Essential Oils for the Bath
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, is known to have claimed that the way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every day.
Sounds pretty dang nice to me! Sign me up for that. (Now I just need 2 more hours of free time every day and a lifetime of free massages.)
Busy schedules and lengthy to-do lists often get in the way of self-care time. Dedicating a few hours a week to treating yourself to an at-home Spa Day can do wonders for an overworked mind and body. A Spa Day could include yoga, journaling, or meditation in addition to skincare rituals. Gotta give some love to both the mind and body.
With baths on the mind, I wanted to share 5 of the best essential oils to soak in.
Choosing the best essential oil for your bath depends on personal scent preference and the benefits you’re seeking at the time.
Here are 5 excellent essential oils for your next bath:
Lavender Essential Oil - Renowned for its calming and relaxing effects, lavender is excellent for reducing stress and promoting better sleep. It can also help soothe sore muscles and relieve tension.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil- With its refreshing and invigorating scent, eucalyptus essential oil is commonly used to clear the sinuses and alleviate respiratory issues like congestion and coughs. It can also provide a cooling sensation and relieve muscle aches and pains.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil - With its sweet, floral scent, ylang-ylang is often used for its mood-boosting and aphrodisiac effects. It can help reduce stress and anxiety while promoting feelings of joy and relaxation. A little goes a long way with Ylang Ylang’s strong aroma.
Frankincense Essential Oil - Frankincense has a warm, resinous “woodsy” aroma that’s known for its calming and skin-healing benefits. Adding frankincense oil to your bath can help promote relaxation, reduce stress, and ease anxiety. It’s a prized essential oil for use in meditation and spiritual practices as it helps create a sense of peace and helps promote mindfulness. It’s an excellent choice for sensitive, irritated, or dry skin as it deeply nourishes skin as you soak.
Sandalwood Essential Oil - Sandalwood has a rich, woodsy aroma that is known for its calming and grounding effects. Adding sandalwood oil to a bath can help promote relaxation, reduce stress, and ease anxiety, making it an excellent choice for unwinding after a long day. It also helps soothe irritated or inflamed skin.
In addition to the physical benefits of a warm soak, baths can be an excellent way to get quality alone time to clear your mind, meditate, and release built-up tension and stress.
How to add essential oils to a bath:
When preparing a bath, you'll likely be using more carrier oil compared to a topical application, as you want to disperse the essential oils throughout the bathwater effectively. It's important to mix the essential oils with a small amount of carrier oil before adding them to the bathwater. This helps to prevent the oils from floating on the surface and reduces the risk of skin irritation.
Since heat and steam amplify the effects of essential oils, you will want to use about 5-6 drops of oil per ounce of carrier oil of your choice (like olive oil or coconut oil).
You can also add Epsom Salts or Pink Himalayan Salts to increase the physical
tension-releasing benefits of your soak!
No tub? No troubles.
Hydro-Aromatherapy soaking without a bathtub
For those of us without a tub, foot soaks in a large bowl can offer many of the same benefits as a full body soak because our feet still absorb the salts and essential oils through the skin through a process called “transdermal absorption.” And of course, you can still bask in the therapeutic aromas.
Outdoor foot soaks are one of my favorite summer pastimes. Sit back, plop your feet in the warm aromatic waters, soak up the scents, and enjoy your silky soft feet!
Be sure to dilute essential oils into a carrier oil of your choice. Dilute your oils as you would for a bath using the above guidelines.
Not enough time in the day for a soak?
Try an Aromatherapy Shower!
If you’re not much of a soaker, you can also use essential oils in the shower! Simply add a few drops of essential oils to the shower floor (out of the direct stream of water) and let the shower steam do its thing. Peppermint or Eucalyptus essential oil makes for a great energizing morning shower and Lavender or Cedarwood are perfect to destress and relax the mind before bed.
A hot aromatherapy shower can reduce stress and anxiety, soothe tension, provide respiratory support, and clear the mind.
Take a look at the full line of therapeutic essential oils here!
If you’re not one to DIY, try Topsy Blends Spa Day Tranquility Bath Set
Or, Treat your Feet with the Self Care Aromatherapy Set to Soothe, Soak, and Soften.
So many lovely self-care products to choose from!
Questions? Curiosities? Please feel free to get in touch using the contact box below and I’ll be in touch shortly.
Wishing you health and harmony,
Rachel, your personal aromatherapist