Yes, fizzing, as in how soda fizzes as you pour it into a glass.

Sounds like fun, right? The special feature of this homemade fizzing bath salts recipe is the way it makes your bath hiss magically.

Sprinkle some evenly, all over your bath and see the magic!

You’d have probably seen or heard of ‘fizzing bath bombs’. They look like colourful truffles. They’re the same thing except fizzing bath salts are in crystals or powder form. It’s pretty simple to make these fun fizzing bath salts yourself. Here’s the basic recipe –

1 cup baking soda
½ cup citric acid
½ cup base salts (any combination)
Dendritic salt and essential oils (optional)
Colourants, moisturisers (optional)

All you have to do is mix everything really well in a large mixing bowl. If you’re using fragrant oils, mix them with dendritic salt first and then combine with the rest of the ingredients. It’s really that easy, but the effects are rather exciting!

Baking soda softens the skin and gives relief from minor skin irritations, insect bites, etc. It can very well be added to any bath salts recipe, as is, for its great qualities. But if you want your bath salts to fizz, then baking soda has to be used with citric acid.

Citric acid is easily available at any grocery store or health foods store. It is free flowing and has a fine white colour. You actually wouldn’t use citric acid in any of your other bath salts recipe. It’s only used for fizzing bath salts in combination with baking soda in a 2:1 proportion – two parts baking soda and one part citric acid.

Baking soda when used in combination with an acid (in this case citric acid) and in the presence of moisture, releases carbon dioxide. That’s how your warm bath (moisture) fizzes (carbon dioxide) when you sprinkle fizzing bath salts (baking soda + citric acid) into it. Isn’t science so cool?

There is one thing you need to know about this combination, though. Baking soda can react easily when it comes in contact with any moisture. Now ‘react’ can mean a mini explosion! We know now that this combination releases carbon dioxide when it comes in contact with moisture.

So if you have your fizzing bath salts all packaged prettily in a glass jar, well, it might just be a recipe for danger! A humid bathroom can trigger the release of carbon dioxide and when it doesn’t have any place to escape it can build up in the cramped jar, subsequently leading to exploding bath salts!

I even read on one forum of a lady who broke her finger when her bath salts exploded!!

Now, surely, a little bit of a fizz in your bath salt is fun, but an explosion? You wouldn’t want it to be that dramatic either! If you’ve given your handmade fizzing bath salts in a glass jar as a gift to someone, and if they were to experience a little explosion in their bathroom, you wouldn’t be surprised if they politely refuse your jar of lovingly made bath salts the next time. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay far away from this fun little recipe. Just keep these simple tips in mind –

Keep all your ingredients as dry as possible
Store fizzing bath salts in air tight containers to keep away moisture, you could use little pouches of silica gel
Choose packaging that will allow the carbon dioxide to escape – paper, organza or anything breathable.
Avoid glass or any material that could hurt if ever there were to be an explosion

Ideally, use your fizzing bath salts as soon as you make them, instead of storing them and fearing an accident. With all the fizzing excitement, you’d pretty much want to sprinkle some into your bath and enjoy it right away anyway!

And try to avoid the exploding bath salts with these tips - be safe!

Christmas Bath Salts Recipe - Courtesy of MakeBathSalts.com

2012-11-28T22:01:00.002-08:00

Beautiful Christmas Bath Salts Recipe - Spearmint & Eucalyptus

Here's a great Christmas Bath Salt Recipe for you guys. Not only does it smell A-M-A-Z-I-N-G it's also very Christmasy. Red Peppermint and Green Eucalyptus Salts layered provide a stunning look - for gifts of to sell at craft fairs for Christmas :-)

I'd rate this recipe as intermediate - you need to mix two dyes together to get the green color. But the fun more than makes up for it!

Just for the record - The above picture is NOT the bath salts you will be making. I forgot to get a picture of them :-( That picture is of himalayan bath salts which you will be using in this recipe!

A lot of people are asking where to get ingredients on recipes I post - So I've decided to link to them directly with suppliers I would recommend. That way if you don't have them or don't have a favorite supplier lined up you can still get your hands on them.

Here we go...

1 Cup of Dead Sea Salt - I think fine grain would be best. Combining it with coarse grain Himalayan salt will give you a nice effect. I typically recommend getting these salts from The Midwest Sea Salt Company
1 Cup of Himalayan Sea Salt - if you got fine grain Dead Sea Salt then get coarse grain for this. The opposite grain will make your layering (when packaging) so much more attractive. Again, I recommend The Midwest Sea Salt Company - they usually have free shipping to anywhere in the USA/Canada.
3 Tablespoons of Dendritic Salt - if you want your bath salts to turn out right this is a must. I recommend From Nature With Love
1 Teaspoon Eucalyptus/Spearmint Fragrance Oil - the plan with this is to scent the green part of the bath salts with something matching. Eucalyptus and Spearmint seems like a good match. I'd probably go with From Nature With Love. This fragrance oil has been rated 5/5 by it's users so it's definitely a pleaser.
3 drops of bright blue salt dye - believe it or not a tiny little company called TKB trading is an ABSOLUTE GEM for colorants for bath salts. I found them many years ago and have used them exclusively ever since. Here to view TKB Trading Salt Dyes. I'd actually recommend getting the sampler pack if you aren't ready to start making serious bath salts. It's $8 and you get some serious colors.
9 drops of warm yellow salt dye - also available from TKB trading. You could substitute FD&C #5 Yellow for this dye as well.
1 Glass Jar for packaging - the exact type is up to you. Here are a couple of ideas from Mountain Rose Herbs
.

