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By Crystal Baldwin
A summer bath can be very relaxing, soothing and calming and it has some wonderful health benefits as well. There is a reason we run the warm (or cool) water and reach for our bath salts...its good for our health!
But don't just take my word for it look at these 10 scientifically backed benefits of bathing posted by Pentucket Medical.
If the thought of a hot bath in the middle of summer doesn't work for you, remember a cool bath has many benefits as well. A cool bath quickly lowers your core body temperature plus, it's very refreshing.
Some of the benefits of Summer Baths include:
What Is Your Bath Goal?
Choosing your purpose for your bath will guide you on what products you will use - detoxifying? reach for sugar scrubs, bath salts, clay and face masks. Need relaxation? Time to add some essential oils, dry skin? A milk bath and sugar scrub will be your go-to
Hydrating?
Get your body oils (Rocky Mountain Soap co.) and bath milks out (dot & lil). Oils and milks in your bath are a wonderful way to both hydrate and treat the skin. Both oils & milks add lovely fats & nutrients and offer skin protection.
Oils and milks can also help to treat conditions of the skin such as eczema psoriasis, dry spots, fine lines and wrinkles, itching, irritation and ease sunburns. Lactic acid found in milk gently exfoliates, keeping skin firm, toned and turning over dead skin cells.
Need to soothe some sore muscles and achy Joints?
Time to sprinkle some epsom salts (Dot & Lil or Sonoma lavender). Epsom salt breaks down into magnesium and sulfate. These minerals get absorbed into your body through the skin. This helps relax muscles, reduce swelling and pain from arthritis, and relieve pain from fibromyalgia. Sea salts also have the same benefits.
Sugar Scrubs
Want to exfoliate dead skin cells and hydrate the skin? If bath salts are too irritating or sting your skin, switch to sugar scrubs for more gentle and hydrating benefits. Sugar scrubs have naturally occurring glycolic acid which removes dead, flaky skin cells and are great for dry patches (think elbows, feet, knees) and they are a natural humectant, which helps to rehydrate your skin and retain moisture.
Sugar Scrubs also support cell turnover which means you will end up with fresh, new, shiny skin cells making your skin look brighter and more plump.
Because sugar scrubs unclog pores you will find that your skin is able to absorb more nutrients from your lotions & body oils and stay more hydrated. Sugar scrubs are wonderful for dry, mature, damaged or sensitive skin. Really any skin type can use sugar scrubs.
Our newest line of Dani Sugar scrubs have shea butter for a wonderful, silky smooth feel and are vegan, paraben free, cruelty free and made with organic ingredients. Also check out Rock Bottom Sugar Cubes which are soap, sugar and oil all in one. Made with Nubian goat milk (Nubian goats have the highest fat content of all goat milk), these little cubes are soft, not hard and do not leave you feeling oily afterwards.
Essential Oils to the rescue
Reach for essential oils to relax and soothe frazzled nerves, help soothe muscles & joints, treat skin conditions, get some respiratory relief and ease depression & stress.
You'll need Lavender, Sweet Orange or Marjoram (for great sleep). For those tired achy muscles and respiratory relief try Eucalyptus (opening the lungs & cooling, inflammation and pain), the woody scent of Cypress is also a good choice for muscles (muscle spasms, inflammation & pain) and try one of the most anti inflammatory oils on the planet German Chamomile (severe inflammation & pain) with its blue/green color and herbaceous scent.
To soothe the body and mind add some drops of earthy Ho Wood (calming alternative to lavender), citrusy FCF Bergamot (one of the best for stress relief), Sandalwood (deep grounding and anxiety), Rose Geranium (calm anxiety & nerves, refresh the skin and balance hormones).
Remember you can add these to the bath or pick one or two for placing in the bath and apply others to your skin when you get out (always dilute essential oils in a lotion or carrier oil). You will absorb a greater concentration of oils when the skin is warm and wet. Less is more with essential oils 2-3 drops is usually all you need when applying directly to the skin. When using Bergamot, always opt for Furocoumarin Free (FCF) to avoid any phototoxicity and burns from its interaction with the sun.
Always add a carrier to the essential oils in a bath so they don't float on top of the water and attach to your skin in large quantities. Your goal will be to blend the oils in the bath. Remember oil & water don't naturally mix so you need a carrier to bind them. Use either milk, salts or a carrier oil (even good ole olive or coconut oil will work) add a few drops of essential oils to the carrier, 3-6 total is enough, and give the whole bath a good swirl right before entering it.
Detoxifying
Get a jump start on the detoxifying process by dry brushing before you step into the bath. Dry brushing stimulates blood flow and gets the lymphatic fluids moving and draining (your garbage removal). It also exfoliates the skin, getting rid of those dead skin cells giving you a nice glow and allowing moisturizers to be absorbed.
The best way to do dry brushing is in gentle, upward strokes starting at the feet and work upward. You always want to be working towards the heart. Don't brush too hard, this should be relaxing not painful. Plus, your lymphatic system is right under the skin so you don't need to press hard. Do little circles over the joints - ankles, back & front of the knee, wrists, elbows and when you get to the top of your arm slide toward the clavicle as there are some great drainage points there and then finish by moving up your neck to your jaw line and then out towards the back of your ear - another great drainage point. Don't use a brush on your face- this skin is too tender.
Dry brushing not only helps remove dead skin cells but also plumps the skin, reduces the appearance of varicose veins & cellulite, unclogs pores and brings a deep relaxation to the body. You can do this before a shower as well.
Cooling down the body
A summer bath using cool water is a great way to bring relief on those hot summer days. Ever feel like no matter what you do you just can't get cool when the temps get high? A cool or cold bath will do the trick, I promise!
