DIY Perfect Detox Bath

by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, DIY, Give Back, Green Beauty, Hair, Health, Meditation, My Photography, Product Reviews, Skincare

I am sure there are things that can’t be cured by a good bath,

but I can’t think of one.

– Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Want to rid your body of toxins, harsh chemicals, soothe muscle tension, and truly relax?  Want to improve your heart rate, blood flow, and skin in a safe & affordable way?  Want to ease your mind of stress, tension, apprehension & fear?  The New Year comes equipped with all kinds of new fads, juice cleanses, and body “detox”s that not only deprive your body of nutrients it needs to function properly: some of them are just plain bad for you!  

If you want to incorporate juicing into your meal plan for the day,

go for it!  

Lemon Water?  

Perfect!  

Smoothies?

 Even better!  

But the craze for fasting and cleansing have produced some absurd claims of fantastic results that are actually very harmful for you in the long term. Want to do a cleanse this year that doesn’t involve cutting out important daily nutrients?

Take care of yourself the best way you know how: by being incredibly kind and self loving!

Here’s how to separate the hype from the reality – and safely enjoy the benefits of a cleaner, happier body in a natural way that pampers you and helps your cells regenerate!

I’ll be doing individual posts on all the brands listed here – which are all organic, natural, cruelty free or Vegan – but felt it was important to touch on them a bit first, since I do use them in combination every day!  Clearly I don’t use all of these products at once but because everyone has different skin & body needs I thought I would include all of my favorites for different things!

The Natural Detox:

If you guys can’t tell by my latest video, my 100 posts or the fact that I try to take at least 2 a day, baths are my jam.  When it comes to beauty and relaxation, baths are my specialty, and they’re one of the best things you can do to heal your body!  So I feel well equipped to tell you how to take the perfect bath for detoxing and healing your body, because they are an incredible way to detox, protect and cleanse your precious self of unwanted toxins! In fact, skin brushing and hot baths or saunas can improve blood circulation, lymph fluid function, and help your heart function, as well as help you detox from bad diet, prescription medication, city life, stress, chronic pain or daily toxic chemical inhalation.  A hot bath is the original sauna, original hydrotherapy, original calorie burner and original psychotherapy.  And, given that you have a bath tub and some quiet time, taking a bath is free!  The ritual is safe, soothing, lovely, rejuvenating and ingivorating for the body, heart, and mind.

1. The Pre-Bath Prep:

Taking a warm shower before your bath and doing some cleansing that’s natural for you is a great start!  It’s also your time to shave, clean, shampoo and condition, as well as put conditioning treatment in your hair!

Healthy Alternatives to Set The Mood:

Candles:

• SRS Naturals Peppermint Candle for an eco-friendly soy candle with a relaxing aroma!  They are available in many different scents! Soy candles, like these SRS mason jar ones also burn cleaner, creating up to 90% less soot than other candles. Regular paraffin candles also raise CO2 levels in your home, along with releasing several other carcinogens into the air you & your loved ones breathe in.

• Busy Bee BeesWax Candles for a safe Beeswax alternative! 100% pure beeswax candles, products and more at this shop!  As covered here, beeswax is precious stuff! Beeswax is all natural, non-toxic, non-polluting, non-allergenic, and with a delicious honey-sweet aroma.  A perfect, renewable resource, beeswax is made by the female worker bee for honeycomb, which safely contains their honey and the Queen’s baby bees. To produce one pound of beeswax, the worker bees eat about ten pounds of honey, fly 150,000 miles, and visit 33 million flower blossoms!

Healthy Alternatives for Your Hair:

• Original Sprout Luscious Island Shampoo & Conditioner with tropical Mongongo Oil known for it’s healing, regenerative powers and vegan jojoba protein to rebuild and strengthen, this cleanses perfectly and keeps hair color fresh with it’s color keeping pH of 4.5-5.5.
• Original Moxie Emollience Hair Treatment which is enriched with Cupuaçu Butter & Castor Oil, which breaks the cycle to restore your hair’s natural shine and elasticity.  After just one use, hair is noticeably softer, silkier and more vibrant.

Healthy Alternatives For Your Face:

• Dew Puff for exfoliation. Dew Puff facial sponges are made from the root of konjac, a plant native to Asia. Konjac has long been regarded for its health and medicinal properties. With its natural ability to break down dirt and promote circulation, Dew Puff is the perfect puff for dew-beautiful skin, everyday!

These super affordable, super remarkable plant sponges come in Asian Clay, Bamboo Charcoal & Original.

