DIY BATH SALTS RECIPES

Learn How to Make DIY Bath Salts: A Simple Recipe for Relaxation and Gifting

Indulge in a luxurious spa experience at home with this easy DIY bath salts recipe. Whether you prefer to add your favorite essential oils or leave them out, making homemade bath salts is quick and simple. Plus, they make a thoughtful, personalized gift!

Making bath salts is incredibly simple, so much so that I skipped the step-by-step photos! All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl, stir well, and transfer the mixture into jars.

If you prefer to make bath salts without essential oils, just omit them from the recipe. You’ll still enjoy the soothing benefits of Epsom salt and a relaxing spa experience. Adding colorant is an easy way to make your bath salts look even more luxurious!

COLORING

When adding color to your bath salts, make sure to use only food-grade colorant. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and what you apply to it can be absorbed faster than the food you eat!

I personally recommend India Tree Colorant for its high quality. Just be sure to choose a reputable, food-grade colorant to ensure your bath salts are both safe and beautiful.

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Learn how to make DIY Bath Salts using this bath salts recipe. You can enjoy the luxury of a spa treatment at home or give it as a gift. Homemade baths salts are easy peasy! And, they can be made with the essential oils of your choice, or without essential oils.

Closeup of homemade bath salts on a wooden spoon in pink, blue and yellow.
Learning how to make bath salts is really very simple. In fact, it is so simple that I have skipped the photos showing the process. All you do is put the ingredients in a bowl, stir to mix well and put the bath salts into jars.

Making homemade bath salts without essential oils is easy – just leave them out and follow the recipe. You will still have all the benefits of Epsom salt with a relaxing spa experience. Using the colorant also adds a bit of fanciness to them.

COLORING
Be sure to use only food grad colorant. Remember, your skin is the largest organ in your body. What you put on your skin can be absorbed quicker than the food you eat!

I like to use India Tree Colorant because of its quality. Just be sure to use a good quality, food grade colorant.

CONTAINERS

I love using cute jars to store my homemade bath salts, but mason jars work just as well! You can get creative by wrapping them up or adding a ribbon around the jar for a cute, personalized touch. It’s an easy way to elevate your bath salts, whether you’re keeping them for yourself or gifting them to someone special.

TIPS

Get creative by experimenting with different essential oils and blends to make your bath salts unique! Want to add color? Soap colorants work perfectly and won’t stain your skin or tub.

These bath salts make fantastic gifts and can be placed in a variety of jars for a personalized touch. Don’t forget to add a cute printable gift tag for that extra special detail when giving them as a gift!

Here’s the ingredients you’ll want to incorporate:

EPSOM SALT

Epsom salt isn’t actually a salt—it’s magnesium sulfate, a compound that offers a variety of health benefits. It can be used as a laxative (commonly in gallbladder cleanses or to help pass kidney stones), but it’s also great for detoxifying your body and enjoying the health benefits of magnesium in your bath.

Magnesium is easily absorbed through the skin, making a bath with Epsom salt a fantastic way to reap its benefits. Some of these include:

  • Stress relief
  • Detoxification
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Improved nutrient absorption

BAKING SODA

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is the same ingredient used in baking, and like Epsom salt, it helps remove toxins from your body. Some of the benefits of adding baking soda to your bath include:

  • Detoxification
  • Helping to alkalize your body
  • Softening skin
  • Leaving your skin with a silky, smooth feel

ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils offer a wide range of benefits for your body, with each oil providing its own unique properties. For example:

  • Lavender is perfect before bed to help you relax and unwind.
  • Citrus oils are energizing and invigorating, helping to boost your mood and refresh your mind and body.
  • Eucalyptus is great for when you’re not feeling well or think a cold is coming on, as it helps clear your sinuses and promotes respiratory health.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to combining different essential oils to create the perfect blend for your bath!

EXTRAS

Spices like ginger and cinnamon make wonderful additions to your bath salts, adding both warmth and a pleasant scent. For extra moisturizing, you can also add oils like coconut, jojoba, almond, or argan—just 1 tablespoon is enough to enhance the nourishing benefits.

Sea salt is another great ingredient to consider. It contains about 21 minerals that naturally occur in our bodies, such as potassium, sodium, and bromides, which are depleted throughout the day. Adding ¼ cup of sea salt to your bath salts recipe helps replenish these essential minerals, detoxify, and cleanse your body.

CAN I LEAVE OUT THE BAKING SODA?

Absolutely! If you prefer not to use baking soda, feel free to leave it out. You will still have a wonderful bath salt that provides a luxurious and relaxing bath experience. Each ingredient adds its own benefits, so it’s completely customizable to suit your preferences!

