Make it Yourself Monday- Foot Soaks

My eldest Son came to visit this weekend (bringing my sweetie pie Grandson!) and, while out in the barn hunting through boxes of stored stuffed animals and such,  found a practically new foot soak basin. Since he stands on his feet at work all day, he thought that the basin looked like a pain management plan waiting to be implemented. While he may not know what goodies Mom has in her craft room, he for sure knows that Mom has GOOD STUFF. So first thing he did after asking if he could have the basin, was ask if I would whip him up something to put into it that would add to its heat and vibrating pleasure. Of course I couldn't turn him down, so I grabbed a mixing bowl and headed to the ingredient cabinets. I ended up making a nice blend that you can easily whip up for yourself or for your hard working Son.


I mixed some epsom salts with clay and spirulina. Then, to that I added some eucalyptus, wintergreen and lime essential oils. While he may have wondered about the ingredients,  he immediately said that he like the smell and was going to try it as soon as he got home. 
While this mixture would also be great for a full body bath tub soak, the  particular mixture of essential oils that I used are not. So if you want to use it as a bath soak, I suggest switching the EO's. You could try lavender, orange, eucalyptus, chamomile, or a mixture of these.


As for a recipe, try mixing two tablespoons of spirulina, with one half to one cup of kaolin or French green clay, with two to three cups of Epsom salts. As a general rule of thumb you should use no more than 10 drops (total) of essential oils. But if you would like to change it up some, you could take one ounce of your choice of carrier oil (I like sweet almond or olive oil the best), and add 15 drops (total) of your choice of essential oils. Then add a small amount of the oil mixture to either your foot soak or your bathing water. If you decide to add the oil, mix and store the oil mixture separately from the salt and powder portion. This will keep your soak fresh and extend its shelf life.     


Of course there are several ways to utilize foot soaks. You can easily utilize whatever you have growing or dried. Just take two cups of your choice of fresh herbs, or one cup of dried herbs and add to two gallons of near boiling water. Steep the herbs for twenty minutes then strain the liquid and pour it into the foot basin. Make sure that it is not too hot, and soak your feet for twenty minutes, then pat dry and moisturize.  
  

Make it Yourself Monday-Bath Salt Recipes

Here are a few quick and easy Bath Salt Recipes. Great for soaking away tensions after a long, hard day at work, or for easing the muscle aches of exercise. Whatever your reason, be sure to find one and enjoy a nice long soak!


Balancing Bath Soak


3 Tbs. Dead Sea Salts
3 Tbs. Baking Soda
8 drops Essential Oil of choice from the following list, or a blend of 3 or 4 of these oils, totaling the 8 drops. Use bergamot, geranium, lavender, palmarosa, rose and/or rosewood.


Buttermilk Bath 


1 cup your choice of bath salts (European, Dead Sea, Epsome or other specialty salt)
1 cup powdered buttermilk (get this at your local grocery store in the baking isle)
up to 24 drops of your choice of essential oils


Mix the bath salt and buttermilk powder together in a jar and add up to 24 drops of essential oil, or a blend, totaling no more than 24 drops of EO's into that jar. Cover and shake, shake, shake, blending well. Keep it sealed in the jar for several days before using, continuing to shake and blend daily. Store in the sealed jar when not opening for use. To use, pour 1/2 cup into your bath water and allow to dissolve before getting into tub. So this recipe makes 4 baths! 


Dreamy Soak


2 cups Dead Sea Salts
2 Tbs baking soda
5 drops rosewood Essential Oil
2 drops cedarwood EO
2 drops chamomile EO


Mix the salts and the baking soda in a bowl. Blend it very well. Then mix the oils in a small cup. Once mixed, take them and pour them evenly over the salt mixture, then blend very well. Let this mixture sit for at least one hour before placing in a jar and sealing. 

Teaching Tuesday- Take a Bath that Works for You

You may have noticed that I left Tuesday out of last weeks posts. I went from not posting at all to doing four last week, so I felt that I may be pushing it to try and do five or seven. However, this week is clipping along fairly well, so I thought I'd add an extra post [this week].

At any rate, many of my older posts are geared toward education. Since I have loved learning about herbs and their uses, and by extension, essential oils, sharing that information is exciting and important to me. I don't want to loose that aspect of this blog, so I will continue to write an educational post once in a while. While this may not be each week, if there is something in particular that you would like to know more about, please let me know.

For this week, since I am sitting in a freezer and we are expecting up to six inches more snow today/tonight, I want to revisit the therapeutic value of taking a bath. A bath can revive, awaken, soothe, calm, and/or cure, depending what temperature it is and what you put into it.

