Bath

Your Guide to Using Essential Oils in the Bath Correctly

Todd Warwick

There's nothing like basking in the best essential oils to make you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. One of the best ways to enjoy them is in the bath. That said, you can't just incorporate essential oils in your bath however you want. You may end up wasting the essential oils or hurting yourself in the process.

You'll want to make sure you use essential oils in the bath correctly so that you don't end up with problems. Follow this simple guide so you can make the best essential oil bath for your wellness.

Choosing Your Oil

When it comes to picking the best essential oils for your bath, your goal should be to use an oil that pairs well with your plan for the bath. For example, a chamomile essential oil may be great to unwind, but you may want peppermint if you want something a bit more active to boost circulation.

The important thing to do is to do your research to see what works for you. Also, make sure you use oils that can be used for a bath.

Using Dispersant

A dispersant helps the essential oil and other ingredients from the carrier mix with the water efficiently. If you use the oils without the dispersant, the water will not mix well with the oil. That can be problematic at worst and counterproductive at best, as the oil will just float in a concentrated layer above the water.

Use around ten millilitres or one tablespoon of dispersant for a good mix. Make sure you mix the oils with the dispersant before pouring it into the water.

How Much Essential Oil to Use

If you're using aromatherapy to help you unwind, you'll want to use about six drops of the essential oil of your choice. If you have sensitive skin or you are bathing a young child, you may want to use no more than two to three drops.

Pregnant women or those with allergies will need to be more mindful about the amount and specific oil they use. Try a couple of drops first and see how you feel from there. At most, four drops may do the trick in your case.

What to Avoid

Although essential oils are good for you, it doesn't mean you can go wild with them in the bath. Never put the essential oils directly into the water without a carrier or dispersant. Water and oil don't go together, so you'll just have pools of oil doing nothing helpful.

Don't climb in without stirring everything first. It's better to put them near the tap and then distribute the oils by agitating the bath.

Resist the temptation to put in a lot of oil. While generally safe for the skin, these are concentrated substances and may still irritate in excessive amounts.

Be careful about mixing up oils. You mostly just want to avoid ending up with a scent that is too unpleasant. You also want to consider their effects since you might get an excess. For example, lemon and grapefruit combined will dry out and possibly irritate your skin. Stick to tried and tested oil blends.

Finally, don't make the water too hot. You want a warm bath, not something that will just evaporate the oils and make your skin sore.

Final Thoughts

Once you have everything prepared, you just need to set up your bath and soak for around ten to twenty minutes (no more or less to avoid wasted oils and drying out your skin). Then, just add some light music and dim the lights so you can get that much-needed relaxation.

Boswellia’s mission is to provide accessible, real, 100% pure, always-tested essential oils. Shop our collection to get therapeutic essential oils in Australia.