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Baths and Bubbles

© Kim A. Draper

There are four ways to use essential oils in the bath. First, of course, they can just be added neat and undiluted to the water. This gives the bath a wonderful aroma and you the therapeutic values of whichever oils you have chosen. But the oils can also be incorporated into homemade bath crystals, bath oils, and bubble baths.

Most of the prettily packaged bath crystals you can buy in the shops are nothing more than small rock salt or granulated sea salt with color and fragrance added. To make your own at home couldn’t be easier and if you save attractive glass jars over the year, making presents for all your friends at Christmas will take about ten minutes! Simply crush the rock salt or just add the sea salt to a jar, add a few drops of food coloring, and then the essential oils of your choice. To each 9 ounces add 20 drops of essential oil. Tie a few ribbons around the jars, and voila.

Many people find plain tap water drying to the skin and need a bath oil to counteract its effects. There are few truly dispersible bath oils, but one that is, is a treated castor oil know as Red Turkey Oil. You can add the essential oil directly into the bottle, just as you would any other base oil, using 5 drops to 1 teaspoon of oil, as most bottles of this oil come in 2 ounce sizes, add 50 drops of your chosen essential oil or blend of oils. Use about 1 teaspoon of this to each bath. Alternatively, first add your essential oil neat to the bath, 4 to 6 drops per bath and then put a teaspoon of Red Turkey Oil in the bath.

Sometimes there is nothing more appealing than lying back in a bath full of bubbles, while the aromas of the essential oils drift around you, soothing and relaxing. The following recipe is for a bubble bath that is also cleansing. Use only one hundred percent pure soap.

Grated Soap 8oz

Witch Hazel 2-TBLS

Almond Oil 2 cups

Spring Water 2 cups

Boil the spring water and melt the soap in it. In another container, mix the witch hazel and almond oil together and shake well. (If possible do this in a blender) Then slowly add the soap mixture to the witch hazel and oil blend and again, shake or blend well. These amounts will make a large quantity of basic bubble bath mixture to which you can add the essential oils of your choice. For each 2 tablespoons base bubble bath use 15 drops of essential oil and mix well. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of the final product in each bath.