1. Asian Clay helps stimulate skin cells white absorbing impurities below the pore level. Leaves skin looking rejuvenate and radiant. Tired or aging skin feels renewed.
2. Bamboo Charcoal contains activated carbon and minerals to help prevent breakouts, plus antioxidants to fight acne-causing bacteria. Soothing for blemished skin.
3. Original is gentle enough for every skin type and each lasts up to 3 months!

• Plantogen Manuka Cream Cleanser for a fresh face with added boost!  The vitamins, enzymes and minerals found in Manuka honey will improve the skin texture and its vitality. It also fights off the bacteria since it has natural antibacterial properties.
• Plantogen Manuka Honey Mask with Hops combined with Gressa’s Dirty Pretty Things (review: here) as a face mask.  This Manuka Honey mask can be used for any type of skin and is incredible at removing dirt, makeup, addressing and curing impurities in the skin and leaving skin youthful and rejuvenated!
• If you haven’t checked out my love affair over on Instagram, you may not know that I can’t get enough Gressa, and Dirty Pretty Things  – with it’s skin detoxing blend of herbs, spices and clays – still tops my list as my favorite in her line!  Except a SUPER post from me about this line soon as I use it every single day!

Healthy Alternatives For Your Mind & Body:

• 4 drops of Alexis Smart Flower Remedies Safe & Sound (available alcohol free) to calm nerves, help stress, fear, apprehension, anxiety, and to make you feel safe and secure.  Similar to acupuncture or aromatherapy, Alexis’s Flower remedies – based on Dr. Bach’s 38 Identified Flower Remedies – are a form of vibrational healing based on a principle called sympathetic resonance.  They balance emotional states as well as address physical issues and are prescribed by Alexis in accordance with the mood and physical symptoms of the elixir seeker.  The vibrational frequency of the essence matched to you is at the frequency of your particular emotional state, and it balances out the negative feelings.  All that said: this stuff WORKS.  Neat, huh?
• 4 drops of Lotus Wei’s Inner Peace ( alcohol free).  This nectar tasting, nerve soothing, life changing formula is a MUST have, even if you have no anxiety issues (but really – who doesn’t worry about something?)  Lotus Wei gives real meaning to the phrase “flower power.” Having dramatically improved many lives over many years with flower essence therapy, brand founder Katie Hess felt compelled to share its bountiful benefits with as many people as possible. So in 2010 she launched a lifestyle collection that harnesses the power of petals to awaken and inspire. She named it Lotus Wei—“lotus,” which is a symbol of enlightenment, and “wei,” which means “transformative action” in Mandarin.  Flower essences of Lupinus arcticus (Arctic Lupine), Chorisia speciosa (Silk Floss), Sophora secundiflora (Mountain Laurel), Hibiscus rosasinensis (Hibiscus), Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus) and gem essence of Emerald in pure water, *grape alcohol, and ethically sourced raw desert wildflower honey (For adults & children over 1 year). *Certified Organic. Excellent for children.  
• Moksa Organics Lavender Bergamont Body Oil on your body and in your bath for aromatherapy.  Incredibly nourishing, healing and moisturizing to the skin.  Moksa Organics is scented with pure essential oils and nothing more. No chemicals and no artificial fragrances.

Think of your body as a party with too many people at it.

Your job each and every day is to rid your body of the extra people – toxins, bacteria, unwanted chemicals that we breathe, ingest and fight against.

That’s where Magnesium Sulfate, bath salts and bath teas – comes in.

Magnesium helps keep your bodily functions running smoothly, including some of the pathways that lead toxins right out of your body. Sulfate helps to strengthen the walls of your digestive tract so that it’s easier to release toxins. As a compound, magnesium sulfate also raises the amount of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. The compound also helps in purifying and detoxifying your body of heavy metals.  Bath Teas are great for soothing dry skin and giving you all the added benefits of tea all over your body!  They’re great for cleansing, rejuvenation and healing!

Healthy Bath Prep:

•  As the bath is running, slowly add in your detox salts, milk bath, and water (such as rose water, lavender water, etc).

