This recipe for fizzing bath salts appears on page 46 of Happy Thymes: A Calendula of Herbal Dillies, a collection put together by the Myra Merryweather Herb Guild of Pecan Springs, Texas. Nelda Narendorf, head librarian at the Mabel Pendleton Thorpe Free Library in Pecan Springs came up with this recipe. She claims that taking a bath in her salts is just as good as a trip to the hot springs at Mineral Wells. “It makes a pretty gift, too,” she says. “Last year at Christmas, the Herb Guild made up a washtub of it, poured it into jelly jars prettied up with ribbons and lace, and gave them to people at the nursing home.” The recipe makes about 4 cups. Use a few tablespoonfuls for each bath.
Old-Timey Fizzy Lavender Bath Salts
- 16 ounces baking soda
- 8 ounces cornstarch
- 8 ounces citric acid (sold in the supermarket with baking supplies)
- Essential oils or fragrance oils: 2 teaspoons lavender, 1 teaspoon patchouli, and 1 teaspoon rosemary or bayberry
1. Blend the dry ingredients.
2. Blend the oils and add a drop at a time to the dry ingredients.
3. Mix with your hands, then force through a fine sieve to further distribute the oils.
4. Store tightly covered for two weeks before using to develop the scent.
