Salty Soaks

Making your own bath salts is super easy.  Plus, it’s fun to customize them to your current needs.

Your skin is your largest organ in your body.  A hot soak with bath salts softens skin, improves circulation, eases muscle aches, detoxifies, and is just plain relaxing.

I made a recent batch with these four main ingredients:  Epsom salt, citric acid, baking soda, and Dead Sea salt.

Epsom salt is not actually a salt, but a mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate.  It is a well know natural remedy that has been used for hundreds of years.  Magnesium is vital in regulating over 300 enzymes working in your body.  Sulfates flush toxins and improve absorption of nutrients.  Benefits of soaking with Epsom salt include relaxing muscles, easing body aches, decreasing stress, and exfoliating the skin.

Dead Sea salt is extracted and solar dried from (you guessed it!) the Dead Sea.  It contains magnesium, potassium, and bromide which are natural skin softeners.  Soothing to dry skin, Dead Sea salt cleanses and detoxifies and also eases sore muscles and muscle cramps.

Citric acid occurs naturally in citrus fruits.    In 1917, it was discovered that the black mold Aspergillus niger made citric acid when it was fed on sugar. Most citric acid used today in products around the house is manufactured and is considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration.  Citric acid is a gentle antioxidant that exfoliates by removing dead skin cells from the top layer of the skin, thus encouraging new cell growth.  

Baking soda is a common household product and is often overlooked as a natural remedy.  By adding it to your bath, baking soda boots circulation and healing,  relieves tension and pain, and provides detoxifying benefits.

DIY Bath Salts

Ingredients

• 2 cups Epsom salt
• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup Dead Sea salt
• 1 cup citric acid
• Essential oils:  50-75 drops, use per your own preference (I used lavender, lime, and peppermint)

Instructions

1.  Whisk dry ingredients of Epsom salt, citric acid, Dead Sea salt, and baking soda together.
2.   Add your essential oils of choice using 50 to 70 drops totals.  This seems like a lot, but the scent will dissipate in the bath water.  Keep whisking as you add the drops of oil to keep the dry ingredients from clumping.
   

   These green drops are the lime essential oils which is obtained by cold pressing the peel of the fruit!

   

   Keep whisking!
3.  Scoop the bath salt mix into mason jars.  Leave the lid loose for 24 hours until the ingredients settle.
4.  I decorated the lid for an added touch but this is totally optional!
5.  Now go relax!  Add 1/2 cup to one cup of bath salts to your soak.