500g (1lb) sea salt
500g (1lb) baking soda
10 drops of essential oil of your choice
Place all ingredients in the bath as it is running, and dissolve the ingredients. You may need to use your hand to agitate the ingredients to ensure they dissolve (sitting on undissolved sea salt is NOT pleasant).
Prior to your bath, dry brush your skin vigorously, brushing in upward motions to prepare the skin using a natural bristle brush to remove dead skin cells and invigorate capillaries.
Use sea salt and baking soda in water as hot as you can handle; soaking for between 20-30 minutes. Sea salt combined with baking soda has an amazing detoxifying effect on the body, drawing toxins out of the body through the skin. You will feel noticeably different, possibly with a tingle throughout the body.
Create an atmosphere that allows you to soak up the ambience of a relaxing bath. Burning essential oils, or adding essential oils to your bath can increase the relaxation process.
After the bath, pat the skin dry with a towel and use a natural oil or lotion to moisturize the skin.
Sea salt benefits
Sea salts are mineral rich: The principal component in sea salt is sodium chloride and between 0.2 to 10% of other salts; calcium, potassium, and magnesium salts of chloride and sulfate with lesser amounts of many trace elements found in natural seawater. While Epsom salts help to reduce swelling and ease muscle tension just like sea salts, the main difference is that Epsom salts are just magnesium.
Speeds healing: Sea salt helps speed up the healing of nicks, cuts, and wounds. It also helps to reduce inflammation and some of the itchiness from psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema, among other conditions.
Skin conditioning: Sea salts soften the water, which help to soften the skin.
Reduce stress and promote healing: Negative ions are created when sea salt soaks in heated water. As the body is positively charged, when the sea salt negative ions connect to the bodies positive ions, it helps reduce stress and promote h
Baking soda benefits
Feet softening: Exfoliating the rough spots on your feet is easier once you have soaked in a hot bath with baking soda.
Reduces skin irritation and itching: During soaking, toxins are drawn to the surface of the skin
Detoxifying: By drawing impurities and toxins out of the skin, the body is detoxified.
I'm always short on time and long on "things to do", so I thought I could short cut the bath process and still get the benefits by simply soaking my feet in the sea salt and baking soda mixture. It may work for you, so you should try this, however, as I was using this mixture to reduce pain and swelling during recovery from a broken ankle, the "bucket soak" technique did not work for me.
I have continued to use this therapeutic bath combo a minimum of once a week as I feel renewed, revived, re-everything once I've taken a 30 minute hot soak in a sea salt and baking soda bath. I also ensure I have a sea salt and baking soda bath after I have flown, as the soaking process aids in reducing swelling, and grounds me back to earth beautifully.
Cerebos sea salt 500g $1.90 McKenzie's bi-carb soda 500g $2.99
Safety
Generally, baking soda baths are well-tolerated by most people, but check your bodies tolerance level to sea salt, baking powder and essential oils.
Consult your doctor if you:
are pregnant or breastfeeding
have high blood pressure
have diabetes
are under the influence of drugs or alcohol
have any open wounds or serious infections
are prone to fainting