Homemade Bath Salts

Lavender bath salts make a great frugal gift.

One of my favourite indulgences is a hot bath. If I've had a bad day or am feeling stressed, a bath helps to relax and lift my mood. I honestly believe a hot bath can cure almost anything.

 I'm not a huge fan of bubbles in my bath but prefer bath salts. I used to just add a few drops of lavender oil in my bath, but since reading about the benefits of epsom salts I have started adding this to my bath and make my own salts. They also make a great gift.

Epsom salts are fabulous. They are great for eliminating toxins and can help with arthritis and other ailments by replenishing the body's supply of magnesium. You can read more about it here
I've had days where I've done lots of physical work and been in pain- a soak in a bath with some Epsom salts and I've woken up fine and able to move.

I've noticed that most fancy brands of bath salts contain Epsom Salts and can be ridiculously overpriced. I once saw a tub of lavender salts for $20! You can buy Epsom from Coles, and it costs about $8 for 1kg. I was buying so much that I ended up sourcing a cheaper option. I found a supplier and now buy it in a 25 kg bag.

To make your own bath salts you will need:

A glass jar- the one in the picture above was $2 from Kmart, but I have also repurposed jars for gifts.
Epsom salts
Salt- I've used all types; cooking, sea and Himalayan. Whatever you have on hand.
Bicarbonate of soda
Lavender oil
Dried lavender-optional

I normally make a few jars of this at a time and am usually unsure of how much each one will hold, so first will layer the ingredients in my jar first and then pour it into a bowl to mix.

Pour the Epsom salt in the jar until it is about 3/4 full, then top it up with equal quantities of bicarb and cooking salt. Bi carb is a great skin softener and the salt is a good for dry skin conditions.

Tip the contents of the jar now into a large mixing bowl and add 10-15 drops of essential lavender oil. for relaxation and calming properties. You could also add other blends too like:

10 drops lavender and 5 drops rosemary or peppermint oil. Peppermint tends to be energizing so you might want to avoid using that before bed! Orange or lemon oil would be invigorating also. 

Now add your dried lavender flowers- this isn't necessary but I had some lavender tea which I'm not a fan of and wanted to use it up! You could add any herbal tea if you like.

Mix the oil in well and then spoon the contents back into the jar.

Add some twine or a bow and a label.