DIY Bath salt – Homemade Gift for busy moms

Enjoy a little home spa with these easy to make DIY bath salts that give you a relaxing feeling and uplift your mood. It is also a creative way to show someone that you care. 

I came home the other  day completely exhausted, nothing worked out the way I wanted, what I needed was to relax and be on my own. Living in a house with 3 kids and a dog, there are few places one can be left undisturbed. One is a bathroom, if you have more than 1. Those are the moments I appreciate not only privacy but something a little bit more uplifting. Those are the moments I need my bath salts to recover faster and be happy again. 

So I made these bath salts specifically for mothers that deserve the luxury of extra time on their own to recover their strength and regenerate their magic power.

Other gift ideas I always please my friends and family are this rich body butter, facial toner with roses, these natural shampoo bars, or these easy-to-make dandelion lotion bars.

What are bath salts?

Bath salts, typically made of various salts, dried herbs and essential oils are an easy and inexpensive way to relieve stress, aches and pain.

Depending on what you want to treat you can make various bath salts with different ingredients. I made three for you to choose.

Ingredients to make bath salts

Bath salts can be made with one salt only but I used additional ingredients and I will explain why. 

Epsom salt

is an important ingredient that allows for minerals to draw out toxins from the body, restore the balance and muscle relief. It looks similar to table salt, however, it contains completely different ingredients.  While table salt largely consists of the compound sodium chloride, Epsom salt is made of both magnesium and sulfate. Epsom salt has been used for centuries for its remarkable healing properties on skin. 

Himalayan salt

Pink Himalayan salt is extracted from the Khewra Salt Mine, which is located near the Himalayas in Pakistan. It is believed that Himalayan salt has been formed millions of years ago from the evaporation of ancient bodies of water. It is not processed and unrefined and contains many minerals, especially iron that give it its specific color.  There are many medicinal benefits that are claimed such as improvement of respiratory diseases, pH balancing, reducing signs of aging or improving quality of sleep, however additional research is needed to support them. 

Baking soda

I included baking soda in the basic ingredients as it helps to reduce skin irritation and itchiness and soothes the skins surface (1) 

Selecting dried herbs

Rose petals

Rose petals help the skin to return to its natural healthy and balanced state. The scent of roses helps lift the mood and provide a sense of happiness and calm. 

Dried lavender

the scent of lavender helps you with sleep problems and reduces anxiety (2). If you are dealing with stress or depression, lavender is a great herb to employ.

Dried calendula

The Anti-inflammatory benefits of calendula helps soothe irritated skin with skin conditions such as eczema, acne or psoriasis 

Essential oils to add to your DIY bath salts:

Lavender essential oil – is perfect for our calming and relaxing bath salt mixture. You can replace it with Chamomile essential oil or Orange essential oil 

Peppermint essential oil – is soothing and perfect for tired muscles. You can also replace it with Ginger essential oil or Cinnamon essential oil

Vanilla absolute has up lifting aroma that please our scenses and bring the joy and happiness. Replace with Chamomile essential oil if you prefer.

DIY bath salt recipe

Now when we have all the ingredients let’s get started. 

First step – make powder base

Mix epsom salt, soda bicarbona and Himalayan salt in the ratio 2:1:2. 

Second step

You can use a bowl or mortar to blend them well.

Third step

Split te powder base equally in three smaller bowls and add herbs and essential oil as per suggestion below. You will end up with 3 different blends. 

Bath salts blends ideas

1. DIY lavender bath salts are relaxing and calming enriched with lavender petals and lavender, chamomile essential oil or orange essential oil
2. Skin-soothing benefits and targets sore, tired muscles – bath salt enriched with calendula petals and peppermint, cinnamon or ginger essential oil

3. DIY Vanilla bath salts with rose petals are mood uplifting, bringing joy and happiness. Vanilla absolute can also be replaced with chamomile essential oil

How to use DIY bath salts?

In the bath

Just scoop the bath salt into the tub, let the salt dissolve and enjoy the flowers floating around. I love that, there is just one little thing, you have to clean the bath tub afterwards. For itchy skin add menthol crystals.

If you want to skip the cleaning, pour the mixture into a muslin bag and place it in the bath tube. That way you will enjoy the herbal healing power, while keeping the mess away.

In the shower? Turn it into a DIY bath salt scrub

How to use these magical bath salts if you don’t have a bath. Don’t worry I have a solution for you! Just make it into a DIY bath salt scrub. Add 1  tablespoon of coconut oil into the mixture, mix it well to create a thick paste. Apply it on your body with your hands and rinse it off.  Similarly, I made this warming sugar scrub.

Pedicure time? Turn it into a foot soak

Add the mixture to a large basin of warm water and stir to dissolve it. Soak your feet for 15 minutes or for as long as you like, I like to add warm water in the middle of the siesta to keep it really hot. Apply this moisturizing mango body butter to keep your feet nourished.

DIY bath salt gifts

As I said at the beginning, it is designed for mothers, so perhaps something useful to make for Mother’s day. But it could be a birthday or Christmas gift, or something to please your colleague after a stressful day in the office. It is an inexpensive and creative way to show someone that you care. 

bath salts jars for gifts

I used these glass tubes mainly for the esthetic reason and to see the 3 different options. You can also store it in glass jars that also look great. Just make sure that the bath salt mixture is dried completely. Otherwise it tends to get hard when it sits in the glass jar for a longer time or if the moisture gets in during bathing. If the mixture gets clumpy you can fix it by baking the mixture in the oven. Spread the mixture evenly on parchement paper and baking tray, set the oven on 200 F (95 C) and bake it for 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Let the mixture cool down before transferring it into the glass jar. Please note that essential oils are very sensitive to heat so their power will be devalued.