Lavender Bath Salt Recipe

Making your own bath salts is easy and inexpensive!

It is also an opportunity to intentionally connect with the ingredients and what you are putting into your body – smelling the lavender buds, feeling the texture of the ground oatmeal, or seeing the layers of salt crystals and lavender in the jar. The skin is our largest organ, thus what we put on our bodies is equally significant.

Try taking a break for 10 minutes from working on your laptop and simply redirect your attention to a little self-care. Then you can go back to your glowing rectangle and continue typing, but notice: how do you feel?

These are Gentle Leaps. To form habits slowly over a long period of time, and to become curious about how our actions affect our bodies and minds.

When I was living at the Zen Center, I used to make HUGE batches of bath salts in the oversize mixing bowls found in a commercial kitchen. Inevitably a few people would wander into the kitchen during our day off and wonder what I was up to. Which would inevitably lead into a long diatribe about my love of baths and how easy it is to make your own body care products. I’m pretty sure that all of my friends have received a mason jar of this from me over the past few years. They make great gifts!

When I take baths regularly I notice a greater sense of ease and ability to be present in my relationships. I tend to hold a lot of bodily tension in my shoulders because of long hours at the computer and a feeling of needing to protect myself (more about how our bodies store tension and reflect our states of mind in a future post). A long bath after work helps to ease the tightness and relax the muscles in my back and neck. I’ve found that a bath can be an every day activity, but a salt bath should be just a couple times a week.

Many kinds of essential oils can be used to make this recipe. I prefer lavender because of its soothing and calming effect. Epsom salt (available at most food stores) can be drying to the skin, so adding oatmeal powder or another oil can help to sooth dry and itchy skin. The baking soda is naturally alkalizing and can help to detox the body and soften skin.

Do you have 10 minutes? Ok, great! Let’s get started…

DIY Lavender Bath Salt Recipe

Yield: 1 Quart (8 baths or so)

Ingredients

• 1 quart mason jar or glass container
• 3 cups epsom salt
• ¾ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup dried lavender buds and/or 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil (buds only for less fragrance, add essential oil for a stronger scent)
• Optional: 2 tablespoons of oil (jojoba, coconut, grapeseed, argan, etc)
• Optional: oatmeal powder (blend ½ cup rolled oats into flour texture)

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl – try mixing with your hands to activate the senses!
2. Using a funnel (or rolled up piece of paper) pour into mason jar or airtight glass jar
3. Draw yourself a bath and use approximately ½ cup per bath

This recipe can be modified in many ways – adding or subtracting essential oils, oatmeal powder, or moisturizing oil. I would love to hear about what concoctions you are creating in your kitchen to support your BodyMind in the comments below!