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| Photo Credit: Judith K Mehl |
| Making simple herbal soaps is easy. Shown here are rosemary mint, lavender mint and rose lavender (with a burgundy colored pigment.) In front are a rosemary sprig and lavender buds, used in making the soap. |
From the bathhouses of ancient Greece to the spas of today, people have long recognized the relaxing or stimulating effects of a good bath. A hot herbal bath can soothe, heal or refresh, as well as cleanse the skin – the results you want are up to the herbs you choose to include.
A special herbal bath may be the solution to the stresses of everyday life. By growing just a few herbs geared toward that long soak, you can alter how you feel when you emerge. Do you want to soothe achy muscles, relieve tension, deodorize your body or just relax? Here’s what some herbs can do for you: For skin irritations, try thyme, which is antiseptic. For tension, try chamomile, hyssop or lemon balm. Add some sage to that for achy muscles. Need to soak off the grime? Snip some thyme, lavender buds and rosemary flowers. To perk up the senses, use energizing rosemary leaves or sage. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: ©Pennystone Gardens | | Sage is a great herb to add to your bath if you want to soothe sore muscles. |
While you may already have some of these herbs in your culinary garden, you might find you want to establish a specialty “bath garden” to ensure you have enough for your soak and your soup. If that’s the case, be sure to plant your bed in an area with good air circulation. Buy established plants for a quick start, or plant from seed if you’ve got lots of patience. A few of each of the abovementioned herbs would give you plenty for all your bathing needs – and they all grow well together. Just give them full sun in well-drained soil, and mulch them when established.
Once you’ve grown your herbs, the easiest preparation for bathing is to pick fresh sprigs of flowers and leaves. Wrap about ½ cup of fresh herb clippings or ¼ cup dried herbs in a small cheesecloth bundle or a pretty muslin bag and just hang it from the faucet as the water runs.
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| Tips |
- Good herbs to grow in your bath garden include German chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), lavender (Lavendula augustifolia), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), mint (Mentha sp.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris).
- You can substitute dried herbs at half the amount of fresh for a wonderfully aromatic bath solution.
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| Facts |
- Most bath herbs can be grown as perennials outdoors in USDA hardiness Zone 5, but there are a few exceptions: Chamomile is an annual, rosemary will only overwinter in zones 6-7 or higher, and some lavender isn’t very hardy in Zone 5 or above – especially if the soil isn’t well-drained in winter. Hyssop, sage and lemon balm, however, will reliably survive winters in Zone 4.
- Warm baths (96-98 degrees F) help a person relax, while cool ones (85-90 degrees F) stimulate. Sitting in bath water above 104 degrees F can dehydrate the body and skin and can actually cause fatigue. Most soaks should only last about 20 minutes.
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