Soaking Baths
The benefits of hydrotherapy have been known for centuries. Soaking away your stress is a real thing - and it’s great for your health and skin!
From mineral-rich hot springs to our bathtubs, submerging in warm or even cold water, it’s all beneficial! Soaking can help rehydrate and rejuvenate the skin; it’s even said to benefit the heart, nervous system, and muscles.
I love customizing a relaxing bath with tea blends, herbs, bark, flowers, salts, or oils. I’ll be reposting my favorite D.I.Y. recipes on our Pinterest!
How do soaking baths work?
Soaking increases your blood flow, relaxing muscles and opening pores, which reduces stress and allows for deeper product absorption. Soaking in a bath can help hydrate the skin; this is especially helpful if you’ve been dehydrated, sick, or exposed to the sun for long periods of time.
Studies have confirmed that warm water bathing can increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, which might be why a bath or a hot shower feels so refreshing.
Cold water bathing is also highly beneficial (1). While it’s shocking to feel ice-cold water against your skin, it’s said to decrease inflammation and the physiological effects of stress (1). Cold-water immersion, or cryotherapy, has become increasingly popular because it helps muscle recovery, but it also improves skin tone.
For both cold water soaking and warm water soaking, adding plants, salts, or oils is a great way to get all the beneficial ingredients soaked into your skin!
What are the benefits of hydrotherapy, or soaking?
Hydrating
Supports skin barrier function
Increases blood flow
Cleanses skin
Gently exfoliates
Allows for deeper absorption of oils, or other ingredients
What do I love to add to my bath?
I love a plant bath; it's rejuvenating, stress relieving, and visually beautiful. I love to add pine or flowers like rose, chamomile, hibiscus, or lavender. You can even add a tea bag! Always do a patch test in case you have an allergic reaction; for example, some people are allergic to chamomile oils or tea when it’s applied to the skin!
You can also add drops of your favorite serum or moisturizing oil. A sensitive-safe hydrating mask or facial oil can be applied before the bath; the heat of the water will help it soften the skin resulting in a super-glowy complexion!
A great tip for a low-waste herbal bath, leave your teabags in a jar of water throughout the day (or in the fridge for 2-3 days) and add it to your bath! Discard any tea after three days to reduce the risk of contamination!
A great hydrating, but sensitive friendly serum is the Cacao Cove Mask by Earth Harbor. This skin supporting mask contains vitamin C, magnesium, and omega fatty acids. There's also super hydrating blue-green algae and coconut milk - the perfect mermaid bath mask!
Lindsay A, Carr S, Cross S, Petersen C, Lewis JG, Gieseg SP. The physiological response to cold-water immersion following a mixed martial arts training session. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2017. www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28177718/