How to Make Homemade Herbal Bath Salts: Simple, Soothing, and Stress-Free
These homemade herbal bath salts are just what you need at the end of a long, exhausting day, when all you want is a soothing bath to help you relax and unwind. This simple recipe comes together quickly and uses gentle, skin-loving herbs along with mineral-rich, unrefined salt to create an easy, calming bath soak you can make right at home.
In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through a basic herbal bath salts recipe that you can easily customize to suit your own preferences. It’s a simple way to turn an ordinary bath into a relaxing, spa-like experience — naturally and affordably.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soothing & gentle: Oat flour and chamomile calm sensitive or dry skin.
- Relaxing aroma: Lavender and citrus uplift your mood and promote calm.
- Simple & natural: These homemade herbal bath salts are made with simple, kitchen-friendly, non-toxic ingredients. I use rock salt in this recipe, which makes it easy to prepare a relaxing bath soak even if you don’t have Epsom salts on hand.
- Customizable: Easily swap herbs or essential oils to suit your preference (see ‘Variations’ section below)
- Perfect for gifts: Beautiful, fragrant, and luxurious without being complicated.
Ingredients
- Rock salt: soothing and gentle. Sea salt or Himalayan salt also work beautifully as substitutes for rock salt, so you can use what you already have in your pantry.
- Baking soda: softens water.
- Dried lavender and chamomile flowers: calming aroma and visual appeal.
- Citrus peel: bright, uplifting scent
- Oat flour: gentle on skin
- The lavender essential oil is completely optional — the dried lavender blossoms give these bath salts a naturally lovely scent all on their own.
- No special tools necessary – you’ll only need a spice grinder (or pestle and mortar), mixing bowl, measuring cups, spoon, and an airtight container (or jar with a tight-fitting lid).
- Exact amounts of all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Herbal Bath Salts (Step-by-Step)
Step 1
Grind or crush all the dried herbs and oats as finely as possible. A spice grinder is the quickest and easiest way to get a fine, even texture. If you don’t have one, you can use a mortar and pestle instead. I used mine to grind the oats and dried orange peel into a soft powder, and it works just fine with a little extra time and effort.
Step 2
Next, I chopped the dried herbs in a mini food processor, then finished grinding them into smaller pieces using a mortar and pestle. The finer you grind the herbs, the more evenly they’ll blend into the bath salts and disperse in the bath water.
Step 3
In a mixing bowl, combine the finely ground oats, orange peel, and herbs with the salt and baking soda. Stir well until everything is evenly mixed.
Step 4
If using lavender essential oil, mix it first into a teaspoon of carrier oil, such as jojoba or sweet almond. Then stir this gently into the bath salts mixture until it’s evenly distributed.
Step 5
Transfer the finished herbal bath salts into a clean jar or airtight container, and seal it tightly with a lid. Your bath salts are now ready to use — simply scoop a handful into a warm bath and enjoy a relaxing, soothing soak.
How to Use These Bath Salts
- Add to bath: Use ½–¾ cup of bath salts per standard tub of warm water.
- Stir to dissolve: Swirl water with your hand to help salts and botanicals disperse.
- Soak: Relax in the bath for 15–20 minutes.
- Moisturize: Follow with your favorite body oil or lotion for extra softness.
Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting
- Using moist or wet ingredients: fresh herbs and citrus peel can cause clumping or mold. Only use ingredients that are completely dry for best shelf life of your bath salts.
- Adding essential oils directly: essential oils are very concentrated and potent. Adding them directly to salt may create hot spots in your bath which can irritate your skin. To prevent this, dilute essential oils in a little carrier oil before adding them to the salt.
- Adding herbs without grinding them first: large pieces of herbs of peel can float on the surface of the bath and clog drains. Always grind your herbs and citrus peel in a spice grinder (or crush in a pestle) for even distribution.
- Overusing essential oils: Adding too many drops of essential oils can be irritating to the skin. Only add the amount specified in the recipe. If you plan to use these bath salts for your kids, skip the essential oil altogether.
- Poor storage: Storing the bath salts in open containers or humid bathrooms can cause clumping, weakened scent (as the essential oils evaporate over time), and mold. Always use airtight jars or containers, and store the salts in a cool, dry place.
- In conclusion, small tweaks—drying herbs thoroughly, diluting essential oils, grinding botanicals, and storing properly—make a huge difference in the bath salts’ texture, scent, and skin benefits.
Storage Tips
- Use airtight jars or tins to prevent humidity.
- Keep in a cool, dark place.
- For extra long-term storage, add a silica packet (not edible) to absorb trace moisture.
- When stored properly, the shelf life for these bath salts is generally 6–12 months, sometimes up to 18 months if conditions are ideal.
Variations
- Skin-Soothing & Nourishing – Epsom salt, baking soda, calendula, rose petals, oat flour, optional rose/chamomile EO, optional milk powder
- Uplifting & Energizing – rock salt or sea salt, baking soda, citrus peel, lemongrass/lemon verbena, rose petals, optional citrus EO
- Detox & Circulation – Epsom salt, baking soda, rosemary, peppermint, nettle, optional peppermint/rosemary EO
- Luxury Spa / Romantic – rock salt or sea salt, baking soda, rose petals, hibiscus, calendula, citrus peel, optional rose + orange EO
Recipe FAQ
Enjoy Your Relaxing Bath
I love creating DIY skincare recipes. While food recipes are often about getting nourishing meals on the table (because kids and husbands tend to expect three square meals a day!), skincare feels like pure fun. These little projects are just for you — so enjoy the process and the skin-soothing benefits they bring.
Making a herbal bath part of your regular self-care routine is a simple, affordable way to feel relaxed and refreshed at home. This recipe is number 5 in my 7 Weeks to Glow: Weekly Home Spa Treats to Relax, Refresh & Radiate series for busy moms, designed to help you feel nourished and pampered in the middle of everyday life.
If you enjoyed making these homemade herbal bath salts and would like more natural skincare tutorials, along with real food recipes and practical homemaking tips, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter.
More Spa-At-Home Recipes
DIY Natural Clay & Oatmeal Face Mask with Honey
Lemon and Peppermint Foot Scrub
Simple Calendula Hand Repair Balm
Homemade Herbal Bath Salts
Equipment
- spice grinder OR pestle and mortar
- airtight container or jar with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp finely crushed chamomile
- 2 tbsp finely crushed lavender
- 2 Tbsp dried calendula petals
- 2 tsp finely ground oats
- 1 Tbsp finely ground dried orange peel
- 1¾ cups rock salt
- ¾ cup baking soda
- Optional: 8–10 drops lavender essential oil (pre-diluted in 1 tsp carrier oil)
Instructions
- Prepare botanicals: Ensure all herbs, citrus peel, and oat flour are completely dry. Grind or crush them finely for smooth dispersal in the bath.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine rock salt, baking soda, chamomile, lavender, oat flour, orange peel, and calendula petals (if using). Stir well to distribute evenly.
- Add essential oil: If using, dilute essential oil in 1 tsp carrier oil, then stir into the salt mixture until evenly blended.
- Store: Transfer to an airtight jar or container. Keep in a cool, dry place away from humidity.
- Use: Add ½–¾ cup to a warm bath. Stir water to help salts dissolve, soak 15–20 minutes, and relax. Optional: rinse and moisturize afterward.
Notes
- Measure the herbs after crushing or grinding them. Volume changes when herbs are crushed. Whole flowers are fluffy and take up more space; once ground, they pack down and become easier to measure out accurately.
