As the cold winter settles in, there is nothing like a nice, hot bath to warm up the body. I found some great ideas to try out including herbal bath bags and soothing milk baths. Since I haven’t found a “healthy” bubble bath yet (as pretty much anything that bubbles contains sodium laureth sulfate), I think these are about as close as I can get to a relaxing, healthy soak.
When reading about the homemade herbal bath bags, I realized that it is a great idea not only for myself but for gifts (especially with the holidays coming up). You can use cheese cloth, muslin, or organza to hold approximately 1/3 cup of the herbal mix you choose. Once filled, tie the bag tightly so the herbs cannot get out and after use, the bags can be washed and used again.
There are a variety of herbal blends that you can create, such as those below (most of them will make more than 1 bag’s worth):
- Lavender Oatmeal – 1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup dried lavender
- Rosemary Oatmeal – 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup chamomile tea, 1/4 cup dried rosemary
- Herbal Blend – 1/2 cup each of lavender, rose petals, rosemary, and sage
- Extra Herbal Blend – 1/2 cup each of lavender, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and mint
There are two ways to use the herbal bath bags- you can either make a tea to add to the bath or simply run the hot water over the bag and then let it float once you have enough water in the tub. If you make the tea, bring a quart of water to boiling (in a non-aluminum pot), then remove it from heat. Add a herbal bath bag to the water, cover the pot, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Add this hot water to the bath (being careful not to burn yourself) and then add the bag to the tub water if you wish.
Milk baths are another option and sound just as relaxing and comforting as the herb baths. Simply mix the ingredients and pour them into the running bath water. For a honey, milk, and almond bath combine 1 cup powdered milk with 2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 Tbsp almond oil. For a lavender milk bath, mix 1 cup powdered milk with 2 cups hot water and add 1/8 cup dried lavender.
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