You can use oats from your kitchen for this soak recipe. Photo courtesy of Sue Goetz

The Herb Lover’s Spa Book (St. Lynn’s, 2015), by Sue Goetz shows that you don’t need to go out for a relaxing spa experience. Her book walks readers through her extensive herbal knowledge, and how to best use each herb to ensure a natural and nurturing spa-like sensation in your own home. In the following excerpt, she shares the perfect mixture for a natural oatmeal soak.

Oats have been used for centuries as a remedy to heal skin from rashes, bug bites, and after a tangle with poison ivy. It relieves itch and irritation, and it has cleansing qualities from the saponins present in the plant. Studies show that the phenols in the oats actually have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. All those qualities are contained in good old-fashioned oatmeal, the kind you cook for breakfast. So when you combine oatmeal with herbs chosen for their special properties, you create a rich mix that will cleanse and heal.

What you'll need:

What to do:

• 1 cup rolled oats• 1 cup dried lavender buds• 1 cup dried lemon verbena leaves• 1 cup dried rosebuds and petals

• In a large bowl, gently mix all of the ingredients together. Use your hands to help the rose and lemon verbena combine with the smaller ingredients.

• Place the mix in muslin bags and store for use at any time. This blend can also be ground to a fine powder that disperses easily in water.

-Advertisement-

To use: Hang the bag from the tub faucet as the bath is filling up. When the water is turned off, float the herb bag in the water. To gain the full benefits, allow for a bath time of at least 15 minutes or longer.

More from: The Herb Lover’s Spa Book

Reprinted with permission from The Herb Lover’s Spa Book, by Sue Goetz and published by St. Lynn’s, 2015.