There’s something about a warm bath at the end of a long day that makes everything feel a little better.
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Add some homemade lavender bath salts, and you have an easy way to turn an ordinary bath into a simple little ritual.
If you grow lavender in your garden, this is also a wonderful way to use some of your dried harvest.
I love projects like this because they take something you grew yourself and turn it into something you can actually use around the house.
These lavender bath salts take just a few minutes to make and require only a handful of ingredients.
What You Need
- 2 cups Epsom salt
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup dried lavender buds
- 10–15 drops lavender essential oil
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers, optional for decoration
You’ll also need a mixing bowl, spoon, and an airtight glass jar for storage.
How to Make Lavender Bath Salts
1. Combine the Dry Ingredients
Add the Epsom salt and baking soda to a mixing bowl.
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Stir until they are evenly combined.
2. Add the Lavender
Add the dried lavender buds and gently stir them into the salt mixture.
If you’ve recently harvested lavender from your garden, this is a perfect project for using some of the dried flowers you’ve saved.
If you’re not sure how to keep your lavender after drying it, see my guide on how to store dried lavender.
I like leaving some of the lavender flowers whole so they are visible in the finished bath salts.
3. Add the Essential Oil
Add the lavender essential oil a few drops at a time, stirring as you go.
This helps distribute the oil throughout the salt rather than allowing it to collect in one spot.
You don’t need a huge amount of essential oil. The dried lavender already adds some natural fragrance, and a little lavender essential oil goes a long way.
4. Transfer to a Jar
Spoon the finished bath salt mixture into a clean, completely dry glass jar.
A small canning jar works beautifully for this.
Add a simple label and, if you’re giving the bath salts as a gift, tie a little ribbon or piece of twine around the jar.
How to Use Lavender Bath Salts
Add about 1/2 cup of lavender bath salts to a warm bath.
Swirl the water with your hand to help dissolve the salts, then settle in and enjoy.
Because the dried lavender flowers can float around the tub, you may want to put the bath salts into a small muslin drawstring bag before adding them to the water. That makes cleanup much easier.
If you have sensitive skin, it’s also a good idea to try a small amount first and discontinue use if irritation occurs.
Can You Use Fresh Lavender?
I recommend using completely dried lavender for this recipe rather than fresh flowers.
Fresh plant material introduces moisture into the mixture, which can shorten its storage life.
If you have freshly harvested lavender, make a few simple lavender bundles and hang them somewhere dry until the flowers are completely dried. Then you can use the dried buds for this project.
How to Store Homemade Bath Salts
Keep your lavender bath salts in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
A glass jar with a tight-fitting lid works well.
Avoid getting water into the jar. If you keep the mixture dry, it should stay in good condition for quite a while.
I like making relatively small batches so I can use them while the lavender is still especially fragrant.
A Pretty Homemade Gift
Lavender bath salts make an easy homemade gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas, or just because.
Put the mixture into a pretty jar, add a simple label, and tie it with twine.
You could even make a little gift basket with homemade bath salts, a lavender sachet, and a small bundle of dried lavender.
If you’re building a collection of lavender projects, How to make lavender bundles is another simple one to try. You can use the same garden harvest for both projects.
Making Bath Salts From Your Garden
I think this is one of those projects that perfectly captures what I love about simple homemade living.
You grow lavender in your garden. You harvest it, dry it, and store it. Then months later, you open a jar of that lavender and turn it into something you can enjoy in your own home.
There’s no complicated process and no fancy equipment required.
Just a little lavender, some simple ingredients, and a few minutes of your time.
That’s my favorite kind of DIY project—something beautiful, useful, and made from what you already have.
Follow my lavender board on Pinterest.