A morning bath should be tonic in nature; stimulating the body, eliminating toxins, and relieving the body of physical tiredness. To accomplish this, they should be approximately 97 to 98 degrees F. Of course, this is why I rarely take a morning bath! LOL!

An evening bath can be uber relaxing, getting the body ready for sleep. It can also soothe tired, achy joints and muscles. For a relaxing, getting ready for bed bath, the temperature should be between body temperature (98.6 degrees F.) and 102 degrees F., depending upon personal preference. For a joint and muscle soothing bath, the water temperature should be between 104 and 107 degrees, depending upon your preference. If you are taking a bath after intense physical exercise or after a long, stressful day, you should use the joint and muscle soothing temperatures.

To augment the bathing experience and to help ensure reaching the desired goals/effects, adding an herbal tea or an essential oil (individual or a blend) to the water is a good idea. For a special treat, such as a home spa day, you can even try "thalassotherapy". Thalassotherapy is a water, aka bath, treatment that utilizes seawater, seaweed, algae and/or mud to revitalize the body. These treatments can nourish, detoxify, cleanse, rejuvenate, energize, and improve circulation.

Yes, you CAN do a thalassotherapy treatment at home, quite easily, if you have a good recipe. Of course I happen to have a recipe that takes just minutes of prep time and will offer you a great way to relax in the tub. Additionally, the seaweed (in this recipe) is rich in iodine and protein which are directly absorbed by the skins' pores. This means that they will affect the body on a cellular level, and, in the process, help to detoxify, stimulate, revive and remineralize the body as a whole. Additionally, the gel used in this recipe will help to regenerate and soothe dry, damaged skin, complimenting the effects of the seaweed.

All you need is 1/2 cup of dried seaweed powder (available at many soap and beauty supply shops) and 1/4 cup aloe gel (also available at many soap and beauty supply shops, Brambleberry.com, or in your local pharmacy *just make sure to get plain gel, no additives*). Pour the gel and the seaweed powder into your bath as it runs, then soak and relax for 20 minutes. Pat dry and moisturize when you are finished. This type of treatment can be draining, so be cautious to no overexert immediately after your bath.

*For herbal bathing recipes see this old post

Finally, with any and all baths it is recommended that you drink plenty of water or herbal tea after the bath in order to replenish bodily fluids. You should also moisturize the skin while it is still warm and moist, as this will allow the lotion to soak into the skin. Better absorption equals better product utilization, which equals softer, smoother skin and better protection.

**Disclaimer** Any information I provide on oils, fragrances, herbs and/or butters is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or, diagnose any disease or condition, nor is it intended to prescribe in any way. The information may not be complete, or entirely accurate. You should seek professional medical advice for any condition or ailment.

Snowtime Like Bathtime

Wind gusting to 60mph and temperatures dipping into the twenties has made me think a LOT about a nice HOT bath! Of course I cannot fathom just a plain water bath, so I have to add oils or salts or something! Today I steeped a while in some Raphael's Healing Garden Bath Soak to help get some arthritic relief, but the Cleo's Bath Soak from my last bath left me feeling quite queenly, I must say! Next bath I am going to use my Luxurious blend, but today I thought you might enjoy some recipes you can try at home, or even make as Christmas presents!

MILKY BATH MIX

1 cup powdered milk

1 cup corn starch

1 cup baking soda

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup powdered chamomile flowers *

1/4 cup patchouli powder *

1/2 cup powdered lavender buds *

**If you do not have the flowers, you may substitute 3-5 drops of Essential Oils in place of the powders, just make sure that you mix thoroughly. Sifting the mixture works best to ensure even mixing.

Mix all ingredients together, then package as desired. Use 1/2 cup per bath, allowing mixture to dissolve in running, warm water. Relax and soak in bath for 15-20 minutes.

FIZZY BATH SOAK MIXTURE

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 cup citric acid

2 tablespoons sweet almond oil (or sunflower oil)

1 -2 teaspoons of your choice of Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil

Combine the baking soda & corn starch in a bowl, you can even add a few drops of food coloring if you want (just be careful to not use too much, you don't want a ring around your tub!). Then add the liquid ingredients and mix well, using a wire whisk, until completely combined. Next add the citric acid and whisk again, until well blended. Once well blended you can press into small balls or into molds. Allow to dry for a few hours, then they will be ready to use or to wrap and package for gifts.

WINTER BLUES AWAY BATH OIL

2 oz Sweet Almond Oil

6 drops pink grapefruit essential oil

10 drops sweet orange essential oil

Mix together well, then use in bath of warm water. Soak for 15-20 minutes, as these essential oils help to chase your winter blues away while the oil softens and soothes your skin!

