Having a warm bath is one of the best things to do before bedtime. And detox baths go beyond just soothing and boosting our wellbeing by strengthening our immune system and preventing disease. What’s more, they help remove toxins from your body, leaving your skin feeling soft.
Holistic health coach, Holly Zoccolan shares her favourite natural detox recipes – try one out and notice how you feel afterwards…
*If you are pregnant always check with your health professional before taking a detox bath.*
It’s time to get your soak on!
1. Clay bath
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Bentonite clay
1/2 cup Epsom salts
Prepare your bath:
First, mix the clay with a small amount of water to make a paste. Rub the clay all over your body and leave to dry for a couple of minutes before sitting in the bath. This will enable the clay to work its way into the skin giving it the most effective way of nourishing the skin as it is in direct contact with your skin and will be more effective at drawing out toxins and impurities.Pour the Epsom salts into your bath and then get in with your clay body mask on. Relax for around 15-20 minutes and let the natural salts and clay powder do their magic.
Benefits:
Bentonite clay has been used for centuries as a body mask and really does leave your skin feeling soft and cleansed. Epsom salts are rich in magnesium and help to level out your magnesium levels which so many of us are deficient in. Epsom salts are also a natural exfoliant and have anti-inflammatory properties which assist with relieving muscle soreness and dry skin. Epsom salts have also been shown to reduce stress levels by relaxing not only your body but your mind too. Epsom salts also have the ability to flush out toxins from the body giving you a heavy metal detox. By adding minerals such as magnesium and sulphate to your bath water in Epsom salts, it begins a process known as osmosis which draws salt out of your body (goodbye water retention!) and dangerous toxins at the same time.
2. Salt bath
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Epsom salts
1/4 cup Himalayan salt
1/4 baking soda
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Prepare your bath:
Fill the bath with warm/hot water and add the apple cider vinegar. Then, dissolve the Himalayan and Epsom salts and the baking soda in hot water. Pour the salts into the bath. Next, get in the bath and relax! Soak for up to 30 minutes. This detox bath is excellent at boosting your magnesium levels, removing toxins and detoxing your body.
Benefits:
Adding baking soda and Himalayan salt to this bath will give a deeper replenishing effect as the minerals contained in the Himalayan salts will seep into your skin much deeper when combined with the natural exfoliant within the baking soda. Baking soda is also antibacterial so it can prevent your skin from breaking out as well as easing skin rashes such as eczema and dermatitis.
Apple cider vinegar is antibacterial and antifungal which helps to really cleanse your skin, leaving it soft and super clean. The combination of the Epsom salts, Himalayan salt, baking soda and apple cider vinegar will detox your skin, reduce water retention, replenish your skin with essential minerals and leave your skin feeling youthful, soft and fresh.
3. Green tea bath
Ingredients:
8-10 bags organic Green Tea
Prepare your bath:
Start to run your bath. Add in 8 green tea bags (minimum) once the water is halfway full. Add the other 2 bags if you desire. Let the bags soak in the bath for around 10 minutes when you notice the bath change colour. Remove the teabags and then get in the bath. Soak for around 20 minutes and let the antioxidants and minerals from the green tea soak into your skin and relax your whole body.
Benefits:
Green tea is full of antioxidants, is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory and has been used to reduce breakouts and the appearance of pores for centuries! Green tea assists with cleaning the skin and keeping it fresh and youthful looking. This is a great bath to really refresh your body and your mind.
4. Ginger Sauna bath
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Organic Ginger Powder
Prepare your bath:
Fill your bath with warm water. Once your bathtub is full, pour in your ginger powder and mix into your bath water. Get in your bath and relax for 15-20 minutes. This bath will heat your body up and enable you to sweat. This bath is excellent at reducing flu symptoms and releasing toxins from your body. This bath improves immunity and is a great detoxifying bath.
Benefits:
Ginger speeds up circulation within the body which creates heat and causes your whole body to sweat. Ginger baths have been used to alleviate flu symptoms or to simply detox the body and sweat out the toxins; particularly after a boozy night out! They are also beneficial in calming digestive issues, increasing blood circulation, reducing inflammation and boosting your metabolism.
Before you take a ginger bath it’s important to check your skin for any irritation; particularly if you have sensitive skin. Place some ground ginger powder or freshly grated ginger on your arm and leave for 3-5 minutes. Remove the ginger immediately if irritation occurs. If no irritation occurs you are good to go!