These Detox Bath Blends are my favorite form of self care. Not only are they a relaxing addition to my bath time ritual, but they smell amazing and assist the body in the detoxification process. Learn more about the ingredients and grab the recipes below!
Can I be basic for just a second and say, “bath time is totally having a moment”?
I've always been a bath girl (it's in my genes), but I've gone through periods in life where I fall out of the habit and forget how utterly satisfying a steamy, uninterrupted bath can be. If you haven't taken one in awhile, you'll definitely want to follow these steps to achieve a perfectly relaxing and detoxifying bath.
What is a detox bath?
I want to give a quick disclaimer regarding the process of incorporating detoxifying strategies into your life: start slow. Choosing to do a detox overhaul is setting yourself up to feel stressed out and overwhelmed. Before you know it, you'll be throwing in the towel.
In light of this, I'll be sharing several posts on using baths for detoxification, so you can slowly optimize this one single detox strategy to make it as powerful as possible, and completely sustainable.
Step 1:
If you're already taking baths on a regular basis, start by eliminating the toxic products you're putting into them. Check out the ingredients of any product that goes into your water. If you don't take baths, skip to step 2.
In general, you should be looking for products that are free of parabens, dyes, fragrances, and harsh chemicals. Download the EWG Healthy Living app to your phone, and search for your product to see how ‘clean' it is. This app is powered by the Environmental Working Group, so you can go to that website to learn more if you don't have access to the app.
Aim to only use products that are ranked 1-3 by EWG on this app. If it ranks higher than 3, I want you to:
a) throw away the product in question if it's not necessary, but rather an indulgence
b) swap the product with a cleaner alternative (ex. one of the recipes below!) ASAP if you use it several times a week
c) replace the product with a cleaner alternative once it runs out if you use it only occasionally
Slowly phasing out your conventional bath products makes this a more sustainable change.
Step 2:
Mix up either of the Detox Bath Blend recipes I share below. Aim to take a bath 1-2 times a week, and include one of these Detox Bath Blends in the hot water. Soak for at least 20 minutes. That's it!
Step 3:
When I drain the bathwater after a detox bath, I put a washcloth over the drain of the tub to filter any of the material (like clay), and prevent it from going down the drain where it could contribute to clogs.
How do you make a detox bath?
Epsom Salt
Also known as magnesium sulfate, this detoxifier is a powerhouse when it comes to pulling toxins from your cells. It works not by binding with the toxins, but by pushing them from your cells where they can be released into circulation and bound with a chelator to be eliminated through your various detox pathways.
In general, soaking in an epsom salt bath is a much more powerful way to supplement with magnesium, since transdermal absorption is much more efficient.
Bentonite Clay
This clay binds to toxins like pesticides and heavy metals, and safely vacates them from your system. Bentonite clay as a detoxifier works in perfect synchronicity with epsom salt, since the magnesium will pull toxins from your cells, while the clay will bind with them so they can be eliminated.
Aluminum Free Baking Soda
Baking soda is both detoxifying and alkalizing, and as a bonus, it's likely already in your pantry!
The sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) will permeate the skin helping to alkalize the tissue and expunge toxins. By making the bath water alkaline, the baking soda itself will bind to toxins and draw them out of the system since your skin is likely to be more acidic to than the bathwater.
Almond Oil
Despite being derived from a nut, this oil is hypoallergenic making it a wonderful option for those with sensitive skin! Although this one isn't a detoxifier, it it loaded with antioxidants that help to prevent UV damage to the skin.
Aside from that, it's also anti-inflammatory and moisturizing – you'll love how smooth your skin feels after your bath!
Essential Oils
In typical wellness blogger fashion, I'm going to throw this out there: “quality is key.” I personally use and love Plant Therapy essential oils as I fully trust the sourcing. Investing in the higher quality of these oils makes sense for me since I also diffuse the oils and use them topically and internally.
You can read this blog post for a review + breakdown of the most popular essential oil brands on the market.
Essential oils are used in these recipes for the aromatics – not specifically for detoxification. When it comes to adding calming scents to your bath routine, essential oils are far and away better than any fragranced candle or bath bomb on the market. In fact, seeing the word “fragrance” on an ingredients list is a sure fire way to get a poor ranking on the EWG Healthy Living app! But that's a topic for another day.
Now, onto the Detox Bath Blend recipes.
Vanilla Jasmine Detox Bath Blend
Materials
- 4 cups epsom salt
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1/2 cup almond oil
- 20 drops jasmine essential oil
- 20 drops vanilla essential oil
Instructions
- Pour epsom salt and baking soda into a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add almond and essential oils to the salt mixture. Stir well.
- Portion equally into a large jar, or divide mixture into 4 smaller containers. Store in a dark, cool location until use.
- Scoop about 1/4 of the mixture to hot bathwater, and stir to dissolve.
- Soak in the tub for at least 20 minutes to get the full detoxifying benefits.
Notes
Eucalyptus Lavender Detox Bath Blend
Materials
- 4 cups epsom salt
- 2 cups bentonite clay
- 1/2 cup almond oil
- 30 drops lavender essential oil
- 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Instructions
- Pour epsom salt and clay into a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add almond and essential oils to salt mixture. Stir well.
- Portion equally into a large jar (or divide into 4 smaller jars). Store in a dark, cool location until use.
- Add 1/4 of the mixture to hot bathwater, and stir well to dissolve.
- Soak in the tub for at least 20 minutes to get the full detoxifying benefits.
Notes
- When draining your tub, place a washcloth over the drain to filter any remaining sediment and discard in the trash to prevent any drain clogs.
- Use a washcloth or rinse off in the shower to wipe off the clay from your skin as necessary at the end of your bath.
This is such a really cool site. I love it. There is so much here that I know I can spend a lot of time learning so much. Thank you for all you do.
Do you buy the epsom salt and clay in bulk? Can you share your source?
Hi! I just updated the post with links to the products I use. 🙂
Quick question…. how much benonite clay do I add to the recipe? It’s not on your directions but since you spoke of it in the post, I wondered it perhaps you forgot. I’m very excited to try this!
Thanks for doing these posts!:)
Hi grace! Love that name, btw 🙂
Sorry, for some reason my recipe plug in keeps deleting the recipe for the bath blend that has bentonite clay in it. I just reloaded it back in, so you should see it bow but it might disappear again at some point.
If it does, please let me know and I’ll convert these recipes to text based instead of a software since it seems to be glitching out 🙂
So glad you’re enjoying the detox posts!
I see it now.
Thank you:)
I’m definitely enjoying these posts. At some point in the near future I’m going to be removing my amalgam fillings that I know has contributed to my Hashimotos, so all the Detox strategies are so helpful:)
Be sure to have a dentist who is familiar with the proper way to remove amalgam fillings. He should use a rubber dam to prevent your swallowing what he takes out and also negative pressure to prevent you and he from breathing the mercury vapor that is released.