Aromatherapy baths are a great way to relax and enjoy some personal pampering. Depending on the essential oils used, aromatherapy baths can treat the skin, improve circulation, transform moods, and revitalize.

Bathers first experience a scented waft of moist air that travels directly to the emotional and memory centers of the brain, instantly initiating the transformation process. While bathing, essential oils maintain prolonged contact with the surface of the skin and are absorbed into its deeper layers. They’re also absorbed into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body, in a sense, “soaking” the entire body with their healing and delightful properties.

With the right choice of high-quality essential oils used in the right way, an aromatic or aromatherapy bath can be healing and transformative.

Choosing Essential Oils

There’re many healing essential oils for the bath. When you draw an aromatherapy bath, make sure that you use high-quality essential oils derived from the specific botanical species that have the therapeutic or subtle properties you’re looking for (see the botanical names in parentheses throughout this blog and all of our aromatherapy blogs). Synthetic or altered oils will not have the expected or desired healing properties. Check the precautions or contraindications for each essential oil you are considering using.

Some common essentials oils for the bath are:

• Chamomile (Chamamelum nobile)
• Frankincense (Boswellia cateri)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Patchouli (Pogostemon cabin)
• Rose (Rosa damascena)
• Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora)
• Sandalwood (Santalum album or alternatives such as Santalum austrocaledonicum or Santalum spicatum)

CAUTION: These essential oils may cause irritation in the bath. Some essential oils are more irritating to the skin than others. This means they can be irritating in a bath as well. Typically, they can still be applied to the skin, but only when more diluted or in a lower concentration. Here’s a list of some potential irritants:

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
• Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)
• Cinnamon (Cinnamomun zeylanicum)
• Clove (Eugenia caryophyllus)
• Lemon (Citrus limon)
• Marjoram (Origanum marjorana)
• Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
• Pines (Pinus spp)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Spearmint (Menta spicata)
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

These essential oils have wonderful healing properties and are appropriate to use in many types of applications. Just take care when using them in the bath. It’s best to check the properties and cautions associated with all essential oils you plan to use for any application and for different clients or people, e.g. children, the elderly, and those with certain health conditions.

ALWAYS add essential oils in a carrier that will mix with water

Essential oils are highly concentrated plant substances. Therefore, they can be irritating to the skin when used undiluted or in high concentrations.

If you just drop essential oils in the water without emulsifying them, the drops will float around on the surface of the water and come in contact with your skin: they’ll feel just like they are full strength. To increase the dispersion of the essential oils, add them (in the dispersant) to the bathwater as it is running from the faucet.

Typically, you should use no more than 8 drops of the entire blend of essential oils per bath. For those people listed above who tend to experience skin irritations, it’s best to first try the blend out with just fewer drops. If no irritation develops, add a couple more drops to the next bath, and so on…

NOTE: Some people like a strong scent and thus want to use more essential oil drops. Using 10 drops to an entire bath is considered a high concentration or the maximum. It is not recommended for those with sensitive skin or a tendency to develop allergies. This includes young children and elderly adults. For these individuals, use just a few drops (no more than 4). It’s very important to properly dilute the essential oils.

Essential oils are lipophilic. That means they like lipids (fats) and, therefore, they dissolve well in oil. But, it also means that they don’t dissolve readily in water. The way to add essential oils to the bath (water) is to first mix them with some form of a career, emulsifier, or dispersant such as salts, vegetable oils, vegetable glycerin, gels, or whole milk. Don’t use fat-free or skim milk because there is simply not enough fat.

SALTS:

Use whatever amount of salt you like to put in the bath. This will vary widely from one person to another. A rough estimate would be one hand full or between 1/2 and 1 cup of salt. Mix 6-8 drops of essential oils in the salt before you add it to the bath. If mixing up a larger batch of salt, keep these proportions the same, e.g., two hands full and a cup to two cups of salt. If you feel a salt bath is too drying, add just a little bit of carrier oil (experiment and start with 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon).

CARRIER (VEGETABLE OR NUT) OILS:

Use between 1/2  and 1 teaspoon. Start out with less and see how it feels both in and after the bath. Oils generally absorb into the skin quickly so even if your skin feels a little oily after your bath, you’ll feel smooth and supple, not oily, in no time flat. Use good quality vegetable oil. Organic is best. Generally speaking, if you would eat it, you can use it. Because the oil touches and gets absorbed by the skin, consider using oils that have nice healing properties as well. Just like with the salts, mix 6-8 drops of essential oils or essential oil blend with the vegetable oil before adding both to the bath. You can make up larger batches of the oil just as with salts, but many carrier oils have shorter shelf lives than the essential oils you’ll be adding to them.

MILK:

Use between 1/4 cup and 1 cup. Add 6-8 drops of essential oils to the milk before adding them both to the bath. Use whole-fat milk. Essential oils dissolve in lipids (fats). Therefore, don’t use skim or fat-free milk: it’s a lot like trying to mix essential oils in water. Bathers can use as much milk as they like. The amount used will be a reflection of cost and preference. Some bathers like to add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of organic honey or oats to enhance the skin treatment.

GELS:

Use a tablespoon of gel (organic aloe vera or vegetable glycerin). Just like with the salts and oils, mix 6-8 drops of essential oils with the gel before adding both to the bathwater. Gels have a longer shelf life than vegetable oils.

It’s best to take a warm bath as opposed to a very hot bath when using essential oils, again, especially if you have sensitive skin. Very hot baths stimulate the skin and the pores open wide.