How to Make Homemade Bath Salts
An Easy Tutorial for How to Make Homemade Bath Salts
Make this little gift set of eucalyptus Epsom bath salts for the perfect homemade gift exchange. In case you are wondering, these are not the type of bath salts that make you want to eat another person’s face… ha! Kidding… well, not kidding (remember when it was a thing?), but rather a soothing all-natural way to relax in the tub!
You can make these for:
- Mother’s Day
- Bachelorette Party Favors
- Birthday Gifts
- Bridal Shower Favors
- Teacher Gifts
- Housewarming Gifts
Time: 20-30 Minutes
Materials:
- Glass test tubes
- Epsom Salt
- Coarse sea salt
- Essential oils and dropper
- Glass measuring cup
- Spoon
- Food coloring
- Funnel
- Labels (optional)
Instructions:
You can buy test tubes with a cork stopper from Amazon (Affiliate Link).
Depending on your container, the ratio for the recipe is 2:1 coarse sea salt to Epsom salt. These particular test tubes hold about a quarter cup, so I measured accordingly. Mix the two ingredients thoroughly.
Coloring the Bath Salts
Next, add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice and mix.
Consider these essential oils:
- Relieve Anxiety – Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, or Orange
- Calming/Sleep aid – Chamomile, Lavender, Rose, Orange
- Improve Concentration – Bergamot, Rosemary
- Depression – Jasmine, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Rose, Nutmeg
Essential oils can help in a variety of ways depending on the type of oil and how it’s used.
🌿 Emotional and Mental Benefits
-
Stress relief: Oils like lavender, bergamot, and chamomile are known for their calming effects.
-
Mood boosting: Citrus oils (like orange, lemon, and grapefruit) can be energizing and uplifting.
-
Better focus: Peppermint and rosemary are often used to improve concentration and mental clarity.
Lastly, if you want to add color, add two-three drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Play around with the colors. The fewer the drops, the lighter the color.
Next, use a funnel to pour the bath salts into the test tubes. If you don’t have a funnel handy, create your own by rolling a piece of paper into a cone shape. It works just as well as a funnel!
These labels are simple to make and can be done on iPiccy.com (it’s FREE and easy!). They are for the tub with directions that say “add 1-2 tablespoons to hot H2O,” which you can print on sticky paper.
Add the labels and place them in a gift box. This box is from the Container Store. They actually have a pretty cool selection of gift wrapping boxes for gifts like this.
Epsom bath salts—basically magnesium sulfate—can do a lot of good for your body and mind when added to a warm bath. Here’s what they’re believed to help with:
🛁 Top Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths
💆♀️ Soothes Sore Muscles
Magnesium helps relax muscles, reduce inflammation, and ease tension or post-workout soreness.
😌 Reduces Stress
Magnesium is also linked to boosting serotonin (your feel-good hormone), which can help reduce stress and improve mood.
💤 Promotes Better Sleep
A warm Epsom salt bath before bed can help calm your nervous system and signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
🦶 Softens Skin & Eases Irritations
It can gently exfoliate dead skin and may help with conditions like dry skin, eczema, or even minor sunburns.
🧼 Detoxifying Effects
Some people believe Epsom salt draws out toxins through the skin, though scientific backing for this is still limited—but it can still leave you feeling refreshed and “cleansed.”
🦵 Reduces Swelling or Bloating
Warm soaks can help with swollen feet or water retention by improving circulation and relaxing tight areas.
These make great gifts for almost anyone. Get creative and place them in different types of containers. Wrap them with twine or ribbon. If you blend the oils, be sure to write the ones you used on a tag for the recipient.
You May Also Like
3/18
They look so good in those test tubes, I’m of to check out the other projects now.
Thank you so much, Julie! Thanks for stopping by!!
Very cute, and a great way to give someone a couple different kinds of bath salts in a sampler set. Time to raid the dollar bin at Michaels!
Thank you, Pam!!
Saying hi from the Lamberts Lately linky party! I always thought bath salts were so much more complicated, but these are SO cute!
Thank you so much, Anna!
These are so cute! I love the twist of putting the salt in test tubes! We’d be honored to have you share this at our weekly link party. Hope to see you there! http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2015/01/a-little-bird-told-me-link-party-125.html
Thank you, Jennifer! On my way to check it out!
I love these! The test tubes are perfect, I’m definitely going to make some this weekend. Thanks for sharing! I’ve included your link in my Five on Friday post. Have a great weekend 🙂
Awesome!! Thanks so much, Emily!
These are gorgeous! I’m just getting into essential oils myself, so I’m stockpiling recipes like these! I love them! I would love it if you’d come visit Skip The Housework link party and link them up! http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/skip-housework-link-party-54/
Thanks, Melanie! Checking it out!
