There's nothing quite like soaking in a hot bath after a long day, and these homemade herbal bath salts can take that relaxation to the next level.
Combining the soothing effects of plant therapy with natural ingredients, these fragrant bath salts are a simple and easy recipe that you can create at home.
Contents
In this post, I'll not only walk you through the steps to make your own bath salts, but also the benefits, common mistakes people often aren’t aware of, and how to properly use them so you can enjoy a calming, restorative bath experience whenever you need it.
Benefits
- easy to make at home (great fun for kids too!)
- all-natural ingredients
- relaxes sore muscles and soothes joint pain
- moisturises dry skin
- improves skin health (psoriasis, eczema)
- reduces stress
- improves the quality of sleep
This herbal bath salts recipe is made with simple ingredients that are easily available to you and that you should be able to get in your grocery or wholefoods shop. Or, you have them in your garden!
A good soak with these homemade bath salts soothes joint pain, calms a stressed mind and speeds up the recovery from the flu or cold due to the power of the herbs. It recharges your batteries and makes you feel calmer so you’ll sleep better at night.
It also relaxes sore muscles because of the magnesium content of the Epsom salts (or magnesium flakes). I’ve got a recipe here on my blog for an Epsom salt bath too, if you like to check it out.
This DIY bath salt recipe is straightforward and a great way to entertain your kids for a bit. You can easily make big batches too so you can share your creation with others! Did somebody say ‘great gift idea’?? 😉
Ingredients
- coarse sea salt and/or pink Himalayan salt
- Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)
- dried herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, etc.)
- dried flowers (rose petals, lavender buds, etc.)
Optional Ingredients
- baking soda
- carrier oil (such as sweet almond oil or coconut oil)
- therapeutic grade essential oils
(see recipe card for quantities)
There are really no limits to what you want to add to your homemade herbal bath salts, but I suggest you keep it simple. I’ll go through the different natural ingredients so you know what you’re doing.
Salts
What salts you end up using, is totally up to you and your preference. However, it’s important to either use sea salt or rock salt that don’t have any additives (such as iodine). Keep it natural!
Regular sea salt is great, but if you like to fancy up your hot bath, you could upgrade to Dead Sea salt. Its healing properties and various medical uses are well known.
Epsom salts are a great addition to the other salts if your focus is on muscle relaxation, stress reduction and improved sleep. They’re high in magnesium which is known to help with that. Alternatively, you may also add magnesium flakes.
Herbs & Flowers
You can add different herbs to your own DIY bath salts. When I say ‘herbs’, I mean your regular kitchen herbs, the ones you can grow in your garden, and not spices like cinnamon or ginger (you can of course add them too, mind).
Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, eucalyptus, lemon balm and holy basil (tulsi) are great herbs for a nice soak. They stimulate blood flow to invigorate a tired body, have antibacterial properties, and are soothing.
I know it may sound confusing when I say they invigorate but simultaneously, they’re are calming. But that’s the magic of natural therapy. Plant extracts have an intelligence and will help with whatever it is your body needs right now.
Some of the best flowers to use for this DIY bath salts recipe are rose petals, lavender buds, calendula petals and chamomile. Flowers mostly have a calming effect on our nervous system.
But they also have healing properties or are antimicrobial (especially lavender). Plus, they do look pretty in the jar and smell amazing ;).
The most important thing to remember with dried herbs and flowers is that you should always use organic! Ideally, you grow them in your own garden and dry them yourself, if that’s available to you.
I’ll give you some combination ideas later on (see ‘herbal blend ideas’) with both herbs and flowers. If you love roses, check out my rose bath salts recipe!
Other ingredients
Baking Soda
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) may help relieve skin irritations, itching, or infections (don’t use it on open wounds though!). It’s also a great detoxifying ingredient to add to your herbal bath salts.
Carrier Oils
Now, we get to a topic, a common ‘mistake’ that people often make. I’ve seen many, many bath salts recipes that add carrier oils and essential oils to the mix. And, yes, that’s absolutely fine, I don’t want to bum you out here.
It’s just not very practical—storage-wise. Adding oils to your salts will change the shelf life plus, if you add essential oils, you have to keep them out of the light, in a cupboard and an amber jar.
