Making Bath Salts

Has the creative person in you convinced you to make some bath salts? That’s great! You’re going to enjoy the process. It’s simple and fun.

First, gather your equipment. You’ll need some mixing bowls, measuring spoons, and utensils. A quick rummage in your kitchen and you’ll probably find all you need, but it’s a good idea to keep a set of equipment exclusively for making bath salts. Why? Well, let’s just say it’s no fun if your lavender bath salts end up smelling more like crab cakes! And you wouldn’t enjoy your luscious chocolate cake if it smelt of patchouli either! So, separate set of equipment it is.

Here’s what you’ll need –

A quick note: Choose either glass or stainless steel equipment. Stay clear of plastic or wood as they tend to absorb fragrances and colours. You wouldn’t want a mix up of fragrances and stained bowls to work with.

• One large mixing bowl, big enough to mix your bath salts recipe.

• One medium or small bowl to mix dendritic salt (an essential salt when making scented bath salts) and essential oils or fragrance.

• One set of measuring spoons, stainless steel. The entire set, measuring 1/8 teaspoon to a full tablespoon. One set of measuring cups, from ¼ cup to a full one cup.

• A spice grinder or coffee grinder. (This is optional. If you’re making moisturising bath salts using milk powder, you could use the grinder to powder it well so it mixes in well with the salts. Or if you’re using herbs in your recipe, you may want to crush them into smaller bits.)

• Pipettes to measure colours, essential oils, fragrances, etc. Get a bunch of these as you’ll need one for each colour or fragrance.

• A small saucepan to melt plant butters, if you’re using any.

• A dust mask is essential if you’re using very fine powders in your recipe.

• Disposable gloves to protect your skin from staining when you’re using colours and to prevent skin irritation when using strong essential oils.

With all your equipment in place, you should now have a sense of excitement and anticipation to get those salts out and start mixing! You’re on the right track. So let’s get started with the making process. Simply follow these easy steps for a traditional, basic bath salts recipe–

• Measure all the salts or one kind of salt, whatever your recipe calls for, and place in the large mixing bowl. If you’re making scented bath salts, your recipe will call for dendritic salt. Don’t mix in this salt with the rest yet.

• In the small mixing bowl, combine dendritic salt and your choice of essential oil or fragrance. This step is only if you’re making scented bath salts. Make sure you mix it well.

• If you followed step 2, then add this mixture to your base salts mixture and mix thoroughly, making sure everything is well combined.

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• You’re almost done! But wait, if you’re making coloured bath salts, using milk powder or adding herbs to your bath salts, now is the time to add the essential ingredients. Just make sure everything is blended well so all the elements in your bath salts are evenly incorporated.

• Voila! You’re done! Now smile ear to ear at your accomplishment and enjoy your very own handmade bath salts.

If you’re making bath salts to give as gifts, packaging is the next step. Keeping a few basic guidelines in mind, you can experiment with different kinds of packaging. More about packaging later. Now it’s time to bask in the glory of having created your own bath salts. So go on, get measuring and mixing and create your signature bath salts and enjoy an extra special bath!

Article:Making Bath Salts