The Art of Taking a Bath

Bathing has gone through many changes over time. From bathing in groups to bathing fully dressed, soaking in cold water (awful thought). We tend to think that it has always been used for personal hygiene, but that's just not true. Even in modern day we usually shower to get clean but when we've had a hard day those words ring out, "I need a hot bath!". Why is that? And what do different additives like teas, salts, flowers, oils, bubbles, bombs and so on actually do to your body? Do they work?

The water is warm and bubbly so let's go ahead and dive in!

We will start with the basics - simply submerging your body into water for therapeutic reasons has been around for ages and is also called Hydrotherapy. If you use the right temperatures combined with the right timing, you will be amazed at the result! It can reduce pain, inflammation, stress, anxiety, helps blood flow, helps you breathe deeper, improves immunity, helps balance certain hormones, increases serotonin levels, helps fight chronic fatigue and more!

What's the best way to take a bath? I always say, if you don't know what time or temp to go by just remember this phrase, "cold tightens, hot relaxes". If you can remember that, you will know that if you have a sprained ankle (that is swollen), you want COLD to tighten it back up. If you are tired or depressed, you want COLD because it will wake you up, not relax you. If your muscles are tight or you are stressed, you want HOT to relax everything. One of the reasons this magic happens is your circulatory system. Taking a warm bath makes your heart beat faster (similar to a short workout) and can improve heart health. But, make sure your heart is good to go before spending time in the hot tub.

Water alone is obviously amazing but what about all the other stuff? What do they do?

Let's make a list.

*Bath Salts (my personal favorite) - Salts are just minerals that are pulverized. They are great because they are water-soluble, so no little bits to clean up post-bath. They became popular when people would travel to natural hot springs to bathe in the salt water for it's "healing power". These days, the main ingredient is epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) for the soothing, healing and cleansing benefits the salts provide. Once you add a few different salts to the epsom, some essential oil and other goodies.....you have a bath made for royalty! Say good-bye to sore muscles, pain, dry skin, stress, insomnia and more!

*Bubble bath - I have a love/hate with bubble baths. The hate part is because it doesn't really do anything for you, besides let you feel bubbles, and most of the ones on the market are filled with skin irritants (seriously). I don't recommend using them everyday. The love part is also the bubbles! Bubbles de-stress and it smells good! If you can find an all natural one, which you can if you look, than go for it! Just know that it's not really doing much for you (besides bubbles), no matter what the label says.

*Milk - We have all heard about Cleopatra and her milk baths, does it work? Yes, it does. Milk contains lactic acid, this helps with skin renewal, so your skin will be soft and clean. The fat and proteins in the milk moisturize. How to do it? Just add about 2 cups of whole milk (cows milk) to a full tub of water and soak! Believe it or not, the milk is cleansing!

*Tea - This is a great one, especially if you need a "pick me up" bath. Tea helps with inflammation, clears up skin, reduces redness (evens skin tone), helps with dandruff, gives shiny hair, fights aging and free radicals, fights tension in the body and more! How to do it? Just use about 5 tea bags, you don't need more than 5 for a filled tub - and people who use 20 bags find they have a stained bath tub after they are finished. Use any tea you like - green, black, nettle, anything. Let the tea bags sit in the bath water for about 15 minutes before you get in. Gently remove them, giving them a quick, soft squeeze and climb in. Add more hot water if the tub has gone cold. If you used a tea with caffeine, remember that by soaking in it, the caffeine will wake you up; so don't take a tea bath at 9pm if you need to go to bed at 10! On the other hand, if you have an event in the evening, take a tea bath in the morning- it will leave you with shiny hair, an even skin tone, feeling happy and awake!

*Bath Bombs - For the most part, these fizzy creations are simply fun and not much else. They're made up of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), citric acid, cornstarch and sometimes another element like oil, witch hazel, color, fragrance and/or pedals. In the water, the sodium bicarbonate in the bomb reacts with the citric acid to release carbon dioxide gas. It's like what happens when you drop an Alka-Seltzer tab into water. When this fun, fizzy, science experiment starts to happen and the bomb breaks apart, it then releases the colors and fragrances. Sometimes they do contain a small amount of epsom salts, essential oils and/or oil. As for skin/body health, they don't really do too much and they can be messy - but they can also be fun, so the choice is yours!

*Oils - Oil baths can be baths with essential oils or baths using fats of some kind. These baths can work magic! You have to be careful trying to make a DIY oil bath though. They are highly beneficial but using the wrong ones or using too much can be harmful. I will have to do a more detailed blog on this topic. Until then, there are some great bath oils on the market. Just be sure to read the directions on label and you will be fine.

Whatever your reason for taking a bath, know that you are actually doing much more than relaxing and getting clean. You are taking part in a type of healing that has been used for thousands of years. Welcome to the club.