As if you need me to tell you the benefits of some time in the tub! I love me some tub time. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. A good book and a hot bath is hard to beat.
When I read this article the other day that shares claims that hot baths have the same benefits as working out for an hour, well I was pretty excited. Does a hot bath at 104 temperature really have the same benefits as exercising for an hour? The jury is still out on that one, but we do know that there are many other health benefits from spending time in the tub. Burning calories, reducing pain and inflammation, helping sooth sore muscles, stress relief, help you sleep better...the list is long, but I have discovered a few products that you can add to your tub to make your bath time even more beneficial.
Epsom Salt & Essential Oil
Epsom salts and essential oils have become my bath time go-to. They are cheap and easy to find. Epsom salt baths are great for many reasons:
- relieves pain and inflammation
- relaxes sore muscles
- boosts your magnesium levels (which many of us are deficient)
- eliminates toxins by helping remove heavy metals from the body through reverse osmosis
- improves blood sugar levels
- reduces stress
My experience: I usually put two cups of epsom salt in my hot bath along with 10-12 drops of lavender and soak for at least 20 minutes. I always feel relaxed and have a great nights sleep afterwards.
Mustard Bath
Taking a mustard bath didn't sound relaxing at all. Mustard goes on my hot dog, not my hot bath. I couldn't smell it prior to purchasing and was worried that the mustard smell would be less that enjoyable in the tub. I was wrong! The essentials oils of wintergreen, rosemary, eucalyptus, and thyme included in the formula make this powder smell fantastic. Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath is an aromatic and alkaline bath formula that helps eliminate acid waste and balance your pH. Mustard is known for its stimulating, cleansing and rejuvenating qualities. The mustard opens your pores, helping you sweat out impurities. All of that sounded pretty good to me!
According to Dr. Singha, "Mustard Baths have been traditionally used for detoxification and purification. In many parts of the world Mustard is well-known for its therapeutic value when used in a bath, helping to increase circulation, oxygenation and the elimination of toxins. The outward application contributes to general well-being by activating the largest organ of elimination in the body: THE SKIN and helping to reduce the toxic load stored in tissues throughout the body."
My experience: I used two ounces in my hot bath. It turned the water slightly yellow but noting unpleasant. After 20 minutes I rinsed with cold water and rubbed down with a rough towel as recommended. I loved the way this made my bath smells and made the water very soft and soothing. I will definitely use this again.
Seaweed Detox Bath
Made with Bladderwrack seaweed from Maine, The Seaweed Company claims that this addition to your bath will help detox and replenish your skin with beneficial vitamin, minerals, and amino acids found in the ocean. Not being able to see or smell inside the package I was very nervous about throwing seaweed into my tub.
My experience: Inside the package along with the seaweed is a mess bag. The instructions tell you to place the desired amount of seaweed inside the mess bag and run the whole thing under hot water in your tub. First, the seaweed made a huge mess all over my bathroom counter. I needed four extra hands to get this stuff into the mess bag and since I don't have four extra hands I ended up with it everywhere. Tiny flecks of seaweed escaped from the bag and the whole thing turned my tub pee yellow. And the smell. You know when they pile up the seaweed on the beach to bury it in the sand and it's been sitting there for a while? That's what it smelled like. It smelled like a marina when you are still in the parking lot but you can smell the stinky, stagnant water from a distance. Not totally overpowering but stinky nonetheless. This does not make for pleasant bath time for me, I don't care what the benefits are. After 15 minutes of sitting in pee yellow, stinky water with brown bits floating around everywhere I couldn't take the smell any longer and got out and rinsed off. Obviously I will not be using this product again.
Did my skin and body reap the benefits that the package claimed? I can't really say. Honestly, I can't really say that definitively for any of these products. I certainly hope that I am benefiting in some way, but ultimately it's more about the relaxing and enjoyable experience. If I burn a few calories and detox a little, even better. All I know is, bath time is a good thing and a quiet room with a good book, the scent of lavender in the air, and perhaps a cool glass of rosé nearby is always going to be beneficial.
Reminder: I am not paid by these companies for these reviews so you can trust that what you read is my honest opinion of the products.
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