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Measure the Himalayan Salt into a stainless steel bowl and set aside. Measure the Dead Sea Salt into another separate stainless steel bowl and set aside.
Measure the dendritic salt into a stainless steel bowl and add the Eucalyptus/Spearmint Fragrance Oil. Mix thoroughly.
In a small container, blend the yellow and blue salt dye, tweaking until the desired color of green is acheived. Then add to the dendritic salt and mix well.
Add the dendritic salt mixture into the dead sea salt and mix thoroughly.
You now have two bowls of salt. One with pink Himalayan Salt, one with scented and colored Dead Sea Salt. I recommend layering them for best effect. Below you'll find a picture of this. Here's how it's done. Using a funnel pour about 1/3 of the salts from one bowl into your packaging container. Then pour about 1/3 of the other salt type into the packaging container. Repeat until all salt is packaged.

Layered Bath Salts

That's all there is to it! I'd recommend using this maybe for a foot soak, because I know the Eucalyptus/Spearmint can be a bit strong sometimes. Give them away as gifts or take them to your local craft fair and watch them fly like hot cakes!

Anyway, leave me some comments below on how this turned out for you

A special thanks to MakeBathSalts.com for giving us this Bath Salts Recipe from their "Bath Salts Bible" The Comprehensive Guide to Handcrafted Bath Salts - click here to learn about that Bath Salts eBook.

Midwest Bath Salts Company Discount Code

2012-11-13T21:46:00.001-08:00

Midwest Sea Salt Company Discount Code

As some of you may have heard already, there is a new salt supplier freshly arrived on the scene, which is shaking things up a bit.

This only can be a good thing, because more competition generally means better prices for those of us who make bath salts :-)

Midwest Sea Salt Company (used to be called Midwest Bath Salt Company - not sure why the change) is based out of Ohio. Whether this qualifies as the midwest is up for debate, but one thing is for sure - their prices are a fair sight south of their competition. I did a quick comparison with another supplier I frequently recommend for their large selection. Midwest Sea Salt Company (discount code at bottom) vs From Nature With Love.

Note: Complicating my efforts is the fact that they have different shipping sizes. However, I merely found the closest sizes possible, and checked out the difference.

From Nature With Love - 25lbs of Dead Sea Salt = $125 or $5/lb
Midwest Sea Salt Company or Midwest Bath Salt Company whichever name you prefer - 20lbs of Dead Sea Salt = $36.99 or $1.84/lb.

Pretty shocking to say the least. I knew there was going to be a difference, but this really blew me away. As if that wasn't good enough, there is also the shipping. Wish shipping to Seattle, the difference only became more stark. Here's how it broke down.

From Nature With Love 25lbs of Dead Sea Salt shipped to Seattle: $159.05 = $6.36/lb

Midwest Sea Salt Company - with 20lbs of Dead Sea Salt to Seattle: $36.99 = $1.84/lb

As if selling it for 3 times less wasn't enough, Midwest Sea Salt Company also offers free shipping to the USA and Canada (at least for the half dozen ZIPs I've tried...)

If you aren't as excited as me yet, you're probably on the wrong page :-) Essentially with their "southern" prices, Midwest Sea Salt Company is giving you a whopping 71% off From Nature With Love prices. If that isn't a deal with picking up I don't know what is.

So for the moment you've all been waiting for... the Midwest Sea Salt Company discount code :-) I can confirm this is working as of today (November 13, 2012 9:34 pm PST) and I would recommend you jump on it as soon as possible. I'm not sure if this code is for orders over $50 or not... One place they said it is, one place they said it's anything. Load up your shopping cart and hit the checkout to see :-)

Midwest Sea Salt Company Discount Code

Click here to get the latest discount code from Midwest Bath Salt Company

Anyway - hope this all helps. Don't let it get away if you're looking for supplies, and let me know how it goes.

Making Bath Salts

2012-05-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

Has the creative person in you convinced you to make some bath salts? That’s great! You’re going to enjoy the process. It’s simple and fun.

First, gather your equipment. You’ll need some mixing bowls, measuring spoons, and utensils. A quick rummage in your kitchen and you’ll probably find all you need, but it’s a good idea to keep a set of equipment exclusively for making bath salts. Why? Well, let’s just say it’s no fun if your lavender bath salts end up smelling more like crab cakes! And you wouldn’t enjoy your luscious chocolate cake if it smelt of patchouli either! So, separate set of equipment it is.

Here’s what you’ll need –

A quick note: Choose either glass or stainless steel equipment. Stay clear of plastic or wood as they tend to absorb fragrances and colours. You wouldn’t want a mix up of fragrances and stained bowls to work with.

