Essential Oil Bath Recipes
If you want to give yourself a heavenly bath with relaxing music and magical water that will make you emerge like the goddess you are, then you need to give DIY bath oil a try! And you don’t even have to go out and buy an outrageously-priced essential oil to get the same effect.
I’m going to show you the secrets behind what makes a delicious bath oil so great, and what makes it so easy to add into your bath routine! I’ve been using bath oil for the last couple of years, and I can’t imagine taking one without it. I take baths almost every night during the wintertime to warm up and relax before bed, so this is a huge staple for me. Read on to make your own!
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How to Make Your Own Bath Oil—The Basics
First off, you might be wondering why you can’t put a few drops of essential oils into your bath water and call it good. You certainly can, and this is actually what I’ve done when I don’t have any DIY bath oil on hand and I’m feeling lazy.
I don’t recommend putting undiluted essential oils into your bath because it increases your chances of developing skin irritation from the oils. You see, essential oils should almost always be diluted if they’re going to make contact with your skin. Even if it’s just a tiny bit floating on the surface of your bath water. Essential oils are so potent that it’s very common for the skin to become irritated, depending on which oil you applied.
I have a mini guide all about essential oil safety if you want to learn more, but the gist of today’s article is that you can safely use essential oils and reap all of their benefits in the bathtub just by diluting them like anything else.
You can dilute your favorite mixture of essential oils just by using a good carrier oil that is generally very inexpensive. Plus, you can usually get a large amount that should last for a good amount of time, depending on how many other DIY projects you have going. Not to mention the carrier oil is huge in helping you combat dry skin! But let’s be honest, you’re really here for the essential oils.
Always Use a High-Quality Essential Oil!
I cannot stress this enough! You might think that essential oils are always pure because, hey, they’re huge in the health and wellness industry. This is NOT the case, unfortunately. It’s all too common for essential oils to be completely synthetic or made with impurities that can mess with its potency.
Don’t believe me? You should do a sniff test to compare two different brands if you can. I was able to do this when I first switched to buying solely from Rocky Mountain Oils. There was a massive difference between their oils and my super-cheap oils! My old oils smelled very synthetic, like candy. But all of Rocky Mountain Oils’ products smelled just like the real thing.
Take orange essential oil, for example. My old one smelled like an orange candy drop that I could get at the store for 50 cents. Not bad, but this oil was likely contaminated or not manufactured properly. The orange essential oil from Rocky Mountain Oils, on the other hand, smelled just like a fresh orange peel! It was heaven, which means a lot coming from someone who hates citrus.
If you’ve never heard of Rocky Mountain Oils, they’re definitely worth checking out! Their oils are high-quality, but very reasonably priced. Plus, they’re a local company located right here in the USA. You can read more about what I think of Rocky Mountain Oils or go to their homepage for free shipping over $25!
The Best Carrier Oil for Bath Oil
Your DIY bath oil is going to consist of mostly carrier oil, so you shouldn’t skimp on this one! If you’re able, I would go with high-quality oils like jojoba oil or sweet almond oil. I think either one of these is the most ideal option for homemade bath oil.
I like jojoba oil because it mimics your skin’s natural oils very closely. This is great for anyone who has dry skin, or severely irritated skin. I even used jojoba oil in my DIY lotion recipe to help combat my super oily skin. I know it sounds counterintuitive but moisturizing my skin with oils similar to my own actually stopped my face from producing too much oil.
Sweet almond oil is another great option because it also mimics your skin’s oils, but not as much as jojoba oil. However, almond oil is loaded with essential fatty acids that are crucial for skin health and keeping you looking young.
Another runner up carrier oil that’s worth mentioning is avocado oil. It also has a great amount of essential fatty acids, doesn’t smell very strong, and keeps your skin soft and supple. You can even get this from the supermarket if you don’t feel like shopping for it online!
Go For a Carrier Oil Without a Scent
These carrier oils don’t have a super distinct scent, which means that they won’t overpower the loveliness of your essential oils you want to enjoy so bad. There’s nothing more bummer than when you can smell your carrier oil more than that essential oil you payed decent money for.
If you’re curious about using olive oil for your DIY bath oil, I won’t tell you not to use it, but I don’t necessarily recommend it. Olive oil has some great benefits for your skin much like the carrier oils I mentioned earlier, but it has a very distinct scent that might ruin the mood you’re trying to create. Just keep in mind that you can totally try it if you’re on a tight budget, but you might not get the best results.
What You Will Need for Every DIY Bath Oil Recipe
I’ve got some great essential oil combinations down below for every occasion you want to soak in the tub and enjoy a good aromatherapy session. But first, you need to know how to make your own bath oil! Luckily, it’s not rocket science and can be made in under five minutes.
