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Health and Beauty

How to Make Homemade Bath Salts

An Easy Tutorial for How to Make Homemade Bath Salts

A few years ago I would participate in the Dollar Bin Challenge. Our item one month was a glass test tube we found for $1.50 in the dollar bins at Michael’s. I decided to make this little gift set of eucalyptus Epsom bath salts. 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

Here is a video on how to make homemade bath salts.

 

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:

Here is a photo of our dollar bin challenge items. I love these! I love them so much that I bought five.

DIY Bath Salt

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.

DIY Soothing Bath Salts

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

How to make DIY Bath Salts

Lastly, if you want to add color, add two-three drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. I played around with the colors. The fewer the drops, the lighter the color.

DIY Homemade Bath Salts

DIY Colored Bath Salts

Next, I used 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!

How to Make Homemade Bath Salts

DIY Scented Bath Salts

These labels I made were simple and done on my computer 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 I printed on sticky paper.

DIY Bath Salt Set

 

I added my labels and placed them in a gift box. I got this box at the Container Store. They actually have a pretty cool selection of gift wrapping boxes for gifts like this.

How to make DIY Epsom Bath Salts

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

Like it? Pin It!

Want to see what other Bloggers are doing with their test tube Dollar Bin Challenge? Check them out right here!

Test Tube Craft Ideas-Dollar Bin Challenge

 

Monika from Life with Love Bugs – Decoupage Candy Holders

Tara from A Spectacled Owl – Love Potion No. 9 Valentine Printable

Kara Noel from Small Things are Big Things – Test Tube Candle 

Jill Parkin from Popscicle Blog – Valentine’s Day Strawberry Milk Printable

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Comments

  1. Julie says

    January 26, 2015 at 10:11 am

    They look so good in those test tubes, I’m of to check out the other projects now.

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      January 26, 2015 at 10:45 am

      Thank you so much, Julie! Thanks for stopping by!!

      Reply
  2. Pam says

    January 26, 2015 at 7:09 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      January 29, 2015 at 8:00 am

      Thank you, Pam!!

      Reply
  3. Anna Mack Severn says

    January 29, 2015 at 6:11 am

    Saying hi from the Lamberts Lately linky party! I always thought bath salts were so much more complicated, but these are SO cute!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      January 29, 2015 at 8:00 am

      Thank you so much, Anna!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Dawn says

    January 29, 2015 at 7:21 am

    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

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      January 29, 2015 at 8:01 am

      Thank you, Jennifer! On my way to check it out!

      Reply
  5. Emily - Painting it Purple says

    January 30, 2015 at 6:48 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 7, 2015 at 7:04 am

      Awesome!! Thanks so much, Emily!

      Reply
  6. Melanie LaDue says

    January 30, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    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/

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      January 30, 2015 at 11:11 pm

      Thanks, Melanie! Checking it out!

      Reply
  7. Beverly says

    February 4, 2015 at 5:16 am

    These are just so pretty and sweet and what a nice gift they would make. Hugs, Beverly

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 4, 2015 at 9:40 am

      Thank you so much Beverly!!

      Reply
  8. Ginger says

    February 4, 2015 at 8:17 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 7, 2015 at 7:04 am

      Thank you, Ginger!

      Reply
  9. Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says

    February 5, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 5, 2015 at 3:27 pm

      Thank you SOOO much Michelle!

      Reply
  10. Harriet says

    February 6, 2015 at 8:31 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 7, 2015 at 7:05 am

      Yes Harriet! That’s correct.

      Reply
      • Arla says

        April 30, 2015 at 9:38 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Dinah Wulf says

          May 1, 2015 at 6:35 am

          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.

          Reply
  11. Marisa says

    April 10, 2015 at 6:35 am

    Achei legal e fácil de fazer esses sais para vender mas como consigo a tradução em Português para facilitar na leitura.

    Reply
  12. Jane Gordon says

    July 9, 2015 at 8:34 am

    Very cute and simple gift idea for those bubble bath lovers! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Cynthia K Kennedy says

    December 13, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      December 14, 2015 at 9:05 am

      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!

      Reply
      • BONNI ENGLISH says

        May 24, 2018 at 10:59 am

        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

        Reply
  14. Christina says

    April 25, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      April 26, 2016 at 8:54 am

      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!

      Reply
  15. Christina says

    May 4, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    Thank you so much! Very helpful!

    Reply
  16. Crystal says

    June 23, 2016 at 7:07 am

    What kind of food coloring did you use? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      June 23, 2016 at 2:06 pm

      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.

      Reply
  17. Linda Heflin says

    July 9, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    What size test tubes did you use? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      July 10, 2016 at 9:55 pm

      Hi Linda,

      I am unsure what size the test tubes are. So sorry!

      Reply
  18. Karlett says

    December 11, 2016 at 11:14 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      December 11, 2016 at 8:46 pm

      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!!

      Reply
      • Karlett says

        December 19, 2016 at 8:46 pm

        Yes, thank you so much!

        Reply
  19. Rachael says

    December 14, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    I love this sooooo much! Is there anywhere else to buy these other than Michaels?

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      December 14, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      Thank you Rachael! You can buy test tubes on Amazon. Here is an affiliate link: http://amzn.to/2gNoNHh

      Reply
  20. Sarah says

    November 20, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      November 20, 2017 at 9:35 pm

      I am so glad you like them Sarah!! I actually made them several times after I posted this article. They do make great gifts!

      Reply
  21. Carolyn says

    March 17, 2018 at 5:42 am

    These look great. I love the way you used test tubes

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      March 20, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Thank you, Carolyn!

      Reply
  22. Diana Lopes says

    March 21, 2018 at 11:26 am

    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. =)

    Reply
  23. Wendy Payne says

    February 4, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    hi Dinah I Was wondering what size the test tubes are.
    Thank you Hope you have a great day

    Wendy

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      February 5, 2019 at 6:54 am

      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!

      Reply
  24. emma says

    December 8, 2020 at 5:01 am

    Excellent ideas. thanks a lot. God bless you👍💖

    Reply

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