What comes to mind when we think bath salts? Soaking in a hot tub at the end of a long day with a good book or just our thoughts for company, letting them drift by like billowy clouds over the open skies? Feeling our tense muscles relax, our clenched jaw soften and turn into a blissful smile, releasing a deep ahhhhh, letting go, lightening up, exhaling all the ballast of the day one long breath at a time. Getting in touch with the center, the inner chamber of our heart, the landing spot where we feel rooted, the depth of the ocean where no storm resides. This is what the thought means to me oftentimes. Along with a sense of beauty and purification of my body and mind that’s more than skin deep and helps me emerge feeling reborn, like Aphrodite, from the waters. Brand new and reset to my happy state. More feminine and heart-centered than the scrambled mind-focused, harried self I start with.

Because of the way I prepare my own bath salts and the ingredients I use, I have a feeling that the energy contained within them contributes to the outcome. I can’t disconnect the petals floating in the bath from the flowers they once were, the essence of the aromatic oils from the fields of lavender that swayed in the breeze before or the ylang ylang flowers that bloomed by the seaside not too long ago.  I see the infinite thread of life and beauty connecting them and I see the transformation process as it evolves and envelops me for a while then it leaves me renewed and infused with its essence.

The preparation is so simple yet it’s the mindfulness leading up to it that’s perhaps the most important part, and, of course, the bath!

I take the wilting flowers from the garden or the vases I keep in the house and dry their petals which continue to surprise me with the hues of colour they adopt as they dry. When I mix them with the salts I remember their beauty and marvel at their new form. They feel like feathers and are nonetheless still beautiful.  Maybe they’ve transcended their own ephemeral moment in time and now contain a permanence that wasn’t there before. As dry petals or leaves they can last a very long time.

Components:

–          3-4 packages coarse sea salt (use at least three per batch)

–          Handfuls of dried flower petals. They can be purchased fresh from garden centres or dry from specialty stores. Or, much better, prepared by you from the flowers you’ve already enjoyed.

–          Your favourite essential oils. Visit stores like “Nature Source” or any other natural products, holistic stores and let your olfactory sense select the aromas you like most. Scents have a very powerful evocative effect. This is what aromatherapy is based on and the proof is evident.

As for the ritual:

Select your favourite essential oils. I favour geranium, ylang ylang, lavender or any other floral essential oils. Take a big bowl and enough glass jars to contain the salts at the end, and you’re ready to proceed.

Place the salt in the bowl first, then add the petals (save about ¼ of the petals for the end). Use as many or as few as you’d like. I’d recommend at least a cup-full. You can crumble them with your fingertips or leave them whole. I leave mine intact to begin with. They crumble slightly when I stir everything. Now add about 7-10 drops of the essential oils to the salts for a total of about 25-30 drops. You can select just one or several. I mix them to create a unique scent. Let your senses guide you. Each time the aroma varies slightly and that’s the beauty of this process. You are creating something entirely new every time you do it.

Mix the components with a wooden spoon, take in the aroma and adjust if you’d like it stronger or want a more predominant scent (i.e. if you want more lavender than ylang ylang). Once ready, fill the glass jars, tap the bottom with the palm of your hand to help the salts settle and make more room but leave a bit of space at the top. Always use glass if possible. I find it is the best storage medium for just about everything. For a perfect finish pick up a few petals and place them on top then add the lid.

The bath salts you just created will last a long time. Salt is a great natural preserver. Make sure you store them in a dry place so they don’t absorb humidity. Other than enjoying them to the fullest I gift mine to friends to share the love and the wonderful effect they have on our hearts and minds.