DIY Himalayan Salt Scrub and Bath Salts

DIY Himalayan Salt Scrub and Bath Salts

Some time ago, I did a post about the detox, healing and relaxation effect of a warm Himalayan salt bath.

Recently, I’ve found MORE reasons to fall in love with the Himalayan pink salt after trying out a few DIY Himalayan salt bath products. If you enjoy DIY projects or making handmade gifts, I hope you will like this post as much as I do.

Most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store. It’s so easy to make them, you can whip them out in minutes!

They make perfect gifts for yourself and your loved ones. So, let’s pamper ourselves with a luxurious spa experience… in the comforts of our own home!

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Why Make Your Own Bath Products?

I’ve always enjoyed shopping for bath products… who doesn’t? The body scrubs, scented bath salts and bath bombs come in such lovely colors and often smell so good with the infusions.

However, after I scrutinized the list of ingredients, I was horrified to find that there are some pretty nasty preservatives in there. Not to mention, these products are often expensive.

Now that I learn that it’s SO EASY to make my own bath and spa products, there’s no turning back.

When you make your own bath products at home, you can avoid the harmful chemicals from these store bought products by selecting all-natural organic ingredients.

You can also customize your spa experience at a fraction of the cost by using your favorite scents, oils and soap bases.

Lavender Coconut Oil Salt Scrub

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Himalayan pink salt finely ground
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil

(You can also substitute with other liquid oil or use a combination of a few oils, such as sweet almond oil, extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil or avocado oil)

• Approximately 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil (depending on the oil and the strength desired)

Directions:

1. Pour the Himalayan salt and coconut oil into a glass bowl and mix them up with a fork.
2. Add the lavender essential oil into the mixture and mix the 3 ingredients well.

You can always adjust the amount of ingredients depending on how thick or thin you like your scrub. If the mixture is too runny, add more Himalayan salt to thicken it.

And it’s ready to be used!

To use it, apply on your wet skin, gently scrub your body, and rinse off with water.

Store the scrub in a jar with tight-fitting lid for gift giving or keep for your own use. You can make it prettier by attaching a label or tying some burlap around the jar.

Benefits Of The Lavender Coconut Oil Himalayan Salt Scrub

The extra virgin coconut oil is one of the latest trending ‘superfood’ with lots of health benefits.

It has the following properties, which makes it an amazing natural beauty ingredients.

• ultra-hydrating
• anti-inflammatory
• antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral
• natural antioxidant

Hence, the coconut oil helps to moisturize and nourish the skin, prevents wrinkles and breakouts, heals wounds, and is said to help soothe skin problems such as eczema.

The finely ground Himalayan salt not only exfoliate and remove dead skin, leaving a smoother skin but also helps to draw out toxins.

Adding essential oil makes the bathing scrub a truly luxurious and therapeutic experience, not just for the aroma but also for its healing properties.

I’ve chosen lavender essential oil for its calming and soothing properties. It is excellent for relaxation, stress relief and relieving aching/tense muscles.

Beware: Do make sure that you wash off the oil at the bottom of your tub or shower when you are done so that it’s not too slippery for the next person.

Lavender and Rose Himalayan Salt Soak

This floral salt soak is not just therapeutic and relaxing, but also visually pleasing. It’s a great gift for any ladies as it looks feminine, elegant, seductive, and smells real good.

I love the natural soft pinkish hue of the Himalayan salt crystals with the rose petals/rose buds.

You don’t even need to add any food coloring!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of Himalayan pink salt
• Approximately 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil (depending on the oil and strength desired)
• 1/2 cup (or a handful) of dried rose buds or crushed rose petals

Optional: 1 tablespoon of your favourite oil for moisturizing properties

Directions:

1. Add the lavender essential oil into the Himalayan salt in a bowl and mix well with a fork.
2. Add the dried flowers into the bowl and mix.
3. Pour into air-tight jars.
4. Store in a dry cool place.

If you’ve decided to add the optional oil to your bath salt mixture, add it to the Himalayan salt and mix well with a fork before dropping the essential oil.

A salt bath soak typically requires about 3/4 cup salt so the above quantities can be used for 2 baths. For convenience of use, you can store them in 2 jars so that each time you are preparing a salt bath, you can simply empty a jar.

How To Prepare A Relaxing Salt Bath

Draw a warm water bath. The ideal water temperature is around 97 degrees Fahrenheit as it allows maximum absorption and make you sweat, without being too straining on the body.

Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the bath salts to the tub. To avoid the essential oil from evaporating too quickly, add the bath salts just before getting into the tub instead of adding to the running water.

Shower and wash thoroughly before soaking in the bath for 20-30 minutes. If you feel light headed, cool the tub with cold water or place a wet cold cloth over your head.

Because of the detox nature of the Himalayan salt soak, it is important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of water before, during and after the bath. Make sure that you drink at least 8 oz. glass of water after the salt soak.

Important: If you have any underlying medical condition, do check with your doctor before taking any detox bath soak.

When you are finished, get out of the tub slowly and with caution. This is especially so if you are feeling light-headed or tired. Your muscles may be relaxed to the point of experiencing weakness. Do rest for 30 minutes after the bath.

Tip: It is not necessary to rinse off with water after the soak. You can just pat yourself dry with a soft towel.

Benefits Of The Lavender And Rose Himalayan Bath Salts

This floral Himalayan salt soak is meant to be therapeutic, relaxing and soothing. It is a great way for you to unwind after a hard day.

You can dim the lights, turn on some soothing music and enjoy the mind-body relaxation. You will come out of the tub wrapped in an afterglow. Not only will you smell good, feel hydrated, soft and supple to touch, you will also feel good about yourself.

The Himalayan pink salt is a powerful detoxifier. However, in this floral soak, we are using the pink salt in a lower concentration compared to a hot intense salt detox bath (where nothing else is added to the salt bath).

Nonetheless, you will still enjoy the detox and re-energizing benefits. The Himalayan salt also promotes better skin hydration and nourishes your skin with its 84 natural-occurring minerals.

As mentioned earlier, the lavender essential oil has a calming, relaxing and stress relief aromatherapy effect.

The rose buds or rose petals also releases a natural fragrance that is a wonderful mood enhancer to help relieve anxiety and stress. The natural oils in roses also has hydrating properties to help soothes the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

Roses also have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which helps to fight acne and soothe skin irritation and problems. Last but not least, rose is a natural aphrodisiac.

More DIY Tips

If you are thinking of gifting the Himalayan Salt Soak as handmade gifts, such as party flavors, you can get creative by using small pretty bottles or test-tubes and topping it off with a label or tying a twine or burlap.

Using a mixture of fine grain and chunkier grain Himalayan salt can make it more visually exciting and pretty due to the contrast. The only thing to note is that chunky salts take a longer time to dissolve and it may be awkward or even painful to sit or step on the salt chunks in the tub. So, do remember to give the salt chunks a little more time to dissolve.

I’ve selected lavender essential oil and dried roses for my DIY Himalayan salt scrub and salt soak this time. But really, the choice of essential oil and flowers is up to your own preference of the aroma and the healing properties of a specific essential oil or a blend of essential oils.

Before using your glass jars or containers, you may want to sterilize them first by placing them in boiling water for a few minutes and letting them air dry.

There’s a few more DIY Himalayan salt bath products recipes that I’m trying out, such as salt bath bombs and soap. So, stay tuned for more DIY posts. I hope you are looking forward to them as much as I do.

In the meantime, enjoy these handmade scrub and salt soak using food ingredients which will leave your skin smooth, soft, nourished and yummy smelling!

Original article and pictures take thesaltmystery.com site