The Gardener's Bath Soak
My garden is my sanctuary. It is a place where I go to turn my thoughts. To breathe. To find solace. It is a dwelling place for creativity. I wanted to bottle that calming energy into a bath soak that would cleanse the mind and ease tired muscles and joints.
I grow all of these herbs in my backyard apothecary garden and greenhouse and chose them for their detoxifying, stress-relieving and soothing properties to benefit the mind and body after a day of planting, cultivating or harvesting. I added the lemon peel for its antioxidant properties and the salts were chosen to help sooth aching muscles and give your skin a boost after being out in the sun all day.
The muslin bags are a great no-mess alternative to dropping the bath soak mixture directly into the water and can be tied to your bath faucet while drawing your bath. Then, let the bag float in your bath for continued aromatherapy. You’ve nurtured your garden all year. With this bath soak, it returns the favor.
You Will Need
- Clean, dry, large glass or enamel bowl
- Clean, dry, small cup
- 2 cups Epsom salt
- 1 cup Himalayan pink rock salt
- 1 cup lavender buds
- 1 cup lemon balm
- 1 cup rose petals
- 1 cup calendula
- 1 cup eucalyptus
- 1 cup chamomile
- 1 cup dried lemon peel shavings
- 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 1 oz (2 tablespoons) sunflower oil
- Reusable muslin bags (9 for this batch)
My favorite supplies and tools for projects like these can be found HERE.
To Make
In bowl, mix together the salts, herbs and lemon peel. In separate small cup, combine the oils together and then drizzle them into the mixture, combining thoroughly. Scoop into muslin bags, and tie them tightly.
Notes
- To dry lemon peel, simply grate a clean, dry organic lemon and leave out on a drying screen or parchment-lined cookie sheet for a week.
- Sunflower oil is used as the carrier oil in this recipe to fit the garden theme, however, any cold-pressed or virgin oil can be substituted. Coconut, sweet almond, grapeseed olive, and coconut are good alternatives. Carrier oils are important to dilute the essential oils that will touch your skin.
- Use only organically cultivated dried herbs that are free of chemicals and pesticides.
- This recipe can also be found in the Spring 2022 issue of Willow & Sage Magazine.
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Disclaimer: This article may contain Amazon affiliate links. Cedar House Living LLC receives a small commission for sales generated through these links at no additional cost to you. I use the commissions to further expand my garden, floral, and herbal knowledge so I can continue to share what I learn with you.