Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Be sure you use enough oil so that you thoroughly
moisten the salt and the buttermilk or milk powder. Start your bath and pour the mixture
directly into the running water. Get your bath to the desired temperature and enjoy!
Making Your Own Herbal Bath Blends
Dried herbs, flower petals, and herbal teas make wonderful additions to your bath. You can use
many herbs from your garden or buy them already dried from health food stores and online.
You can harvest your own leafy herbs in midsummer, just before they flower. After flowering
starts, the oils in the leaves are not as potent. You’ll want to harvest flowers when they are at their
peak, in the middle of a dry day. Do not collect flowers when the air is damp or if they are covered in
morning dew. To avoid damaging the petals, remove whole flowers with some of the stalk; discard
any damaged petals. Put them in an open container; they may sweat and rot in a closed container.
To air-dry herbs and flowers, be guided by the plant. Lavender and sage may be used whole, with
only roots and dry leaves removed; rose petals need to be carefully peeled off; sage, lemon balm
(melissa), and thyme may be used with stems and all the leaves on the stalk, removing only roots;
with chamomile and marigold, only florets can be used. Prepare the herbs, flowers, and petals by
wiping off any moisture on the stems with paper towels. If drying flowers on stems, make bunches of
five to ten stems, and secure them with an elastic band. Hang the bunches upside down in a dark,
well-ventilated place at a temperature of about 68°F (20°C ) until they are dry. Dry whole florets and
petals on an unbleached tissue paper or cotton towel in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
The drying time will vary from days to weeks. Store dried herbs and flowers in dark, airtight, clearly
labeled glass jars.
You can also dry herbs in a conventional oven on low heat (no more than 200°F [100°C /Gas
1/2]), or even in a microwave oven. I do not recommend microwaving food, but you aren’t going to
eat bath blends, are you? To use a microwave oven, wrap chopped herbs loosely in a paper towel
and cook them on high for a minute at a time. Place a cup of water in the microwave; herbs do not
contain much moisture.
To prepare an herbal bath blend, crush the stems or chop the leaves and florets (such as those given
in the recipes that follow) and mix thoroughly in a small bowl. To use, place the mixture in an
unbleached muslin or organic cotton drawstring bag. These are easily found at herbal body care shops
or online, and come in many different sizes. A good size to use for herbal bath mixtures is 3 inches by
4 inches (or 3 inches by 5 inches). In Chapter 13, you can also learn how to prepare herbal bath
pouches for your baby. Wou can also boil an herbal blend in a small enamel pan, sieve off the herbs,
and pour the mix into your bathwater.
Winter Soothing Bath Blend
¼ cup dried chamomile flowers
1 cup dried lavender blossoms
1 cup dried fennel seeds