The weather is warm, and the sun is shining. And if you're like me you probably have garden beds filled with fresh herbs and blooming flowers!
One of my favorite ways to use an abundance of garden herbs and florals is by steeping them in a relaxing herbal bath. Yep, that's right. A revitalizing tea-bath just for you!
There are many benefits of long soaks in "tub teas" including:
If you want to learn how to work with your bath and shower water in a sacred way, check out this bath ritual article that I wrote!
You can also jump ahead: Energize + Enlighten Tub Tea Recipe
Summer Bath Tea Ingredients
I like to infuse my tub with all the scents and flavors of summer. Bathing in seasonal plants will help connect you to the sacred rhythms of nature and raise your vibration. Here's a few of my favorite summertime herbs and flowers to add to my baths:
MINT
My peppermint and spearmint plants are out of control this time of the year! And I often feel like so much of it ends up going to waste. That is, until I learned how to dry the mint leaves and make teas out of them.
Mint is the perfect summertime bath ingredient because of its skin cooling properties. A mint bath can feel so good after a long day out in the sun. Minty herbs are energizing to the senses and help to open your airways. Energetically speaking, mint helps to heal deep-seated pains, relieve heavy burdens, and promotes a sense of joy and lightness.
Rose
Out of all the flowers and plants on the Earth, Rose holds the highest vibration of Divine love and compassion. And, lucky for us, rose bushes are easy to come by this time of the year. You can add rose buds or petals to your self-care baths to heal your heart and restore wholeness. Physically, rose tea will help to nourish and calm your skin while also helping to reduce stress.
Of course, roses aren't the only flowers that you can use to adorn your baths. Some of my favorite floral tub teas include yarrow, chamomile, carnations, jasmine, and geranium.
Lavender
Lavender is my go-to herb for calming and relaxing. Dried lavender buds are one of the easiest ingredients to add to baths for relieving tension and reducing anxious feelings. Spiritually, lavender helps to connect you to your heart and soul and helps you to get in touch with your highest, most authentic Self.
Lavender baths can promote better sleep and relaxation. This popular herb is also great at supporting summer skin issues such as sunburns, bug bites, stings, rashes and hives.
Basil
I'm a bit obsessed with basil. It happens to be one of my favorite garden herbs and I put it in everything... pasta sauce, salads, pizzas. And, oh yea, I put it in my bath too! Basil is known to renew and restore your body's energy. It's also an energy protector and can help to rid you and your home of negative energies. Ancient Greeks believed that Basil opened the gateways to heaven.
Basil is a good herb to turn to if you are suffering from mental fatigue or a lack of focus. Basil baths are also great for soothing tired and sore muscles. If you don't have basil, tarragon or oregano are great substitutes.
Citrus Peel
I find that citrus fruits, such as lemons, oranges, and grapefruits, hold a similar healing vibration as the sun and so I like to use them in my summer self-care baths. My kids go through a lot of oranges this time of the year, and so before I slice them, I'll try to zest as much of the peel as I can. After a couple of weeks, the peels are dried and ready to be added to my tub teas.
Citrus fruits help us to feel abundant and joyful. They energize our body and help us to release scarcity mindsets. The aromas of citrus fruits are energizing and uplifting to our emotions. Citrus is also very cleansing and purifying, both to the skin and to the auric field.
Drying Your Herbs
Whether you're drinking or bathing in your herbs and florals, they're going to make the best teas when they're dried. One way to dry your herbs is to start by collecting them in bunches. Tie them together with string and hang the herb bundles upside down to air dry for 1-4 weeks. When the stems start to break and fall apart when you touch them, this is a good sign that they're all dry and ready to go!
You can also dry your herbs by lying them flat on a towel. This works well if you're harvesting smaller pieces, such as flower petals and buds. You can simply spread them out on a tea towel and let them dry the same way. After a few weeks, once everything is dry, you can store them in airtight containers for at least a year and use them as you like.
If you're impatient, there are ways to speed up the drying process. For example, you can put your herbs in a dehydrator or even use your microwave. Personally, I don't like to rush this process as I feel like the plants keep their spiritual and physical properties better when we let them transition naturally.
Finally, if you're not really the DIY type, you can purchase dried herbs online and either use them separately in your baths or combine them to make incredible tea blends. My favorite place to purchase dried herbs is from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Herbal Tea Bags
When it's time to make your tea, I highly recommend that you bag your herbs before putting them in the bath. Another option is to simply scatter your herbs directly throughout the entire bath. This is a great option if you don't mind the mess.
I like to use reusable, natural muslin or linen drawstring bags. I like to use these and they come in all different sizes. You'll want to have a few larger sizes for bath teas, as they require more tea than a standard cup of tea requires. You can also wrap your tea in a few layers of cheesecloth and secure it tightly with string.
Energize + Enlighten Tub Tea Recipe
This citrus and mint tub tea will energize and enliven your senses. The peppermint will cool you down after a long day in the sun while the sea salt and citrus ingredients will help to cleanse your energetic field from any unwanted energies. This tub tea makes approximately 10-12 baths.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Epsom salt
1/2 cup Himalayan pink sea salt
1 cup loose leaf peppermint tea
4 Tbsp. dried citrus peel (i.e. lemon, orange)
4 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
Directions
Combine salts together in a bowl. Carefully mix in the herbs and tea ingredients.
Place the tea blend in a labeled, airtight container, such as a mason jar. Store in a cool, dark place.
To make the bath tea, fill a reusable tea bag with a couple spoonful's of the tea. Steep the tea in a warm bath and soak for at least 20 minutes.
Discard the tea after use.
I hope you've enjoyed this recipe!
With love,
Kelsey
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