by Jessi Wohlwend
Today I am going to share an amazing DIY detox bath recipe with you! I use this detox bath to relieve stress or to help get over a cold and it works great!
Sweating is the body’s natural way of detoxifying, so just soaking in hot water helps to pull toxins out of your body to the surface of your skin. Toxins are also drawn out of your body as the water in the bath starts to cool down.
And it worked! I felt more relaxed just getting into the bath and when I woke up the next morning I felt completely refreshed! I woke up by myself half an hour before my alarm went off and I continued feeling great all day!
If you want to see other health and beauty remedies, check them out here!
DIY Detox Bath Recipe
(I bought all of my ingredients in bulk through Amazon, affiliate links below)
- ⅓ C Epsom salt
- ⅓ C sea salt
- ⅓ C baking soda or 1 C apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ t ground ginger
- a few drops of Young Living essential oil (optional, learn more about essential oils here)
*NOTE* Baking soda and vinegar react with each other (you know the fun fizzing volcanoes you made as a child?!) and will negate each other, so you don’t need to use both in the same bath! It won’t hurt if you do, but you won’t get any benefit from either one. Instead, just choose one for your bath and skip the other this time. They each have different benefits (see below) so choose the one that will be best for your bath, and remember, you can always mix it differently next time!
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add your essential oils and stir well.
Draw a bath with water as hot as you can stand it. As the water is filling the tub, add the bowl of dry ingredients and the vinegar. The flowing water will help mix it, but make sure to mix it well. (Don’t worry if your water turns yellow or orange, that’s just the ginger and the vinegar)
Soak in the bath for about 40 minutes and enjoy! If you want to you can rub your skin gently (always towards your heart) to stimulate your lymphatic system and help clear out the toxins.
You can use chopped fresh ginger if you would rather; I would just suggest putting it in a tea ball or something similar so you don’t get pieces of ginger floating around or clogging your drain.
If you like the bath you can make a bulk version of the dry ingredients and store them for future use. If you have a fun container to put it in, this would also make a great gift! Just mix up all the dry ingredients (the first three if you’re using fresh ginger, the first four if you’re using ground ginger) and store it in something with a lid. Then just grab 1 cup of the mix and 1 cup of vinegar when you want a bath.
Benefits
These are some benefits you can get from each of these ingredients. Feel free to mix and match the recipe and ingredients so that it works best for you!
- Epsom salts
: helps make you sweat, reduces inflammation, relieves muscle aches, found in most bath salts
- Sea salt
: another common bath salt, helps leach out toxins, soothes open sores or blemishes
- Baking soda
: highly alkaline, helps balance an overly acidic system, helps eliminate chlorine in the water, softens water and skin
- Ground ginger
: increases circulation, opens pores, makes you sweat
- Apple cider vinegar
: helps restore the acid-alkaline balance in your body, helpful for acne, softens skin
- Essential oils: varying health benefits; learn more here
Important considerations before taking this bath
This bath and the detox process can be fairly dehydrating so make sure you drink plenty of water during and after the bath. I had my 1-liter water bottle with me and drank a full bottle during the bath and another full bottle after. I was definitely thirsty!
When you’re getting out of the bath please be very careful and move slowly. You may feel weak or light-headed if you stand up too quickly.
You will probably feel tired right after, so take this bath at a time when you can go right to bed if you need to. I wrapped myself up in a bathrobe and watched a few episodes of X-Files while drinking water. It took about an hour before I felt like getting up and moving around, and I was still very tired.
Also, please don’t take hot baths or salt baths if you are pregnant, have heart trouble, high blood pressure, or if you are diabetic. If you’re not sure, talk to your doctor first.
If you start to feel like you are coming down with the flu, don’t freak out. While your body works to detox and flush out the toxins you may feel a bit under the weather for about half a day. It probably means it’s working! Stay hydrated to help your body clear out the toxins and you should feel better pretty quickly.
How do you relax? Have you ever tried a detox bath recipe like this before?
If you’re interested in learning more about essential oils, just let me know or join our Facebook group! I’d be happy to get you more info or get you a sample to try out!
Or if you are ready to start using essential oils, you can get the Young Living Premium Starter kit at a HUGE discount and get all your oils at 24% off for life when you sign up as a wholesale member. The starter kit is everything you need to get started living a happier, healthier, more natural life with essential oils, and the 24% discount on any future purchases of Young Living oils and products doesn’t hurt either! Check out this page for more details.
