These recipes benefit not only your skin but also your emotions by providing you with some herbal aromas to inhale as you soak away the cares of the day.

Before incorporating any of these infusions into your bathwater, use the patch test on your skin. If you don’t take baths, follow the instructions for any of the bath mixtures and use the cooled infusion as a body splash during your shower. Use the bath bag of herbs as a washcloth.

Troubled Skin Bath
Summer can cause a variety of irritations to your skin. Try soaking in the Troubled Skin Bath as an aid in relieving some of them.

1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried calendula blossoms
1 quart boiling water

Add the herbs to the boiling water and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the infusion from the heat and let it cook to lukewarm. Strain the infusion and add to your bathwater.

Deodorizing Bath
All of the herbs in this recipe contain ingredients that will deodorize your body. It is a wonderful herbal mixture to enjoy after a hot day of working in the garden.

1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 muslin bath bag
1 quart boiling water

Add the fresh or dried herbs to the bag and close snugly. Add the bag to the water and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the infusion from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Add the infusion and bag to your bathwater, using the bag of herbs as a washcloth.

Fragrant Bath
The herbs in this recipe will give you a fresh, pleasantly scented bath.

1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried sweet marjoram
2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoons dried lavender buds
2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoons dried peppermint
1 muslin bath bag
1 quart boiling water

Add the fresh or dried herbs to the muslin bag and close snugly. Infuse the bath bag or herbs in the boiling water and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the infusion cool to lukewarm, then add it and the bath bag to your bathwater.

Relaxation Bath
1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried lemon balm
1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried German chamomile blossoms
2 cups boiling water

Add the herbs to the boiling water. Cover and infuse for 20 minutes. Strain and add to your bathwater.