Not only does a cool bath bring your core body temperature down quickly but it is phenomenal for your immune system. It increases metabolism, It pushes your immune system as it works hard to bring your core body temperature back up which, increases circulation and redistributes blood.
It also delivers freshly oxygenated blood to areas of the body that need to recover. If you need a little extra cooling add just a couple drops (1-2) of peppermint essential oil blended in a carrier oil to your bath. Don't use too much or it will actually make you cold! This feels really good when blended with lavender essential oil for treating sunburns and sore muscles.
If you've just had a hard workout, the cool water decreases the time it takes for your muscles to recover and reduces inflammation. It also reduces pain as it interferes with the brain's perception of pain (ever get a cool gel applied before an injection?). Cool water baths, over time, can make your blood movement more efficient which is helpful for people with high blood pressure and diabetes.
Be careful with cold baths if you have a heart condition as the shift of temperature can be shocking to the system and to the heart. Talk to your Doctor before proceeding with this method.
Bathing Rituals & Special Treatments
Bathing can be a special time where you turn off the world and focus only on you! It brings a inner peace doing something that you know is nurturing and caring for your body and mind.
Create fun traditions for bath time that work for you. This is a great time to also take care of the skin on your face and allow yourself to do things you ordinarly don't have time for. Try out that face mask (gentle refining mask) that you have been dying to try but can't squeeze in during your weekly morning routine. Apply serums and layers of moisturizers under your mask for a deeper treatment (masks help push these into the deeper layers of your skin for greater results).
Use special bath items that you have been saving up. Bath bombs are so fun and good ones offer a treatment for the skin (Dot & Lil sparkling milk bath cube) and some have crystals in them, kinda like getting the gift at the bottom of the cereal box (Whipped up Wonderful) or special scented bath oils (Rocky Mt. Soap Co.) have wonderful scents and rehydrate the body.
Save candles that you only use during bath time. We love our Colorado made Magic Fairy Candles with essential oils as they can be used for body lotion or a massage oil when they liquify (just one finger dip does both hands) and each one includes a crystal and a mantra card to get you centered (Magic Fairy Candles).
Also have a yummy drink in a beautiful glass to make your time special. I am currently loving our new Non-Alcoholic wines by JØYUS which tastes so much better than most N/A wines on the market. That's because they are actually wine that is processed all the way through and then has the alcohol removed but the flavor is left behind!
The white sparkling is my current favorite but it also comes in sparkling Rosé, Flat Rosé or Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are rated the top N/A wines in the world and I agree. Plus, they are very low in calories and carbs and don't leave you with a hot bath/wine headache when you get out. A win win for bath time.
One of my other favorites right now is Lush Wine & Cocktail Mixers. These all organic powdered fruit, herb & tea mixers are made right here in Colorado by two women in Crested Butte. The idea is to make instant cocktails or mocktails, lemonades or frozen treats.
The great thing about using these for bath time? You can freeze them and make slushies - yup a wine (or mocktail) slushy during your bath...now that's a good time!
The flavors are well balanced, fresh tasting (real fruits in there) no weird powdered taste and are not too sweet- real, organic cane sugar.
We have Sangria (add a bottle of red wine and water for instant sangria or slushy), Original Frosé (a very refreshing light flavor), Lavender Lemon (add tequila or vodka), Margarita, Paloma, Hibiscus Ginger, Strawberry Basil Lemonade (great with vodka or gin too).
You can also mix with water and seltzer for an amazing Mocktail, make lemonade, create syrups for custom cocktail/mocktail making or use the JØYUS wine. Kids love the slushies too!
Last but not least to make your bath time drinks extra special, try our NEW Jardin Florale Cocktail Shimmers. These organic, sugar free, edible mineral shimmers are 100% natural, keto, GMO & gluten free. They have a very light, subtle flavor and have superfruits & botanicals for color.
Infused with flowers (Rose, Honeysuckle or Lavender) they are enhancers that are lightly sweetened with just a tad of wildflower honey, very low sugars 1 carb per serving. Add these beautiful shimmering elixirs to champagne, vodka soda, your favorite cocktail, seltzer, lemonade or just beautify that glass of ice water! They bling up any drink you add them to. Really fun for a girls evening or any summer cocktail party.
Safety and contraindications
If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, hot baths are not recommended. They increase the heart rate and can put undue stress on the heart. The excess heat can also increase your blood pressure.
Hot baths can strain the circulatory system and should be avoided if you have cardiac conditions or diabetes. Super cold baths can also be a problem for people with a weaker immune system or congestive heart failure. These sudden changes to body temperature can overwhelm the body and create undue stress.
Usually going with just a warm bath or a slightly cooler bath is safe...stay safe in the middle lane and you should be able to enjoy all of the same benefits. If you have any of these conditions talk to your doctor before proceeding.
There are lots of ways to get great health benefits, relaxation, skin and mood enhancement and lots of YOU time. Don't skip bath time this summer...you are worth it!
Crystal Baldwin is the owner and creator of Earth Sweet Botanicals/Boutique. She is an internationally trained and certified aromatherapist, state certified esthetician, massage therapist, herbalist, natural product formulator, artisan distiller, natural perfumer, wild food forager, blogger and educator.
Her 20-year medical background combined with her alternative medicine education brings a well-rounded and knowledgeable approach to healing.
She has studied with amazing teachers all around the world, including studying aromatherapy in Provence France, Thai massage and reflexology in Thailand and Laos, and perfumery in Grasse France.
Earth Sweet Botanicals/Boutique is a place where her expertise creates a community that can come together to learn, to heal, to explore and to share information.
Her goal is to empower each person with the ability to be in control of their own health and happiness—and to provide the tools to help them achieve those goals.
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