Disclaimer:
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Jennifer says
What works good with lavender oil for extremely sorry muscles from working out. I do this at night so nothing that will keep me awake, I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is 😉
Jessi Wohlwend says
Lavender, Marjoram, and Rosemary oils are all really great for sore muscles, and they are nice and relaxing too so they should be find just before bedtime. Young Living also makes a blend called Panaway which is awesome for muscle aches: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/panaway-essential-oil
DGW says
I did a google search for vinegar and baking soda bath and got to your blog. I wanted to see if they worked well together or not. Your recipe includes both vinegar and baking soda. Then your Note, just below the recipe, warns against using them together. Am I misreading something somewhere?
Jessi Wohlwend says
There’s nothing wrong with using them both together, the note just indicates that the two cancel each other out. It certainly won’t hurt anything to use both, but you’re better off picking one or the other, depending on which benefit you’d prefer. (The benefits of all the ingredients are listed near the bottom of the post.)
Anna says
Found this on Pinterest. Love the idea of a good detox bath! I’m curious though if this would be ok for nursing mothers. I use epsom salts in my bath all the time when pregnant and nursing because it helps with leg cramps and increases magnesium levels in the body. But, I wonder if adding the other ingredients would result in too much detox into your milk. I guess if it truly is a good detoxer, then it probably is not a good choice for nursing mamas.
Jessi Wohlwend says
The strongest detoxifying ingredient in this bath is the Epsom salts, so if you use those already then I think the additional ingredients won’t hurt. I’m definitely not a doctor or a health professional, but I don’t remember hearing any warnings again vinegar or baking soda or ginger in your diet while nursing so I imagine they’ll be ok in a bath as well. The main way this bath detoxes you is through your sweat as you sit in the bath, so I think your milk should be safe, but check with your doctor if you’re worried about it!
Laurie says
I love this idea but my apartment doesn’t have a tub, could this be used as a foot soak? I have a wonderful jet soaking foot tub and wonder if I could get some benefit if I used it that way.
Jessi Wohlwend says
Absolutely, it would be great as a foot soak! You can definitely get a lot of the same benefits from a foot soak, just maybe on a slightly smaller scale.
Rhonda says
Why do you say not to use baking soda and vinegar in the some bath but yet you list both in the recipe and say to use in the same bath?? What did I miss there?
thanks
Jessi Wohlwend says
No worries! They are both listed because they both have different helpful benefits in a detox bath. But the note clearly says not to use both in the same bath. It says “*NOTE* Baking soda and vinegar react with each other (you know the fun fizzing volcanoes you made as a child?!) and will negate each other, so don’t use both in the same bath! It won’t hurt if you do, but you won’t get any benefit from either one. Instead, just choose one for your bath and skip the other this time. They each have different benefits (see below) so choose the one that will be best for your bath, and remember, you can always mix it differently next time!”
So pick which quality you like better (the “Benefits” are listed further down below the recipe), and then choose between baking soda and vinegar! Use one in one bath, then use the other in the next! Just know that if you put them both in, they will cancel each other out. So like the recipe says, choose one!
Marcey Ellis says
I’ve seen this recipe and variations of it on multiple sites… I’ve never seen any other recipe that says the Baking Soda and Vinegar cancel each other out. They both promote an alkaline-leaning system, don’t they? I’m just wondering what your reasoning is to not do them at the same time.
Jessi Wohlwend says
Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid, so in terms of alkalinity they will mostly cancel each other out. That doesn’t mean that you won’t get other benefits from using them both in the same bath, as I mentioned, but your bath will fizz a little once both are added, and that’s the acid/base reaction creating a neutral alkilinity, at least in terms of those two ingredients.
Neva says
I found the recipe when I was searching on information about using vinegar with baking soda in a bath. I thought I had found a good recipes but then it got confusing because it appears to be a recipe including both but down below, it says not to use one of the ingredients in the recipe. Might be better to state within the recipe to add either baking soda OR vinegar. I’m curious as to where you got the information that using them together cancels each out. Thanks.
Beth@Unskinny Boppy says
Love this post! Essential oils are great for detoxing! 🙂
Ms. Nell says
I just got out from soaking and relaxing using this recipe sans the vinegar. Totally feel it working. Is there a routine to using this for example use 3 days then once a week there after? Just wondering. Thanks
Jessi Wohlwend says
Glad to hear it’s working! I use it about once a week, but the routine is totally up to you! I’d suggest doing it once or twice a week until your body gets used to it; if you do it too often it can stress your body out and have the opposite effect.