One large mixing bowl, big enough to mix your bath salts recipe.
One medium or small bowl to mix dendritic salt (an essential salt when making scented bath salts) and essential oils or fragrance.
One set of measuring spoons, stainless steel. The entire set, measuring 1/8 teaspoon to a full tablespoon. One set of measuring cups, from ¼ cup to a full one cup.
A spice grinder or coffee grinder. (This is optional. If you’re making moisturising bath salts using milk powder, you could use the grinder to powder it well so it mixes in well with the salts. Or if you’re using herbs in your recipe, you may want to crush them into smaller bits.)
Pipettes to measure colours, essential oils, fragrances, etc. Get a bunch of these as you’ll need one for each colour or fragrance.
A small saucepan to melt plant butters, if you’re using any.
A dust mask is essential if you’re using very fine powders in your recipe.
Disposable gloves to protect your skin from staining when you’re using colours and to prevent skin irritation when using strong essential oils.

With all your equipment in place, you should now have a sense of excitement and anticipation to get those salts out and start mixing! You’re on the right track. So let’s get started with the making process. Simply follow these easy steps for a traditional, basic bath salts recipe–

Measure all the salts or one kind of salt, whatever your recipe calls for, and place in the large mixing bowl. If you’re making scented bath salts, your recipe will call for dendritic salt. Don’t mix in this salt with the rest yet.
In the small mixing bowl, combine dendritic salt and your choice of essential oil or fragrance. This step is only if you’re making scented bath salts. Make sure you mix it well.
If you followed step 2, then add this mixture to your base salts mixture and mix thoroughly, making sure everything is well combined.
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You’re almost done! But wait, if you’re making coloured bath salts, using milk powder or adding herbs to your bath salts, now is the time to add the essential ingredients. Just make sure everything is blended well so all the elements in your bath salts are evenly incorporated.
Voila! You’re done! Now smile ear to ear at your accomplishment and enjoy your very own handmade bath salts.

If you’re making bath salts to give as gifts, packaging is the next step. Keeping a few basic guidelines in mind, you can experiment with different kinds of packaging. More about packaging later. Now it’s time to bask in the glory of having created your own bath salts. So go on, get measuring and mixing and create your signature bath salts and enjoy an extra special bath!

Article:Making Bath Salts

Natural Bath Salts - Making Bath Salts with the Natural way

2012-05-08T21:13:00.003-07:00

There’s a growing trend for everything organic and natural today. Be it food, clothing, or beauty products, avoiding artificial additives and going all natural is getting increasingly popular. The choice to go natural may be for various reasons, but one most common one is sensitive skin. Some skin types may not tolerate strong essential oils or colourants. So, are you keen on everything natural and wondering if you can carry on that trend while making your natural bath salts? Yes, you can!

The base of any bath salts recipe is, you guessed it, salt. Now salt cannot be termed ‘organic’ as such because it is not a plant but a mineral, therefore cannot be ‘grown’ organically. You might see organic salt being offered for sale though either at your natural health food store or online suppliers. The term organic here refers to the process of extracting the salt and not the salt itself. Salt is ‘certified’ organic when –

it is extracted from pure natural sea water, free from impurities and pollutants (as opposed to mechanically produced salt in concrete basins)
it is produced by hand using wooden tools
it is not put through any purification process
it is free of additives
it meets a high chemical standard

So, some suppliers do offer what can be termed pure, natural sea salts like Dead Sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, pure sea salt, etc. If you’re keen on using these salts in your recipe, by all means go for it. Make sure they are certified natural salts. Your suppliers should have some material to support that.

(By the way I should mention we've currently negotiated a 10% discount for you on all your natural bath salts at our recommended supplier - The Midwest Bath Salts Company - to visit them click here. I recommend you take advantage of this while they still offer it)

The other way of looking at keeping bath salts natural is probably considering keeping them free from artificial colourants and synthetic fragrances. Go for natural elements in your recipe, like pure essential oils and natural colourants. There are organic essential oils available in the market, that are extracted from organically grown plants. Or, simply skip the fragrance and colour altogether keeping your bath salts unscented. Instead, some natural elements, like dried rose buds, rose petals, lavender, dried herbs, etc could be wonderful alternatives. You could either choose to keep them whole or use a blender to crush them lightly.

You could be skeptical about natural, unscented bath salts in that they might appear dull, bland or boring. However, that’s not true. The ingredients in all natural bath salts lend their own subtle hint of fragrance and colour, giving them a delicate appeal.

Having said that, regular bath salts are in no way less appealing. Use of good quality ingredients, especially therapeutic pure essential oils and food grade colourants will ensure a great product of high standards. There’s a whole array of beautiful colours, textures and fragrances to choose from. Bottom line is, scented or unscented, coloured or uncoloured, bath salts are a wonderful addition to your bath. The choice is definitely yours. Nevertheless, they promise to deliver the same level of relaxation, rejuvenation and bliss.

Article:Natural Bath Salts - Making Bath Salts with the Natural way

Back Pain Relief Bath Salt Recipe

2012-04-12T19:18:00.001-07:00

Use Bath Salts Recipes for Back Pain Relief

Don’t you just hate that moment when you bend down to pick up something and stop mid way because your back suddenly decides to torture you? Or that dull nagging throb in your lower back that made you miss a fun day out with friends? Sounds familiar? Back pain – one of the most common complaints we seem to be hearing all the time.

There are several ways to tackle the situation, like medication, exercise, massage therapy, etc. One very effective way method of back pain relief is the regular use of bath salts. This article will tell you all about how bath salts recipes can provide relief from back pain. Who wouldn’t like a warm relaxing bath and if that can offer sweet back pain relief, why not?

