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!
Salt Detox Bath Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
- ¼ cup Epsom salt
- ¼ cup baking soda
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 10 drops essential oils (optional, I use peppermint or lavender)
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
Clay Detox Bath Recipe
- ½ cup bentonite clay
- ½ cup Epsom salts
- essential oils if desired
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 2 cups (or more) hydrogen peroxide
- 1 TBSP dried ground ginger
Oxygen Detox Bath Instructions
- Fill the tub with warm/hot water and add the hydrogen peroxide and dried ginger.
- 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
- Once or twice a week, I fill a tub with warm to hot water and add 1-2 cups of apple cider vinegar.
- 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!
I was just looking on mountainrose….French green clay seems pretty awesome, why not use that for the clay detox bath?
Any clay will work actually 🙂 Green clay IS awesome
Are these recipes safe for kids?
What’s wrong with fluoride?
Google “What’s wrong with fluoride”.
Do you think these would be okay for a pregnant woman to do, if the water was kept relatively mild?
Does the bentonite clay in the bathwater build up or clog your pipes at all?
I haven’t had any trouble with it…
I have experienced some clogging of my tub drain. This was after trying to flush a more significant amount of clay down. Just kinda had to work it down to be honest. But I live in an apartment complex that has less than desirable pipes.
I like to clean all my sinks every now and then. Sprinkle like half cup bicarbonate soda add same amount of white vinegar then after a minute pour boiling water to flush out.
I love these! My favorite is the salt one because it combines all my favorite detoxifiers in one 🙂
Love these! Other places I’ve read call for a lot of the ingredients(such as 2+ lbs. of clay, or 3 cups of salts). Glad to know that smaller amounts are significant!
One question…Is there such a thing as too hot of a bath? Sometimes I take what I call a “sweat bath”- a bath that’s hot enough to make me sweat, and maybe feel lightheaded and super thirsty. Is that a good thing for detoxing, or is that too hot? No, I’m not pregnant, as it probably would not be a good idea then.
When not pregnant, I’ve always read that hot is fine as long as it isn’t burning the skin… always drink a lot of water before and after though!
Also, if you keep a cold wash cloth on your forehead and one under your neck, it keeps you from being so lightheaded. Also, before you do a “sweating” detox bath, it’s good to make sure your channels of elimination are open i.e bowels etc .. so that it can release and not recirculate.
Do you have good tubby suggestions for kids? My kids sleep really well if I add a handful of epsom salt to their bath.
I second that request! I’m always looking for safe ingredients to add to the bath water for my little boys–ingredients that will help them relax but won’t cause any problems during the “splash-fest.” The only thing I’ve tried thus far is Chamomile.
I add lavender to my girls baths then put a couple drops on their feet and put sucks on them they love it and it smells great (:
I add a little epsom salt, magnesium flakes, sea salt and clay to my kids baths a lot of the time…
Thanks! I like it when bath products have many uses and when they can be safely used by anyone in our house. We tend to keep to basics when we can.
Love these options! Thank you for the recipes!! I do have one question.. as a nursing mama are these ok for me to do? Are toxins released into my milk as my body flushes them out?
I’ve seen things on both sides of this one. In general, I avoid internal detoxifying (supplements, herbs etc) but personally feel comfortable with external ones like this..
Be sure if you’re pregnant to not make water too hot. I made mine too warm and I thought my son was going to jump out through my throat. 🙂
Always check with your doctor when you are pregnant.
I love a good, relaxing bath! Thanks for these recipes. I have a question about water…ours does have chlorine and flouride. I would love to have a whole-house filter installed, but I have no idea who to call, where to get one. Anything you can recommend?
I don’t know of a good whole house filter that removes fluoride so for now we have a berkey for drinking water and carbon shower filters…
Do you think the benefits of a daily detox bath would outweigh the harmful effects of daily fluoride exposure? I have a berkey shower filter that removes chlorine and metals but not fluoride.
Detox is a bit extreme for every day…I do mine about once a week. They are very draining but you will feel a difference with the first bath….I do the salt one and add ginger to the water too.. I do a three to one on the main ingredients and a couple of teaspoons of ginger powder. Then a whole cup of the vinegar with the sediment…costs a little more but works a lot better. That bath has changed my life one week at a time.
i have a question about the salt baking soda vinegar detox. Will white vinegar work?
Why type of Hydrogen Peroxide do you use? the 35% Food Grade? Or the Pharmacy 3%?
This is a good question and should be specified in the blog entry. If you use the Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide it’s 35% and that is strong stuff. I’ve burned my vagina in a sitz bath (the tub that fits on a toilet) with that and that was even bringing it down to 3% and adding a lot more water on top of that too. Some people pour that stuff straight into their bathtubs without a problem. I tried it one more time and even with just a couple of ounces after bringing it down to 3% I still burned. That was Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide.
What is a Berkey?
It’s a water filter. You can check them out here: https://wellnessmama.com/go/water/
Hi! I am super sensitive to chlorine & Florida in my water. A couple of years ago I did research to find a filter for our house. I came across Aquasana. They have several different types but their whole house filter also has a UV light to kill ecoli & other gram negative bacteria. I have noticed a huge difference in my gut health since using these filters. We signed up for the automatic mail out of the filters every six months. This is not only helpful bit economical too as they are cheaper & if you have trouble with your unit the replace it for free, at least they have done that for our smaller faucet units. Their customer service is excellent & they are a high quality filter. You should at least research & check them out for yourself. Hope this helps.
When you have any water problems you should call your local Culligan Man! My husband and I have been in the water business for over 25 years. Many water processing companies have come and gone promising all kinds of solutions to water problems. Culligan has been in business continually for over 75 years. Your local Culligan Man will be able to help and educate you about any water problem you have. (unlike other companies that will charge you an arm and a leg for a mediocre product) And you can be sure that his information is backed by years of expertise.
