Bath
Lavender bath salt
The simplest recipe there is, and one of the best. Sea salt and lavender oil, stirred together in a bowl.
It is not the salt doing the work, and it is not entirely the lavender either. It is the twenty minutes lying in warm water where nobody can reach you.
The heat widens the blood vessels and slows the pulse. The scent of lavender rises with the steam and goes straight to the part of the brain that runs the alarm system. And the bath is one of the few places left where it is socially acceptable to do nothing.
Make a larger batch and keep it standing. Then there is no excuse on the evening you need it most.
Ingredients
- 200 ml coarse sea salt or Epsom salt
- 15-20 drops lavender essential oil
- Optional: a handful of dried lavender flowers
Equipment
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Airtight jar with lid
- Optionally a tea bag or cloth for the flowers
Method
- 1
Mix 200 ml sea salt with 15-20 drops lavender oil.
- 2
Pour 2-3 tbsp into a warm bath.
Dosage
2-3 tbsp in a warm bath. Stir it into the water to dissolve.
Lie in it for 15-20 minutes. Not ten, not five. The body needs time to understand that nothing is going to happen.
If you use dried flowers, put them in a tea bag or tie them into a cloth. Otherwise you will be fishing them out of the drain afterwards, and that ruins the mood.
Shelf life
6-12 months in an airtight jar. The scent fades over time, so add a few drops of oil if it weakens.
Safety
Baths are slippery, and lavender oil makes them more so. Take care getting out, and wipe the tub afterwards.
Try a small amount first if you have sensitive skin or eczema. Essential oils can irritate.
Hot baths are not for everyone. If you have heart disease, very low or very high blood pressure, or you are pregnant, keep the water lukewarm rather than hot and do not stay in too long.
If you become dizzy, get palpitations or feel sick, get out slowly and sit down.
Not for small children. Essential oils in bathwater are too strong for them, and salt dries their skin.
If you have open wounds or a skin infection, wait until it has healed.
Drink a glass of water afterwards. A twenty-minute hot bath costs more fluid than you would think.
How the herbs work
Lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate, which through the sense of smell affect the limbic system, the part of the brain that runs emotion and the alarm response. Studies have measured lower pulse, lower blood pressure and lower cortisol after inhaling lavender.
The heat does its own work. It widens the blood vessels, slows the pulse and loosens tight muscle, and a warm bath before bed makes body temperature fall afterwards, which is exactly the signal the body uses to fall asleep.
Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate. Whether magnesium is absorbed through skin is disputed and not well documented. The salt softens the water and makes the soak pleasant, but do not expect a magnesium supplement.
The essential part is still the twenty minutes. That is not a claim about herbs, it is a claim about rest.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.