Bath  Recipes

MAKING YOUR OWN BATH SALTS

Bath Salts are an easily prepared alternative to bath herbs, and are to be preferred to the mixtures now on the market; most of these chemical-ridden formulas are almost guaranteed to irritate your skin. Bath salts are used for many different purposes, and they make great gifts too.

The basic ingredients are table salt, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) & Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate). Some herbalists also use borax. Add the salts to a large bowl in these proportions:

3 parts Epsom salts
2 parts baking soda
1 part table salt (or borax)
Essential (scented, herbal/floral) Oils

Mix thoroughly using your hands to stir the ingredients. Some people will tell you to use a spoon or other utensil, although if you are like me, you will find the salts work better if you use your hands. This is now the base from which you can create a wide variety of bath salts. It's wise to add colours to bath salts. Use plain food colouring for this purpose, letting it fall drop by drop onto the salt base.

If two or more colours are required to mix an exotic hue (such as purple), mix these in a spoon first and then add to the salts to avoid creating a two-toned product, unless of course, you plan on a two or three tone salt. Add many drops for a darker coloured salt, fewer for a lightly hued salt. Mix the colour into the salts until it is evenly distributed; again use your hands or you may use a utensil.

Now add the essential oils drop by drop, one ingredient at a time, until the scent seems right. Using your hands and fingertips, mix it until all salt particles are moistened. This may take up to fifteen minutes or longer. As to proportions, rely on your nose to determine the exact quantities. The more potent the finished products' scent, the less will have to be used for each bath. They should be strongly scented.

To use, add from 2 tablespoons to one-half cup of the bath salts to a full tub. Mix with your hands into the water. Enjoy your homemade bath salts!

HEALING BATH SALTS

Colour: Dark blue
3 parts Niaouli
2 parts Eucalyptus
1 part Sandalwood

LOVE BATH SALTS

Colour: Pink
3 parts Rosemary
2 parts Lavender

1 part Cardamon
1 part Jasmine

PROTECTION BATH SALTS

Colour: White
3 Parts Rosemary
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Lavender

DIVINE SPIRITUAL BATH SALTS

Colour: Purple
4 parts Sandalwood
2 parts Myrrh
1 part frankincense
1 drop Cinnamon

HOMEMADE SHOWER CLEANER

Looking for an alternative to expensive daily shower cleaners? Try this! In a spray bottle, pour in 8 oz. of rubbing alcohol then top it off with water. After each shower, spray the walls and shower curtain. You won't have to rinse.

FLOWER PETAL BATH VINEGAR

Herbal vinegars are used in skin tonics, added to the bath, dabbed on sunburned face or pressed on to a throbbing headache.

1 cup of fresh petals or herbs of your choice

2 cups cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Put flower petals or herbs into a large glass jar and pour in the warmed vinegar. Place on a windowsill in the sun or in some other warm place and leave there for 2 weeks, shaking the bottle well every day. Strain off the vinegar and store the sealed bottles. You can then increase the strength of the perfume by increasing the amount of herbs or flower petals used.

DRAGON SMOKE BATH SALTS

For Prosperity
1 cup salt
2 drops anise oil
5 drops cherry oil

MERDDIN BATH SALTS
For Prosperity Spells
1 cup salt
8 drops lilac oil
4 drops violet oil
8 drops narcissus oil
4 drops wisteria oil
4 drops ambergris oil

AURA OF VENUS BATH SALTS
1 cup salt
8 drops jasmine oil
4 drops frangipani oil
4 drops lavender oil
4 drops rose oil
4 drops synthetic musk oil

SLEEPY TIME SOAK

1/2 sea salt
4 drops chamomile EO
2 drops marjoram EO
2 drops ylang-ylang EO
1 drop basil EO

Add to bath and relax as you drink a cup of chamomile tea.

WHITE GODDESS MILK BATH
1 cup cornstarch
2 cup dried milk powder
1/8 tsp fragrance oil
Combine dry ingredients in food processor and blend. Add oil and blend again.
Add 1/2 cup to bath water.

HERBAL BATHS

I love herbs, both for their magickal and practical sides. Herbal baths have to be one of the most relaxing things I can think of. Candles and sometime music playing in the background or a book to read. Sometimes I choose the herbs for my bath by their magickal properties. Other times I chose them for their healing effect.

To make an herbal bath tie up a half cup of herb in a washcloth, muslin bag, or in jelly cloth and fasten it to the spout of the tub so that the hot waters run through it. After the water is drawn, just place the bag in the water with you. You may use just one herb or several.

ANTISEPTIC:

Lavender, thyme, peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen.

ASTRINGENT:

Sage, milfoil, comfrey root, strawberry leaves.

CALMING:

Fragrant valerian, balm, marjoram, hops, passion flower.

CLEANSING (especially for oily skin):

Lovage, milfoil, lemongrass, geranium leaves.

HEALING:

Peppermint, milfoil, chamomile flowers, elder flowers, linden flowers, rosemary, lovage.

MOISTURISING:

Orange blossoms, chamomile flowers, rose leaves, rose petals, rose hips, white willow bark.

SOFTENING:

Fennel, rose petals, elder flowers, linden flowers.

STIMULATING CIRCULATION:

Thyme, mother of thyme, rosemary, lavender.

TONING THE SKIN:

Thyme, lavender, milfoil, peppermint.

THERAPEUTIC BATH HERBS

RELAXING BATH HERBS:
Chamomile, Hops, Jasmine, Linden Flowers, Meadowsweet, Valerian.

STIMULATING BATH HERBS:
Basil, Bay, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Ivy, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Mint, Pennyroyal, Pine, Rosemary, Sage, Tansy, Thyme.

HEALING BATH HERBS:

Calendula, Comfrey, Hens and Chicks, Lady's Mantle, Spearmint, Yarrow.

SPRING TONIC BATH HERBS:
Blackberry Leaves, Dandelion, Lawn Daisies, Stinging Nettles.

CHAMOMILE BATH

1 cup lavender flowers

1 cup chamomile flowers

1 cup linden flowers

1/2 cup valerian root

1 cup hops

Place everything into a large muslin or fine cloth bag and tie up the bag and simply run the bath water over it.

AFTER SUN ORANGE SKIN BATH

1 cup almond meal

1 cup fine ground oatmeal

3 cups dried rose petals

1 cup dried orange blossom

1 cup dried orange peel pounded into a course powder

1 cup cut and dried orange leaves

10 drops orange essential oil

1 cup dried chamomile leaves

1/2 cup elderflowers

Combine all ingredients in a large and well sealed container and leave to mature for about 2 weeks. Divide into 10 even portions and tie in muslin or organza bags. Hang the bag from your bath tap when you next run a bath and let it soak in the bath water.

VIOLET BATH SOAK

3 cups violet flowers and leaves

3 cups white wine vinegar

20 drops violet oil

Combine the flowers, leaves and oil in a large jar or bowl. Boil vinegar and pour over mix. Cover and leave to stand for 2 weeks, shaking the container every day. Strain the mixture through coffee filter paper, then allow to stand for another week before straining again. Siphon mixture into bottles without disturbing the sediment. Store in the refrigerator. Pour a few tablespoons of the mixture into your bath and soak in it to help relieve headache, stress and exhaustion.