Take a hot soak in the tub with these rose bath melts to help melt away stress! Unlike bath bombs which are fizzy and refreshing, bath melts are full of rich oils for smoother skin. These are a great way to pamper yourself and also make a great gift for Valentine’s Day… or just because!
What Are Rose Bath Melts?
Bath bombs, bath fizzies, bath salts… add bath melts to that list! Bath melts are packed with emollient oils that quite literally melt in the tub.
There are many ingredient options to make these, but I chose shea butter, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. Here’s why:
Shea Butter for Skin
Historically used in wound care, shea butter helps with collagen production. This butter also helps strengthen the skin and fights wrinkles by fighting inflammation. It’s a staple in a lot of my favorite recipes, including this whipped body butter.
Coconut Oil for Bath Melts
Coconut oil is like the MacGyver of skincare ingredients! My family uses is it in everything from oil pulling chews to lotion, and chocolate coconut energy bars. It’s also the perfect choice for these rose bath melts.
As an antioxidant, coconut oil is the highest source of lauric acid next to breastmilk. This oil is also stable at room temperature so it doesn’t go rancid as fast as some oils. Coconut oil is antimicrobial, helps skin heal faster, and may help fight cellulite.
Rose Geranium Essential Oil
True rose essential oil takes about 10,000 pounds of flowers to produce 1 pound of oil. You can easily pay over $1,000 for just one ounce of pure rose essential oil! Rose absolute is distilled with chemical solvents and is a little cheaper to make, but often toxic. That’s not even considering the environmental impact it takes to turn massive amounts of plant material into a tiny bit of essential oil.
Fortunately, rose geranium has a similar scent but at a fraction of the cost. If you don’t have rose geranium, then Egyptian or bourbon geranium will also work, but the scent won’t be quite the same. I find it to be a much cheaper option, it smells amazing and comes with skin benefits.
Rose geranium helps improve dull or oily skin and can help with acne and cellulite, according to aromatherapist Julie Lawless.
Kaolin Rose Clay
Rose clay is a type of kaolin clay, but instead of the typical off white, it’s a rosy pink. Its red hue is thanks to naturally occurring iron oxides. Rose kaolin clay has a fine consistency so it blends smoothly into skincare products and is especially good for dry to normal skin types.
Warning: The red clay can stain fabrics so I use an old towel when drying off after using these rose bath melts. Definitely not the time to use your favorite white towel!
Rose Infused Oil
While rose essential oil is rare and costly, there’s a much cheaper way to include roses in skincare. Infusing rose petals in coconut oil helps harness the beneficial properties of the herb. Roses have antioxidants, calm and soothe both skin and mood, and are anti-inflammatory. Rose-infused coconut oil makes a lovely addition to this rose bath melts recipe.
You can see how I do herb and oil infusions here.
What If I Don’t Have a Bathtub??
You can still enjoy bath melts even if you don’t have the luxury of a tub. I love doing Epsom salt foot baths, but you can replace the salt with a bath melt. Your feet will thank you!
Rose Bath Melts
Equipment
- Pot
- Small glass bowl
- silicone mold
Materials
- 2/3 cup coconut oil virgin
- 1/4 cup cocoa butter unrefined
- 2 TBSP shea butter
- 3 TBSP dried rose petals
- 1 tsp rose kaolin clay optional
- 35 drops rose geranium essential oil optional
Instructions
- In a small glass bowl combine the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter.
- Place the bowl on top of a pot filled about halfway with water to create a double boiler effect. Heat, stirring occasionally until the butters are completely melted.
- Immediately remove from heat and whisk in the essential oil and rose clay if using.
- Sprinkle some rose petals in the bottom of each silicone mold.
- Pour the oil mixture into the molds and transfer to the freezer
- After about 30 minutes the bath melts should be firm enough to unmold.
Notes
Where to Get Supplies
- Here are the heat safe glass bowls I use, or you can use a double boiler if you have one.
- These silicone molds work well for the bath melts. I keep a set specifically for DIY projects. You can use other molds, but the smooth sides help the bath melts to come out clean.
Cleaning Up
These bath melts are super moisturizing! After patting dry I rubbed the extra oil into my skin and it absorbed nicely. It did make the tub a little messy, but that’s easily fixed with a little dish soap and elbow grease.
Other Bathtime Recipes:
- DIY Detox Foot Soak
- Lavender Mint Bath Salts
- Colloidal Oatmeal Bath to Soothe Itchy Skin
- Homemade Bath Bombs
- 5 Natural Detox Bath Recipes
- Natural Bubble Bath Recipe for Kids
What’s one of your favorite ways to relax at the end of a long day?
Sources:
Lawless, Julia. (2013). The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils In Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health, and Well Being. Red Wheel.
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