If you like bath salts, you are going to love this easy DIY recipe for bath salts without epsom salt. Instead of using the traditional epsom salts, we are using pink himalayan salt, dead sea salt, and sweet almond oil along with some essential oils for a luxurious homemade bath soak that you can use for yourself or make a great gift!
Benefits of using bath salts
There are multiple reasons for using bath salts on a regular basis. Not only do they help the body relax after a stressful day, but they can also ease tired muscles as well as help with other common issues.
- Stress-reducing and relaxing
- Easing sore muscles, stiffness & achiness
- Used to help detox the body & promote circulation
- Helping with joints and certain types of arthritis
- Skin irritation (eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, breakouts)
- Reduce pain symptoms such as head tension
Natural Ingredients
Pink Himalayan salts
Pink himalayan salts are one of the main ingredients in this DIY bath salt recipe. They are filled with over 80 trace minerals that the body needs, while also helping with the body’s detoxification process. These salts may be used alone or in addition to different ingredients like magnesium flakes, epsom salts, or even baking soda. They are a light pink color and come in fine to coarse salts.
I find they are a good balance between the other types of salt and add such a pretty look to the homemade bath salts (especially if you have them on display or make them as a gift – see gift guide below). The pink himalayan salts are pricier than epsom salts, but definitely worth it!
Dead Sea Salt
Dead Sea bath salt is exactly what they sound like – flakes of salt from the Dead Sea. One of the reasons to combine different types of salts is because of their unique characteristics and different ingredients. Salts from the Dead Sea have 21 minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc, and potassium, making them mineral-rich salts. These are all amazing for skin, detoxification, and overall wellness. Dead Sea bath flakes are an excellent replacement for using epsom bath salts in your homemade bath salt recipe.
Sweet almond oil
Sweet almond oil is naturally rich in vitamins A, and E plus has antioxidant properties, while also soothing and nourishing the skin. It’s a great carrier oil to help evenly distribute the essential oils throughout the bath salts.
Good alternatives are jojoba oil and coconut oil since they are also great for moisturizing the skin.
Essential oils
Essential oils add a wonderful scent and skin-soothing combination to the recipe. The possibilities are endless when it comes to which essential oils to use for your own bath salts. Some of my favorite essential oils and essential oil blends are included throughout this blog post so you can choose the one(s) you enjoy!
Best essential oils to use in your easy Bath Salt Recipe
Different essential oils will add another layer to the bath salts, making them fun, personalized, and a unique scent that you love! Of course, there are lots of essential oil blends that you can use in your fragrant bath salts. Here are some of my favorite essential oils to use in homemade bath salt recipes :
- Lavender essential oil: Great for relaxing, calming, and balancing. Amazing for your skin, including wound healing, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and many more. Since it’s great for so many things, lavender is known as the swiss army knife of essential oils!
- Stress Away essential oil: Provides feelings of peace and tranquility, and helps relieve everyday stress and tension that arises. This blend contains copaiba, lime, cedarwood, vanilla, ocotea, and lavender.
- Citrus essential oils: Orange, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, and lime are some of my favorite citrus oils to use. They are all great mood enhancers and have been shown to help reduce anxiety and increased relaxation.
- Rosemary essential oil: Has amazing properties to help with detoxing the body, as well as hair loss and acne. It may improve mental clarity and focus.
- Peppermint essential oil: Great for skin conditions such as itchy skin, eczema, psoriasis). It can also be used for head tension and soothe other areas of the body with pain (including arthritis).
- Eucalyptus Globulus essential oil: Promotes healing, overall well-being, and purification. Great for soothing muscles and respiratory/sinus issues.
- Frankincense essential oil: Increases meditation, and spirituality, and uplifts mood. Can help with muscle relaxation and inflammation in the body.
- Thieves essential oil: Great for detoxing the body, overall health and wellness, and head tension.
DIY bath salt recipe without epsom salts
This recipe is using pink himalayan salt and dead sea salt as the main ingredient, then adds sweet almond oil and an essential oil blend to make this easy DIY.
To make it even easier, I also created these free printable tags so you can easily share them with family and friends!
STEP ONE: First, add the dead sea flakes and pink himalayan salt. I usually aim for a 2:1 ratio when only using these ingredients, so we are going to add 2 cups of dead sea flakes and 1 cup of pink himalayan salt. If we were adding in epsom salts, then I like using the ratio of 3 parts epsom salt, 3 parts dead sea flakes, and 1 part pink himalayan salt.
