I started making my own bath salts with essential oils about 3 years ago at Christmas. They instantly gained a permanent spot in my homemade repertoire. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make!
Just a few simple ingredients, a Mason jar and a pretty label and I had a whole bunch of homemade gifts ready to go for everybody on my Christmas list, and for just pennies a jar.
Now I always have a jar of fancy bath salts on hand for myself when I need to take some me time, and I always have what I need on hand to throw together some quality homemade gifts for just about everybody on my list, whether at Christmas or any other time of the year.
These bath salts also make a great gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day, wedding showers, baby showers or as hostess gifts.
The best part is, they take just a couple minutes to make and use simple ingredients you probably already have on hand (and if you don’t, you should). So they make a great last-minute gift if you forgot someone on your list or you maybe just procrastinated a little too long!
Benefits of Bath Salts with Essential Oils
Bath salts made with essential oils aren’t just a pretty homemade gift. For starters, salt baths are a great way to detox and relieve muscle tension and stress, as well as increase magnesium absorption.
These bath salts are made of epsom salts and sea salts, both of which contain high levels of magnesium and a whole host of other beneficial minerals that help primarily with drawing out toxins and reducing inflammation.
This bath salts recipe also uses baking soda, which helps to calm rashes and skin irritations, softens skin and eases muscle and joint pain.
Finally, using skin-friendly essential oils like lavender, frankincense and tea tree means you’ll be soothing your mind and body with all the benefits of the oils you choose. 
How to Make DIY Bath Salts with Essential Oils
Since these bath salts are so quick and easy, I’ll make this short and sweet. Here’s what you’ll need:
- ½ cup epsom salts
- ½ cup sea salt
- ½ cup baking soda
- 10-15 drops of essential oils (find recipe ideas below)
Mix the epsom salts, sea salt and baking soda together in a bowl. Add your essential oils. I use about 10 drops per cup of the salt mixture, so I add about 15 drops of essential oil to this recipe. But you can use less if you prefer it a little milder.
Scoop it into pretty jars. I use Mason jars for just about everything. They’re frugal, readily available (I always have tons of recycled Mason jars and lids on my shelves) and I think they have a sort of timeless beauty about them. Don’t you?
Finally, add the finishing touch by sticking a pretty label on the lid. I’ve got some for you, just added under “Printable Labels” in my Free Resource Library).
Write in the scent or the blend of oils in your bath salts and voilà! You’ve got yourself a simple yet beautiful homemade gift in just minutes.
Told ya it was easy;)
Essential Oil Recipes for Bath Salts
Try these essential oil blends in your homemade bath salts for maximum health & wellness benefits:
Relaxing Blend
- 10 drops lavender
- 5 drops vetiver
Soft Skin Blend
- 5 drops lavender
- 5 drops frankincense
- 5 drops palmarosa
* You can also use 10 drops lavender and 5 drops frankincense if you don’t have palmarosa essential oil on hand.
Respiratory Blend
- 10 drops eucalyptus
- 5 drops tea tree
Anti-Inflamatory Blend
- 10 drops lavender
- 5 drops rosemary
Muscle Relaxer Blend
- 10 drops peppermint
- 5 drops rosemary
Mood Boosting Blend
- 10 drops lavender
- 5 drops lemon
>> Shop my favourite brand of essential oils
But wait! There’s more…
Don’t forget to grab your free downloadable labels from my resource library!
>> Sign into my Free Resource Library to gain access
For more homemade gift ideas with essential oils, check out the following posts:
- Homemade Whipped Body Butter
- DIY Peppermint Sugar Scrub
- DIY Christmas Room Sprays
- DIY Essential Oils Rollerballs
- Handmade Soy Wax Candles
- DIY Rosemary Hair Pomade
Wishing you health, wealth & homestead happiness:)
DIY Bath Salts with Essential Oils
Ingredients
- ½ cup epsom salts
- ½ cup sea salt
- ½ cup baking soda
- 10-15 drops of essential oils *see full post for recipe ideas
Instructions
- Mix together the epsom salts, sea salt and baking soda.
- Add essential oils and mix well to combine.
- Scoop mixture into decorate jars and add a pretty label (get your free printable labels in my resource library).
- Gift to someone you love or add a few tablespoons to your own bath right before you get in!
I read on other sites that using glass jars could cause an explosion over time if humid. Do you
Punch holes in your jars to avoid
This?
Interesting… I’ve never heard that. Maybe this is because the salts could get wet and expand? In any case, I haven’t personally experienced this before, so I don’t do anything special with the jars. I do find that the salts can start to get a bit hard and clump together over time if not used within a few weeks. In this case I use a spoon or fork to break them up. Also, the metal Mason jar lids can start to rust over time if left in the bathroom where there’s moisture in the air, so an alternative is to use plastic lids like these. But otherwise I haven’t had any trouble.
A chopstick or a skewer is also great for breaking up hardened salts.
How much of the salt’s do you use in the bath?
You can use as much or as little as you want! Personally, I usually find around 2-4 tablespoons to be enough to get a nice aroma going.
What size mason jar does this recipe make?
Hi Tana – This recipe yields approximately 1 cup – enough for one 250ml / half pint jar. -Ashley (assistant)
This is WAY too much baking soda! I thought that when I read the recipe but went ahead anyways. Everything will clump together and get hard. No bueno!
Hi Maggie,
I actually add that much baking soda to prevent it from clumping. I used to just use the Epsom salts but found they clumped together after adding the essential oils and letting it sit for a while. I make a homemade cleaner with just baking soda and lemon essential oil and it never clumps, so I add the baking soda in to help “cut” the epsom salts and prevent clumping. Plus baking soda has many healing properties for skin. But feel free to reduce the amount or omit it altogether! You can tailor this recipe to your liking:)
Hi Anna,
A great blog and beautiful pictures. We particularly love the mood boosting essential oil mixture of lemon and lavender you have noted. This might be the next one to try!
Thank you for the great blog 🙂
We are so glad you like it!
I have found that experimenting with different essential oils is fun with bath salts.
I loved reading this page, I began w the essential oils and continued to the bath salts. Do you have a You Tube Chanel?
Awe, thank you! I most certainly do: https://m.youtube.com/thehouseandhomestead
I also publish a monthly magazine and next month’s issue will be all about essential oils. You can subscribe here for free: https://thehouseandhomestead.com/magazine/