First, let’s look at what could bring on nasty back pain. Some of the common causes could be:

A serious injury
Muscles and nerves of the back (and the spine in general) growing frail with age
Repetitive strain
Pregnancy
Incorrect posture

Now let’s see how it can make its nasty presence felt. Back pain could be a chronic condition or it could set in suddenly, because of reasons mentioned above. The pain could last all day, all long, or it could come and go. It could be a sharp piercing pain, or a dull constant ache. It could aggravate by certain activities like standing for too long or lifting something heavy. Whatever it is, we could all do without it! Nobody likes to be tied down by aches and pains when there are so many exciting, meaningful and interesting things to do in life. That sort of pushes us into the path of finding solutions for relief from pain.

Sure, you can pop a few pills you get over the counter for immediate relief. But do remember, it is only temporary. Not to mention all the horrible side effects they can have. Some types of back pain need continuous medical treatment - be it long term medicines, physio therapy or a combination of several forms of treatment. Meanwhile, bath salts can be a blessing. A bath salts enhanced bath is easy and has all the goodness in it. No side effects, kind on the pocket and full of goodness. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?

Bath salts recipes have been long known to provide relief from aches and pains. Hence they can be very effective for back pain relief. Sprinkle some bath salts in your hot bath (about a cup full), just soak in and let them do the rest. The amazing bath salts will work slowly in, extract all the toxins and flush them out of the body, providing the ultimate calm and blissful feeling. Bath salts have anti-inflammatory properties, isn’t that wonderful?

Since most kinds of back pain involve some kind of inflammation, regular use of bath salts will provide the much needed relief. Some of life’s little pleasures are very simple indeed! A handful of bath salts in your bath every day can work wonders in the long run. And with the addition of natural oils that have relaxing properties, you can double the relief and bliss factor. Lavender, ginger oil and chamomile are classic examples.

While simple Epsom salts available in the market are good enough, why not indulge and make the experience richer? Here’s a simple bath salts recipe for relief from back pain.

Back Pain Relief Bath Salts Recipe

1 cup Epsom salt
1 cup Dead Sea Salt
3 tablespoons dendritic salt
½ teaspoon lavender essential oil
¼ teaspoon chamomile essential oil
3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers

Instructions:

Measure the Epsom salt and Dead Sea Salt into a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl.
In another smaller glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, measure the dendritic salt.
Add the lavender and chamomile essential oils to the dendritic salt and blend in well until the aromatic oils are absorbed by the dendritic salt.
Gently stir the scented dendritic salt into the Epsom and Dead Sea Salt.
Stir in the chamomile flowers into the prepared bath salts and blend until evenly dispersed.

Try it today - get some back pain relief with this bath salt recipe. Soak in your magical bath with healing properties every day, and spend more of your time laughing and enjoying life than being beat down by the back pain monster!

Article:Back Pain Relief with a Homemade Bath Salts Recipe Soak

Spotlight: Homemade Epsom Salt

2012-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Homemade Epsom Bath Salts

When making homemade bath salts perhaps the most popular choice of the base salt is Epsom salt. There are, of course, several other options like Dead Sea salt, sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc. But Homemade Epsom salts seem to be the beloved favourite. It’s as if you were deciding what cookies to bake. You have choc-mint, cherry -oatmeal, honey-macadamia and choc-chip to choose from. Mmm...some interesting flavours there, yet somehow you always settle for good old choc-chip. Nothing like an old favourite to warm your heart. We digress. Epsom salt. We’re talking about this all time favourite ingredient in many a bath salts maker’s recipes.

This humble salt, which originated in a place called Epsom in England, is simply magnesium sulphate (if we have to get all geeky). But don’t let its simplicity deceive you. It’s packed full of goodness. And there are other nice things about it, which is why it’s easily the first choice when making bath salts, especially if you’re a beginner.

Well, first, it’s easily available. You can find it at your local grocery store or drug store. Second, it’s inexpensive and third, it’s free flowing and dry keeping your bath salts free from dampness and clumping. All these can mean that you’d still want to make bath salts after your first attempt. Imagine if you started your bath salts making adventure with excitement only to find that you have to search high and low for a specific type of salt, pay for it through your nose and end up with a jar full of damp gooey stuff! It most definitely would be your last attempt in the ‘making’ department. So it definitely is a good thing, this Epsom salt.

Let’s talk more about the super powers of Epsom salt. It is said to be very effective for aching, sore muscles. It has this amazing property of being able to draw out all the bad stuff from the body, like toxins, leaving your muscles feeling relaxed. It is a natural sedative for tense nerves. Isn’t that awesome? Simply soak in a bath with Epsom salt – any day better than strong smelling muscle sprays or hard to swallow pain relief pills. Pain is a monster, we all hate it. The next time pain hits in the form of sprains or inflammation, combat it with a warm Homemade Epsom salt bath. It works wonders to banish all the nasty aches and pains.

It is excellent for dry, flaky, itchy skin as it exfoliates and leaves skin all shiny and smooth. Who wouldn’t want baby soft feet? Simply soak your feet in a tub of warm water with some, you guessed it, Epsom salt and feel the difference.