RECIPE

DIY Bath Salts Recipe
Makes 12 ounces

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Epsom salt
  • ½ cup baking soda
  • 5-10 drops essential oil
  • Colorant of choice (add a couple of drops and mix until the desired color is reached)
  • Optional:
  • 1 tablespoon oil of choice (coconut, jojoba, almond, argan)
  • 1-2 tablespoons dried spices (like cinnamon or ginger)
  • ¼ cup sea salt

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, stirring well to ensure the baking soda and essential oils are thoroughly mixed.
  2. Divide the mixture into jars as desired.
  3. Use immediately or store in an airtight container.

To Use:
Add ¼ to ½ cup per bath for a relaxing soak.

This bath salts recipe is not only easy to make but also makes great gifts! If you’re looking for more DIY beauty ideas, check out my Sugar Scrub, Whipped Body Butter, and Homemade Sunscreen recipes for more self-care goodness.

CONCLUSION

Making your own DIY bath salts is simple, customizable, and a great way to indulge in a luxurious spa experience at home. With a few basic ingredients like Epsom salt, baking soda, and your choice of essential oils or colorants, you can create the perfect bath soak for relaxation, detoxification, and skin benefits. Optional additions like oils, spices, and sea salt can enhance the experience further. Whether you’re using it for yourself or gifting it to someone special, homemade bath salts are a thoughtful and easy way to enjoy a spa-like treatment anytime.

DIY BUBBLE BATH BLISS: CREATE YOUR OWN SOOTHING SOAK

There’s something incredibly calming about immersing yourself in a warm bath filled with soft, fragrant bubbles. Unfortunately, many commercial bubble baths contain chemicals and artificial ingredients that can irritate the skin. This homemade bubble bath recipe offers an all-natural, customizable, and budget-friendly alternative for a truly relaxing experience.

Who Doesn’t Love a Soothing Bubble Bath? We all enjoy a nice, relaxing bubble bath from time to time—I certainly do! I cherished them as a kid, and my love for them has only grown.

What I don’t appreciate, however, are the unnecessary toxic chemicals often found in store-bought bubble baths. Many of these products contain sulfates and synthetic fragrances, which have been linked to issues like endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity, and toxicity to non-reproductive organ systems.

What concerns me the most is that many of these bubble baths are marketed toward children and babies.

Below are the ingredients from a popular, expensive store-bought bubble bath:

“aqua/water/eau, sodium laureth sulfate, lauryl betaine, ppg-2 hydroxyethyl cocamide, glycerin, glycol distearate, parfum/fragrance, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, allantoin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, panthenol, tocopherol, tocotrienols, trilinolein, triolein, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, camellia sinensis leaf extract, polyquaternium-7, polyquaternium-10, maltodextrin, methyl gluceth-20, sodium benzotriazolyl butylphenol sulfonate, buteth-3, tributyl citrate, citric acid, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate, sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, polysorbate 20, potassium sorbate, disodium edta, maleic anhydride, sodium hydroxide, methylene di-t-butylcresol, phenoxyethanol, hexylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, fd & c yellow no. 5 (ci 19140), fd & c red no. 40 (ci 16035)”

Not only is this an overwhelming list of ingredients, but many of them are toxic. For instance, methylisothiazolinone can lead to immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and irritation of the skin, eyes, and lungs. Meanwhile, polyquaternium-7, an anti-static agent, poses risks for non-reproductive organ system toxicity and ecotoxicology.

This particular bubble bath isn’t just harmful to your health; it also negatively impacts the environment. And this is just one example—many other store-bought bubble baths have ingredient lists that look alarmingly similar.

That’s why I’ve stopped purchasing store-bought bubble baths and started making my own. It’s incredibly easy to create, all-natural, and significantly cheaper than the average store-bought option.

How To Make Your Own Bubble Bath

To create your own homemade bubble bath, gather the following ingredients and supplies.

BOTTLE

You’ll need a bottle or bubble bath dispenser that can hold 14 to 18 ounces, like the one shown here. The recipe below will yield approximately 18 ounces of bubble bath. If you opt for a larger soap dispenser, feel free to add a bit more castile soap.

I always prefer glass bottles over plastic because essential oils contain powerful chemical compounds that can break down and react when they come into contact with plastic.

UNSCENTED CASTILE SOAP

Castile soap serves as the base for this bubble bath, providing the bubbles you love. This vegetable-based, natural product is suitable for all skin types, including those of babies.

I always choose unscented castile soap so I can customize the fragrance to my liking.

NATURAL BODY WASH (OPTIONAL)

If you have hard water, you might find that the castile soap doesn’t create much lather. In this case, I recommend adding a body wash to your bubble bath.

Opt for a natural option, like Everyone unscented body wash. Even if you don’t have hard water but want an abundance of bubbles, adding the body wash is a great idea. It significantly enhances the sudsing when combined with the castile soap.

