Baths can be much more than just relaxing!
Baths can be truly therapeutic. I want to share with you some of my favorite baths. A recipe for headaches, cleansing, and beautifying as well as emergency baths for sunburns, leg cramps, and feminine health.
Headache Relief:
Essential oils are concentrated plant essences that have the power to inspire balance to our body and mind.
I want to share an amazing bath elixir that will help relieve energy draining headaches. Headaches can be caused by anything from seasonal allergies to anxiety and stress. Hormonal fluctuations, menstrual cycles, and lack of sleep can also cause headache tension.
The essential oil lavender is a commonly known choice to relieve stress in general but when you’re targeting a headache, we should get a bit more specific. Many of my patients suffer from sinus congestion due to internal and external stressors. Below is my favorite concoction for a treatment bath that relieves headaches due to congested sinuses.
Mix the following together then slowly pour into a warm bath.
–Peppermint oil – 10 drops
–Eucalyptus oil – 5 drops
–Sesame seed oil – 1 Tbsp.
Make sure to relax for 30 to 40 minutes to allow for the oils to do their magic. The eucalyptus oil helps decongest the airways and the sinuses while peppermint oil provides pain relief. Be aware the eucalyptus oil is a very strong, so take care not to splash the bath water in your eyes – it may cause irritation.
Beauty Bath:
Goat’s milk is one of my favorite beauty gifts from Mother Nature! When I was a little girl, a local healer told me to drink a glass of goat’s milk a day and that I would always stay young. I still add it to my shakes and I love using it on my skin. It’s an ingredient that has become more popular in the past few years. It creates a transforming beauty bath when you immerse yourself in a tub filled with warm water and 2-4 cups of organic goat’s milk.
It will help soften and smooth your skin. Milk contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that can help loosen the bonds that hold onto old, dead skin cells. Your skin will feel silky smooth and look brighter! A milk bath helps exfoliate your skin without any scrubbing, so if your like me and can’t handle dry brushing or harsh scrubs, you don’t have to worry about irritating your skin but will still get the smooth results.
You now have a clean canvas so your products penetrate the skin more effectively, so your moisturizer does a better job of keeping your skin hydrated. Milk also contains fats and proteins that can help boost your skin’s moisture even after you’re done soaking.
It’s also uber calming! The proteins whey and casein found in milk, as well as the amino acids, lactic acid and vitamins A, D and E, all work together to help reduce redness and itchiness. Great emergency soak if you get a dose of poison oak on a vacation!
Total Detox:
Epsom salt is rich in both magnesium and sulfate. Magnesium and sulfate can be easily absorbed through the skin and taken up into the bloodstream, so it’s an excellent external way to detox and get out any harmful and unnatural substances.
This bath stimulates your lymph system and encourages increased oxygen and blood flow to your body. Sulfates stimulate the pancreas to form digestive enzymes necessary to detoxify the body. The soak also neutralizes toxins, protecting the body from heavy metals.
Magnesium in the Epson salts are uplifting to our mood because deficiencies in magnesium can cause significant damage to nerves, which manifest in symptoms associated with depression. Magnesium salt also promotes gastric activity in the intestines, which provides a laxative effect. The stimulation of movement in the gut and colon further promotes detoxification processes.
The Sulfates are beneficial for the health of joints, skin, and nervous tissue. Sulfates also bind toxic impurities in the liver to render them less hazardous.
Spend at least 40 minutes to soak in the tub. Allow 20 minutes of treatment to pull toxins out of your body through the skin. The second 20 minutes allows for the absorption of minerals to occur. 1- ½ cups for a full bath.
Quick Cramp Relief:
A muscle often locks up for no apparent reason; the root cause is a chemical signal from the nervous system that tells the muscle to contract. You’re probably running low on potassium, magnesium, and calcium – the minerals that help to regulate activity in your nerves and muscles. Many people that suffer from chronic cramping know to sip on some tonic water before bedtime because it contains quinine. This can be beneficial to sip on but also can be used as a soak. A Tonic Water bath a great way to help you get through the night f you’re on vacation or traveling for work. Head straight to the mini bar and grab a few tonic waters and add it to your bath. You should feel a bit of relief shortly!
Sunburn:
Apple Cider Vinegar contains antiseptic properties that kill germs and relieve pain. It also helps to balance the pH of sunburned skin and reduces the blisters after burning. It acts as an astringent that shrinks or constricts the blood tissues which in turn reduces the inflammation caused by sunburn, creating instant relief. Apple cider vinegar acts as a wonderful cooling and moisturizing agent that makes the skin release the pent-up heat.
Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV to us hippies is rich in B-vitamins, Vitamin C and trace minerals, making it nourishing to skin.
Added benefit: it will also make you smell sweeter! It will help kill the bacteria that contribute to body odor and create an environment where odor is less likely to thrive in the future.
For sunburn relief, add 2 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar to a full bath and soak for 10 -20 minutes.
FEMME Bath:
Baking soda baths are a useful remedy to fight against many feminine health issues as it maintains a pH balance in the body. Anything that upsets the pH of your vagina will worsen the situation. Substances like semen or menstrual blood are Alkaline. A sitz bath with baking soda, which buffers pH levels, can help reduce the pH of your vagina and decrease the irritation.
A full bath can also help soften your skin and also remove chlorine from your skin and hair.
Add 3 tablespoon to sitz bath- about 2-3 inches high in water or 6 tablespoons to a full bath. Soak for 20 minutes.
I hope these baths inspire you to take the time for self care and relaxation for you to create the true whole body health you deserve.
In the name of beauty, Mia Belle seeks to elevate the future of skin care.
Mia Belle is a well-traveled paramedical aesthetician with nearly two decades of experience in the fields of skin care and preventative aging. Her passion to be a part of the rapid advancements in health care and her continued training on a global level, allows her to develop the best treatments and products possible. She has trained in Montreal, Paris, London, Norway, Iceland, New York, and San Francisco with some of the most internationally renowned chemists, engineers, physicians and alternative health practitioners.
Mia Belle is a published skin care expert who has been featured on Oprah, EXTRA, “E” Entertainment, Access Hollywood and KTLA.