Tiffany says
Question would this work the same as ionic foot bath, just curious tried several epsom salt baking powder an ginger the water ither turns yello green r green do you know?
Jessi Wohlwend says
The water initially turns a bit yellow because of the powdered ginger when you stir in the mix, but it doesn’t change color after that. I don’t know how ionic foot baths work, but if I remember correctly they seem to claim that the water will change color as toxins are pulled out of your body, but this detox bath doesn’t do that. It does help pull toxins out of your body, but the water stays the same color. 🙂
Tiffany says
Thanks
JoAnn @ SweetPepperRose says
Detox caught my eye… giving this a try this weekend. I have all the ingredients already. And just doing a simple body scrub with sea salt and baking soda makes your skin feel awesome. Thanks Jessi!
Brianna says
I do this every week….sometimes twice a week and I DO mix the baking soda and the vinegar for MY best results..I no longer get massive leg and foot cramps in fact I can tell if I have gone too long without this as I start to get cramps again so I jump right in. I go easy on the sea salt at this point as I live in the desert and it seems to dry me out a bit too much. I have noticed a GREAT improvement in my joint mobility as well and I put the water on my face and it even makes my facial skin look better I am debating on doing a facial soak more often with a saturated washcloth….I LOVE this formula and it has helped me a LOT..After I use pure coconut oil as a lotion as I do not want to put a bunch of chemicals back into my skin…
Brianna says
Also I can get everything but the vinegar at the 99 cent store I get the good vinegar the kind with the sediment (the mother)…it is cheap at TJ’s…
Renee says
Love this but instead of drinking water I drink coconut water as it is a way better hydrator to the skin and your body. Coconut water is also a natural energy drink so its nice to sip while having this bath.
Debbie says
This sounds great and I’m going to try it, but would it hurt anything to add a few drop of lavender oil to it?
Jessi @ Practically Functional says
Nope, not at all! If you have some essential oils that’s a great way to add some nice fragrance to the bath!
Lyn says
Hi Jessi,
This sounds great, could you please tell me 21/2 t of ground ginger is that teaspoon or tablespoon & how often can you have a detox bath
Jessi @ Practically Functional says
It’s 2.5 teaspoons. 🙂 And I would suggest you not do the detox bath more often than about once a week. It can be draining on your body, so more often than that is probably not good for you!
Brittany Jenkins says
can we use something other than ginger? I’m allergic to it
Jessi @ Practically Functional says
Definitely! You can just skip the ginger entirely and use only the other ingredients. Any combination of those things will be helpful in detoxing; the ginger isn’t a necessity. 🙂
Shannon says
I have been taking salt baths since December also use it for toe infections. Now I am getting sick so I took a salt bath and I feel better.
Lisa says
Is this safe for someone who is pregnant?
Jessi says
I don’t know; I would ask a doctor. I know a normal bath is okay while you are pregnant, as long as it is just warm rather than hot, but I don’t know about the detox part…
Laura says
This is amazing!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. After my 2 kiddos got the flu and all my co workers got sick I was bound to get something. This is the only thing that has made me feel better:) I am going to make a huge batch of this and gift it to all my co workers tomorrow!!!!
Jessi says
So glad to hear this worked for you! It always makes me feel better when I’m sick or under the weather. 🙂
Emma E says
Awesome! I’m gonna try this tomorrow. Also, I’m watching X-Files right now! It’s my favorite show 🙂
Hayle says
I took this with just baking soda and some tabke salt.i do feel a little light headed and sleepy but i feel so much better already! Gonna drink some water and watch tv then go to bed! Thank you so much Jessie!
Jessi says
You’re welcome! Glad to hear it’s helping a bit. And being lightheaded and tired is totally normal, so a glass of water and then off to bed is great plan. 🙂
Hayle says
i want to try this so bad but i dont have any epsom salt. Do i really need the epsom salt or could i replace it with something else?
Jessi says
The Epsom salt is definitely not required. All of these ingredients help with the detox, and Epsom salt is usually the main ingredient, but you can mix and match these however you need to and it will be fine. You can try adding more sea salt instead of the Epsom salt, or most drugstores carry Epsom salts in the aisle with bandages etc. if you want to try to find them.
rebekah says
the water was to look nasty after wards right, If it was i didn’t know I had that much toxins in my body
Jessi says
The water in my tub turns kinda yellow-ish right at the beginning just from the ginger in the mix, but yeah, the water gets kinda icky. 🙂
Chelsea says
After I did the detox bath I was really light headed and when I sat down my lower stomach hurt really bad! Its like a sharp pain. I don’t know why it hurts??