What you will need for every DIY bath oil recipe includes:
- Amber glass bottle with dropper
- ¼ cup jojoba oil (or carrier oil of choice)
- 24 drops total of essential oils of choice
Just combine your carrier oil and essential oils into the dropper bottle and call it good! And make sure that you use an amber bottle instead of clear glass like this one. You’ll often find essential oils in colored glass containers to prevent sunlight from coming in and speeding up the expiration process of the essential oil.
I also want you to get ahold of a dropper bottle like this one because it will make applying the right amount to your bath water much easier. You don’t want to accidentally pour the whole thing into the tub! It would certainly be a lovely-smelling bath, but you wouldn’t get much more after that.
How to Use Your DIY Bath Oil
When it’s time for the big reveal, simply put two to three dropperfuls of your DIY bath oil into the water. Mix it all up with your hand for a few seconds, then immediately climb in and enjoy! I like to step in and mix the bath oil around with my feet before sitting down.
Just be very careful of getting out of the bath when you’re done!! The oils might have made your tub very slippery, which is a risk in and of itself. I make sure to get out of the tub a certain way so I don’t slip and avoid getting a head rush.
How to Safely Get Out of the Bathtub
The way I get out of the tub after a particularly relaxing soak is, I’ll put both feet on the ground underneath me so I’m in a crouching position. Then, with both hand on my knees, I’ll slowly lift my butt up and straighten my legs out a bit so that my back is parallel with the floor.
When I’m positive I won’t get a head rush, I’ll straighten my legs all the way and slowly stand up straight. Make sure you can hold onto something secure when you step out!
The trick with this method is that you should keep your head at the same level as your heart to avoid a head rush. I don’t know about you, but I’m notorious for getting severe head rushes if I’ve soaked in hot water for too long. When you stand up slowly while keeping your head somewhat level with your heart, the blood won’t rush out of your head as fast.
Now that we’ve gone over the basics and proper bathtub safety and etiquette, let’s get into what you’re really here for! I’ve got some of my favorite DIY bath oil combinations below for you to try out. Let me know which one is your favorite below!
Homemade Bath Oil for Dry Skin
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 14 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops frankincense essential oil
If Frankincense is too far out of your budget, you can substitute it for sandalwood.
DIY Bath Oil for Sore Muscles
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 12 drops rosemary essential oil
- 12 drops lavender essential oil
For an added boost, add in one cup of Epsom salts to replenish the minerals lost in your sweat. You can check out my DIY bath salt ideas for some more inspiration.
Lavender Bath Oil Recipe for Relaxation
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
- 8 drops chamomile essential oil
- 8 drops frankincense essential oil
You can obviously make some bath oil with just lavender, but I highly recommend you give chamomile and frankincense a try. Chamomile is great for more than just tea! Plus frankincense is at a therapeutic level of its own.
DIY Bath Oil for Eczema
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 8 drops tea tree essential oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
- 8 drops peppermint essential oil
The trick for eczema is to provide soothing qualities while moisturizing the skin. Lavender soothes and moisturizes, just like the remedies in my natural sunburn treatments. Tea tree and peppermint also invigorate the skin while cooling and disinfecting.
Homemade Bath Oil for Colds
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 12 drops tea tree essential oil
- 12 drops orange essential oil
Citrus oil is great for killing germs and making you feel refreshed overall! I even put it in my homemade cleaners to help fight with grease. If you want to feel more relaxed, I would also add in some lavender.
DIY Uplifting Bath Oil Recipe
- ¼ cup jojoba oil
- 8 drops orange essential oil
- 8 drops lemon essential oil
- 8 drops bergamot essential oil
Bergamot is one of my favorite essential oils because it makes me feel so happy! I have an essential oil perfume of rose and bergamot and it smells like an absolute dream. Add that to the uplifting qualities of the other citrus oils and you’ve got yourself a whole new mood.
Final Thoughts on DIY Bath Oil
You can use these essential oil combinations as a base, and feel free to adjust or make your own! Just make sure that you’re diluting properly at a 2% rate of the amount of carrier oil that you use. That’s why I had you do 24 total drops of essential oils for every ¼ cup.
If your dropper bottle is bigger than ¼ cup of liquid, then by all means go ahead and double or even triple the recipe! The base recipes I have should last you about four or five baths, depending on how many droppers you use.
Always practice safety in the bath as well! Don’t add too much DIY bath oil into the water so that the tub won’t be too slippery when you get out. Also make sure that you get up slowly and keep your head level with your heart to avoid a head rush.
The whole point of this super fun bath DIY is to give yourself a luxury spa treatment without spending a ton of money. Plus, I think you’ll appreciate it more as well. So go ahead and give a recipe a try or make your own. And you can’t forget that this makes a great gift as well!
What’s your favorite DIY bath oil recipe? Let me know in the comments below!