Your granny probably swore by them. And she wasn't wrong, your wise old gran.
The thing is they're packed full of magnesium and sulfate, which are minerals that most of us seem to be deficient in these days. If you suffer from any sort of skin problems, such as psoriasis or eczema or any arthritic conditions Epsom Salts can help ease your symptoms. I know a couple of people with arthritis who swear by a hot bath in Epsom Salts on those cold, damp days when they're feeling a bit creaky. I sometimes suffer from super-dry skin on my elbows and knees, and I find that a good soak in the Epsom Salts helps keep things under control.
You can read all about the miracle that is Epsom Salts here on their website: Epsom Salt Council.
Now the only little niggle that I have with them is that they're just a tiny, little bit ... well ... boring. I mean they don't smell, and they don't explode into a fizzing bath-bomb type jacuzzi or give you any other bath-time special effects. They may be very, very good for you, but so is Cod Liver Oil and how many of us rush for a spoonful of that in the mornings?
What they need is a makeover ... big time! And this is exactly what I've given them.
Ta-dah!
Normally I boast about how lovely my kitchen smells when I get cooking, but this is one recipe that will leave both the kitchen and the cook smelling wonderful!
Anyway if you'd like to make some for yourself they're very easy and rather fun to make. Here's what you'll need:
Ingredients
130 g Citric Acid
250 g Baking Soda
120 g Corn flour (or corn starch if you're in the US)
120 g Epsom Salts
3 teaspoonfuls of water
6 teaspoonfuls of Lavender Essential Oil
3 tablespoonfuls of Argan Oil or almond oil
a couple of drops of red and blue food colouring mixed to make purple
a few handfuls of dried lavender flowers
Method
Fold up a hand towel and place it on a tray. Lay out a piece of baking parchment on top. This is going to be the platform on which your bath bombs rest as they dry out. If you placed them on a hard surface they'd form with a flattened end on one side.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Shake all the wet ingredients in a jam jar as though you're making salad dressing.
Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well. You should get a little bit of fizzing when you add them.
Now for the fun part. It's play time ... . Using your hands mush the mixture into balls. It's kind of like making snow balls out of beach sand. Your mixture will have the same consistency as the perfect sand-castle-making sand: not too wet and not too dry.
Place the bath bombs on your towel/ baking parchment and leave them to dry for a couple of days. When you come back to them they'll be hard to touch and perfect for fizzing in the bath. And as I have small hands, and am a bit decadent, I'm going to drop these little mamas in my tub two at a time. They'll give me the perfect home spa experience for a fraction of the High Street price.
Enjoy!
Bonny x