Herbs have long been known to have restorative powers. So if you love a good herbal tea, you’re going to want to stick around for this one. Because today, we’re going one step beyond a nourishing herbal tea....CONTINUE READING
Today, we’re talking about herbal baths.
Herbal bath soaks are a simple yet super relaxing way to wind down after a long hard day’s work. Whether you work full time, are a stay at home parent, or just love to relax, this post is for you.
Either way, adding herbs to your bath can help provide comfort and relief from various types of stress. Think overwhelming mental stress, pent-up body & muscle stress, inflammatory skin stress, and so on. (More on the best herbs for stress, here.)
BUT herbal baths are not only beneficial for a plethora of reasons (which we will discuss later), but they are transformative.
A good herbal bath can not only change & uplift your whole mood, but it can drastically improve the way you mentally and physically feel.
So, we’re sharing a round-up of the best herbs to use for bath soaks. We’ll also deep dive into the benefits of herbal baths & give you a recipe for the prettiest, pinkest, and most relaxing herbal bath soak you’ve ever had.
Let’s go.
Add lavender to your bath via dried lavender herb
or essential oil
.
+ Lifts mood and fills you with a sense of peace and tranquility
+ Soothes the skin
and promotes healing of acne
+ Reduces the look of dark spots and scarring
Add ashwagandha to your bath via powder
.
+ Relieves pent-up stress both mentally and physically
+ Cleanses, moisturizes, and calms the skin (scalp included)
+ Improves blood circulation & boosts the immune system
+ More on Ashwagandha here
Add lemon balm to your bath via a tea bag
.
+ Lifts mood and promotes relaxation
+ Relieves stress and anxiety
+ Soothes sunburn
and other skin conditions
Add orange blossom to your bath via essential oil
. OR, add 10-15 slices of fresh cut orange to your bath for similar results.
+ Reduces cortisol levels & lowers blood pressure
+ Cleanses the skin & reduces inflammation
+ Soothes menopausal symptoms
Add calendula to your bath via organic dried flowers
.
+ Relieves stress and anxiety
+ Soothes sore muscles
+ Helps with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis
Add peppermint to your bath via essential oil
+ Calms the nervous system and lifts mood
+ Relieves headaches, muscle aches, and joint pain
+ Provides relief from congestion, cold, and flu
Add passion flowers to your bath via a tea bag
.
+ Lifts mood and calms the senses
+ Treats insomnia, anxiety, and depression
+ Relieves stress throughout the body
Add chamomile to your bath via a tea bag.
+ Promotes maximum relaxation and quality sleep
+ Cleanses & fights acne with antibacterial properties
+ Relieves dry skin conditions, and even irritation from bug bites
Add eucalyptus to your bath via essential oil
.
+ Boosts circulation & reduces inflammation
+ Relieves sore and tired muscles
+ Protects against infections
While dead sea salt isn’t technically an herb, its benefits in the bath are too good not to include it on this list. Add dead sea salt to your via crushed salt
.
+ Reduces inflammation and relieves sore & tired muscles
+ Improves skin barrier function & promotes glowy skin hydration
+ Detoxifies & promotes better quality sleep
Quick tip:
If you plan on using dried herbs, you don’t want all that organic matter going down (and possibly clogging) your drain. Instead, put your herb mixture in one of these reusable muslin bags
and just toss it in your tub when you’re ready. Or use one of these eco-friendly reusable stainless steel tea infusers
. Just remember to clean it thoroughly after each use.
A nice warm bath in itself is great for relieving stress, tension, and anxiety
. By adding herbs that are known to calm the nervous system – lavender, ashwagandha, and chamomile- you can take your stress-relief to the next level.
Again, a nice warm bath is amazing for relieving tension & soreness in the muscles & joints throughout the body. Add in some herbs that do the same, and you have a powerful pain relieving concoction to relax in. Herbs that are THE BEST for this include calendula, peppermint, ashwagandha, and dead sea salt (not technically an herb, but very necessary to achieve ultimate physical relaxation in any bath).
Did you know that your skin has a pH balance? Well, it does. And when this balance is off, it can cause dry skin
, oily skin, acne, dark spots, skin conditions, rashes, and more. Bathing in herbs like lemon balm, orange blossom, and eucalyptus can actually help repair skin’s pH and restore skin’s natural protective barrier.
More on what to put in your bathwater for skin pH, here
.
Many of the herbs on our list today are natural immune boosters
. Herbs like ashwagandha, lemon balm, peppermint, and chamomile contain natural antibacterial and antifungal properties that help the body ward off sickness, disease, and infection.
Herbal baths are like self-care on steroids. A nice, warm bath is already amazing, but when you amp it up by adding in other self-care ingredients – like ingredients for stress-relief, muscle & joint repair, skin health, hygiene, and more – you are giving yourself that much more in the self-care category. And that’s a win in our book. every. single. time.
NOW – are you guys finally ready to try an herbal bath for yourself? We thought so. Try this Pretty Pink Herbal Bath Soak Recipe below.
This pretty pink bath soak is all about relaxation, stress-relief, and maintaining that perfect glowy skin, while keeping it so on brand.
So light some candles, hit play on your favorite vibey playlist, and get ready to have the best bath of your life.
+ (7-10 drops) lavender essential oil
for aroma & skin rejuvenation
+ (1-2 tablespoons) ashwagandha
to calm the nerves and relieve stress
+ (A small handful) rose petals
for glowy skin
+ (1 tea bag) chamomile
to promote total relaxation & good quality sleep
pink himalayan dead sea salt
to relieve aches, pains & tension
As you draw your bath, you’ll want to use lukewarm water. Exposure to super hot water can be damaging, as well as dehydrating, to the skin.
Since these ingredients will take a sec to dissolve/diffuse, you’ll want to add them first. Toss them in and stir with a large cooking spoon (or your hand, of course) until completely dissolved.
Add the lavender essential oil with a dropper. Rather than dropping all 7-10 drops in one place, try to evenly distribute the drops in the tub. A few drops here, a few drops there. You get the point.
And finally, top off your herbal bath with some pretty pink rose petals. Grab a handful of dried rose petals and sprinkle them right on the top of the water. (P.S: you can totally use fresh rose petals, too!)
Now it’s time to enjoy your pretty pink herbal bath soak. We recommend enjoying your herbal bath soak for anywhere between 15-30 minutes.
Why not longer, you ask? Because prolonged exposure to warm water can actually cause more harm to the skin than good. AKA dreaded dry skin patches.
HOT TIP: enjoy an icy roll with your HOT MESS
while you enjoy your steamy bath. Nothing better.Honestly, we can’t think of a better way to top off your self-care session than using your pretty pink ice roller in your pretty pink bath soak.
Yes, warm baths are great. They’re wonderful, fantastic, amazing. But, if you’re already going to take a bath anyway, you MIGHT AS WELL add in some super beneficial herbs as well.
It’s SO EASY to add these herbs to your bath, and even easier to just lay there and soak up ALL THAT GOODNESS.