You can buy those at Loews, we live on the Rio Grande in Texas, thats where our water comes from, we have the whole house filter, reverse osmosis, water softner, use potassium in it. They can inform you and you will need a plumber to install, but well worth it!!!
Use,clay as,suggested at the top
I went to Home Depot & they had a person there from a Water Filtration company called RainSoft. I love it, no more white pot rims, the dishwasher leaves everything sparkling clean, your skin is soft, I can go on but try them.
Love your blog so much! Do you think these will help with skin boils / cyst? And how often should these baths be taken? Thanks so much!
They might… you’ll probably have to experiment with the best combination for your skin though. They can be taken daily if needed…
Colloidial Silver…..is a must! My daughter had the same issues and the Dr’s wanted to put her on an antibotic for the rest of her life. We put her on colloidial silver for 2 months and they were completely gone and never have returned.
Its a natural antibotic and perfectly safe
I was on antibiotics for cysts/acne until I started going to my naturopath. She’s not giving me what I need to rid it without the antibiotics though. If I may ask, how is she using the colloidal silver? Sublingual? Topical? What strength. I’m new to it and so far have only used in our nebulizer with illness. Thanks for your help 🙂
I’ve read that many people’s acne cleared up when they took Green Pature’s fermented cod liver oil/butter oil blend.
I had cystic acne for decades and a pharmacist said it is different than other acnes. It’s a toxicity issue and that I should give up gluten and watch my sugar intake (along with taking vitamins). Sometimes I slack on the vitamins with no real adverse effects…BUT MY ACNE IS GONE!!! I strongly suggest completely getting rid of the gluten and see what happens.
How do you use silver in your nebulizer?!
That is the smartest thing I have heard anyone else say all year! I am so pro silver! That stuff cures cancer and all kinds of other stuff! LOVE IT! And u can make it in the privacy of your own home
How much do you drink a day? I have severe systemic Candida where can I buy a good brand?
ME TOO. I hate candida and it has caused vitiligo. :/
Hi there, I very rarely post and almost never reply to comments but when it comes to colloidal silver I feel I must. Hands down it is the best thing I have ever done for myself and now I have family and friends reaping the benefits. There are so many known pathogens , bacteria, and viruses that are harmful if not fatal to the human body and antibiotics are only effective on a small percentage of these. It has been proven in other countries that in the presence of silver colloid and silver ions that none of these harmful or fatal pathogens, bacteria, or viruses can as survive in the presence of silver for more than six seconds. Of course these we’re very controlled lab tests but the fact is that it is used almost everywhere but the U.S. to treat everything and has cured cancer. Unfortunately we live in a country controlled by big business and the pharmacutical industry is one of if not the largest and they have done everything they can to squash the use of colloidal silver. 99% of pharmacy drugs are a sham, believe it or don’t believe it. I wish everyone would just try it and see for yourself. Next time you are given antibiotics take colloidal see silver instead for 3-5 days and your infection will be gone. Don’t just buy anything that is marketed, do a little research or better yet make it yourself…and no you don’t have to buy an expensive colloidal silver generator. Most of info online is hog wash but you can find all info needed but it takes some time but io sent your life and o ty hers we north some diligent research. True story….I nor anyone of my children nor my 4 year old granddaughter have been sick or to a doc for an illness since starting to take it. My 4 year old granddaughter has never been sick or had the common cold. When o ty hers start getting sick I start taking a little silver daily or every other day for couple weeks and we just simply don’t get the bug. Please people do yourself a favor and give it an honest try, you won’t regret it. Peace, love and best wishes to you all. Sincerely, ju as t a regular guy ?
What brand is good?
Tindall Effect on amazon, or sovereign collodial silver
Danielle Thanks for the information on the name
Where would I buy it? Thank you
Yeah I was hoping for a name brand – I’m not sure why people don’t give that if it works for them I try to give out as much information as I can
my son is 3 yrs old from the time he was one til 2 months ago he had had almost 30 ear infections and croup same number of times.every 2 weeks for 2 yrs we were at the drs.office.He has had 2 sets of tubes, tonsils,and adenoids removed.no one could say for sure why he stayed sick.allergist said no allergies but still put him on nasal spray and 2 allergy meds. other specialist said could be rare form of asthma got 2 asthma meds.one said gerd and gave another med.he was taking all these plus a steroid at least once a month and an antibiotic every month.then 30 day antibiotic turned into a 97 day script that had to be changed 4 times.He never caught a break n i was at my witts end.i stopped giving him any meds and took him to a chiropractor.her test showed T2 and C3 not in line.one is bronchial tubes the other is ears.he gets adjustments weekly. we use Sovereign Silver for the one ear inf hes had since going .cleared up within few days.he had the strider breathing couple days last week i used the Sovereign silver in his nebulizer it worked better than any breathing treatment we have ever used.I am sold on this no side effects! the last cough med he got at the pediatrician was codein it actually said can cause death in children.
Sovereign Silver is what we use.
Natures Sunshine is the best I have tried and they have 3rd party testing for their purity
How is injecting yourself with silver safe?
You’re not “injecting” anything into your body. Please do your own research. I don’t use colloidal silver, but Nano Silver and its a freaking miracle. Silver is an element. In its pure form its completely natural. The amounts used for health purposes are almost trace and safer than any chemical. Silver has been proven to kill cancer cells. As was stated above, the pharmaceutical industry has taken colossal steps to squash anything natural in favor of big business. The list of things that silver can cure is astounding. Just think about it – humans have survived this long without all the medicine thats available today and people are generally sicker than ever. Sure, we live longer, but at what cost?
Do you take this every day? How much? Do you take more when sick?