An Aromatic Treat for Mom
One year for Mother’s Day, our class made scented bath salts with old perfume and coloured coarse salt. While I am sure my mom appreciated my handmade gift in its lovingly decorated jar, chances are she didn’t find the coarse salt and sour perfume scent very relaxing. If you have ever given your mother one of these Mother’s Day misses, make it up to her this year with this aromatic treat! Bath salts scented with essential oils are an easy yet luxurious gift to make, and are easy enough to make with your children for grandma.
When making bath salts with essential oils, keep in mind that salt will not properly disperse the essential oils in water. Once the salt melts, the essential oils will float neat on the top of the water. The last thing you want is for mom to sit her pink bits down on neat essential oil! First dilute the essential oils in some scent-free liquid soap, body wash or shampoo. Since this mixture will eventually be dispersed in a larger amount of water, you can use up to 15 drops of essential oil in a tablespoon of dispersant, which is roughly a 5% dilution. Once this mixture is thoroughly blended, add it to three cups of salts and mix well. You can use any blend of epsom salt, sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. Use fine- to medium-grain salt that melts easily before your mom sits in the bath. Add the salts after the bath is drawn so that the essential oils do not evaporate in the warm running water.
Blend your oils together first, drop by drop, starting with a base oil first to add depth to your blend. By blending slowly this way, you will be able to tweak the fragrance as you go along. You can use any ratio of oils you like, but start with one drop of a base and any other stronger smelling oils so that one scent does not overpower the others. If you are making these bath salts with children, maybe do this step yourself as oils can pour out fast!
Choose essential oils that will give your mom the ultimate spa experience. Lavender is always a popular choice as it is so relaxing and soothing. Mandarin can be uplifting yet calming at the same time. Sweet marjoram and chamomile are wonderful for helping mom to unwind after a busy day. Geranium and clary sage are known to be balancing emotionally and physically in women’s health issues. Virginia cedarwood helps soothe tense and achy muscles and, as a base note, ties together the whole blend. These are just a few suggestions of oils that are sustainable and have few contraindications, if any.
When you are finished blending everything together, put the mixture in a jar and add a pretty label stating the ingredients used and the instruction to add up to a cup of salt to the bath after the water has been turned off. You might want to make two batches just in case you want to keep your gift for yourself!
Happy Mother’s Day from the CFA!
About the author: Shannon Bachorick received her aromatherapy certification in 2017, and has since become a Certified Aromatherapy Health Professional and Registered Aromatherapist. She has been Research Director and Communications Director of the CFA since 2019. She practises in Regina, Saskatchewan, and is the founder of Santéssence Aromatherapy.