Bath
The Wolf's Den, a ritual herb bath
This bath is built to ground your nervous system after a ritual, pull you out of an overactive head and give your burnt-out body the safety it is thirsty for.
No bathtub? Make a foot bath with exactly the same ingredients in smaller amounts. It grounds just as powerfully, because it is the nervous system doing the work, not the skin.
Ingredients
- 300 ml Epsom salt or coarse sea salt
- 1 handful dried chamomile or lavender
- 3 tbsp dried rosemary
- 5 to 10 drops essential oil. Cedarwood or patchouli for a deep, forest-like grounding. Orange for a mild, warm return of joy.
- 1 tbsp almond oil, jojoba oil or full-fat milk, to mix the essential oil into first
Method
- 1
Stir the essential oil into the tablespoon of almond oil or full-fat milk in a small bowl. This matters: essential oil does not dissolve in salt alone, and neat oil floating on the water can sting the skin.
- 2
Mix in the salt and the herbs. To keep herbs out of the drain, put them in a small cloth bag or a coffee filter tied with string.
- 3
Light one candle in the bathroom and switch off the harsh electric light.
- 4
Pour the mixture into the hot water and step in.
- 5
Lie back and close your eyes. Imagine the tub is a dark, safe den in the forest where nobody can reach you and nobody can ask anything of you.
- 6
6. Stay in for at least 20 minutes. Dry yourself slowly afterwards and with care, and let yourself rest.
Safety and good advice
Essential oil must always be mixed into a fatty oil or full-fat milk first, never straight into the water.
Rosemary and rosemary oil are not advised during pregnancy or for people with epilepsy.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, use only the salt and the chamomile, and leave the essential oils out entirely.
If you have reduced kidney function, speak to your doctor before bathing in large amounts of Epsom salt.
Stand up slowly when you get out. Twenty minutes in hot water can make you dizzy, and that is not the spirits, it is your blood pressure.
Safety and good advice
- Always scald your jars and tools, and work with clean hands.
- Always do a patch test on the inside of your elbow 24 hours before you use anything on your face.
- Essential oils must be diluted, and several of them are not advised during pregnancy or for small children.
- Soap made with lye calls for safety goggles and gloves, and should never be made with children in the kitchen.
- Always throw it out at the slightest change in smell, colour or texture.
- This is inspiration for your own use, not treatment, and not intended for resale.