Prize Pack Sent Out!

Miss Jeanan, from Florida, won the "Name this Bath Soak Contest" for her entry, "Raphael's Healing Garden Bath Soak". Above you can see the product labeled. Raphael is the angel of healing, I am told, and although there were many good entries, I believe this one is the perfect fit. Since her prize pack is on its merry way, I thought that I'd share its contents with everyone. It contains a 16oz jar of Raphael's Healing Garden Bath Soak, a bar of Bug Be Gone soap, a bag of Cleo's Bath Soak (for normal to oily skin), and a trial size Heel and Elbow Cream, along with an Unique Treat Dig Bones pin and a pretty floral Gift Tag. I hope that Jeanan like everything and I especially hope that she feels my bath soak deserves the name she provided!

For everyone else that entered, thank you again and keep watching because I have a few more items that need named!

Contest Concludes!

The contest to name my newest bath soak is over. There were several great entries so I am having a difficult time making a final decision! I have narrowed my list to three and will soon make the final choice. I will announce the winner of the Bath Soak and surprise gift in a post tomorrow, so check back then!

Contest End Quickly Approaches!

The "Name the newest Unique Garden Essences Bath Soak Contest" is just about to an end, so have you entered the perfect name? Do so, and you will not only win some of the soak, but you will also get a surprise prize! You have until after just midnight on July 2 to leave your entry under the comments section of the original post [for the contest]. Please don't leave it on this one, as it will be easier if all the entries are together. Then, the hard part begins for me. I will choose the winning name and post it, just as quickly as I can. But I have to say, as of this moment I am at a loss because there are just too many good ones entered! It will be a tough choice for sure!

Just in case you aren't the winner, don't worry, you too can soak in the luxury of this blend very soon! I will be listing it in my Etsy and Artfire shops just as soon as labels are made with the new name!

Name That Bath Soak and You Will be Soaking in Some for Free!

NAME THIS SOAK CONTEST

16 oz jar of bath soak Today, well now it is more accurate to say that yesterday was my birthday. I also must confess to you that, sadly, I feel every bit my age, and then some! LOL. For days now I have been creating all manner of new recipes, so I decided that I would celebrate my big day by treating myself to a bath with one of my new creations. I chose a bath soak that has several ingredients, most of which are used for healing and soothing. Although I generally have friends and family test my products first, I have to say that I am SO GLAD that I didn't wait to try this one! Not only did it relax me, it really soothed my aching joints and muscles, and it left my skin feeling oh so soft! I have to say that if I didn't make this stuff, I really would buy it! Sooo, happy birthday to me and to my newest bath soak! [This is a picture before all the ingredients were added] Now, what I need is a name. I kind of gave up on the creative naming idea a while back, settling for the more direct, plain names so that search engines could find me easier, but I am bored with them....so a compromise. I am going to name them, then subtitle the more direct name. All of that to get to this, I need your creativity! What do you think I should name it????? Let me know your ideas by leaving a comment here. The winner will receive their own bath soak and a surprise gift as my thanks for a job well done! I want to get labels made and list this soon, so please submit your ideas by July 2, 2009. You may want to check out my shop to get an idea of my products and their names. http://uniquegarden.etsy.com/ The last bath soak I made was named "Luxury Bath Soak" and the one before that was "Cleo's Bath Soak", for Cleopatra. While I will not give out my ingredients on the net (thank you unscrupulous people), I can tell you that it is all natural, has 9 different ingredients, and includes a therapeutic blend of essential oils. While certainly not all inclusive, this soak is formulated with ingredients that are known to;

• reduce inflammation and edema (swelling)

• relieve pain
• promote soothing and relaxation
• draw impurities from the skin
• remove dirt and debris from pores soak in kraft bag
• remove dead skin cells
• improve circulation
• both promote and speed healing of the skin
• encourage rapid and healthy regrowth of skin and tissue cells
• prevent infection
• generally bring a smooth, healthy glow to your skin

There you go, you now know as much as I can tell you. I hope that you find inspiration. Have Fun, be creative, and Good Luck to you!!

Now for the fine print. You will need to leave a way for me to reach you in case you are the winner, so leave an email addy, your bog url, an Etsy or an Artfire shop name. By submitting your entry you are giving Unique Garden Essences the right to use that name without further compensation. A winner may not be chosen from the names submitted, if none are deemed suitable. I really do want to share this soak with you, so I will do my best to be open-minded and find one that works. I have several new products making their debut shortly so your entry may work for one of those, if not for this one. Should that be the case, you would be contacted for approval and with the details.