In cold weather, it is common to have dry skin due to the lack of humidity in the air. Skin needs a little extra help in the winter months, and adding this soothing oil to your bath will help nourish your winter skin.
When I was a kid, a doctor told my dad to eat orange peels to nourish his dry skin. An elderly friend of ours, when asked to divulge the secrets of her youthful skin, shared her home remedy of shortening rubbed on her face nightly!
From coconut oil to chemical-laden commercial products, there seems to be no shortage of dry skin remedies to keep your skin smooth and supple throughout the winter months, but there is one remedy I love to use that covers my entire body and smells oh-so wonderful! Bath Oil!
DIY Essential Oil Infused Bath Oil
I’ve had dry skin all my life, and as I’ve gotten older, it has gotten noticeably drier. I use a facial cleanser from Bloom Naturals, but I need something I can use in the bath that will nourish the rest of my dry skin.
Years ago, I used Melaluca Renew Bath Oil, but it was costly and would often end up dumped by small children. (It is less expensive than it used to be, so if you don’t want to make your own, I do highly recommend this oil!)
The great thing about making your own bath oil is that you can decide what you want in it! And the recipe is super simple!
1 ounce carrier oil
15-30 drops essential oil
So for instance, this bottle of almond oil is 4x as many ounces as the Melaluca bath oil for about $5 less. If you add in 60 drops of tea tree oil (approximately 3 ml – I like Plant Therapy oils for price and quality), you have a long-lasting bath oil that is a fraction of the cost of the name brand oils.
What carrier oil to use for bath oil?
Confession time – when I started making this bath oil over a decade ago, I used sesame oil as my carrier oil! Shocking, huh?! But, it worked! Now, I’m more inclined to use almond oil (for its smell) or avocado oil (for its collagen properties).
NOTE: Our youngest daughter has a syndrome that affects the collagen in her body. Avocado oil is known for its collagen and having the best absorption rate via the skin. For that reason, I prefer avocado oil, even though it is a bit more pricey.
What essential oil to use for bath oil?
As I stated above, my reason for making my own bath oil was because I loved the Melaluca Renew Bath Oil, but couldn’t justify the cost, so my initial choice of essential oils was tea tree oil. However, you could choose any essential oil that is safe to put on the skin and is not phototoxic (read more about which essential oils to avoid due to phototoxicity here).
Lavender and chamomile for bedtime, Ylang-ylang for anxiety and stress, Neroli for a little pick-me-up – the possibilities are endless!
As for the brand of essential oil, that’s not for me to say. I prefer Plant Therapy essential oils, but I have used everything from Young Living to NOW. I’m not an oil-snob and I do not believe any one company has “the best” oil out there.
NOTE: The bath oil does tend to pool on top of the water, but that’s normal. Your skin will still receive the nourishment it needs from the oils.
What type of container to use for bath oil
One last thing to consider when making your own bath oil is what type of container to use. When I first started making this oil, I chose a used hand soap pump because it was easy. I even figured out the perfect number of pumps per bath was 1.5!
You may prefer an amber glass bottle or even simply use the bottle your carrier oil came in. I simply used the hand soap container because it was what I had on hand. (I’m obviously not a container-snob either!)
Here are a few more ideas for containers:
One last caution – don’t use too much bath oil because you can become quite slippery (watch out for those kiddos too!). Also, your bathtub can become grimy because the oil attracts dirt; however, I have a really great remedy for this as well –
A soap wand filled with dish soap!
We have a soap wand in every single bathtub and once a week during our weekly cleaning time, we scrub the bathtubs with it! (This wonderful idea is courtesy of A Slob Comes Clean.)
So, grab a carrier oil and your favorite essential oils and make your own bath oil to ward off that wintery dry skin! You’re welcome!
Amy @ Raising Arrows says
The graphics are from Pam’s Graphics. There is a button at the bottom of the page. She has tons of great stuff. I spent WAY too long finding just the right one last night! lol
Stephanie says
OOOOOOOOOHH…….I LIKE THIS ONE! LOVE THE NEW COLORS TOO.
Inglesidemom says
Love the new color! Is this from blogger or another template supplier?
Steven Jenkins says
Thanks for the tip! I never thought of using a pump to stop the dumping from happening. Glad you are enjoying taking care of yourself!!
Claire says
I didn’t know about collagen in avo oil! Is the avo oil you’d use in the bath the same as the one you’d use in the kitchen? I’m really Keen to try this out! Do you happen to know if you also get the collagen by ingesting it (thinking of making salad dressing with it now 🙂 ) . Thanks for a great article!
Amy says
I only know that it is well absorbed in the skin, so I’m not sure if it would be beneficial internally. I’m definitely going to keep researching though!
Sara says
Can this be rubbed on your skin after a shower instead of put into a bath? Our standard American bath tub would only cover me to my belly button. My oldest son doesn’t take baths anymore but he could really use this.
Amy says
Yes, absolutely! It doesn’t take much, though!
Chris Waughtal says
I love the simplicity of this, BUT the biggest thrill was seeing the soap wand used in a bathtub:) Who woulda thought???
Amy says
I know! It is thrilling, isn’t it! lol