Healthy Alternatives For Bath Prep:

• Scentsational Soaps Bath Salt Therapy in Chocolate Honey Decadence is a great smelling, antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-aging natural bath salt which cleanses, nourishes, and moisturizes the skin.  Chocolate softens and rejuvenates skin while protecting skins elastin and collagen from free radical damage, leaving your skin with a healthy glow.  The Mineral Bath Salts are made of Florida Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, to flush out toxins, ease muscle pain and re-energize you with the combination of French Cocoa Absolute and Honey. This is perfect to melt away your stress and nourish your body.
• SRS Epsom Body Buffer (Win One Here) will get you on your way to pain-free muscles, a body free of aches and pains and one that smells delicious with Epsom, Dead Sea Salt or Pink Himalayan Salt to choose from and a ton of natural flavors and scents!
• NYR Rose Water makes a great bath water!  Rose Water is one of the most under appreciated skin care and aromatherapy techniques in Western Culture.  In Indian culture, rose water is used on all auspicious occasions and on altars because of its cleansing properties and soothing aroma.  Many exotic desserts like the Arabic Muhallabia, the Greek Pastries and the Indian Rasgulla are all enhanced with the delicate flavor of rose water.  It’s perfect for all of your beauty needs.
• Fresh Soap Bakery: Milk Bath & Herbal Botanical Bath Salts – This is my go-to bath soak combination right now!  The Herbal bath salts are made in small batches from pure, imported Mediterranean sea salt. It nourishes skin with powdered rose hips, lavender buds, rosemary leaves, and chamomile powder. The variety of naturally-occurring skin loving minerals and nutrients will add a luxurious touch to your relaxing soak in the tub.  The Milky Bath is made  in small batches from pure dry milk, Epsom salts, baking soda and plant essential oils and will leave skin soft and lovely!
• Thunder Bay Soap Company Bath Salts – a luxuious and healing combination of dead sea and epsom salts, I adore this bath salt for aches and pains, muscle soreness and relaxation!

• Soak It In Bath Tea – with Lavender buds, chamomile, epsom salt & pink himalayan salt, Chickweed, comfrey leaves, thyme, calendula flowers, burdock root, epsom salt & pink himalayan salt, how could you not feel better after using this?  Boil these teas in hot water and then put the water in your bath for a luxurious path to Pain-Free!

Healthy Alternatives For Bath Oil Prep:

You can also add Oils to your bath, face, or body before you get in!  Any thing that you have on your body will make it’s way into your precious bath (and anything in your bath will make it’s way into your precious body!) so it doesn’t exactly matter if you put a few drops into your bath water or would rather put the oil directly on your skin!

Healthy Oil Bath Prep Alternatives:

• Raw Olive Rosehip Carrot Oil  & Lavender Rose Oil – If you’re worried about scars, premature aging, or just hydrating your skin, Raw Olive’s Rosehip Carrot Oil is the serum for you! You only need a few drops of this to protect your skin while promoting cell growth and nourishing it.  The Lavender Rose Oil is just delicious and I love it so much for my body or to add to baths for aromatherapy!  It’ll leave your skin glowing!
• Lina Hanson Global Body Serum – This is one of those serum’s that’s so indulgent you don’t even want to use it because you know you won’t be able to stop.  It’s like inhaling sunshine and then rubbing it all over your body – leaving it golden.  It’s perfect to add to a bath or to your skin before a bath for extra moisture, as it’s quickly absorbed and long lasting!

• Acure 100% Certified Argan Oil – Ah.maze.ing.  Amazing.  So good.  I love Arganoil, my skin loves Argan Oil, and just 2 or 3 drops of this added to a clay mask, topically on scars, blemishes, or for a cleansing and I am good to go!  It also works wonders added to your bath to give your entire body just a little extra moisture and Argan love! This is an UNREFINED Argan oil and is incredibly rich in Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids, and Proteins, which is important because once an Argan oil is refined, it loses up to 60% of those beneficial essential fatty acids, proteins, etc.  Incredibly rich in all of these Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids, and Proteins, Acure’s Unrefined Argan Oil helps fight lines, repair imperfections, minimize scars + stretch marks; all while restoring texture, elasticity and tone. Lightweight and easily absorbed! This oil is often referred to as “liquid gold” so – as Acure puts it – ” get yourself some beauty bling!”
• Verità Classic 100% Pure Organic Argan Oil – Another Argan Oil I can’t get enough of because it is SO pure!  Lightweight, smells lovely, leaves skin happy, golden and glowing – I’ll add a few drops of this to my skin and use it as a cleanser in the bath and it’s just lovely.  There are endless ways your skin can benefit!

The Perfect Face:

Once you’re in the bath, you can do some extra cleaning!  I normally put on another face mask while I’m waiting for the bath to fill up to combat acne, attack redness and promote healing for damaged and dry skin.  I use a lighter one than my shower mask, and then cleanse it off in the bath first with an exfoliator, then with precious oils, then top it off with a gentle cleanser.

