The Monday after Mother’s Day always seems oddly to be the most exhausting day of the year. I know it would seem that Christmas, Thanksgiving, or some other equally large holiday that requires families, food, and chaos to run wild. Alas it is Mother’s Day! All throughout Mother’s Day the sweet well-meaning family members remind you to “take it easy” and “rest.” There is one problem to this amazingly beautiful day, the day after carnage looks like an apocalyptic war zone.
After you have spent the day cleaning up the excess laundry that didn’t get done, the living room of doom that seems as though someone allowed the circus to hang out, and then there is the kitchen…oh wow the kitchen. The sweetly nature family who made the most wonderful breakfast in bed and the most amazingly perfect dinner, left something to be said for the kitchen. Upon just walking into the kitchen one can only assume that it wasn’t possibly the work of sweet well intended family, rather it must have been a recreation of the civil war, American Revolution, and the World War 1 bombing of England all in one room. I mean for goodness sake there is kitchen on the ceiling, and no one seems to know how the ketchup got up there. Flour bits are strewn around the kitchen in what appears to be bomb burn marks, trailing from under cabinets to the ceiling fan- which when turned on the children maniacally laugh as it snows in the kitchen in May. You feel your phone buzz in your pocket, which can only be the angelic ringtone of the alarm reminding you bedtime is 30 minutes away!!!!!
When we were young 30 minutes seemed like a lifetime, as a young adult in college 30 minutes wasn’t enough time to cram that last bit of knowledge before an exam or finish that homework you should have done but were too busy…uh studying right (wink wink), now as an adult with children 30 minutes seems to drag on the way it did as a child. How this regression to childhood life comes and goes is beyond my understanding, can’t I control what aspects of childhood to enjoy, not be cursed with. Finally it comes, the children are tucked in bed quietly, the dogs are fed and walked, the home clean enough that you won’t feel like the home should be condemned, and you are exhausted. No, not that regular exhaustion of normal wear and tear, you have that kind of exhaustion you know will come with muscle aches in the morning and a definite back stretch/crack when you get out of bed in the morning. That’s when you’re glad you have muscle anti-inflammatory bath salts.
Anti-inflammatory bath salts are so pricey at stores these days, and of course why should they not…after all tired parents buy them because they are exhausted. The money tree I have planted still has reaped much of a reward, so until that darn plant starts blooming I figured out how to make my own and save some money for more luxurious things like the water bill. The creation of these bath salts are so simple, and of course as always has essential oils. I am sure I don’t need to go on and on about essential oils, you have seen many of my posts about oils, but they don’t have warning labels that are so common for no reason. With that said, oils are potent start with a small amount when mixing and see how it smells. When increasing oils for smell do so a drop at a time, not a teaspoon at a time. Essential oil bottle do not come cheap for the therapeutic variety-however if used properly that seemingly expensive bottle lasts forever leaving the oils to be actually relatively cheap. Always test any oils beforehand on your skin, especially if you plan on bathing with them the last thing you want to do is run naked through the home screaming as you break out into hives. This idea as comical as it sounds is all too familiar with me and a bottle of lavender essential oils.
Enjoy my recipe, make it your own, and tell me what flavours you have concocted. I will post a basic recipe to use as a base and create your own mixtures, and I will throw in a few of my favourite blends.
3 c. epsom salts (to soothe muscles)
1 c. baking soda (to soften skin)
In a bowl mix Epsom salts and sea salts. Add a few drops of essential oils to the salts, the essential oils mix better without the baking soda – as the baking soda will only absorb all the oils and not coat the salts. Mix the salts and oils well with a spoon. Add baking soda, and a few drops of food colouring. Make sure to mix very well, if you have clumps of food colouring that is the key to keep blending and mash with the back of spoon until uniform.
Peppermint 3-5 drops, eucalyptus3-5 drops, Tea tree 1 drop
1 ½ cups powdered milk-full fat if avail otherwise nonfat is fine, ½ cup Epsom salts, ¼ cup or more dried rose petals(the darker the better), Red food colouring about 2-3 drops, Rose essential oils 5-10 drops
Mint3-5 drops, lavender 2-3drops, chamomile petals ½ cup, rosemary 3 drops
Vanilla oil about 6 drops oil or 1 tablespoon of real extract, and 2 vanilla beans, almond extract-just a few drops(or for amazing moisture add 1 teaspoon of almond oil)
Fresh mint, lime juice and zest of one lime, mint oil 3-5 drops- I use wintergreen and its amazing here but any mint oil will work
3 drops cinnamon, 6-10 drops of orange, 2 drops of clove
This one is a layered orange5-10 drops and vanilla about 10 drops of oil or 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract-Ive used the non clear version as well the salts just are more cream coloured but if you tint the organe bright enough it often looks fine
Vanilla-3-4 drops, grapefruit 3-5 drops, ill sometimes mix a drop or two of lime or lemon
Eucalyptus 5 – 10 drops, rosemary 5-10 drops, lavender 5-10 drops or chamomile, cinnamon 5-10 drops, 1tablespoon rosemary sprig, 2 tablespoons of rose petals
