Bath Salt Recipe

Hello again!
For Christmas, I like to make as many gifts as I can. My sister-in-law requested bath salts this year, and I happen to have an excellent method for making them, so I thought I'd share. Bits and pieces come from books or Pinterest, and I'll try to reference them where I can.

The first step is to make your salt base. The original recipe I found was in Scott Cunningham's "Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews", though I left out the table salt. To this base can be added nearly any essential oils that you like, or a combination of a few. (It is important to know your oils, as some can cause skin irritation or photo-toxicity, but in this small amount, diluted in a whole bathtub of water, I don't think it would cause too many problems.)

So, after you've made your base, you want to add your liquid parts. I like to add a drop or two of food coloring, for two reasons: one, it makes the finished product look prettier, and two, it helps you know when all your liquid is evenly mixed in. When you're adding such tiny amounts, it takes a lot of stirring to get everything evenly mixed, and the food dye is a good indicator of when it's done. Adding this tiny amount of food dye should not stain the tub, but don't use too much, or in a tub with a damaged finish.

After everything is mixed, your going to bake the salt. Yes, bake it. At a very low temperature, for about 15 minutes. This will help keep the oils from separating from the salts and settling at the bottom of the jar. Don't ask me how it works, but it seems to.

So, here is the recipe:

1. Make the base
 - 3 parts epsom salt
 - 2 parts baking soda
 (where a part is any size container you choose. I like to do cups,  but it could be anything from a teaspoon up, really. Also, I measure by volume, not by weight.)

2. Use this base to make smaller batches of different "flavors":
To every half cup of salt base, add 10-15 drops essential oil

3. Bake
Place the salt in an oven safe container, and place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (this low of a temperature should not damage the volatile essential oils). Bake the salt for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes

When the salt mix has cooled (at least an hour), you can spoon it into jars. I like to use little jars that hold between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of salt, so they are essentially pre measured; just add the whole jar to the bathtub! Something interesting to note, however, is that you will end up with more salt than you started with. I'm not entirely sure why.

Play around with different scents and colors. You can even layer the colors for a neat effect. I've also used baking extracts like vanilla and orange to "flavour" my salt recipes; you'll want to use more than the essential oils though, as they are not as concentrated (about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon).

Some finished salts; grapefruit and mint mojito

Hope you enjoy this recipe, and the  baths that follow!

Best Wishes