We take a bath most nights before bed. While plain water will do for some, we like a bit of fun with our dunk in the drink. But we run through bath products pretty quickly. Since some of our favorites are made with ingredients like milk, we thought, why not? While we haven't yet filled our bathtub with jello, check what we're bathing in after the jump...
Try these solo or combine. Start with a generous handful added to running water. Adjust to your liking:
- Salt: Table or sea salt on its own or mixed with Epsom salts.
- Baking Soda: A great skin smoother.
- Milk or buttermilk: You can also use powdered milk. A great light exfoliant for the skin.
- Cornstarch: Mix it with powdered milk and salt. Good for soothing the skin.
- Honey: A great skin softener.
- Peppermint oil: A few drops in a bath is invigorating
- Vanilla extract: A favorite scent is soothing in the evening.
- Baby oatmeal or barley cereal: Works wonders on itchy skin.
- Food coloring: Add a few drops for fun!
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I love a baking soda bath. It's so relaxing! You can also use backing soda as a great scrub - I used to have a joke about starting a "beauty" company and just repackaging baking soda...
I read on some blog recently about how baking soda makes a great face scrub. I tried it, loved it and told the boyfriend who scoffed. But then he tried it, now he's taking Baking Soda in the bathroom everyday and loves it as a face scrub, body scrub and adds it to toothpaste. Good thing it's cheap!
A bath made from mixture of mineral (Epsom) salts and arnica flowers (from the Mexican grocery store) is wonderful for tired feet...
I've turned my bathroom into a virtual apothecary with shelves of cream ceramic covered canisters (formerly flour/sugar/tea) brimming with powdered milk, epsom salt, baking soda, almond meal, oatmeal, cornstarch, orris root, honey, essential oils (lavender, rose absolute, eucalyptus, sandalwood), vitamin E and extracts of peppermint and vanilla. My addiction to expensive bath products is a thing of the past. My skin feels great, it's inexpensive and I love trying new combinations. My favorite is milk, rose (or lavender) oil, orris root, vitamin E and almond meal. A close 2nd is milk, vanilla and chocolate syrup. The salt is great with eucalyptus or lavender oil.
When using honey or syrup...hold in your hand and let dissolve under the warm running water. For almond meal and oatmeal...pour into a muslin satchel (or the foot of a pair of nylons) and suspend under running water. Once in the bath, you can scrub with it, still in the satchel.
How about the blood of virgins?
I use sugar to exfoliate. I'll put about a third of a cup in a bowl and take some in one hand while the other hand gets soapy from the bar of soap. I'll combine them by rubbing my hands together then scrub away.