These are just so pretty and sweet and what a nice gift they would make. Hugs, Beverly
Thank you so much Beverly!!
Beautiful! Love that they are in a test tube. It just adds some fun to the whole package. Thanks for linking up to Show Me Saturday.
Thank you, Ginger!
I love everything about this…the idea, the packaging, the way they came out! I would love it if I got that as a present! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at #FoodieFriDIY! Sharing!
Thank you SOOO much Michelle!
These are really cute. A very nice gift. A way to use my oils I have stock piled. I just want to be clear on ratio. That is 2 parts sea salt to 1 part epsom salt? Thank you for your cute idea.
Yes Harriet! That’s correct.
Just so I understand that also… When you say 2 part sea salt to 1 part Epson means as an example do you measure 2 teaspoons of the first and 1 teaspoon of the second. And keep doing that until you get to a quarter cup?
Thank you so much. Great gift ideas for all year!
Hi Arla! That’s right, but to make it easier on you it’s basically twice as much coarse sea salt as Epsom salt. So, depending on your container. For example, you can try a half cup coarse sea salt and a quarter cup Epsom salt to make a batch and go from there.
Achei legal e fácil de fazer esses sais para vender mas como consigo a tradução em Português para facilitar na leitura.
Very cute and simple gift idea for those bubble bath lovers! 🙂
Please tell me if the food coloring causes you to dye your skin when bathing. I wanted to color mine but became concerned. Thanks, Cyndi
Hi Cynthia! The food coloring does not dye your skin. You use a very little amount (about one (maybe two) drop for an entire batch). I have used all four colors and it did not color my tub either. I hope this helps!
coloring skin was my major concern with food coloring since many things I have used it in have left some color. Thank you for clearing that up
Could you tell me how much of the 2lb. bags (that the link directed us to) you ended up using for these 5 test tubes? I am trying to make about 50 for a shower and was trying to figure out how much salt to buy.
Hi Christina! I’m so glad you like them and are going to make them. The ratio is 2:1 (Coarse to Epsom). The easiest way to figure out how much you need is to take the total ounces of your container and multiply by 50, then calculate your ratio. So for example, if you have 3 oz. containers X 50 = 150 oz. Convert ounces to pounds, so you get 9.375 lbs. (150/16 oz.). So, 2:1 will be approximately 6.25:3.125. So in this case, you will need 6.25 lbs. Coarse Sea Salt and 3.125 lbs. Epsom Salt. I hope this helps!
Thank you so much! Very helpful!
What kind of food coloring did you use? Thanks!
Hi Crystal! I don’t remember the brand, but I purchased it in the baking aisle of a grocery store. You only need a couple drops.
What size test tubes did you use? Thanks.
Hi Linda,
I am unsure what size the test tubes are. So sorry!
This is such a great idea! I found the tubes and I’m ready to start the project, but I’m wondering what size labels did you use and where did you find the design for them? Thank you!
Hi Karlett! Thank you! I made the labels myself with a free software called iPiccy.com. I printed them of sticker paper and cut them out. I hope this helps!!
Yes, thank you so much!
I love this sooooo much! Is there anywhere else to buy these other than Michaels?
Thank you Rachael! You can buy test tubes on Amazon. Here is an affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2gNoNHh
I see this was last commented on nearly a year ago, but it popped up on my screen this evening when I was doing a web search for Christmas gifts for 2017. I had a great coupon for Michaels, so ended up buying TWENTY FIVE of these test tubes with black plastic screw-on lids (not the cork). I am making several groups of bath salts using your recipe, then I’m using the rest of the test tubes to package spice blends for (chips or veggie) dips, for gifts, too. I, too, LOVE these little test tubes! Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you like them Sarah!! I actually made them several times after I posted this article. They do make great gifts!
These look great. I love the way you used test tubes
Thank you, Carolyn!
I love making my own bath salts, combining all of my favorites! And indeed, it’s also a really cool way to make a personal gift. =)
hi Dinah I Was wondering what size the test tubes are.
Thank you Hope you have a great day
Wendy
Hi Wendy! I’m unsure of the size. I bought them in the dollar bins at Michael’s. Whatever container size you choose, the ratio is 2:1. I hope this helps!
Excellent ideas. thanks a lot. God bless you👍💖
So I have no idea if you are still able to answer comments on here since it’s been a few years 🙂 I’m wondering about the essential oil blends. How many drops of each kind of oil to make the different blends.
Hi there! It’s completely up to you. I only used a few drops per tube. I imagine it’d be OK for you to do more or less depending on your preference. I hope this helps!