5 Simple & Natural Detox Bath Recipes

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Detox bath recipes
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » 5 Simple & Natural Detox Bath Recipes

Nothing is more relaxing than a warm bath… except perhaps a relaxing warm detox bath that also helps cleanse the body in other ways.

If you struggle with toxins or skin issues these natural recipes are a simple, easy, and inexpensive way to boost health. I’m always up for a warm bath, and these natural add-ons help improve health while you relax.

A good detox bath will also tend to make you tired so I suggest doing them as part of your bedtime routine.

Natural Detox Bath Recipes

You may have heard of an Epsom bath (and that is our base recipe here), but what about a clay bath, vinegar bath, or even a mustard bath?!

These are all natural ingredients, available in most of our kitchens or pantries, that can boost the circulatory and olfactory senses, stimulating relaxation and building up magnesium stores.

You only need a few simple ingredients to make some or all of these detox bath recipes:

  • Epsom salt
  • apple cider vinegar
  • baking soda
  • bentonite clay (one more specialized ingredient that has lots of other purposes, so consider stocking up!)
  • mustard powder or ginger powder
  • essential oils (mix with powder or salt rather than directly to the bath)

These recipes are also safe and soothing for kids too! (But choose your essential oils wisely.)

Basic Epsom Salt Detox Bath Recipe

Here’s my basic detox bath recipe. Find the other variations below. Mix and match, or find your favorite!

Detox bath recipes
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4.27 from 135 votes

Salt Detox Bath Recipe

This simple salt bath recipe is great for soothing skin irritation, boosting magnesium levels, and overall detoxing.
Prep Time15 minutes
Yield: 1 bath
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

Instructions

  • In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
  • Pour the water into a quart-size mason jar.
  • Stir in the sea salt, Epsom salt, and baking soda.
  • Fill the bathtub with warm/hot water.
  • Add the apple cider vinegar.
  • Pour the salt mixture in and add essential oils if using.
  • Soak in the bath for 30 minutes or as long as desired.

Notes

With any detox bath, you may feel tired or lightheaded when you get out. I don’t recommend doing this while home alone or before going somewhere in case you are tired or need help.

Clay Detox Bath Recipe

Clay Detox Bath Instructions

Dissolve the Epsom salts in a warm/hot bath and add essential oils if desired. For the clay there are two options:

  1. Vigorously mix the clay into a small amount of water until the clumps are mostly dissolved. Do not use metal for this! I mix with a plastic spoon in a glass jar. Add the clay mix to the bath and soak for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Mix that clay with a small amount of water to make a paste. Stand in the tub full of water and rub the clay mix all over your body to create a skin mask and let dry for 5 minutes before sitting down. This provides direct contact with the skin and effectively pulls toxins from the skin. Soak in bath at least 20 minutes or as long as desired. While soaking, use a wash cloth to scrub any remaining clay off the skin.

This bath is great for removing a lot of toxins as the clay binds to heavy metals and the Epsom salts help pull a variety of toxins from the body while replenishing magnesium levels.

Oxygen Detox Bath Recipe

This bath is especially helpful during illness as the ginger helps clear congestion or alleviate body aches. It can also be helpful for allergies or skin irritation.

Oxygen Detox Bath Instructions

  1. Fill the tub with warm/hot water and add the hydrogen peroxide and dried ginger.
  2. Soak in tub for 30 minutes or as long as desired.

Vinegar Detox Bath Recipe

This is an excellent bath for soothing skin problems since vinegar balances the skin’s pH. While I don’t love the smell of vinegar, if anyone in the family has sunburn, eczema, dandruff, or dry itchy skin we take a vinegar bath.

Apple cider vinegar has a whole host of benefits, and I find it helps not only my skin but leaves me with soft skin and shiny hair as well.

Vinegar Bath Instructions

  1. Once or twice a week, I fill a tub with warm to hot water and add 1-2 cups of apple cider vinegar.
  2. I soak for 20-30 minutes, using a washcloth to clean my face and making sure to get my hair wet as well.

After bathing, I rinse off in a cool shower, though some sources recommend letting the vinegar water dry on the skin.

Mustard Detox Bath Recipe

I know, I’ve lost my mind right? If it helps, I’m talking about organic mustard powder, not the yellow stuff in a bottle! Ancient cultures often used this spice in preparations to soothe colds, flus, and sore muscles, thanks to its circulation-stimulating properties.

Magnesium and essential oils make this bath both detoxifying and aromatic.

Mustard Bath Instructions

I use this recipe which uses organic mustard powder, Epsom salts, and a mix of essential oils.

