The Perfect Bath

We know we all need a little something extra to help us relax these days. Bath soaks offer multitude of benefits, including helping to strengthen the immune system and fight aches and pains. Joyce Carboni, founder and CEO of Skinsational Skin and Body Spa, has remedies and recipes for every bath needed to help you get through everyday life.

• The ‘I’m stressed out and don’t know what to do’ bath – We know that times are tough these days, and everyone can use a few tips to relieve stress. Try this, fill up your tub with hot water (heat can help you sleep more deeply and soundly) and add a few drops of lavender and orange oil. The lavender relaxes you and produces a restful, peaceful sensation, and the orange oil reduces stress and is used therapeutically as an antidote for sluggish moods. If you don’t have any orange oil lying around the house, feel free to cut up an orange and toss the slices into the bath with you instead!

• The ‘I definitely had one too many last night’ bath – If you wake up with a hangover, try this bath for a quick remedy. Run a warm bath (if its too hot it can dehydrate you more) and add in slices of grapefruit and approximately 30 drops of juniper oil. The grapefruit easies nausea and the juniper oil has detoxifying properties that help to cleanse the body after a night of overindulgence. Use your shampoo or liquid soap* to create some much-needed, relaxing bubbles!

*But be careful, Joyce says… “Liquid soap is ok once in a while, but if used often can be very drying!”

• The ‘I want to look my best tonight’ bath – Getting ready for a hot date or a night out with the girls? Create your own treatment by mixing 1 cup of sea salts (to exfoliate and revitalize the skin and help draw out toxins) and ½ cup of honey or coconut oil (for moisture-retention). This combination will leave your skin silky smooth and rejuvenated for a night out on the town.

• The ‘I feel something coming on’ bath - It seems like flu season is beginning to last longer and longer. If you feel like you’re about to get sick, try this easy fix. While the water is running, toss in 3 bags of green tea. Several studies show that green tea (in particular the chemicals called polyphenols) decreases the infectivity of the influenza virus, and can have an adverse effect on bacteria. Then, mix 12 slices of fresh ginger, or 3 tbs of powered ginger into your hot water. In Chinese medicine this spicy root ranks as a top cold and flu remedy, so by the time you’re done with your bath you’ll be recharged and ready to fight off the viruses!

• The ‘I need a lift’ bath - Need something to lift your spirits and trigger those happy thoughts? Use liquid soap or your shampoo for some easy bubbles and mix in several drops of lemongrass oil and a lemon (sliced into little bits). Lemongrass oil can be used as an antidepressant, and can fortify the nerves and uplift your mood, and the lemon’s strong scent awakens and refreshes you (and can actually help you concentrate)!

• The ‘I worked out too hard’ bath – Do your muscles ache? Run a warm bath and mix 3 peppermint tea bags, the menthol can boost circulation easing aches and pains. Next add several drops of eucalyptus essential oil for its antiseptic and disinfectant properties as well as its energizing effect. Roll up a towel as a pillow, sit back, and relax.