The Best Homemade Bath Salts (Under 10 Minutes!)

Homemade bath salts are the perfect self-care treat. Plus, they’re super easy to make.

Not only do homemade bath salts make a great do-it-yourself project to pamper yourself with a little self-care at home, but they also make the perfect DIY gift for just about any occasion.

Plus, they’re incredibly budget-friendly!

Soaking in a hot bath is one of the best (and easiest) ways to relieve tension and reduce stress.

I don’t know about you, but sliding into a hot bath is easily one of my favorite ways to decompress after a long day.

New research out of England even suggests that soaking in a hot bath for 20 minutes can have similar benefits to gentle exercise [1] – yet another reason to enjoy taking long, hot baths.

Homemade Bath Salts Benefits

I’m a huge fan of homemade bath salts because they are:

1. Inexpensive – Um, have you seen how much store-bought bath salts cost lately?! My goodness. Making them at home will save you a ton of money and is way more rewarding. (See below!)
2. Healthy – I use only all-natural ingredients here and avoid any type of artificial colorings. The natural pink hue of the Himalayan sea salt is all you need!
3. Soothing – The magnesium in the Epsom salt can help ease muscle tension, while the sea salt and baking soda can make the bath more pleasant (more on that below).
4. Beautiful – Put your homemade bath salts in a glass jar next to your bathtub for a decoration that is both beautiful and functional.
5. Great for Gifts – Putting in the time and effort to make a beautiful, wonderful-smelling gift for someone goes a long way in making them feel special.

Homemade Bath Salts Are Cost-Effective

All in all, for this bath salts recipe (about 5 cups total) I paid around $1 or less for each ingredient averaged out! That’s roughly $5 or less per batch, making this option way more affordable than store-bought bath salts.

Here’s a breakdown of the cost of ingredients (in my area):

• $5 for an entire bag (at least 12 cups) of Epsom salt (Whole Foods 365 brand)
• $4 for the pink Himalayan sea salts (Thrive Market brand)
• $3.50 for a 2-cup bag of dried Pakistani rose petals, only 2 tablespoons are in the recipe (you can find these here or the Savory Spice Shop online)
• $1.50 for a box of baking soda (Whole Foods 365 brand)
• I already had the essential oils, but I think they are around $15-20 each and last forever
• Here’s a link to all of my inexpensive bath salt supplies if you need it

Homemade Bath Salts Ingredients

Epsom Salt

Epsom Salt (aka magnesium sulfate) technically isn’t salt at all.

But for the purposes of bath salts, we call Epsom salt “salt.” Epsom salt dissolves nicely in hot water and releases magnesium and sulfate ions, which many believe are absorbed through the skin, thereby helping relieve muscle tension. There haven’t been any scientific studies on this, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it works.

You can find plain Epsom salt at just about any store, or online here. I started buying them online in packs of 3 because I take a lot of Epsom salt baths, so it’s nice to have it delivered instead of lugging the big bags at the grocery store.

Coarse Sea Salt

Another addition to your homemade bath salts can be coarse sea salt. Coarse sea salt works best if you don’t want the salt to fall to the bottom of the jar.

Salt makes the water more buoyant for a pleasant bath experience in the bath, and many believe that the minerals in sea salt are beneficial to your body.

Similar to the Epsom salt above, there aren’t any specific scientific studies on this, but again, anecdotal evidence suggests that it works. We do know, however, that salt makes your body more buoyant in the water, making for an overall nice experience.

I love the coarse pink Himalayan sea salt from Thrive Market because it’s beautiful, high-quality, and is sold at a great price. Some people like to use Dead Sea Salts as the salt from the Dead Sea is thought to be extra-rich in minerals.

It can be pricey, but if you can find it or have some on hand it works great here.

Baking Soda

Baking soda helps dissolve oils on your skin and makes a great addition to a hot bath. Make sure you’re using baking soda (it’s cheap!), NOT baking powder.

It also helps absorb some of the essential oils to keep your bath salts smelling great.

Essential Oils

This is the fun part! Essential oils work on a sensory level to make your homemade bath salts even more pleasing. You can use any combination of essential oils that you like.

Lavender is known to be calming, while eucalyptus is known to be soothing.

I generally combine lavender and sweet orange essential oils. If I were sick with a cold or the flu, I would make this with half eucalyptus and half lavender for a “get-better-fast bath.”

Dried Flowers (Optional)

You can also add a few tablespoons of dried flowers to make your homemade bath salts even more beautiful.

I generally do not add these if I’m making them for myself for regular use as it’s an extra thing I need to clean up in the tub after the bath, but they really do make a beautiful addition to this if you’re giving it as a gift.

I use the dried rose petals, but feel free to use any kind you like. I recently bought these organic rose petals and really like them:

Nourishing Skin Oil (Optional)

And finally, you can add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil that you would put on your skin, such as sweet almond oil or coconut oil. I personally prefer to NOT add oil to my bath salts as it creates a ring around the tub, but some people are into it. You do you.

I’d rather use the oil on my skin after the bath to keep it out of the tub. Adding oil also shortens the shelf life of your bath salts because oils can spoil.

If you choose to add oil, make sure to use your bath salts within three months.

How to Make Homemade Bath Salts

I give you the full recipe and method below that you can save and print to refer back to later. In general, you’ll mix 3 cups of Epsom salt with about 1.5 cups of coarse sea salt and 1/2 cup baking soda, then add 15-20 drops of essential oils and mix.

Store in a cool, dry place and use about 1/2 cup in each hot bath.

Again, print the recipe below and find all of my bath salt supplies here.

IMPORTANT! Baking soda in glass jars can develop high air pressure in humidity or at high elevations. A reader mentioned that a glass jar of her bath salts exploded after sitting in her cabinet in a glass jar.

This hasn’t ever happened to us and we’re glad she’s ok. We researched this and found out that on very rare occasions, the humidity in the environment (or other factors such as elevation) can interact with and activate baking soda, which will cause air pressure to build in an airtight container.

We recommend punching a few holes in the top of your lid if you’re going to store this in a glass jar or air-tight container to avoid exploding bath salts. Or, store these in a plastic bag or container that is not air-tight to prevent air pressure from building up.

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