Healthy Alternatives For The Perfect Face:

• Acure Stem Cell + CGF Facial Mask for a gentle, light treatment.  Removes dirt, oil, impurities, clears skin, fights blemishes! . French Green Clay draws out impurities while Moroccan Argan Oil, CoQ10 and Seabuckthorn Oil provide moisture. Serious cell repair!
• So Pure Skincare Purifying & Enzyme Facial for healthy, rejuvenated skin!  Rose clay acts as a very gentle detoxifier, Yellow Clay helps to restore tired, neglected or devitalised skin as well as gently purifying and Red Clay helps with fragile and broken capillaries and “sagging” skin and is good for tissue toning. Rhassoul clay is a spa quality clay and is effective on clogged pores, removes dead skin cells and surface oil from skin as well as improving the skin’s clarity.
• Ilike Organic Skincare Herbal Clay Spot Treatment to heal and repair damaged skin!  Herbal clay removes impurities, tightens the pores, tones the skin, and exfoliates dead skin cells as it reduces inflammation. Astringent clove oil provides antiseptic benefits to heal the skin faster for a clear and refreshed complexion.
• Gabriel Organics Red Seaweed Gentle Exfoliator is an exceptional skin polisher containing natural bamboo powder enriched with sweet almond oil and Vitamin E to thoroughly cleanse the skin while gently soothing and refining surface texture.  Red seaweed and elderberry flower extract trigger collagen development and offer skin regenerating effects. My go-to exfoliator for removing dirt, oil & makeup and getting a gentle cleanse!
• Gressa Skin Balancing Cleanser for a luxurious oil cleanse, gently put this on your face, allow to sit for 1-5 minutes, and then wash off with a warm wash cloth!  A woodsy and natural mini-facial!
• DeeVoo Creamy Cleanser is an amazing little Vegan friendly detox cleanser that helps remove dirt, makeup, and dead skin cells without disrupting the vital acidity of your skins pH levels. It also penetrates deep into skin dissolving blackheads, and cleansing pores without harsh, irritating “exfoliators” that can actually perpetuate and cause acne.  Gentle, but extremely effective!

Healthy Alternatives For Soap Time:

Since this is a detox bath, the possibilities of cleansing are endless!  Here are a few soap recommendations to get you started and cleanse and exfoliate your body!

• Scentsational Soaps French Kiss Soap, Believe Soap or Royal Jelly Soap: I Love these all for a different reason!
• The French Kiss Soap is a perfect face, body or hair soap!  French Kiss is loaded with Dead Sea Mud, French Pink Clay, Unrefined Shea Butter and Essential Oil blend that your skin will desire more of.  Dead Sea Mud  provides relief for eczema, acne, wrinkles, psoriasis and dry skin.  It improves the skin’s natural regeneration and improves blood circulation. It helps to cleanse skin and remove toxins, dirt particles and impurities.  It peels away dead skin cells, revealing healthier, youthful skin while it moisturizes and helps with skin’s hydration.  It will pull out toxins that may be in your skin.  It is also tightening and firming to the skin which gives the skin an anti-aging benefit, leaving you with a more youthful look.  Dead Sea Mud is also good for your scalp as it will strengthen hair roots, enhance new hair growth and help prevent hair loss.  This is great for my acne, redness and helping blemishes improve!

• The Believe Soap Bar is a Vitamin E packed goats milk, Glycerin based soap connected to a good Cause that comes in Lavender or Blueberry.  It helps Support Chromosome 15q Duplication Syndrome. $1 of each bar ordered goes to Dup15q Alliance research. The BELIEVE bar of soap represents the mind set of all parents with disabled children, to BELIEVE in what is possible and BELIEVE in a positive future.  Goats milk contains proteins, amino acids and vitamin A to nourish the skin. Milk also contains lactic acid which helps exfoliate, cleanse and soften the skin. Goats milk has a PH level that is close to your own skins PH, making it very gentle on even the most sensitive skin types.
• Royal Jelly Lemon Drop Soap is unlike any soap I’ve ever used! Royal Jelly is undoubtedly natures best kept secret. Nurse bees that are between 6 to 14 days old produce this “milk” called fresh royal jelly exclusively for the Queen and the larvae. The queen feeds only on fresh royal jelly. The larvae that consume fresh royal jelly in the first seventy two hours of their life become queens and those that do not become worker bees. Worker bees live 5 to 6 weeks whereas the queen lives 5 to 6 years. Royal Jelly contains vitamins A, B, Complex, C, D, and E with particular emphasis on the B complex, namely, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, biotin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid, which is reputed to bolster the strengths of the adrenal glands and to help reduce stress levels. Ideal for anti-bacterial, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, gout, fights depression, retards the aging process, promotes sexual health…to name a few.
• Moksa Organics: Mistletoe (Peppermint Cocoa) or Abbey Road – I can’t stop smelling (or using!) either of these!  Abbey Road is a blend of sweet orange, clove, vanilla and english tea blends will transport you without moving from your shower to the green fields and quaint villages of britian. This will fight the blues as well as the blemishes!  Moksa’s Mistletoe Holiday Bar is perfect for this season and smells just like an Ande’s ThinPeppermints!  I can’t get enough of it and will be doing a review on their Holiday line this week because I am in love!

