Nothing helps you forget the chilly outdoors like slipping into a steaming bath. Make your bath do double duty with these therapeutic additions.
1. Salty Soak. It’s an oldie but a goodie. An Epsom salt soak has been prescribed for sore muscles, stiff joints, dry skin and even stress. Random fact: Epsom salt doesn’t have any sodium; it’s actually magnesium sulfate. Take your soak to the next level by adding Grey or Himalayan salt (the real deal) and your favourite essential oil.
2. Douche. When did this perfectly healthy cleansing practice become a bad word? Reclaim it by soaking in a warm apple cider vinegar bath. You’ll detoxify and soothe skin irritations as well as deal with any nasty fungus (like athlete’s foot) or minor infections.
3. Salted Chocolate. For chocolate lovers, this will seem like an abomination or a luxurious dream. On the stove, warm one cup of buttermilk and slowly add 100 grams of organic dark chocolate until it’s all melted. Add to a bathtub of warm water with Epsom salts already mixed in. Crazy, you say? The fat in the buttermilk and the cocao butter will soften the skin, the Epsom salt will relax muscles and the chocolate’s antioxidants will help detoxify. Plus, you’ll smell delicious.
4. More than a Morning Meal. Oatmeal isn’t just for breakfast; it’s a fantastic bath addition to relieve dry skin. Take one cup of organic oats (skip the flavoured stuff), pulverize in a food processor or spice grinder and then add slowly to your running bath water. Mix in well then slip into the slimy stuff and relax. Just remember to use a strainer when you drain or your pipes may not be as happy as you are.
5. Petal Power. Got a dozen roses you don’t know what to do with? Pluck those petals and make yourself a luxury bath that will help tone the skin, reduce minor inflammation and make you smell lovely. To extract more of the oils, steep some of the petals in boiling water, let cool then pour it in.
We won’t be surprised if you earn yourself some permanent prune fingers.
