Lavender Rose Bath Salts

I’ve suffered with a bad back for years. I have a weakness in the muscles around my spine, meaning that if I stand, sit or lay in one position for too long, or do anything physical such as gardening or sports, the muscles can spasm, leaving me in a lot of pain for days. I don’t let it stop me doing anything though. I see a physio for sports massages when it’s bad, but usually manage it with heat patches, hot water bottles and pain killers. But as all sufferers will tell you, there’s nothing for a sore back (or any achy joints or muscles) like a long soak in a hot bath!

I have always been a big fan of bubble baths, and always had regular soaks in mountains of bubbles; but since I’ve been suffering with my back, I’ve been experimenting with bath salts. Epsom salts especially, are great at relaxing muscles and are used by athletes, so I started to add a scoop to my baths. It did help my aching muscles, but it didn’t feel luxurious enough. I don’t want to just soak my bad back, I want to feel pampered! For an hour or so, every week, it’s just me, a good book, a face mask, a scented candle, a glass of wine and a hot, fragrant, relaxing, blissful bath. So I started looking up recipes for homemade bath salts and experimenting with essential oils to not only help my back, but to create a spa-like experience every time I bath, and this recipe really hit the nail on the head!

These bath salts create the most relaxing baths I’ve ever had. The first time I used them, I was so relaxed I couldn’t even read my book. I just lay there, luxuriating in the hot, scented water, amazed by how instantly relaxed I was. It hits all your senses at once, and after a long soak, I crawled straight into bed and slept like a log! The salts and hot water relax your muscles, loosen stiff joints and open up your pores, drawing toxins out of your skin. The smell of the lavender oil fills the room, calming your mind and relieving tension and headaches. The Rose water softens the skin and the Bicarbonate of Soda clouds the water and creates a gentle fizz, like a bath bomb.

I use measuring spoons when mixing my bath salts, but the measurements don’t have to be exact. Feel free to add more, or less of anything, if you like. Just be careful not to add too much liquid to the mix if you’ll be giving it as a gift or not using it right away, as too much moisture will start to breakdown the salt and bicarb, and make for a lumpy bath when eventually used.

Ingredients:

60mls of Epsom Salts
30mls of Bicarbonate of Soda
5 drops of lavender oil
2-3 mils of rosewater
Dried lavender, if you like, this isn’t essential

Method:

Mix it all together
Run yourself a deep, hot bath.
Sprinkle in half of the bath salts (if you followed the recipe above, you will have enough for 2 baths)
Get in, lay back and relax!