Lots of brownie points for Homemade Epsom bath salts. They are indeed the most frequently picked base salt. But that doesn’t mean the other kinds of salts are no good. By all means go ahead and use other different salts in your recipes. They have some super properties too and they lend a special quality to your bath salts. But, probably, from a beginner’s perspective, Epsom salt is the ideal choice. All good things in one simple package, what more could you ask for?

To learn about Epsom Salt Benefits - read this post.

To start making homemade bath salts with Epsom Salt - read this post.

Visit From Nature with Love to find and purchase quality epsom salts.

Article:Health Benefits of Epsom Salt - Homemade Epsom Bath Salt Recipes

Glycerin in Bath Salts - Health Benefits for the Skin

2012-03-26T23:44:00.002-07:00

Glycerin - at From Nature With Love

When discussing the making of bath salts, it's important to think about what ingredients go into the process, and more specifically, what are the best ingredients to choose in order to achieve the highest quality final product. An ingredient found frequently in many bath salt recipes is glycerin (or, "liquid glycerin").

Glycerin is a rich, concentrated, colorless and odorless liquid. Found naturally in plant extracts and animal lipids, it is known for its beneficial health and beauty applications, and used in "natural" bath and body products. Because of its odorless and colorless attributes, it is a common addition to bath salts; it does not interfere with added essential oils, fragrances, and pure or unbleached Epsom or Sea Salts, which are often white in color.

The unique properties and benefits of glycerin in bath salts allow it to be classified for use mainly as an emollient, humectant or lubricant in skin care products. Generally thought of as a water-loving humectant, glycerin often gets used to improve hydration, drawing water in and thought to improve skin's overall moisture.

Chemically speaking, glycerin is technically an alcohol in the form of a thick liquid that is soluble in other alcohols, and also soluble in water. This is one of the main reasons that glycerin is thought to be ideal for use in skin care products. Any additive that encourages highly moisturizing effects, is thick in texture and consistency, and keeps skin moist should be the perfect additive for bath salts, right?

Bath salt recipes, which generally consist of Epsom, Dead Sea (or other highly granular salt), essential oils, moisturizers and glycerin, are highly beneficial for the skin and generally easy to prepare at home. The beauty of bath salts use of glycerin is that it is a process of using natural additives in order to detoxify and cleanse both mind and body, while relaxing in a warm bath. While a few of the main objectives of using bath salts are relaxation and detoxification, it would be nice to also moisturize the skin as well!

There has been some speculation that perhaps using glycerin as an additive to bath salts does more harm than provides health benefits. Because glycerin is really great at absorbing moisture, there is concern that it can draw moisture out and into the bath salts themselves. The issue with this is that, due to glycerin's tendency to draw all moisture from the atmosphere to itself, the result can be clumping of the bath salts. The idea in making good quality bath salts is a clean, even consistency and purpose; not clumpy and difficult to use salts.

Glycerin as an additive to other bath and body products often gets lumped in with its use in bath salts; however, this can be a mistake, as the chemical properties of the salt can react unfavorably with glycerin. For example, if preparing a recipe for a thick, rich and highly moisturizing body lotion or soap, glycerin might be a suitable additive due to its physical consistency. Soaps which contain glycerin tend to create a more foamy lather.

Because glycerin is a natural moisturizer, it works well when used in some soaps, shampoos, body washes and even moisturizers. The presence of a rich, foamy lather or thick, creamy texture tends to convince people that their bath product is offering optimum moisture and skin softening. However, since salt itself is neither acidic or alkaline, any additive to the bath salt recipe can greatly effect the outcome and finished product.

When glycerin is added to bath salts, the result is often that the glycerin is too moisture absorbing to appropriately blend with the salts. The finished product can be a mess of clumped salts without a smooth texture or pleasurable essence. It's for this reason, that glycerin can be more of a hinderance to a bath salt recipe than an benefit.

Article:Health Benefits of Glycerin in Bath Salts - Glycerin Additive for Homemade Bath Salts Recipes

Buy or Make Your Own Bath Salts?

2012-03-16T21:48:00.001-07:00

Chamomile & Lavender Epsom Bath Salts

What could be more refreshing than a relaxing bath when your exhausted body is pleading for relief? Okay, maybe a nice aromatherapy massage comes close. But for that, you’ll have to drive to the massage parlour that burns fragrant incense (and a hole in your pocket too.) And you have to drive back home in traffic which ultimately beats the whole point – relaxation!

A bath, on the other hand, is easier. It’s in the comfort of your home, all it takes is warm water and some lovely bath salts and when you’re done, you simply slip into your comfy pyjamas and get straight into bed with a content sigh and a smile.

You must be sufficiently convinced by now, let’s proceed to more bath talk then, shall we?

There is a variety of bath salts available in the market today. So many different fragrances, blends, textures and colours! It's easy to buy bath salts – in bath and body stores, some large departmental stores, specialty stores online, etc. At the store, the indulging aroma, beautiful packaging and soulful music playing in the background will all take you to a surreal world of indulgence. At the end of it all, you’ll walk out of the store with two bags full of bath and body products. Maybe a jar of lavender bath salts, a pack of fizzy bath bombs, a sachet of bubblegum foaming bath...there’s a whole lot of choice. Retail therapy, there’s nothing quite like it!

