Simple Homemade Gifts: Energizing Bath Tea

The following post is from Stacy at Delighting in the Days. I love her ideas, and I think you will too! I’ve been busy preparing gifts; how about you? This is a wonderful quick gift for the ladies on your list (or to pamper yourself during this busy season)!

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Imagine soaking your weary body in a warm bath. Invigorating scents of citrus and peppermint fill the air. You inhale deeply.

Instead of ending the bath ready for for a nap, you emerge energized!

Sound nice?

In this post I’m going to share how to make a bath tea that rejuvenates the body and awakens the senses.

Bath teas are a simple way to harness the therapeutic benefits of herbs. No need to make a tincture and wait for it to be ready! Just throw the herbs together and you’re set.

Besides being enjoyable (who doesn’t like a nice soak in the tub?), herbal baths allow the skin to absorb the healing properties of each plant. Warm water causes the herbs to release their unique fragrances, which provides an aromatherapy effect. This makes an herbal bath a treat for both the mind and body.

If you’re looking for a unique, easy to make gift this holiday season (or any time of year), this bath tea may be just the thing.

The following tutorial explains how to make a bath tea bag using a muslin bag to hold the herbs.  Pre-made muslin tea bags can be purchased at various health food stores and also online (Mountain Rose Herbs sells them), or you can sew your own in a matter of minutes.

If this is something you would like to try, but can’t make or buy a tea bag, cut off the toe of an old stocking, fill with herbs, then close with a string or rubber band. You could also place the herbs in square of cheesecloth (9 inches by 9 inches) and tie to close.

Whatever you choose to hold the herbs, be sure to tie with string or yarn that is long enough to hang over the faucet and into the running water.

Energizing Herbal Bath Bag

(Recipe adapted from Stimulating Bath Bag in Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles)

All the herbs and essential oils in this recipe are known for their invigorating and energizing properties; Oats are included as a skin soother and softener.

(Note from Michele: If you have a gluten allergy, you can use gluten-free oats, or omit them. Yarrow is also a good soothing ingredient.)

For a single tea bag you will need:

Muslin tea bag
2 tablespoons dried Peppermint Leaves
2 tablespoons dried Rosemary Leaves
1 tablespoon dried Basil
1 tablespoon dried, chopped Lemon Rind
1 tablespoon dried, chopped Orange Rind
1 tablespoon ground Oatmeal (blend oats in a blender or coffee grinder to form a powder. Doesn’t need to be extremely fine)
5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
2 drops Lemon Essential Oil (Optional)
2 drops Orange Essential Oil (Optional)

Note: If making for a gift, use the dry herbs as listed above. If making to be used immediately, feel free to use fresh herbs if available.

To Make:

Place all herbs in a muslin bag, then add the essential oils.

To Use:

Hang tea bag on faucet so water runs through it. Once bath is run, place tea bag in the water. Soak for at least 20 minutes. You may also scrub the body with the bag.

To Make in Bulk:

Multiply the recipe as desired then add ⅓ cup of herb mix to each bag. Add essential oils to each bag individually after filling with dried herbs.

It might also be fun to make a production line of the herbs and go along filling the tea bags one at a time. The kids would probably enjoy being involved in this! (Although you may want to supervise closely to make sure all the ingredients get in. But if they don’t, it will still be good).

This is just a starting place, the possibilities for bath tea bags are endless! In fact, Michele has a recipe for an Itch-Soother Bath in her e-book, Herbal Nurturing! Stop by Delighting in the Days to enter to win a copy of Herbal Nurturing in a giveaway this week!

Stacy, a homeschooling Mom of three, enjoys healthy, natural living and is a make-it-from-scratch maniac. She strives to encourage women to find peace and joy at home through her blog, Delighting in the Days, where she shares tips and tricks for creating a happy home (and life) with God at its center.