DIY Peppermint Bath Salts – Easy Christmas Bath Salts Recipe for Gifting

Pretty DIY peppermint bath salts are made with Alaea red Hawaiian salt and naturally scented with essential oils. Red and white candy cane bath salts are perfect to relax in the tub and make an excellent holiday gift. This homemade Christmas bath salt recipe comes with packaging ideas and free printable labels for packaging and gifting.

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DIY peppermint bath salts – Easy Christmas candy cane bath salt recipe

DIY bath salts are a classic handmade gift idea, and for good reason… bath soaks are easy, inexpensive and look impressive. My all-natural peppermint bath soak is a gorgeous Christmas gift idea that you can give to anyone.  This Christmas bath salt idea is made with Epsom salt, red Hawaiian sea salt, peppermint essential oil, and vanilla oleoresin. It’s festive, fragrant and relaxing all at the same time.

What is Alaea salt?

The star of this peppermint bath salts recipe? Alaea salt! Alaea salt, also called red Hawaiian sea salt or just red Hawaiian salt, is a mix of unrefined sea salt and “alaea”, a Hawaiian volcanic clay, that gives the salt its deep red colour.

That salt is produced by natural evaporation in salt ponds lined with red volcanic clay. The salt is traditionally used as seasoning in Hawaiian cuisine and employed for spiritual cleansing and purifying purposes.

What are the skincare benefits of red Hawaiian salt?

Alaea salt is a nutrient-rich salt, containing many minerals and electrolytes. These nutrients are said to be beneficial when absorbed through the skin. Bathing in a solution of water and red Hawaiian sea salt may help to draw out sweat, impurities, and toxins from the skin, stimulate circulation and make dry skin soft and supple.

This is such an exciting ingredient, and another Alaea bath salts recipe is already in the making.

How do you make DIY peppermint bath salts?

Making a homemade peppermint bath soak is so easy! It’s literally three steps, and you will have wonderful DIY bath salts for Christmas gifts in minutes.

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Here is how to make candy cane bath salts:

• . Mix together the peppermint mint essential oil, vanilla oleoresin, and PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate in a small mixing bowl.
• . Fill the Epsom salt and Alaea red Hawaiian salt in two separate mixing bowls. Divide the EO mixture from step 1 equally between the two bowls and mix until the essential oil and salt are well blended.
• . Fill alternating layers of red and white salt into glass jars or vials. Optionally, decorate the jars with printable labels and ribbon.

Tips: Using a funnel helps to layer the two salts in narrow containers like vials or tubes. Pack each container to the very top so that the layers stay separated and don’t mix when the jar is moved.

Doesn’t this red and white homemade peppermint bath salt recipe look pretty?

Essential oils in bath water – How to use essential oils in bath water safely

Essential oils in bath water is a topic that pops up often when I share DIY bath bombs or bath salts recipes. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but it isn’t safe to add essential oils undiluted to bathwater.

Essential oils are lipophile, meaning EOs aren’t water-soluble and won’t dissolve into the water. If you add essential oils to water, they will pool in small puddles on the water surface, which can cause skin irritations, itching, or rashes. Peppermint essential oil is pretty potent, so we need to be extra careful on how to use essential oils in bath products.

To use essential oils safely in a bath, we have to use an emulsifying agent or solubiliser. The emulsifier ensures that the oils and water actually mix and that you can reap the aromatherapy and skincare benefits of essential oils in a bath.

This homemade bath salt recipe uses PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate as a solubiliser. PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate is made from fractionated coconut oil and glycerin. This natural emsuifiying agent has excellent emulsifying, emollient, and re-fatting properties.

How to make bath salts for gifts? – How to package Christmas bath salts for gift giving

DIY bath salts are a wonderful and inexpensive handmade gift idea. There are so many ways for how to package bath salts for gift giving. You can use this easy homemade bath soak recipe as a standalone present, put it in a beauty hamper or to create bath salt favours. Clear glass jars are perfect to display the lovely layers.

Here are a few bath salts packaging ideas:

• small quilted mason jars
• cute weck jars
• flip-top jars
• bath salt jars with adorable spoons
• small favour bottles with cork lids
• vials with caps
• mini jars for bath bomb favours

Printable peppermint bath salts label

We created free printable peppermint bath salt labels to make packaging and gifting easy. The labels come in different sizes to fit a variety of jars, and the PDF is designed for both letter-size and A4 paper formats.

Stickers

To make stickers, print the labels on self-adhesive sticker paper. All you have to do is remove the backing and apply the sticker label to a container or cap.

Gift tags

If you want to make gift tags, print the design on thick printer paper or cardboard. Then cut out and use as gift tags.

You can download the printable PDF at the end of the post and also check out our candy cane gift tags to decorate the bath salt gifts further.

How to use candy cane bath salts

Here is how to make a bath with DIY peppermint bath salts:

• Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup bath salt for a standard-size bathtub.
• Add the homemade bath salt into warm, running water and stir with your hand to help the salt crystals dissolve.
• Soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes

Safety tips

• Don’t exceed the amount of 1/3 to 1/2 cup per bath.
• If you are pregnant, suffering from any medical condition, or taking medication, please consult a doctor or health care provider before using bath salts and essential oils.

How do you store DIY peppermint bath salts?

Store DIY peppermint bath salts in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Be sure to keep the bath salts dry as salt crystals attract moisture, which will dissolve the product.

Shelf life

This Christmas bath soak recipe has a shelf life on 1 year. The essential oils may evaporate over time but can be replenished with fresh EOs if necessary.

Why are my bath salts wet?

Have you ever made a homemade bath salts recipe and after a month the bath salts had melted into a slushy mess? A couple of things can cause wet bath salts, but the main reason is humidity. While it’s difficult to control the humidity in an environment, there are few tips you can try:

• Keep the bath salts in an airtight container at all times. Salts draw moisture from the air, and the longer salt is exposed to air, the more moisture is absorbed. Over time, this moisture will melt the bath salts.
• If mixing a DIY bath salts recipe work quickly and do not let the bath salt air out.
• Add liquids only sparingly. A tablespoon carrier oil or a few drops essential oils usually won’t be a problem but too much of liquid can melt bath salts.
• Add-ins like dried herbs, petals and flowers, should be completely dry before adding them to herbal bath salts. If the herbs aren’t fully dried, the salt will draw out and absorb the remaining water content.
• Add absorbent ingredients to your bath salt recipes, such as dendritic salts or Natrasarob Bath. Both products can absorb liquid and essential oils and can protect your natural bath salts recipe from moisture. Baking soda works to some extent but not as well as the other products I mentioned.
• If you make bath salts for sale, you may think about investing in a dehumidifier to draw moisture from the air.

More DIY peppermint candy cake beauty recipes

Candy cane inspired beauty products are wonderful to care for your skin throughout the holiday season. Plus, each DIY skincare recipe is also a festive homemade Christmas gift idea for family and friends.

For more peppermint beauty DIYs, check out these projects:

• DIY peppermint bath bombs
• candy cane bubble bar scoops
• homemade candy cane sugar scrub and peppermint body butter
• festive candy cane soap
• easy peppermint lip balm and lip scrub
• DIY peppermint scented candles
• candy cane gift set

Over to you!

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Irena xx