Want to try something more adventurous? Why not make bath salts yourself? Okay, now some people might just say, ‘Oh making things is not for me, I don’t know if I can do it!’ Oh but it’s not rocket science either! All you need are some basic equipment, most of which you’ll probably have in your kitchen already, and some simple ingredients which are easily available in the market. Nothing fancy, you just need to have a basic bath salts recipe, you need to measure out the ingredients according to your recipe and mix. Yes, that’s it really! The end product will leave you beaming with pride.

The great thing about making your own bath salts is that you can customise. You can choose your own base bath salts, colours, fragrances, etc. It can be so much fun and kinder on your pocket too! When you make your own bath salts, you know exactly what has gone into your bath salts mix. Quite reassuring, isn’t it? And you can make as little or as much of one kind as you want. And as most bath salts recipes call for the same or similar base salts, you can make a whole bunch of different ones by just adding or omitting a couple of ingredients. Mix and match, play around with fragrances, and have fun creating!

Get your creative juices flowing and turn a boring afternoon into an enterprising one. Why not have a couple of friends over and enjoy a fun filled session of making bath salts? You could make some to give as little handmade gifts! It’s a great idea for a nice personalised gift which is sure to delight the recipient. And who knows, if you get good at it, you could well be on your way to building your own little crafty making bath salts business.

While the prospect of making something yourself can be very fulfilling and therapeutic, the occasional shopping spree could be an indulging experience too. Hmm...buy bath salts or make bath salts? Maybe you buy some, maybe you make some. How about you put your thinking (shower) cap on and sink into a relaxing bath while you decide?

Article:Buy or Make Your Own Bath Salts?

Benefits of Epsom Salts

2012-03-07T23:11:00.001-08:00

Benefits of Epsom Salts

You’ve had a long, hard day at work. Exhaustion has been creeping in steadily, all day long and you just can’t wait to be back home. How does a nice, relaxing bath sound? Heavenly, right?

Oh yes! The next time this happens to you, try an Epsom salts bath. It will calm your nerves down, no doubt, but it will also do a whole lot of other great things. Like what, you ask? Well, here are a few facts about the goodness and benefits of Epsom salts

To start with, they relax all those tense and sore muscles. Toxins build up in our system with stress and body fatigue and these salts work their way to drain out all those tension creating toxins. That’s how you get that ‘oh-so-heavenly’ feeling when you’re in a warm bath with Epsom salts.
An Epsom salt bath benefits you if you have been long suffering from arthritis, back pain or muscle spasms. It helps the body calm down and soothes those tense knots.
If you’ve always longed for that radiant glow to your skin, Epsom salts may be the solution. Regular baths with these wondrous salts will help draw out all the unwanted oils, allowing the skin to maintain its natural, balanced chemical properties. Say ‘hello’ to fresher, more radiant skin.
Do you hide your feet in covered shoes because you don’t want the world to see those horrid calluses and corn? Well, you don’t have to anymore. Epsom salts, with their two way action, gently exfoliate the skin and soften as well. (Now where are those pretty strappy shoes? Bring them on!)
They work wonders in providing relief for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dry itchy skin. They are also great for insect bites and other minor skin irritations.

Life today is stressful. We’re working longer hours, we’re dealing with so much pressure and we all want to prove ourselves by staying ahead in the run. It’s only fair that we give our over worked bodies the much needed chance to wind down. While a relaxing day in a beautiful spa by the beach sounds wonderful, it may not always be possible. But with a little bit of effort, you can create something special right at home.

Get yourself some Epsom salts, draw a nice warm bath, add in a few drops of your favourite scent and you’ll be transported to relaxation paradise! The natural property of these salts is to increase the buoyancy of your body in the water and that’s how you get that wonderful feeling of floating on a bed of clouds. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? So what are you waiting for? Try the benefits of an Epsom salts bath tonight. Light a few candles put on some nice music and unwind after a long day’s work.

Article:Benefits of Epsom Salts - Homemade Bath Salt Health Benefits

Bath Salts Soak - Relax and Unwind After a Long Day

2012-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Bath Salts Soak - Relax and Unwind

Meetings, reports, sales calls, deadlines, assignments, paper work – the list could go on and on. All this in a day’s work! Every day the human body is pushed more and more beyond what it can comfortably handle. Adrenalin keeps you going during the day. (Okay, maybe those quick gossip sessions at lunch or that much needed cup of hot coffee helps you stay sane too) Somehow you manage to make it to the end of the day. That glorious moment when the clock strikes five and when you can call it a day and head to the comfort of your home.

Wouldn’t it be just the perfect thing if there was someplace you could escape to, that would automatically calm you down, help you unwind and bring your body back to its natural harmony? Think Avatar style glass domed stations. Get in, shut this world out and get transported to paradise. Oh well, one can dream, can’t they? But the pace at which the world is moving today, that may just be possible very soon.

But for now, let’s live in the present. So, we were saying, a long day at work. You step inside your house and slip those shoes off, drop that bag/briefcase on the floor and plonk yourself on the couch. Ah! Close your eyes and you can almost feel bliss! Still thinking of that Avatar idea? Well, you bet! Tell you what, maybe, just maybe, you could give yourself that magical experience. Actually, you could escape to your happy place every day if you wanted to. How? You are forgetting one of life’s simple pleasures called a bath.

