Bath salts/bombs
 

I love taking baths. I prefer them to showers unless I'm washing my hair - I hate getting my face wet because I wear contacts and the water irritates my eyes.

Anyway, I really love adding bath salts or bath bombs to the water. My apartment has hard water and the salts always make the water feel softer. My bath salt of choice is The Village Company's lavender salt:
Bath Shoppe English Lavender Body Soak - but I'd like to try something new. My problem is most of the salts I find really smell repulsive. I also use bath bombs/cubes when I can find ones that aren't ridiculously priced (Lush - I tried their bombs, they smelled nice but $4-7 for one??). Anyone else use salts?

Have you tried making your own? I did this as a kid in school and the idea has stuck with me, but I honestly don't know where to start from a quality perspective.

My guess would be essential oils mixed with food coloring and epsom salt. This might be a fun way to experiment with smells that you enjoy. I really can't stand most flowery smelling things, but I love sandalwood.

monkie beat me to it. My first thought when I saw this thread was, "I just make my own."

Here are some instructions, because I haven't done it in a long time:
Make Bath Salts - How to Make Basic Bath Salts - Recipe for Homemade Spa Bath Salts

I've purchased some from Lush and I loved the ones there and I've had friends that used them and enjoyed them too. But another friend is making some and that seems nice too.

I still get Glamour mag, everything else I read on the net....

jadangel, I think you meant to respond to a different thread.

I'm a fan of bath salts, Epsom salts work well, too. I always want a bit of fragrance though. The fizzle is always so short-lived on bath bombs, more of a disappointment than practical.

what stinks is i'm allergic to red dye so i am looking to make my own for use because some commercial ones they put die and all in.

After I posted this I thought - duh, me! I could probably make my own! I think I'm going to try unscented salts and just get some essential oils and add a little to the bathwater. I don't care about the color as much as the water softening properties and I enjoy the scent. When I have more time (I am crocheting a blanket and making several remembrance books, I don't need another project!), I may try actually making my own - the link snowy posted looks promising.

I've made different soap/lotion/bath salts/fizzies for years. I used to sell at yearly craft sales, but now I make them mostly for friends and family. Fizzies can be a pain to make if you mold them. Mixing baking soda with citric acid and a little fragrance oil or essential oil isn't hard. If you want to mold it, you repeatedly spray it lightly with witch hazel while quickly whisking with a wire whisk ... just until it is damp enough to press into a mold. That's the tricky part, spray too much, and it fizzes on you. That batch would only be good for a bath "salt" now.

If I'm making bath salt, I go for epsom salt and baking soda. If I want it to fizz, I can add citric acid to the mix and not mold it. I omit the sea salt because it can take a while to dissolve, making the bathtub bottom feel gritty/grainy. Like stepping in sugar.

Thanks for the advice, ItWasMe! I'm waiting until after the holidays to embark on this project, hopefully it turns out well.

Regarding essential oils, remember that you're going to get what you pay for. The best oils are not cheap (maybe $12-$100+ a bottle,) but a little goes a long way. And make sure you don't buy 'perfumed oil' or 'fragrance oil.' 'Essential' is the important word here. I dove into Aura Cacia's essential oils, as they're really affordable. But the scent wouldn't diffuse in a room and it fades very fast. I'm thinking you could always add these oils at the last minute just before you add the salts to the bath, and be ok. If they sit in a jar, the scent will probably fade. Hit up Amazon.com for Aura Cacia. If you want to go high dollar, Organic Essential Oils & Organic Massage Oil from Young Living. If you enjoy the likes of that lavender bath salt you mentioned (I've used it too,) you'll LOVE the 'Peace and Calming' blend. Promise you that one.

I'm interested to hear your results. :)

Making bath salts and running out of time!
 

Hi everyone!

I have everything I need to make some bath salts for my little girl's teachers as a homemade end of year gift but I have noticed my essential oils are out of date! With only two days to go and no opportunity to get to a store that sells them, I'm wondering if I can use a scented massage oil instead? It's a pre-blended one I bought, so possibly has essential oils in?

Any advice appreciated!

Karinarina - teacher isnt going to be eating it, so I wouldnt worry about it being a bit out of date.

Well...it's quite a lot out of date, August 2007 it says on the bottles! Didn't realise I'd had them that long :(

You mean to say its vintage?

I suppose you could say that, yes!

Bloody hell, that puts the value right up! Its not being eaten..... I am not sure quite how old some of my oils and lotions are - probably older than your child. I did put a couple of drops of old bodyshop oil in the bath last night, and my skin has not fallen off yet, and I dont believe I am dead.