• Thunder Bay Soap Company: Oatmeal & Honey Soap, Simply Soap or decorative Lake Huron Breeze Lighthouse Soap!  Simply Soap is wonderful, fragrance free, vitamin packed soap and gentle enough for everyone to use – and it effective at cleansing the face and body!  Oatmeal & Honey soap is great for acne, eczema or troubled skin, since it contains a natural anti-inflammatory and tons of Vitamin E.  And the Decorative Soap is just lovely to look at!  I’m sure it cleans very well too, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to use it quite yet! 😉

Natural Shampoo Essentials:

• Shampoo: Logona Naturals Repair Shampoo, Honey Beer Shampoo – Both are suitable for all hair types, and they both work wonders and I love them!  Repair Shampoo for dry or damaged hair, and Honey Beer seems to work on my hair if it’s thinning, gunky or gross.  They’re natural, sulfate free, paraben free, and lather up amazingly well, as well as make your hair smell incredible!
• No-Poo: Aquarian Bath Hair Bar is really worth a mention because it was my first experience using a no-poo alternative!  This bar was formulated for use as a shampoo, but it can also be used as a body bar unless you have exceptionally dry skin. These bars were formulated for persons with various scalp complaints. The bars have a powerful earthy scent from the Neem oil, somewhat like peanut butter. Neem is a strong Ayurvedic medicinal tree from India, you can see my trees pictured in this listing. The oil from neem seeds is what I use in this shampoo. This bar has a total of 20% wild-harvested neem oil as well as essential oils of Tea Tree & Patchouli. The dark color of this soap comes from the neem oil.  Neem oil has been a life saver for my skin, hair, nails, and life!
• Thunder Bay Soap Company Silky Hair Soap Bar has me super impressed!  This stuff is magic!  Thunder Bay’s conditioning shampoo bar contains some amazing ingredients, like Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Brazillian Red Clay & Tea Tree Oil, so it’s no wonder it lathers up instantly and like crazy and makes my hair so, so happy!  My curls are manageable and I barely have to condition after using it!  Who knew no-poo could be so fun and functional?

Natural Conditioner Essentials:

• Acure moroccan argan oil + argan stem cell conditioner triple moisture repairing Conditioner – say THAT 10 times fast!  Provides lasting moisture to even the most dry and damaged hair leaving it soft, manageable and ready to rock. Safe for color treated hair. Organic Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cells, CoQ10, and Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil–high in Omega 7, make up our patent-pending Triple Moisture System. Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil –high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, adds shine. Locks in moisture, repairs damage, strengthens follicles and smells awesome!  I love Argan Oil, and my hair loves this!  It makes my curls really functional and fun!
• Scentsational Soaps Botanical Super Rich Conditioner in Chocolate Honey Decadence – I didn’t think it was possible to be in love with a Conditioner until I met this one!  It provides deep conditioning and root stimulation using Olive, Coconut, Castor and Meadowfarm Seed Oils to add  natural emollience back into the hair shaft, without additional oiliness.  Panthanol (Pro Vitamin B5) and Chamomile give hair body and shine. Pure Florida Honey and Cocoa Absolute provides your hair vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and trace elements that promote hair growth and strength. Cocoa Absolute provides your hair with extra conditioning, nourishment and shine.  Leave this on for the duration of your bath and relax!

Bath Time:

I try to spend about 40 minutes in a hot bath – equipped with cold water and cranberry juice to drink to hydrate me!  The first 20 minutes are to help your body rid itself of toxins, and the last 20 minutes let our bodies absorb the nutrients in the water.  If you feel too hot or dehydrated, drink water & start adding cold water into the tub until you cool off.   You can do this by pouring glasses of cool water over yourself, draping a cool washcloth over your neck, turning on the cold water and filling the bath or spraying your feet with a shower hose.

The Mind Detox:

Put on some relaxing music, get as far down in the bath as you can and let everything go.  This is the perfect time for meditation, quiet thoughts, reflection, and making plans, but it’s also important to be extremely present and aware of how your body is relaxing and grateful for the moment.  This mind detox along with your body detox will help rid your cells of impurities that you’ve been carrying with you.  Taking deep breaths in through your nose and long breaths out through your mouth will help get you to a place of ultimate relaxation.  Enjoy it!

Love & Light

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