Holiday Projects: Milk Bath

Milk Bath is one of those luxuries that I simply cannot live without.  I tend to whip up this bath tub essential on the fly by combining some of my must have ingredients, Oatmeal, Milk Powder, and Honey Powder.  While this haphazard formulation works for my personal tub time, I prefer using a more specific recipe when creating gifts.  FromNatureWithLove.com carries a fabulous Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Powder Base that can be used as your main ingredient when creating a batch of Milk Bath.  This Base contains a powdered blend of Oatmeal, Milk, Honey, and silky Cornstarch.  It is perfect for making a batch of Holiday gifts because it saves you from the cost of ordering these ingredients separately.  When creating Milk Baths, I also like to add some Epsom Salt.  This simple bath salt helps to distribute any added Fragrance or Essential Oil, and can even be used to add color to your Milk Bath.

Basic Milk Bath Recipe
1 pound Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Powder Base
1/2 cup Epsom Salt
1/4 ounce Fragrance Oil or 1/8 ounce Essential Oil
Optional Liquid FD&C Dye

Scenting Milk Bath
Milk Bath can be scented with natural ingredients such as Essential Oils or Absolutes, or they can be scented using synthetic Fragrance Oils.  Which ingredient you choose depends on your personal preference.

Essential Oils – Since Essential Oils and Absolutes contain active ingredients, they have the ability to add beneficial properties to your Milk Bath.  However, these same active ingredients can also be dangerous if used incorrectly, or by people with certain health conditions.  Most skin safe Essential Oils can be used in Milk Baths. However, it is very important that you research any Essential Oil thoroughly before adding it to any bath and body formula. Many Essential Oils will have usage rates particular to that oil. Heed the expert advice that you find during your research and never take a guess when it comes to using these potent natural ingredients.

Here are some Essential Oils that would work well in Milk Baths:

• Bergamot
• Lavender
• Geranium
• Spearmint
• Rose
• Sandalwood
• Ylang Ylang

Fragrance Oils – While Fragrance Oils are not natural, they have been specifically designed for use in skin care products, such as Milk Baths.  They are easy to use and come in a very wide range of scents.  Add less Fragrance Oil when working with spicy scents such as Cinnamon. Fragrance Oils can still contain components that may irritate the skin.

Here are some great Fragrances that would work well in Milk Baths:

• Apricot Creme
• Coconut Cream
• Egg Nog
• Lavender Vanilla
• Oatmeal, Milk & Honey
• Orange Sherbet
• Peaches & Cream
• Rice Flower & Shea
• Vanilla Frappuccino
• Vanilla Pumpkin
• White Chocolate

How to Make Milk Bath
Pour the Epsom Salt into a medium or large sized mixing bowl.  Add the Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil and stir well to fully disperse the oil.  If you’d like to speckle your Milk Bath with color, you can add FD&C Liquid Dye one drop at a time until you reach your desired color.  Next, add the Oatmeal Milk & Honey Powder Base to the mixing bowl and stir well.  Once the powder has been thoroughly mixed it can be spooned into Cello Bags or Tin Tie Bags.  Milk Baths look great when packaged with one of our Wooden Scoops or Wooden Beveled Scoops.  Try tying one onto the package with a colored ribbon.

Each batch of Milk Bath can be split into small cello bags to make generous gifts!  We were able to make them for around $2.48 each by making a large batch with the following recipe:

• 2 lbs. Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey Powder Base ($13.00)
• 1 cup Epsom Salt (about $2.50)
• 1/2 ounce Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil (about $2.77)
• 8 Small Cello Bags (about $1.58)

Total cost: about $19.85 (about $2.48 each)

Don’t forget to use discount code: NBWS4277 during online checkout to save an additional 5% off qualifying items.