A bath. Yes, a bath. A nice, warm, delightful bath. You may just scoff at the oh-so-ordinary suggestion, but don’t underestimate the therapeutical goodness of the good old relaxing bath. You want to make it extra special? Of course, you deserve more than the ordinary, right? Plus there’s this Avatar thing we’ve been talking about all along. Consider a bath salts soak. Your ticket to a deeply relaxing, spa-like experience, right in the comfort of your own home.

Easy as 1-2-3. Simply run a warm bath, add your favourite bath salts, and sink in with all abandon. Bath salts come in a variety of textures, blends, colours and fragrances. Choose one that appeals to you most. Lavender, for example is known for its relaxing and calming properties. Or if you prefer the all natural, fragrance free kind then go for plain Epsom salts. Whatever you choose, you are guaranteed to have a very deep relaxing experience. Bath salts soaks have a wonderful quality of increasing your buoyancy in water and you get an amazing feeling of being light and floating. So peaceful and soothing! Why not take it up a notch? Light some of your favourite scented candles, play some soft music and simply relax in your soaking salts. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and you’ll be in your happy place in an instant.

There’s a plethora of bath and body stores that offer a whole wide range of bath salts for soaking. It’s wonderful to see/feel the different textures, colours and fragrances and pick something special for yourself. You can make your own bath salts too, if you wish! It’s simple and easy to put together. You can customise your bath salts recipe to suit your preference – like adding your favourite scent or keeping it fragrance free. There are so many possibilities plus it’s fun too!

Whether you plan to make some yourself or choose to buy, bath salts are a simple addition to your regular bath that can take your senses to new heights and help you wind down after a long, hard day. Enjoy!

Article:Homemade Bath Salts Soak - Simply Relax with Epsom Salts

Lemon Bath Salts - Homemade Bath Salts Recipe

2012-02-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

I was going through the eBook "The Comprehensive Guide to Handcrafted Bath Salts" and I came across this recipe that I thought I would share. It's called "Lemon Meringue Aromatherapy Bath Salts".

Here is what your homemade bath salts recipe is going to look like once we're done!

Lets get started. First of all, lets take a look at the recipe. This recipe is sure to please with a delightfully relaxing fragrance, and perfect for sore muscles.

Ingredients for Lemon Bath Salts:

1 cup of fine grain Sea Salt
1 cup of Epsom Salt
3 tablespoons of dendritic salt
1/2 teaspoon of lemon essential oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
7 drops of Yellow 5 liquid dye (Note: I highly recommend using TKB Trading's dyes - I haven't found anything like them yet!)
Packaging - you can use a lot of things, check out your local supplier. I thought a pillow pack would look good for these. Click here to view my packaging choice, or else go here for more bath salts packaging options.

You can click on each ingredient to find suppliers I usually deal with - though feel free to use your own. Often you can find better deals if you shop locally - even bulk bins in the supermarket can have salts.

Hopefully you can get your supplies fairly easily - once you have them, here is where the fun begins.

Lemon Meringue Pie Homemade Bath Salts Recipe Instructions

Get yourself some stainless steel mixing bowls. Plastic bowls can sometimes absorb essential oils, so it's never a good idea to use them. Glass bowls also work well.
Measure the Epsom Salt and Fine Grain Sea Salt into your large mixing bowl and set aside,
Measure the dendritic salt into a smaller separate mixing bowl, and add the lemon essential oil and vanilla extract to the dendritic salt. Mix it very thoroughly. After the aromatic oils have been mixed with the dendritic salt, add the salt/scent mixture to the salts in the large mixing bowl, and mix well.
Add 7 drops of the yellow dye to the salt mixture, mixing thoroughly, until the color is uniform throughout.
Use immediately or package in a pillow pack and tie with ribbon - or any other method!

Safety Notes:

If you visit From Nature With Love: Lemon Essential Oil - you will notice there that Lemon Essential Oil is a photo-sensitizer. That means it can react negatively with sunlight. As such, do NOT use these bath salts if you are:

a) about to go tanning
b) going outside in the next 4 hours
c) sitting on a beach in Mexico
d) anything along those lines

In other words, it's for a romantic night, not an invigorating morning :-)

Also, essential oils do have a shelf life, and you should use them up within 6 months.

That said, I really enjoyed this recipe, and it looks great sitting on your bathroom counter! If you try out this recipe, let me know how you found it. Any feedback is great!

Article:Lemon Meringue Bath Salts Recipe - Homemade Epsom & Sea Salt Bath Recipe

Epsom Salt Bath Benefits

2007-04-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

A lot of people believe that relaxation is the only benefit of an Epsom salt bath, but this is not the case. While the calming effects of an Epsom salts bath do undisputed, there are many more health benefits that you will want to consider the next time you decide to fill up the bath tub.

When you’re under a lot of stress—both physical and mental—your body’s muscles can tense up and create painful or restricted movement. This can lead to injuries as well as overall body fatigue. To combat this, an Epsom salts bath can be utilized. These salts help to drain out the toxins that are built up by this tension and help to release the overall soreness. Those that suffer from muscle spasms, arthritis and back pain can all benefit from an Epsom salt bath.

