How to Make Bath Tea at Home
If you haven't heard of bath tea before, it's exactly what it sounds like—and it's one of our favorite ways to relax after a long day. You're not filling your bath with the kind of tea you'd drink, but the idea behind bath tea is similar: After drawing a hot bath, place a sachet filled with oatmeal, Epsom salt, and dried flowers into the tub and allow the ingredients to steep for a few minutes. The combination of soothing scents and relaxing salts creates the ultimate hot bath experience.
We'll show you how to make your own bags of bath tea at home. You can have a whole set done in about ten minutes, so you'll be on your way to a relaxing bath in no time. While you have all the ingredients out, make a set to give as gifts—or keep them for yourself to use as part of your next at-home spa day.
Marty Baldwin
How to Make Bath Tea
Supplies Needed
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Oat flour or rolled oats
Epsom salt
Dried flowers (calendula, lavender, rose petals, chamomile)
Spoon
Funnel
Cotton or organza drawstring bags
Scoop
Glass jar
Step-by-Step Directions
Follow these easy instructions to learn how to make your own bath tea at home. You should be able to assemble a bag in just a few minutes—so you'll be enjoying a relaxing bath in no time.
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine ¼ cup oat flour (or use rolled oats that have been chopped in a food processor until they're a fine, flour-like consistency), ½ cup of Epsom salt, and ¼ cup each of dried calendula flowers, dried rose petals, dried lavender, and dried chamomile flowers. Stir the ingredients together to combine. You'll add this mixture to individual bags later, so don't worry too much about the size of the petals (they won't be floating loose in the tub).
Step 2: Add Dry Mixture to Bags
Once you've added all the bath tea ingredients, use a small funnel ($6, Walmart) to add the mixture into small organza bags ($4, Michaels) and tie the bags closed. Since you'll be adding the bags to hot water, look for plain cotton or organza bags made from fabric that hasn't been dyed. Be sure to tie the bags shut tightly once you've added all the ingredients.
Step 3: Package Tea
To give the bath tea as a gift, place a finished bag (or two!) inside an airtight container like a 16-ounce Mason jar ($9 for 12, Walmart). This will keep the scents fresh until your recipient uses the bath tea. (Even if you're just making the tea bags for yourself, we recommend storing them in a sealable jar or airtight container). The bath tea will last for up to six months in an airtight container.
Step 4: Use the Bath Tea
To use your bath tea, run hot water in the bathtub and add a tea bag to the water, making sure the bag stays closed. Allow the tea bag to steep for several minutes before getting into the water. We recommend running the bath a tiny bit hotter than you normally would since you'll wait a bit before getting in. After your bath, empty the contents of the bag into the trash and wash and dry the bag to reuse.
