Handmade Bath Salts & Sugar Scrubs

Epsom salts in a bath are great to soothe sore muscles. The salts absorb into the skin and reduce inflammation.  The scented salt recipes below use essential oils and flowers to add to the relaxation of an epsom salt bath.

The scrubs recipes below are great for your whole body and face.  These scrubs invigorate the skin and scrub away any dead cells. They are best used within a few weeks, but with a little extra oil, can last for several months.

Be creative!  There are a lot of different essential oils out there.  I found Whole Foods Market to have the best selection.  Also you can make different dried citrus zests and herbs. Use fragrant tea bags or bulk teas. Oils can be mixed and matched like jojoba, almond, grape seed, and apricot. Olive oil is great too but remember that it has a strong scent. Make sure that you want that scent to take over in your scrub.  I wouldn’t use it with flowers, but it would be great with lemon zest or herbs.

 

Lavender Jasmine or Rose Chamomile Bath Salts

Each Recipe Makes about 2 Cups

Lavender Jasmine                            Or           Rose Chamomile             

1 Lb Epsom Salts                                              1 Lb Epsom Salts
25 Drops Lavender Essential Oil                   25 Drops Rose Essential Oil
½ C Dried Lavender Buds                               ½ C Dried Rosehips
¼ C Dried Jasmine Tea Leaves                       ¼ C Dried Chamomile Flowers

Mix all of the ingredients together.  Store in a glass jar until ready to use. When ready for the bath, fill the tub with hot to warm water and sprinkle in about 2-3 T of salts.

*For the tea leaves you can open a few tea bags.  

Decorative Jars

Bath salts can last for a long time.  They will slowly start to lose their fragrance but could last for a year if stored in an airtight glass container.  Since this is the case, why not display them in a decorative jar. 

I found these glass jars at various craft stores.  Plastic absorbs the fragrance, so you will want to use glass for the bath salts. I used ribbons, glue, paper flowers, and jewelry charms to decorate them.

Orange Rosemary Sugar Scrub

Makes About 2 Cups

1 ½ C Granulated Sugar

3 T Epsom Salt

1T Dried Orange Zest

4 T Honey

½ C Almond Oil (can substitute grape seed)

3T Jojoba Oil

Approximately 20 Drops of Rosemary Oil

I made my own dried orange zest by zesting 2 oranges onto wax paper and letting it dry overnight.  I find this much better quality than buying it ready made.

 Mix all of the ingredients together and store them in a jar.  It’s best to use within 2 weeks.  It can be used for several months, but a small amount of oil may need to be added to it.

*Rosemary is a stimulant and astringent which will tighten and tone the skin and increase circulation.  Orange zest is an emollient and will soften the skin.  Almond oil is a great lubricant and emollient which leaves a silky finish on the skin. 

Brown Sugar Coffee Scrub

Makes About 2 Cups

1 ½ C Brown Sugar

1 C Ground Coffee
4 T Honey
1 T Vanilla
1/2 C Almond Oil (can substitute grape seed oil)
½ C Jojoba Oil

 Mix all of the ingredients together and store them in a jar.  It’s best to use within 2 weeks.  It can be used for several months, but a small amount of oil may need to be added to it.

*Coffee is an anti-inflammatory and it’s texture is great for scrubbing away dead skin. Honey is an emollient and a gentile cleanser that acts as a lubricant to protect the skin.