Your skin and nervous system will love this holistic DIY soothing bath tea recipe packed with oats and herbs that soften and calm irritated skin. You can make it in the time it takes to fill your tub.
When would you use a herbal bath tea?
Everyone can benefit from a herbal bath tea, and you can customize it with different herbs to suit your preferences. Some use it for:
- Postpartum health to soothe sore muscles and swelling
- Sunburns, dry skin and rashes, like diaper rash
- To relax before bed
- To naturally sweat out toxins
- When you want a natural, effective bath soak without all the chemicals
- Safe bath product for babies and kids
Ingredients you will need to make a herbal bath tea
Cheesecloth or drawstring muslin bag: You will be scooping a few tablespoons of the herbal bath tea into the cloth and tying it up. This prevents all the herbs and oats from clogging your drain. If you don’t have cheesecloth or a reusable muslin bag, try an old stocking!
Epsom salt: Also known as magnesium sulfate, many report that Epsom salts help to soothe sore muscles, aches and pains. You will need approximately one cup per bath. You can find it in the pharmacy section or online at stores like Amazon
Rolled oats: Use rolled oats as opposed to quick oats, which get a bit gummy when wet. Oats are naturally soothing and moisturizing, perfect for a sunburn, diaper rash, inflamed and dry skin.
Dried flowers or tea: The best herbs to use in a bath tea are rose, calendula (marigold), chamomile, and lavender. If you don’t have any of these flowers already dried, then open up a tea bag and add it to your blend.
Powdered milk: Milk has been used for centuries to moisturize and polish skin. You can often find powdered milk in the bulk section of grocery stores, or use fresh milk in a pinch.
A large glass jar with lid to store a large batch of herbal bath tea in. You can recycle mason jars or washed pasta sauce jars. If you are storing the bath tea in a sunny room, keep the tea in a dark glass jar.
Essential oils: These are optional but add a lovely scent and more healing properties. Choose just one or blend a few. Our faves for a relaxing bath are rose, orange, grapefruit, lavender, vanilla, and chamomile. Make sure to choose a pure essential oil and not a “fragrance” oil, which is synthetic.
Pro tips
- Make a big batch ahead of time and keep it in a glass container. When ready to use, fill up a muslin bag and drop it right in to your warm bath
- Always use the muslin bag or cheesecloth to prevent the herbs from clogging your drain
- After the bath, compost the herbs and rinse the bag to reuse
- Choose organic oats and herbs to soak in since your skin can absorb pesticides and other chemicals that might be in store bought ingredients
- Use flowers and herbs from your garden!
- Always label the jar with a title, date you made it, and ingredients in case there are allergies or sensitivities in the house
How to Make a Herbal Bath Tea
Ingredients
- 5 cups epsom salt
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups powdered milk (goat, buttermilk, whole, or skim)
- 1 cup dried flowers (mix chamomile, rose, lavender, calendula)
- 5 drops essential oil (choose individual or blend lavender, orange, grapefruit, rosemary, chamomile, vanilla, rose)
Method
- Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a spoon. Transfer to a glass jar with lid for storage
- When ready to use, fill a piece of cheesecloth with 1 cup of bath tea and tie with a string or twine. Or, fill a reusable cotton muslin bag with a drawstring. Drop the bag into a warm bath and soak in it until finished. Discard the contents of the bag into the compost and reuse the bag another time.
