Soothing holiday bath recipes!

Happy holidays from webcake! xoxo

We're smack dab in the middle of another freezing winter, and it's Christmas eve! I couldn't possible be in a better mood! :)

I might not have the same sort of family many others have, but the people I spend my holidays with are more of a family to me than many people's real life families are. I'm so grateful for everyone and everything I have, and I'm so glad I made so many wonderful beauty maven friends to share my holiday wishes! ♥

So here's a little gift from me; a compilation of some awesome d.i.y. holiday recipes for some serious Christmas day relaxation! Let's face it -- Christmas is a great day to spend with loved ones, but it can be one of the most stressful times of the entire year. At the end of the day on Christmas, lots of women like to kick back, relax, and enjoy the rest of their time off. What better way to do that, then with a bubble bath filled with all natural, easy to make goodies that will relax your body and soothe your skin!

Instead of linking to one of my bath salt recipes, I'll just type out the quick version here. I like the recipes where you can have the scents sit for a week or two, but it's Christmas eve and we just don't have time for that!

This recipe has one or two ingredients that can be interchangeable, depending on what you want your salts to do and what you would like them to smell like. The basic recipe is very easy to follow:

• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup epsom salts
• oil (essentials like lavender, peppermint, tea tree)
  
• other (buttermilk, baking soda, fresh squeezed orange juice)
  

For oils, it's very simple. You can pretty much just feel out how much oil you will need to use for your salts, depending on the consistency and type of oil you want to use. For instance, if you want something that will strip the dirt from your pores and leave your skin naturally moisturized, extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of an expensive essential oil. Or, if you love to use essentials, try using a holiday scent like pine or peppermint!

The strength of the oil also has a lot to do with how much you will need to add. Try adding two drops at a time and feeling it out as you mix the oiled salts together with your fingers. This will give you a good idea of what they will feel like once dissolved in water -- too little and it will be gritty, too much and it will be greasy!

When combining your oils and your "other", you want to make sure you don't make a gross combination that will confuse your skin and smell like feet. For example, don't put a small splash of buttermilk with peppermint essential oil. It won't smell good, and it will make your skin icky and filmy. Use buttermilk if you're using just a small amount of cinnamon, coconut, or olive oil. Just use common sense, you can't go wrong.

Why baking soda? It's a detoxifying agent that softens your skin. Add just a SMALL amount of this to your salts if you would like, but it's not necessary.

Why orange juice? Because it's full of vitamins and the natural goodness of citrus, duh! Adding just a teeny splash of OJ to your salts and mixing well can help clean and brighten your skin, and can also aid in removing more dead skin cells. Sure, they'll be floating in your water for a while, but they'll slide easier off your skin, and that's what's important!

What am I making? Buttermilk and cinnamon salts.

OH, I should mention to tie your hair back or up if you use a particularly softening salts recipe...you don't want super oily hair!



Save money this Christmas while treating yourself like a queen! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season!!