Baths are healing and relaxing, particularly when taken with aromatic herbs, oils and salts. A combination of warmth, scent and simply an opportunity to switch off and enjoy some quiet time have a powerful therapeutic effect. ‘Tea’ is an incredibly simple and convenient way to experience a restorative, aromatic bath. Moreover, herbal bath tea recipes I give below are designed to address specific cosmetic and well-being aims.

Bath tea is a sachet containing salts and therapeutic botanicals, used to infuse bath water. It is very easy to make at home. In fact making it yourself is the best way to ensure that it contains only natural, high quality ingredients.

Benefits of bath tea

Bath tea has many advantages:

1. It is therapeutic and enjoyable, and it is possible to create herbal bath tea recipes for different preferences, skin types and conditions.

2. It is easy to make and very easy to use – see below.

3. Bath tea keeps well and has a long a long shelf life, unlike bath salts and essences that quickly oxidize.

4. Sachets with bath tea look beautiful and can be made into wonderful personalized presents.

5. Making herbal bath tea is creative and offers wonderful opportunities for experimenting and learning about plants and their useful qualities.

6. Herbal bath tea is entirely natural and ecological. Sachets can be reused, and so there is no unnecessary packaging or waste.

How to make herbal bath tea

Bath tea ingredients and equipment

To make the bath tea you need:

• 2 cups of dried herbs
• 10-20 drops of essential oil
• a glass jar with an airtight lid
• a cheese cloth cut into squares 15×15 cm
• a string or a ribbon made from natural materials, or raffia, to tie the sachets.

Making bath tea

Put a few drops of essential oil on the sides and bottom of the glass jar. Put the herbs into the jar. Close the lid and leave for 3-5 days. During this time the herbs will have absorbed the oil.

Put the herbs into cheese cloth sachets and tie with a string or ribbon. Put sachets back into the jar where they will keep without loosing their scent.

How to use herbal bath tea

Nothing can be simpler and there are two options:

1. Put a ‘tea bag’ into the bath under running warm water. Essential oils will be immediately released and fill the air with scent. The salts in the sachet will dissolve and the herbs will infuse the bath water. Since the herbs are in a sachet, they will not clog the drain and there will be no need for time-consuming cleaning afterwards.

2. It is also possible to put a sachet in a container and add boiling water. Close the lid and let it infuse for 1-3 hours and then add the ‘tea’ to bath water. This is particularly useful for those who prefer cooler baths, that may not be warm enough to activate all the ingredients in the sachet. It is also good for tea that contains plant roots and berries that take longer to soften and infuse the water than flowers and leaves.

Herbal bath tea recipes

1. Relaxing bath tea

• 2 tbsp chamomile
• 2 tbsp rose petals
• 2 tbsp calendula
• 1 tbsp lavender
• 100 g sea salt

Essential oils: valerian, lavender or vanilla

2. Relaxing bath tea

• 2 tbsp valerian root
• 2 tbsp linden blossom
• 2 tbsp calendula
• 100 g sea salt

Essential oils: valerian or chamomile

3. Relaxing bath tea

• 2 tbsp valerian root
• 1 tbsp hyssop
• 1 tbsp mint
• 70 g sea salt

Essential oils: bergamot or clary sage

4. Energizing bath tea

• 1 tbsp mint
• 1 tbsp green tea
• 1 tbsp orange or lemon peal
• 1 tbsp dried ginger
• 70 g sea salt

Essential oils: lemon, grapefruit, rosemary

4. Energizing bath tea

• 2 tbsp nettle
• 2 tbsp mint
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• 120 g sea salt

Essential oils: lemon balm

5. Bath tea for dry skin

• 2 tbsp porridge oats
• 2 tbsp chamomile
• 2 tbsp yarrow
• 2 tbsp sodium carbonate to 200g dried herbs
• 2 tbsp milk powder to 200g dried herbs

Essential oil: chamomile, geranium, lavender, jasmine

6. Bath tea for aging skin

• 1 tbsp linden blossom
• 1 tbsp hops
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbs black currant leaf
• 3 tbsp mint
• 3 tbsp chamomile

Essential oil: chamomile, lavender, sweat basil

7. Bath tea for aging skin

• 3 tbsp linden blossom
• 3 tbsp chamomile
• 5 tbsp elder flowers

Essential oil: rose, geranium

8. Bath tea to improve skin elasticity and combat irritation

• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp blackcurrant leaves
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp lemon balm
• 3 tbsp chamomile
• 5 tbsp nettle
• 5 tbsp Bidens tripartita

Essential oil: rose, geranium, patchouli

9. Bath tea for first symptoms of cold

• 1 tbsp dried ginger
• 1 tbsp orange peal
• 1 tbsp lemon peal
• 1 tbsp juniper berries
• 2 tbsp eucalyptus
• 2 tbsp firtree or pine tree needles
• Sea salt 120 g

Essential oil: pine, eucalyptus, orange, lemon, sweet marjoram, fennel

Image credits: calendula by Dark Dwarf; valerian by Peter Stevens; hyssop by peganum; hops by Stevesworldofphotos; Bidens tripartita by Gertjan van Noord.

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