Here you will find mostly recipes for making homemade bath products for protecting and healing the skin. Its a part two of the other post for creams, lotions and salves. You will find recipes for scrubs, bath fizzies and bath teas.
First, just a few comments about the ingredients to keep in mind while you are following the recipes. The scrubs include either salt, sugar or both. Sugar is antibacterial and heals wounds. It has been used for burns and cuts. It provides a good environment which promotes healing while it prevents infection. Salt is also antibacterial. It detoxifies, draws impurities from the skin, revives, tones, stimulates, exfoliates and cleanses. Bath teas and fizzies heal the skin and ease sore muscles. They also provide aromatherapy for the spirit. While it may seem unimportant to survival, these recipes may actually be considered an important part of keeping healthy since they are skin medicine. So, with that in mind, here are the recipes.
1. Sugar Scrub
1/4 tsp honey
1/4 c glycerine
1/4 c almond oil (or other oil)
1/2 c white sugar
4-5 drops EO
Mix and pack into jar. To use: Moisten skin. Massage scrub into skin. Rinse off. Pat dry.
2. Lemon sugar scrub
1/2 c white sugar.
1/4 c olive oil (or other oil)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Each recipe for the scrubs will use the same directions as in the #1 scrub.
3. Honey Oatmeal Sugar Scrub
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1/4 c olive oil
4 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp vitamin E oil
4. Salt and sugar scrub
1/4 cup olive (or almond, grapeseed or other oil)
1/4 cup sea salt (or Epsom)
1/4 cup sugar
4-5 drops EO
5. Salt scrub
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup Sea salt (or Epsom)
4-5 drops EO
6. Bath Fizzie
Dry ingredients:
1 c baking soda
1/2 c citric acid
1/2 c corn starch
1/2 c sea salt (or Epsom)
1 tbsp of ground dried herbs such as calendula, comfrey, lavender, nettles, plaintain, mint, linden, rose petals, chickweed
Wet ingredients:
3/4 TBSP water
3 TBSP oil (olive, grapeseed, sunflower)
2 tsp EO
Mix dry ingredients in one glass bowl and wet ingredients in another smaller glass bowl. Be sure to remove all lumps from dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add only a small amount at a time to prevent volcanoes. Try to keep the mixture dry as you mix. It should eventually feel like damp sand and stick together when you squeeze it in your palm. Press tightly into silicone or other molds. They do not have to be left to dry in the molds. Remove them and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet to dry. Store in an airtight jar as moisture in the air can activate them. Toss in a warm bath and allow to dissolve.
7. Bath Fizzie with milk
1 c baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup corn starch
1/3 cup sea salt or Epsom salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
Wet ingredients Mix:
2 TBSP olive or almond oil
2 tsp melted coconut oil
(Optional Infuse oils with herbs)
1 tsp EO
Mix dry ingredients being sure to remove all lumps. Drizzle wet mixture over the dry ingredients being sure to prevent volcanoes. When it resembles wet sand and sticks together it is ready. Press firmly into molds. Remove immediately and allow to dry on parchment covered cookie sheet. Add to hot bath water.
8. Bath Teas are made by combining herbs and other ingredients in a muslin bag which is tied shut. The bag can be added to bath water or hung under the faucet while the tub is filling. Allow the water to steep a few minutes before bathing. Rather then giving recipes, I will give a list of ingredients which can be combined for each category. They can be added in any combination. EOs can also be added to the dried ingredients if desired.
A. For reversing tiredness and stimulating/uplifting, use: mints, lemongrass, basil, citrus peels, oregano, yarrow, lemon balm, lime balm, rosemary, nettles
B. For relaxing, use: sage, calendula, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, rose petals, thyme, beebalm, lemon balm, chamomile, bay leaf, jasmine flowers, birch, linden
C. For softening, improving and healing, use: chamomile, plaintain, chickweed, clover, linden, rose petals, comfrey, calendula, sage, oregano, parsley, pine, burdock, fig leaves, ground almonds, ground oats, salt, sugar, hops, rosemary
D. For backaches, arthritis, joint and muscle pain: golden rod, white willow bark, white pine bark, Angelica root, savory, juniper, heather, sage, oat straw, mints, lemon balm, eucalyptus
Any of the bath teas can also include powdered milk, sea salts, ground almonds, Epsom salts, baking soda or corn starch
9. Scalp and Hair tea
Burdock, hops, chamomile, oat straw calendula, nettles, heather, pine, chickweed
Infuse herbs in a tea then massage into scalp. Store extra tea in the refrigerator.
As well as being useful from a prepper standpoint, these recipes also make nice inexpensive gifts. I have even given Just a small handwritten "booklet" of some of the recipes as part of a gift rather then actually making them myself.
Just remember: Before giving herbal gifts be sure to consider allergies. Before using some recipes in this and the other post be sure to do a test patch on your skin to make sure that there are no reactions.
Southern Wood Elf