I prefer to add oil to the water directly rather than having it included in my salts. Oil has the benefit of deeply moisturising the skin while you take your bath.
If you want to add a carrier oil to your homemade herbal bath salts, I would recommend sweet almond oil or olive oil. Coconut oil is great too, but it goes solid in cold temperatures and it may be harder for you to get the salts out of the jar then.
Essential Oils
If you’d like to up your game, to benefit from an aromatherapy bath fully, then you should add essential oils. They are highly concentrated plant extracts and more powerful than dried herbs.
However, a few important things to note! If you use essential oils, you always dilute them with a carrier oil. Floating amongst litres of warm water, they do get diluted too but oil is always best.
Essential oils are light-sensitive and need to be stored away from daylight. Otherwise, they’ll lose their potency rapidly. Some even oxidise and change their chemical structure altogether (like tea tree)! I highly recommend an amber glass jar for storage when using essential oils.
You can use a multitude of essential oils, too many to list here, but basically, the dried herb variety I suggest for this recipe is a good place to start.
Herbal Blends Ideas
Invigorating Herbals: Sage, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Holy Basil and Peppermint
Flower Power: Lavender, Rose, Chamomile, Calendula and Jasmine
Relaxation & Better Sleep: Lavender, Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Holy Basil and Valerian Root
Sore Muscle Relief: Lavender, Eucalyptus, Calendula, Marjoram, Peppermint and Chamomile
Cold & Flu: Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender and Holy Basil
Instructions
How to make these herbal Bath Salts?
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula. If using oils, mix the dry ingredients together first, before adding them.
Step 2. Transfer into a mason jar or an airtight container for storage.
How to use these herbal Bath Salts?
Add 1 cup of your homemade herbal bath salts to your hot to warm bath water and use your arm to mix them in, making sure the salts dissolve completely (this may take a minute or two).
Have a good soak for at least 20 minutes and up to 40 minutes, or for as long as you like and the water is warm. Really take this time off to treat yourself!
Foot Soak
These homemade bath salts are also great for a foot soak. Simply add hot water to a small tub, large enough to fit your feet and add ¼ cup to the water. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.
Storage
You can store these homemade herbal bath salts in a glass jar, an airtight container, or a mason jar, out of direct sunlight, ideally in your cupboard.
If you only use the dry ingredients, the shelf life is fairly long—salt doesn’t really go off. However, the herbs will lose their potency over time. Use them up within 12 months for best results.
If you use oils, especially essential oils, store them in an amber glass jar to additionally protect them from the daylight. Please note that the shelf life will depend on the carrier oils you’re using. Check their expiry date to make sure they’ll last you for a few months!
Top Tip
This herbal bath salt recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, and so on. It’s a great, easy idea for Mother’s Day and Christmas gifts! Simply decorate the mason jar with a lace ribbon and a twig of your favourite herb or flower, and add your tag!
Warnings and Safety
Don’t have a bath, when you have an open wound or cut. Check with your doctor first. Small, minor cuts may be fine but will probably sting due to the salt (just so you’re aware).
If using essential oils, please do your research for the contraindications first before adding them. Some can be irritant or toxic, too.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 300 g sea salt coarse, or pink Himalayan salt
- 1 cup / 250 g Epsom salts
- dried herbs and/or flowers see notes
Optional Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoon bicarb/baking soda
- 1 tablespoon carrier oil (olive oil or sweet almond oil for example)
- 5-10 drops essential oils see notes
Instructions
How to Make
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula.How many dried herbs you add to your bath salts is up to you. I always do it intuitively. There's nothing you can do wrong here. The amount you can see in the picture is always good.
- If using oils, mix the dry ingredients together, before adding them.
- Transfer into a mason jar or an airtight container for storage.
How to Use
- Add 1 cup of your homemade herbal bath salts to your hot to warm bathwater and use your arm to mix them in, making sure the salts dissolve completely (this may take a minute or two).
- Have a good soak for at least 20 minutes and up to 40 minutes, or for as long as you like and the water is warm. Really take this time off to treat yourself!
Foot Soak
- These homemade bath salts are also great for a foot soak. Simply add hot water to a small tub, large enough to fit your feet and add ¼ cup to the water. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.
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