DIY: Soothing Herbal Bath

Written by Kate Tietje

I don’t know about you, but we had a lot of need for a soothing herbal bath over the years.  There was healing from pregnancy and, of course, general pregnancy soreness.  Plus, Ben started exercising, and his muscles were really sore the first few weeks.  Anyway…an herbal bath is an excellent way to relax and soothe all of these hurting muscles and other parts. 

Now, let’s discuss the herbal benefits:

• Comfrey — anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and wound-healing properties.
• Lavender — anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, may relieve anxiety symptoms and promote skin health.
• Chamomile — anti-inflammatory properties, may relieve menstrual pain and promote sleep/relaxation.
• Arnica (optional) — anti-inflammatory properties, may relieve pain and reduce bruising.
• Calendula (optional) — spasmolytic/spasmogenic, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and antifungal properties.
• Plantain weed (optional) — anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.

If you’re not interested in making your own, or maybe you’re missing a few herbs, check out our store for a premade option — Herbal Soothing Bath!  Even if you’re not sore…who couldn’t use a yummy-smelling, soothing bath?

Soothing Herbal Bath

Ingredients:

All the herbs are dried and by weight.

• 1 part Epsom salts
• 2 parts comfrey root  (or leaves because root can sometimes be hard to find)
• 2 parts lavender flowers
• 1 part chamomile
• 1 part arnica (optional)
• 1 part calendula (optional)
• 1 part plantain weed (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Select how much you want of each ingredient (1 oz. as 1 part is plenty because herbs are very light — at least if you are just trying it out).

Step 2: Mix it all together in a big bowl and store it in an air-tight container.

Usage: Scoop some of the herbs (about 1/4 – 1/2 cup, depending on how full your bathtub will be) into a small muslin bag and pull the drawstring closed.  Toss this bag into your bathtub.  This is way easier to clean up than if you dump the herbs in straight.  Ask me how I know. 🙂

You can also choose to steep it in boiling water, about 1/2 – 1 cup in 4 cups water, for 20 – 30 minutes, strain, and pour the hot “tea” into your bath.

I used this immediately post-birth as a soak to help heal all my sore parts.  Adding the arnica helped soothe sore muscles while leaving it out simply helped to heal tissue.

You could also make it as a strong tea (about 1/4 c. mix to 2 cups water) and dip cloth pads into it, then freeze them for a healing ice pack post-birth.  I did that after Daniel was born.  This one has a lot of uses. 🙂

If you’ve ever taken an herbal bath to help soreness or healing, how was your experience?