Sunday, February 20, 2011

Bath Salts and Sachets

I believe there's nothing more decadent than treating oneself to a hot bath infused with homemade bath salts or a bath sachet. Once the bath is drawn, you can light a few candles, turn off the lights and delight in the scents emanating from the water and let the world slip away. Ah . . . bliss . . .

The thing I like best about making my own bath salts and sachets is that I can put into them the scents and herbs that I like, making each with its own personality and one that fits with mine.

I made two recipes the other day, one to give-away and one to keep for myself. Below are the recipes I used, feel free to tweak them to suit your own personality.

Rose Petals Bath Salts

1.5 cups Epsom Salts
1 cup sea salt
1 teaspoon glycerin
red food coloring
small handful of rose petals
small handful of peppermint leaves
1 or 2 drops of Lavender essential oil

Mix the Epsom Salts and sea salt together well. Add one ingredient at a time of the Lavender essential oil, one or two drops of red food coloring to color the mixture pink and 1 teaspoon of glycerin (for soft skin - be sure not to put more than 1 teaspoon in or it will melt the salt) and mix well after each addition. Gently add in your rose petals and peppermint leaves (you can find these ingredients at most health food stores or places like Whole Foods). Lay the mixture out on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper to dry for two to three hours.

Lavender Fields Bath Salts

1.5 cups Epsom Salts
1 cup sea salt
1 teaspoon glycerin
blue and red food coloring
small handful of Lavender petals
small handful of peppermint leaves
1 or 2 drops of Lavender essential oil

Mix the Epsom Salts and sea salt together well. Add one ingredient at a time of the Lavender essential oil, one or two drops of each of the red and blue food coloring to color the mixture purple (I mixed the colors together in a teaspoon before I added them to the mixture - you might have to play with this for awhile until you get the color you want) and 1 teaspoon of glycerin (for soft skin - be sure not to put more than 1 teaspoon in or it will melt the salt) and mix well after each addition. Gently add in your Lavender petals and peppermint leaves (you can find these ingredients at most health food stores or places like Whole Foods). Lay the mixture out on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper to dry for two to three hours.

Once the mixture has dried thoroughly spoon it into a pretty jar or bottle (I found my smooth faced jars at Micheal's) add ribbon and embellishment and voila' you've made your own bath salts!

Bath Sachet

small cotton drawstring bags (I found mine at Willy Street Co-op, but I imagine you can find them at most health food stores or Whole Foods.)
Rosemary
Lavender
Chamomile

Mix the ingredients together and spoon them into the cotton bags. Use the ingredients in equal combinations depending on how many bags you want to fill. To fill three small bags I used about 3/4 cup of each herb. You can throw it right into the bath or put some pretty ribbon and embellishments on it to make a nice gift. Mine smelled so good I decided to put one of the bags in my undie drawer!

As you're making your bath salts or sachets it might be nice if you put your intention into the mix. I infused mine with Reiki energy, but any intention you have would work just as well. For instance as you put in each of the ingredients you could say, "It is my intention that this (Lavender) be used to create relaxation and well-being for me."

I found a lovely shop on Etsy that sells essential oils, bath soaps, lip balms and such. All handmade with natural ingredients. I purchased the Lavender essential oil and I have to tell you that it smells heavenly! Not like the store-bought brands. I also purchased a chocolate-mint lip balm and it's all I can do to not sit down and eat the thing. I just purchased the Rosewood Essential Oil and Sweet Orange Essential Oil and I can't wait to use them in some homemade salts! The name of the Esty shop is Back to Basics Log Cabin. Give them a try, I think you'll really like their products!

I hope you enjoy making your own homemade bath salts and sachets and that you delight in the bliss of using them!

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7 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing these lovely recipes! I can almost smell them now and they look so beautiful and welcoming in the jars you chose.

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  2. Thanks for sharing the recipe!! I bet they smell Yummy!!

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  3. These sound lovely. I can't wait to try them. Thank you so much for sharing! =]

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  4. The recipes sound wonderful. Great tub, too. Makes me miss my old place!

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  5. I dont think I have taken a bath in years but that looks relaxing!

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  6. I am now, officially, envious of your bathtub! And sad cause my tub is in no way even a dim 2nd in terms of relaxation experience!

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  7. Those bath salts look wonderful. I wish I had a bath, but unfortunately I only have a small shower, but you have to be grateful for what you have ; ) Maybe some herbal showergel ?? That would be great to make too.
    Have a wonderful day and thank you for sharing.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment today! If you've left a question for me, I'll respond by emailing you personally. Have a wonderful day!

Blessed Be,
Tereza