VEGETABLE GLYCERIN

Vegetable glycerin helps thicken the bubble bath, enhancing its suds and bubbles while also offering additional moisturizing benefits.

ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils provide the delightful scent for the bubble bath, as all the other ingredients are unscented. If you want your bubble bath to smell amazing, be sure to add essential oils.

Below, you’ll find various combinations of essential oil scents.

It’s crucial to use only 100% pure essential oils, as some are synthetic. Fake essential oils can be just as harmful as the toxin-laden store-bought bubble baths.

For tips on how to identify fake essential oils and to discover some of my favorite brands, check out my post titled Fake Essential Oil Brands You Should Avoid.

Homemade Bubble Bath Recipe

To create this homemade bubble bath recipe, simply add the following ingredients to your jar or bottle. I typically use an 18-ounce glass bottle for this bubble bath. If you’re using a larger or smaller container, be sure to adjust the quantities of each ingredient accordingly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup castile soap
  • 1 cup body wash (if you choose not to use body wash, add an additional cup of castile soap)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable glycerin
  • 30-40 drops of essential oils (see scent combinations below)

Make sure to blend the ingredients thoroughly and shake well before each use.

Simple Essential Oil Scent Combinations

You can create any scent combination you like with essential oils. If you prefer something straightforward that doesn’t require too many different oils, I recommend the following combos:

Simply add the essential oils to the recipe above, keeping in mind to adjust the amounts if you’re using a larger or smaller dispenser than I suggested.

Combo #1: 15 drops lavender + 15 drops lemon
Combo #2: 15 drops peppermint + 15 drops orange
Combo #3: 15 drops grapefruit + 15 drops lime

Homemade Christmas Bubble Bath

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to create some festive scent combinations for the holidays.

Candy Cane

30 drops peppermint + 10 drops spearmint

Christmas Cookie

20 drops ginger + 5 drops clove + 5 drops cinnamon + 4 drops nutmeg + 10 drops vanilla

Christmas Tree

30 drops fir + 5 drops vetiver + 5 drops cypress

This DIY bubble bath makes a great homemade gift—especially the Christmas-scented bubble baths.

You can sign up to receive free homemade printable gift tags below.

Alternatively, you can sign up to receive the colored bubble bath labels instead.

How To Use Homemade Bubble Bath

To use this homemade bubble bath, simply pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup into the bathtub while the tub is filling with water. Feel free to add more if you’d like it to be bubblier or sudsier.

For extra-large bathtubs, you may need to use more than 1/2 cup of bubble bath.

Keep in mind that homemade bubble baths typically don’t create as much suds as store-bought varieties. This is because store-bought bubble baths contain surfactants, which are responsible for producing those giant, foamy bubbles.

However, surfactants are harmful to the environment, so I prefer my homemade bubble bath.

I’ve heard that whisking an egg white into the bubble bath mixture can help create fluffy, long-lasting bubbles, but I haven’t tried that yet.

How To Store DIY Bubble Bath

This homemade bubble bath should be stored in a sealed container. The glass bottle I recommended earlier is perfect for storing this DIY bubble bath.

Just make sure to keep the pump tightly sealed at all times to prevent contamination from bacteria.

How Long Does Homemade Bubble Bath Last?

This homemade bubble bath can last for 1 to 2 years when stored in a sealed container.

How Often Can Homemade Bubble Bath Be Used?

You can use this homemade bubble bath as often as you like since it contains only natural ingredients, allowing you to enjoy a relaxing soak without worrying about harmful chemicals.

However, keep in mind that castile soap can be drying for the skin, so be sure to moisturize well after bathing. If you notice your skin becoming excessively dry, you may want to reduce your usage.

NEED ESSENTIAL OILS?

Make sure to use 100% pure essential oils when putting together this recipe. High-quality oils don’t have to break the bank.

I recommend brands like Simply Earth, Plant Therapy, and Far & Wild, as they all offer high-quality oils at affordable prices.

If you decide to buy from Simply Earth, you can use the code HAPPYHEARTFREE to receive an essential oil recipe box, a bonus box, and a $45 Simply Earth gift card, all for just $29.99 (new customers only)!!!

If you’re unfamiliar with Simply Earth or their recipe box, you can check out previous boxes [here].

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, creating your own homemade bubble bath provides a natural, customizable, and budget-friendly alternative to store-bought products.

By selecting your own ingredients, you can ensure that your bath is free from harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, and unnecessary additives, making it gentle on your skin.

Moreover, you can tailor the scents, textures, and moisturizing properties to suit your preferences and specific skin needs.

I truly hope you enjoy using this homemade bubble bath! If you have any questions about the recipe, feel free to leave them in the comments below.