One thing I have really grown to appreciate over the past few years, is the benefits of taking a detox bath. Our bodies are exposed to so many toxins throughout the course of the day, both environmentally as well as through food and beverage consumption; even if we try to eat clean and organic. Detox baths can benefit your body and mind in so many ways. And I even have my kids take them when they’re starting to feel a little under the weather, here’s why.
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish
I share detox info with my clients on a weekly basis because I highly value self-care (in all forms), and I want every woman I work with to know that it’s not selfish to take a nice hot detox bath, get a massage, a pedicure or just have 10 quiet minutes to herself every day.
The benefits of taking a detox bath are extensive depending on what you use in your bath. Some people simply use hot water and Epsom salt and feel amazing. Others add baking soda, bubbles and essential oils. I usually do use all of the above.
The Perfect Bath
You’ll find what works best for your body, but for the past few years, this has been the magic formula for me. Plan for a minimum 20 minute soak to get all the benefits. The first three ingredients are the minimum, the next three are based on your preference and availability. Make sure the salts and baking soda are fully dissolved and when you get done, DO NOT put lotion on after you dry off.
- You need hot, like hot tub hot bath water. Just to the point where it’s almost too hot to get in.
- 1 cup of baking soda
- 2 cups of Epsom salts (you can use Dead Sea or Himalayan salts too)
- Your favorite bubbles
- 10+ drops of your favorite essential oils
Naturally Detox
A detox bath is a great way to encourage the body to efficiently flush out toxins naturally. Our body has some incredible detoxification systems already set up, but let’s face it, every part of our body is over-worked, so if we can give it some help and relax for a few minutes, then it’s a win-win!
One of my favorite benefits of taking a detox bath is a boost to my immune system. When metabolic waste from toxins builds up in our body, we get sick. Functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, puts it this way, “problems with detoxification is one root of illness. If you feel lousy, it’s likely you’re toxic.” This is also why I give my kids a detox bath when they show signs of a cold or flu. **Note that I do not make the water as hot for them as what I can handle, but it needs to be warm enough to pull out toxins.**
The Benefits
Hot Water is critical because you basically want to sweat. Hear me out…as you soak, the toxins need to be extracted, sweating is a beautiful way to detoxing, especially when you add salts and baking soda.
Baking Soda helps keep your body at a healthy pH level, soothes skin irritations (like eczema) and it helps if you’re suffering from a yeast infection or urinary tract infection. Here’s more info on 10 reasons for taking baking soda baths.
Salts – epsom salt is the most common and probably most accessible, but there are other salts with awesome benefits that are easy to get too! Much like baking soda, salts dissolve in the hot water and immediately begin to absorb into your body and starts promoting the production and release of serotonin. This helps you relax, benefit #1! A couple of other awesome benefits are how it relieves muscle tension (so perfect after a hard workout or walking around Disneyland), not to mention if you’re suffering from a headache or abdominal cramping it can offer you relief. There are tons of other awesome benefits, check out this article for 20 reasons why you need epsom salt in your home.
Kid’s Detox Bath
For the kid’s baths, I use baking soda and a half cup of salts. I recently discovered the awesome effects of dead sea salts, and they’re perfect for kids, especially if they have dry skin issues like my babes do. It’s naturally rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Bubbles while totally optional, just make me feel more relaxed. You can find some that have essential oils and even forms of salts. You can even do fun bath bombs!
Essential oils have made a huge surge in the past five years and continue to prove to have endless benefits. From lavendar’s relaxing benefits to others like panaway and deep blue which help with muscle soreness, even lemon if you need something uplifting!
Rinse and Relax
When you finish, just remember to rinse off with warm/cool water to bring down your core temp and rinse off the salts. Then you need to resist the habit of putting lotion on because you want to keep your pores open.
That’s it! I hope you love this self-care time as much as I do. And one thing to keep in mind, is that if you don’t have time for a full bath, you can get a lot of the same benefits from doing a 10 minute foot soak with the same ingredients. 😉 Then if you need a natural in-shower lotion, give these coconut lotion bars a try.
xo, Tiff
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A few more…because there are so many ways to detox and relax!