Cleaning up after aromatherapy bath

[Shoshi]

I had my first aromatherapy bath last night, using several drops of lavender oil in about a tablespoon of carrier oil (olive oil) according to a recipe I found online (they said that if you use the EO without a carrier, it will just evaporate and you won't smell it). It was a fabulous experience and my skin felt very soft afterwards, and I felt very relaxed. The trouble was, the bath was in a terrible state once I'd finished!

I have a disability and use an inflatable bath lift and a non-slip rubber mat with suction pads underneath. There was oil all over everything, and all round the bath. When I got out, I didn't want to undo all the good the bath had done me, so I went to bed and decided to clean up in the morning.

It involved spraying on some multi-surface cleaner (Ecover - supposed to be all natural, but that stuff gets in my throat and makes me cough!) and using hot water and a sponge, and it involved a lot of scrubbing, and then hosing down with the shower. Cleaning the bath lift was a real pain.

I have very little energy because of my illness, and this whole clean-up operation has put me off repeating the experience, which is very sad because I enjoyed my aromatherapy bath so much!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a pain-free way to clean the oil off, wich doesn't involve a lot of hard work? It rather defeats the object of the exercise!

Shoshi

 

[abc]

I don't use a carrier oil for baths. I put my EO drops onto some Epsom salt and then add that to the bath water, you could also use magnesium flakes. I haven't notice a ring around tub.

 

[Shoshi]

Thank you for your quick reply! Do you find you get plenty of aroma from the oil in this way? I was told it would evaporate and not make much smell without a carrier oil. Also, how much Epsom salt do you use? I haven't got any but should be able to get some easily enough.

Shoshi

 

[abc]

Thank you for your quick reply! Do you find you get plenty of aroma from the oil in this way? I was told it would evaporate and not make much smell without a carrier oil. Also, how much Epsom salt do you use? I haven't got any but should be able to get some easily enough.

Shoshi

Yes, plenty of aroma. I use one cup of Epsom salt per bath, just add however many drops of EO you were previously using to 1 cup of Epsom salt. I usually use an equal blend of spearmint and eucolyptus for tension and muscle relief.

 

[Seawolfe]

I use up to 2 cups of Epsom salts in my baths when I'm sore - so anywhere from 2 tbsp to 2 cups should be good
If you mix up some with your EO's in advance you can just keep it in a jar and add to your bath whenever you like. Thats basically what bath salts are.

I HATE using oils in my bath or shower - that mess is nasty to clean up.

 

[Shoshi]

Thanks very much, ABC and Seawolfe for your helpful replies! Now I know I can have a lovely aromatherapy bath without all that awful cleaning up... I was exhausted after doing it and ready for another aromatherapy bath lol!

Spearmint and eucalyptus sounds interesting. I just used lavender, and also put some in my oil burner, and lit a row of candles along my counter - it was great.

Mixing it in advance sounds a great idea, too. I usually use a simple (fragrance free, non-irritating) bubble bath as I do love bubbles in the bath. Will the Epsom salt stop the bubbles forming?

I am so new to all this. Any other suggestions for good combinations of EOs would be gratefully received!

Shoshi

 

[Saponista]

I agree with the salt method. You can also buy something called natrasorb which is modified tapioca starch which holds oils nicely. I do use bath oil myself though and find that good old fashioned abrasive lemon cif works really well to strip the oily layer off the bath. It also doesn't really have fumes but would use gloves as it is a bit harsh on the hands.

 

[Shoshi]

Thank you Saponista! I think I'll go down the salts route and avoid the nasty cleanup. I hate the smell of commercial cleaning products (I must say I dislike the smell of Cif!!) - I have developed a bit of sensitivity to these sorts of smells since developing M.E. I am currently looking at making my own cleaning products from basic ingredients like vinegar.

Shoshi

 

[DeeAnna]

"...they said that if you use the EO without a carrier, it will just evaporate and you won't smell it..."

That's inaccurate advice.

If you want to use oils for skin softening but don't want a slick mess, you could make a water soluble bath oil using a solubilizer (polysorbate 80) or an emulsifier (e-wax). Then the oils would rinse cleanly out of the bathtub.

But, honestly, I'd just put a few drops of EO into the water running out of the faucet, or mix them into Epsom salts and add the salts to the bathwater, and enjoy.

Just don't drop pure essential oils into quiet water. You want the EO to be broken up into invisible, teeny droplets before you get into the bath. When you put EO into quiet water, the EO will remain in larger droplets. When you get into the bath, those concentrated bits of EO will get on the skin and could be very irritating, especially to tender bits.

 

[Shoshi]

Thank you DeeAnna. That sounds like good advice. I think I like the Epsom salts idea best. I am aware that you are not supposed to put EOs direct onto your skin (with a few exceptions).

Shoshi

 

[LanaBanana]

Another bath treat to cconsider is bath tea. Bath teas involve basically steeping herbs in a large bath tea bag but in your bathtub. Some people add Epsom salts to the herbs or even oats as well as drops of eo. For instance, you could steep lavender buds, chamomile, Epsom salts and lavender eo for a relaxing bath. Just another way to pamper yourself!

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Shoshi]

I've now got some Epsom salts on order. Looking forward to trying them!

Shoshi

 

[Seawolfe]

Thanks to this thread I made up a big old jar of epsom salts with lavender and frankincense EO's - bath bliss in a jar!

 

[Shoshi]

Thanks to this thread I made up a big old jar of epsom salts with lavender and frankincense EO's - bath bliss in a jar!

That sounds lovely, Seawolfe - does the combination of lavender and frankincense smell good?

Shoshi

 

[Seawolfe]

That sounds lovely, Seawolfe - does the combination of lavender and frankincense smell good?

Shoshi

It does! Frankincense is a lovely bass note

 

[Shoshi]

Gotta try this, Seawolfe! It sounds amazing. I'm suffering from a flu-y sicky bug at the moment and haven't got the energy to strip off for a bath today (also I'm feeling really cold and don't fancy getting colder, although the bath would probably help!) but next time I have a bath I'll try this. I've got my Epsom salts now and the lavender worked well with them, so thanks everyone for the advice.

I slept all day yesterday except for a brief get-up when I forced myself to eat some porridge (oatmeal) to keep my strength up, but couldn't keep it down. A bit better today but still feeling chilled and pretty out-of-it. Made a tissue inhaler with eucalyptus, clove, thyme and peppermint. I think I need to make another one! I burnt some lemon and ginger in my oil burner till it went out. Still feel lousy but who knows, without the aromatherapy it might have been worse!!

Shoshi

 

[Seawolfe]

Aw Im sorry youre sick. When Im sick I practically live in the bath, and scented bath salts make it all the better.
Drink lots of herbal tea! Steam and liquid are your friends.
Feel better soon!

 

[Shoshi]

Thanks so much, Seawolfe! I am feeling quite a bit better today, thank you. I still don't have much appetite and am very glad that our Christmas meal was postponed till 2nd Jan. by which time hopefully I should be eating normally again!

I have tried the lavender with frankincense in the bath and it was lovely. I also burned some in my oil burner. A lovely relaxing experience. Using the Epsom salts really works well with the oils and I'm grateful for this advice. No mess to clear up!!

Shoshi