How to Make a Relaxing Chamomile Bath Soak
One of my favorite ways to relax before bed after a stressful day is to have a long bath filled with herbs and mineral-rich salts to help me wind down. I am convinced that it helps me sleep better, especially when I feel like my mind is so full of everything that I have been focusing on throughout the day. This chamomile bath soak recipe is one of my favorites for those kinds of days. Adding a cup of it to my bathwater makes all the difference and really makes the bath feel more luxurious. Let's have a look at the recipe and then I will tell you a little more about how to work with bath soaks for their therapeutic benefits.
Ingredients
dried chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita)
rolled oats
Epsom salts
Himalayan pink salt
Optional mix-ins:
dead sea salt
powdered milk or powdered buttermilk
dried nettles
organic corn starch (makes the bathwater feel "silky")
Instructions
This recipe really couldn't be much easier to make. All you need to do is mix equal parts of each main ingredient together in a bowl and then transfer the mix to a jar for storing. If you choose to include the powdered milks or corn starch, you will add 1/2 part of those instead of 1 part. If you are giving the soak mix as a gift and want to make it look prettier, you can layer the ingredients as you add them to the jar instead of mixing them all together.
When adding your bath soak to the bath water, use a sock or a muslin drawstring bag to hold the ingredients so they do not clog your drain or make a mess in the tub.
How to Work with Bath Soaks for
Therapeutic Purposes
Bath soaks are wonderful to add to your bathwater when you want your bath to be more therapeutic. This recipe focuses on chamomile, which can help relieve signs of inflammation and calms the mind and nervous system. (1,2) The mineral-rich salts we have included in the recipe help with balancing our electrolytes and can help relieve sore and achy muscles. Oats are skin-friendly and can calm irritation in the skin.
When you are working with bath soaks for therapeutic purposes, you want to add them to the bathwater directly under the faucet so the hot water can dissolve the salts as your tub fills. If you do not want to have to clean the chamomile flowers and oats out of the tub when you have finished your bath, you can place the whole mixture in a sock, flour sack towel, or muslin drawstring bag to keep the mixture contained. The salts should still dissolve through the cloth into the bath water and you can then use the parcel to exfoliate the skin.
If you use a parcel to contain the plant mixture, squeeze it often and swish it throughout the tub to help distribute more of the constituents from the plants. If you add your mixture directly to the bathwater, swish it around before you get in the tub to help distribute everything.
When you work with bath soaks, you want to stay in the tub for at least 20 minutes to really experience the full therapeutic benefits of the bath.
Have you ever used baths as a form of self care after a busy day? They really can be one of the most efficient ways to relax in the evenings. This chamomile soak is helpful for people who have a hard time relaxing before bed or who take a long time to fall asleep at night. It's also a kid-friendly recipe.
Is there an herb blend or plant-based bath product that you like to include in your nighttime routine? I would love to hear about it. Tell me about it in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
Much love,
Erin
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
References
Miraj, S., & Alesaeidi, S. (2016). A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (chamomile). Electronic physician, 8(9), 3024–3031. https://doi.org/10.19082/3024
Ross S. M. (2013). Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): efficacy of standardized Matricaria recutita (German chamomile) extract in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Holistic nursing practice, 27(6), 366–368. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0b013e3182a8eb62