One of the easiest ways to practice self-love is to do kind things for your body. I’ve loved baths since I was a little kid, and they are still one of the best ways to rejuvenate, relax, and recharge. Perhaps it’s the process of being still for an extended time, or maybe it’s all the little extras (the candles, the chill music, the bath salts, the plush clean towels), but taking a leisurely bath is one of life’s true simple pleasures.
Self-love inherently includes self-care. Caring for your physical body and your spirit are essential components of loving yourself. Taking an hour on a workday evening or a weekend afternoon for some soaking and relaxation is like hitting a reset button. It will change the whole trajectory of your day to pause and be still, to say “I deserve to feel good, to relax, to be pampered.”
As an adult, I want a more high-class experience than dumping half a bottle of bubbles in and calling it a day. I like to make it a full experience. I light a candle and put on jazz music. If it’s warm, I open the window to let the breeze in. I get a freshly laundered towel to wrap in when I’m done. I collect my various self-care items which are always mood dependent. Sometimes I like to use the exfoliating mitt, sometimes I prefer a sugar scrub. Sometimes I shave once I’m done soaking and sometimes I just lie there and read until my toes turn to raisins.
Regardless of anything else, I LOVE using bath salts. I’ve tried bubbles and bath bombs and essential oils, but I always come back to Epsom salts. Maybe they jive with my energy field, I don’t know. I DO know they make my bath feel better.
I often just dump plain, unscented salts in and call it a day. A short time ago, I got it in my head to make some scented bath salts that felt like the essence of winter. This DIY combines essential oils, Epsom salts and pine needles for a truly special winter bath salt cocktail.
Here’s how to make your own homemade winter bath salts:
- 1 cup Epsom salts
- 1/2 cup pine needles, chopped
- 15 drops spruce, pine OR fir essential oil
- 10 drops tangerine essential oil
- 10 drops ginger essential oil
- 12 oz mason jar
- Sachet bag
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and stir thoroughly to mix. Store in the mason jar. I used the salts without a sachet bag and it was so lovely having the needles float around my body. Unfortunately, they made a h-u-g-e mess in the tub. Still worth it, but barely. Next time, I’ll use a small sachet bag to contain the needles.
A few notes about the ingredients:
- We’ve used a lot of the prominent brand essential oils (Young Living, DoTerra, etc.) and find the Rocky Mountain Oils stands out as a better product and a far better customer experience for our family. Use whatever brand of essential oils floats your boat.
- Epsom salt – I use store brand generic Epsom salt. You can get as simple or as fancy as you like with it.
- Pine needles – I literally picked a branch off our yule/solstice tree and stripped the needles off. I’m fairly certain you could easily scavenge a small branch from your local park – just don’t be greedy.
Now grab a great book, put on some nice instrumental jazz, lie back and breathe in the scent of pine. Let your spirit be transported into the forest where you can be at peace.
Rest. Relax. Recharge.
You deserve it.