Jessi says
The light-headedness is completely normal; that is from the heat of the bath and possibly from being slightly dehydrated. I don’t know about the stomach pain though, that’s a bummer. It could be a muscle cramp possibly. The detox bath normally would make you feel light-headed, hot, and a bit like you’re coming down with a cold (sore throat, slightly swollen lymph nodes, etc.), but the stomach pain is not something I’ve heard of before as a symptom. Anyone else have any experience with it?
Lindsay says
i have the epsom salts and baking soda, but for the other ingredients, i only have regular table salt and regular vinegar. could i use regular salt and vinegar and get the same results?
Jessi says
Apple cider vinegar has a bunch of other benefits over regular white vinegar, but you can still use the white vinegar and it should be just fine. Same with sea salt vs. table salt. But really, all of those ingredients are wonderful in a bath even just by themselves. So if you only have epsom salts and baking soda, just make a bath with that, it will still be great! You’ll miss out on a few extra benefits (like the ginger opening up pores etc.) but just a plain epsom salt and baking soda bath will help you detox a bit as well. 🙂
Kelly says
I tried this 2 days ago because I was feeling a cold coming on. Not to take away from the great results many of you have had, but just a heads up that it landed me in the ER getting an IV because I got so dehydrated, despite drinking LOTS of water. I’m guessing that when you’re already a little sick and need extra fluids to begin with, this is not the best remedy. Wanted people to know this possibility before ending up sick like I did!
Jessi says
Oh no, I’m so sorry you were so dehydrated! 🙁 I definitely start to feel a bit sick after taking this bath, so I don’t usually do it when I’m already sick; don’t want to feel doubly sick! But thanks so much for the heads up! I’m not a doctor or health care professional at all, so everyone should be very careful when doing this cuz my experience may not be the same one everyone else has… Thanks again for the warning!
Stacy says
Couple of thoughts and information. I have been told by many alternative healing practitioners that taking a bath while sick is going to release a whopping amount of toxins that your body cannot get rid of all at one. So if I was sick I would avoid this. In addition, never get a massage while having a flu, cold or fever. All these things overwhelm your lymphatic system. The complaints about stomach pain from another commenter, did you eat within an hour or two of your bath? You know that silly old wives tale 😉 Well, it holds some credence with warm and hot water. Your blood needs to be flowing through & paying attention to your digestive system. A warm bath pulls it away from that task. In addition, always ere on the side of caution and start with shorter timed baths than you normally take. You are pulling toxins from throughout your body. Remember those delicious pomegranate martinis on girls night??? lol In closing, it never hurts to play and nurture the child in you with a rubber ducky!
Kiry says
I have found that drinking coconut water really helps me. I seem to have some electrolyte issues and the potassium in coconut water combined with the magnesium in the epson salt is pretty amazing for healing. My next adventure on clay detox.
Carolyn Werning says
I tried this and oh my!!! I read this while getting sick so i thought id try it, right after i felt tired but i feel great now. It really does make you feel better.
Delhia Roberts says
Hi Jessi, great post and very clever idea indeed. Thank you so so so much for kindly sharing your posts at my Girly Mondays link party! Wishing you a lovely day, Delhia x
Motivated Mommy of two says
I definitively have to try this it sounds so relaxing. I found you on the Happy-Go-Lucky site
JKStamy08 says
Such a smart idea!
As kids on a farm we often stepped on rusty nails and the first thing my mom would do is stick our feet in an epsom salts bath. And I've always done ginger baths when sick… never thought to put them together. Thanks!
Linda says
I use epsom salts all the time for wound healing. It clears everything right up. Thanks for the recipe. Linda
Kristy says
Aaaaaaah this sounds perfect… the whole family's coming down with something, and this would be amazing. That is, if I can find the 40 minutes, between playing nurse to two sick little ones and a hubby with a man-cold, ha ha!
cheapcraftymama says
That sounds delightful, thanks for sharing!
Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking says
Wow – after the last few weeks I've had I need this!
Deanne says
this is great- i think i need to do this!
Jessi W says
Mmm, love lavender! I found some lavender scented epsom salts at CVS, it's my new fave!
Amanda @ Ninth Street Notions says
I am a big proponent of baths, and I love to add epsom salts. This week I've been enjoying lavender and chamomile. This sounds great!
Jessi W says
I hope it helps you feel better!
Kristiina says
I'm going to do this RIGHT now. I'm sick and this sounds amazing. Thank you!