Recently, I was looking for holistic ways to be kind to my body, and I came across some recipes for bath salts. To my surprise, I found that I already had most of the ingredients in my kitchen to make a relaxing and therapeutic bath soak.

Here’s the recipe, and I used a one-to-one ratio for all ingredients:
Epsom Salts (draw toxins out of the body, relax muscles)
Powdered Milk (exfoliates skin)
Baking Soda (relieves itching, softens skin)
Oatmeal, ground into powder (moisturizes and sooths skin)
Essential Oils, if desired (I used Grapefruit Essential Oil)

Put a 1 to 1 1/2 cups of this soothing concoction into a warm (not too hot) bath, and soak for about 20 minutes.  I also added a squeeze of honey to my running water, just for that Cleopatra “milk and honey” bath effect. Very diva.

Think about how easy, inexpensive and pampering this recipe is! I love it and have used it several times a week since I discovered the method.

I tried the bath on my 3-year-old son, and he has had amazing (and unexpected results) with a skin problem called molluscum. To date, no doctor or website has been able to give us a remedy for these bumps, which look like ant bites and itch like crazy. In four nights of 20-minute soaks, the molluscum, which had covered the backs of both legs, have all but disappeared! I’m no doctor, but if something works, I intend to keep using it.

Looking further into each ingredient, it seems that recipes like this one can be soothing for many skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis and poison ivy, as well as normal itching that comes with cooler weather. Who knew?!