Because of this removal of toxins, there are other benefits to be had from an Epsom salts bath. The overall appearance of the skin can be greatly enhanced by regular baths using this kind of salt. By drawing out the unnecessary oils and allowing the skin’s chemical properties to come back into balance, the skin can look fresher than before. Some users of an Epsom salt bath have noted that they aren’t getting calluses and corns on their feet as often, nor are they susceptible to athlete’s foot as much. Other healthful properties that have been suggested include the prevention of eczema, psoriasis, minor skin irritations, itching, insect bite pain, burning sensations, and dry skin.

What’s great about an Epsom salt bath is that it can work in two ways for your skin: exfoliation or keeping the skin supple. The natural properties of an Epsom salts bath allow the skin to remain clear and supple with regular bathing, while the coarse texture of the salt can be used as an exfoliant on dry skin. You get two great qualities in one bath salt product.

We live in a society that does most of its work sitting down, hunched over a desk. But this is not what the body was meant to do, thereby; we are seeing more and more occupational injuries and work-related disorders. One of the ways to combat these stresses is an Epsom salts bath. With this kind of bath, the body learns to relax again at the end of a hard day and readjust to a more normal position. Combining warm water with an Epsom salt bath is the perfect way to end a hard day at the office.

One of the natural properties of an Epsom salts bath is that it increases the overall buoyancy of the body in the bath. This allows you to feel more relaxed than in a traditional bath where the body sinks against the water. In many ways, the Epsom salt bath allows the body to be cushioned in the bath and provides a more relaxing experience.

And it has already been mentioned several times that an Epsom salt bath is the perfect way to relax a mind and body. By adding a few drops of a favorite scent, you can instantly be taken to another place and away from your stress. Turn on some soft music and let your mind and body sink into the tub, freeing itself of soreness, tension, and stress.

While it may not be a surprise how good an Epsom salts bath is for you, all of these reasons may have been more than you expected—and that’s just all the more reason to give an Epsom salt bath a try.

Learn how to get started making bath salts by visiting MakeBathSalts.com and signing up for their free newsletter giving you expert tips and advice plus one recipe to get you going immediately.

Article:Benefits of Homemade Epsom Salt Bath Recipes

Aromatherapy Bath Salts - Heighten Your Relaxation and Health

2006-07-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Aromatherapy bath salt is an excellent tool for helping to relax and rejuvenate the body. With just the simple addition of scent to ordinary salt, the bath time soak experience can go from ordinary to extraordinary, becoming a way to eliminate stress and fatigue that has accumulated in the body.

The reason why aromatherapy bath salt works so well is that it incorporates the use of aromatherapy. This is the use of scents in order to evoke certain feelings or emotions. For example, when you think of roses, so you think of love? When you smell cookies baking in the oven, so you feel hungry? Simply by using particular herbs and flower, aromatherapy works to change the overall mood of the one who smells the scent.

By combining a bath with aromatherapy bath salt, the overall effect of the scents is heightened. But there are many different aromatherapy bath salt combinations that can be made or purchased. And while it might seem good to have a little of each on hand, you may want to start off with an aromatherapy bath salt that focuses on your basic troubles or needs.

For the person that is struggling with stress, an aromatherapy bath salt soak that is made to create feelings of relaxation is the most effective... Click to continue reading about aromatherapy bath salts...

Article:Aromatherapy Bath Salts Soak

Mistakes in Bath Salts Recipes

2006-04-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

One question many people have about bath salts recipes is what is the difference between a good recipe and a not-so-good recipe. The answer is not simple. There are many recipes that would be considered 'good', so the easiest way to deal with this question is to determine what is 'bad' in a bath salts recipe. Here are some more common mistakes...

Using liquid glycerin in bath salts - this ingredient is frequently included in many recipes (just search online - you'll find them), yet it is one ingredient that we would definitely NOT recommend. One of the many properties of glycerin is moisture-absorbing. While this can be useful when making lotions and lip balms, it is definitely a no-no when making bath salts. The end result is the glycerin drawing moisture from the environment into the bath salts and causing them to clump, leaving you with salts that would be more useful in a bowling alley than a bath tub!
Using food colorings in your salts - while this may work at first, you'll find that food colorings are definitely not the best when coloring bath salts. The colorant tends not to disperse evenly around the bath tub, and leaves you with nothing but wisps of dye instead of the aqua blue or a nice pink coloring the water. We recommend using proper colorants that are considered cosmetics safe.

You can learn more common mistakes by reading this article "The 7 Most Common Mistakes of Making Bath Salts"

Article:Bath Salt Recipe Mistakes

Reasons to Give Homemade Bath Salt

2006-04-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Homemade Bath Salt are the perfect gift for many occasions -- they are inexpensive and easy to make, while always being appreciated as a considerate gift.

Homemade bath salts is also a great way to personalize a gift. Because you're choosing the various ingredients as well as the presentation, you can create a gift that shows how much you care without it being a lot of work. The health benefits are also considerable since you can choose exactly which ingredients, salts and moisturizers you want to include in your bath salts, and you can customize the homemade bath salts to suit the individual person.

Read more about why giving your own homemade bath salt may be the perfect gift for that hard-to-please person during any occasion! Click here to read the full article.

Article:Reasons to Give Homemade Bath Salt