Additional Detox Bath Notes

  • The warmer the water, the more powerful the detox effect will be.
  • If you have chlorine and fluoride in your water, I recommend adding a few tablespoons of bentonite clay to any of these baths to help absorb the chemicals so they aren’t absorbed into the skin. Here are some other ways to reduce chemicals in bath water as well.
  • Any of these natural ingredients can be used alone or in combination for a cleansing effect.
  • All recipes can be doubled or tripled but this will increase the detox effect.

More Bath Recipes for Natural Detoxification

I recommend starting slowly with these bath detox recipes or any health change. To help, I’ve compiled all of my ideas for detoxing your body and your home in my book The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Important: I am not a doctor or medical professional and the advice in this post is for informational purposes only. If you are pregnant or have a health condition, consult a doctor before adding anything to your health routine.

This article was medically reviewed by Madiha Saeed, MD, a board certified family physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

Ever taken a detox bath? Got a different recipe you use? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

269 responses to “5 Simple & Natural Detox Bath Recipes”

  1. Katelyn Avatar

    5 stars
    I love glacial clay. Would you recommend I make a mix with bentonite and gray clay or just use the glacial clay?

  2. Lauren Avatar

    The recipe below causes a chemical reaction and will bubble out of the jar.

    Just add the dry ingredients to your bath water. They will dissolve.

    “Pour the water into a quart-size mason jar.
    Stir in the sea salt, Epsom salt, and baking soda”

  3. Brooke Avatar

    We have a metal clawfoot tub. Does this mean we shouldn’t use the bentonite clay??

    1. Jamie Larrison Avatar

      These are usually coated in ceramic or porcelain so the clay wouldn’t come in direct contact with the metal. If the tub isn’t coated though, there’s always the option to do a foot bath with a different container.

  4. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    3 stars
    The first recipe is not safe as written. I followed the directions adding the salt, baking soda and epson salts to the hot water in a quart jar. The hot water foamed out everywhere. It happened very quickly and burned my hand. Would have been a disaster if kids were near.

    1. Jamie Larrison Avatar

      Hi Michelle, Did you happen to also add the vinegar to the jar while you were mixing the salt in? The vinegar and baking soda together will react.

  5. Fiona Cherukara Avatar
    Fiona Cherukara

    How much Bentonite clay would you recommend for kids? I do a weekly Epsom salt bath for kids but would like to try the clay option. Thanks!

  6. Kathrine Avatar
    Kathrine

    Hey do you guys know which one works best for getting rid of cellulite?

  7. Carisa Avatar
    Carisa

    I have always read that you shouldn’t use clays and epsom salts in the same bath, as the clay attracts the magnesium from the salts so you don’t reap the benefits of either when they are used together. They cancel each other out. Your thoughts on this?

    There are several recipes here that I didn’t know about, so thank you for that!

  8. shawn mcvay Avatar
    shawn mcvay

    I have a sensitivity to sulfa-sulfates so I came up with my own detox recipe without Epsom salt
    1 cuo baking soda
    1/3 cup magnesium powder
    1/3 cup Himalayan pink salt
    1/3 cup sea salt
    5 drops peppermint oil
    5 drops lavendar oil

  9. Lindsay Avatar

    We have a larger whirlpool tub, would you double the amounts or just leave it the same?

  10. Zealth Avatar

    Starting a day by detoxifying is a good habit .thanks for these natural detox bath recipes. Is there is any disadvantages of these detox bath recipes for kids. Is it good for health?

  11. Kimberly Avatar

    At Healthy Home Econmist I was just reading not to mix Epsom salt with vinegar. Seeking to discern.
    Thanks much
    Kimberly

  12. Jeanette Christine Nunez Avatar
    Jeanette Christine Nunez

    I just love your lifestyle and I’m getting so crunchy now that I leterally found a chunk of bentonite clay in our local stream and thought, I’m going to make my own clay mask! Made a ton and just slathered it all over my body til I turned green then got in my Epsom salt bath. Then I thought, Is this a real thing?? So reassuring to see your recipes to know I’m not the only crazy one!

  13. Heather Avatar

    My 7 year old daughter was stung by a scorpion yesterday. I’m worried about the long term effects of the venom. Do you think a detox bath will be a good solution for her?

  14. gave Avatar

    I started to detox when I started losing my weight . It was really hard for me not to say “Diet” in the first sentence I wrote . It is part of that cognitive thinking we have to change in ourselves if we plan on staying healthy ,because healthy people don’t diet they eat correctly so they don’t have too , lol ha ha ha I’m not sure if the Detox I use is the best or Not but it works Good for me …check it out and tell me what you think or if there is something better https://www.averagejoe.site/health-fitness I have been eating low carb and walking and drinking that detox tea everyday and I have came from 389lb to 273lb in just over 7 months.. My Ex was the one who originally bought it for me

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