STEP TWO: Second, add 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil and between 20-30 drops of essential oils to the combination of salts. See different essential oil blends after the recipe. Mix the salts, sweet almond oil, and essential oils with a spoon to combine well. Please note, if you are making this recipe for kids I would recommend using half the amount of essential oils (10-15 drops) instead.
STEP THREE: Lastly, spoon bath salts into a glass mason jar to store for later use. They have a shelf life of 6-8 weeks in these jars. I always try to avoid using plastic containers when using essential oils, as the oils are so concentrated they can break down most plastics. Also, it is best to store the bath salts at room temperature or cooler.
Easy DIY Recipe for Bath Salts without Epsom Salts
Equipment
- 1 glass bowl
- measuring cup
- spoon
- 2-3 glass mason jars
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dead Sea bath flakes
- 1 cup pink himalayan salts
- 2 tbsp Sweet almond oil
- 20-30 drops essential oils
Instructions
- First, add the dead sea flakes and pink himalayan salt. I usually aim for a 2:1 ratio when only using these ingredients, so we are going to add 2 cups of dead sea flakes and 1 cup of pink himalayan salt.
- Second, add 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil and between 20-30 drops of essential oils to the combination of salts. See different essential oil blends after the recipe. Mix the salts, sweet almond oil, and essential oils with a spoon to combine well.
- Lastly, spoon bath salts into a glass mason jar to store for later use. They have a shelf life of 6-8 weeks in these jars. I always try to avoid using plastic containers when using essential oils, as the oils are so concentrated they can break down most plastics. Also, it is best to store the bath salts at room temperature or cooler.
Notes
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Different essential oil combinations for your bath salts
stress reducing
- 20 drops stress away
- 10 drops orange
relaxing
- 10 drops lavender
- 10 drops peppermint
- 10 drops lemon
uplifting
- 10 drops bergamot
- 10 drops orange
- 10 drops grapefruit
tension reliever
- 15 drops peppermint
- 15 drops eucalyptus globulus
muscle soothing
- 10 drops peppermint
- 10 drops frankincense
- 10 drops eucalyptus globulus
detox
- 20 drops rosemary
- 10 drops thieves
respiratory relief
- 10 drops thieves
- 10 drops peppermint
- 10 drops eucalyptus globulus
How to use your own bath salts
To use your homemade bath salts, simply add 1/2 cup up to 1 cup of the bath salts to a hot bath, as a warm bath might not dissolve the salts. Stirring the bath salts can help them to dissolve entirely in the water before getting into the bath water.
This DIY bath salts recipe can be used for a good soak in the tub or simply just a foot soak. If using the bath salts for a foot soak in a smaller tub, then use 1/4 cup of the salts instead of the full amount. You can soak in the bath for quite a while, but it’s recommended to spend at least 15 minutes to get the benefits.
Looking for more DIYs to use Pink Himalayan Salt, check out my Homemade Pink Himalayan Salt Body Scrub recipe!
Homemade bath salts as a gift idea
Bath salts make a great gift for many different occasions and holidays throughout the year. My favorite times for gifting are Birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Day, wedding showers, and teacher appreciation gifts. Not to mention, a homemade gift goes a long way to show them that you care and appreciate them. It’s so fun to give them to those that truly enjoy a relaxing bath or a simple foot soak!
This recipe can be made a few weeks ahead of time, which really helps the essential oils really meld together. Then you can easily add a few simple touches to make this homemade gift extra special. In fact, I made these free printable tags so you can easily share them with family and friends. They look so adorable simply tied with some ribbon or twine!
My favorite combinations for gifting include:
Lemon + Orange + Lime
Stress Away + Orange
Cardamom+ Peppermint + Vanilla
Lavender + Grapefruit + Lime
When gifting these homemade bath salts, you can use more decorative glass jars and tie a pretty ribbon or string around the jars for a simple and festive look. This is where you definitely make this part your own, depending on the time of year and who you are giving them to! Layering bath salts like a candy cane is another way to make them more festive for a Christmas gift!
natural bath care and skin care diy recipes
Hi, I’m Kristin.
I am so glad you are here ready to make some really incredible diy recipes with simple ingredients. Join me in learning how to use essential oils in all of your homemade personal care products and creating a natural home.
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