We’ve had a huge change in weather this week – we’ve gone from dog-days-of-summer humidity and heat to cold and rainy, put-your-socks-and-sweater-back-on weather. I’ve been enjoying some fun with muscle spasms, so I concocted another bath soak to warm me up and calm the muscle spasms. I got the idea for this one on Crunchy Betty’s post about using ginger in homemade beauty products. I modified her bath salts idea to use my sore muscle soak. I have to say that she’s a genius on the scent combination – it smelled absolutely delicious.
Ginger is warming, has muscle ache relief qualities, and apparently is highly-regarded as one of nature’s best cellulite reducers (so, yeah, I’ll give it a try). Both ginger and cinnamon encourage circulation, which in turn helps relieve some of the aches and pains you may feel after a long day.
The recipe suggests Sweet Orange essential oil, which is optional, but smells so good. If you don’t have any, I suggest trying some orange zest. Why not? There will already be some little floaty things in the bath (the ginger).
My other note: this bath is really warming, as in – it will make you sweat like a stevedore. This is good – sweat out the bad stuff, relax for 15 to 20 minutes in the wonderful smell, and when you are all done, drain the bath and take a quick tepid shower to rinse the bits and pieces off of your bits and pieces. You’ll feel great afterwards.
Warming Ginger, Cinnamon and Orange Bath Soak
- 1 cup Epsom salts
- 1/4 cup sea salts
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 3 tsp peeled, finely ground or grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 5 drops sweet orange essential oil (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a small container and stir well. Add to bath under running hot water, and stir it around with your hand to help the salts dissolve before you climb in. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Use immediately.
*This would also make a nice gift, packaged in a pretty jar – just don’t grate the ginger. Attach the nob of ginger to the outside with instructions about how much to include in the bath.
Linked to Frugally Sustainable, A Delightful Home, Six Sister’s Stuff, A Pinch of Joy, Mind Body and Sole
lightlycrunchy 
Yum, your bath & beauty products always sound good enough to eat.
This one smells like something good is cooking too!
Is this entire recipe for one bath?
Yes, it is.
Copied this one!
I hope you enjoy it!
weather here is like that too – and I got a charlie horse yesterday you would not believe – do not know if the two are connected
Maybe, you never know. I certainly seem to be a bit of a barometer for the weather. I feel every change and don’t necessarily enjoy them. I highly recommend any kind of soak with some epsom salts – the heat and the salts often work to calm muscle spasms for me, and I get them a lot with the MS.
Our weather is the same here too. We had summer temperatures in March and now I’ve unpacked my winter sweaters. I love your recipe, I’d love to feel some heat right about now.
Yep we have been having unseasonally freezing and raining end of Autumn/beginning of Winter.
I offer paraffin wax body wraps for aches and pains (with bonus super moisturiserisation), I think this bath salts recipe would do almost the same job it has amazing ingredients!
That sounds like it would be wonderful – I’ve never tried anything like a body wrap before, or parafin.
I enjoy the baths – they have a very relaxing and soothing effect.
You’ll feel mummified and sweaty but it’s worth it! lol
We are moving into cooler weather in Australia and I’m looking forward to trying out this Warming Soak. Best wishes from Jean
Argh! You always make me wish my bath was bigger! And not full of baby toys. Next house…
I remember the bath full of baby toys..
Something else that works, if you want to warm up and make tired feet feel good – just use less and make a foot bath. If my feet are warm, so am I, usually.
Great idea!
If you would like a gift idea, I would love this one!!!
Done!
This sounds lovely.
I think I need to make this for my husband! He and our son (15) play on a father/son soccer team and my husband can’t keep up like he thinks. I wonder if this will cure his broken toe : / yes, a trip to the doctor is now on the list for today!
Ouch! I don’t imagine it will do much for his broken toe. Poor thing! Those 15 year olds sound dangerous. 🙂
I love a good soak and one that smells this tasty sounds delightful.
*anna
This sounds wonderful! I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue so lots of aches and pain. I can almost smell it:)
It does feel good – and heats up quite a lot.
I’ve only just started to read the book – “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis – but when you both mentioned problems I’d read about there (fibromyalgia & MS), I thought I should share it with you. Loads of free info and great comment q&a (and the info I mentioned) here on the blog… http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/02/its-not-lack-of-exercise-its-the-wheat/
This is awesome! You are right about the cellulite reduction and this is why I am a big fan of Ginger teas. I never knew that it can be applied externally. But with its warming characteristic, I think it makes perfect sense.
My daughter, sister and I have fibromyalgia,(hubs gets muscle spasms in his neck (so this bath soak wouldn’t work for him). Wonder if this could be made into a balm? Sounds good and one thing none of us wants is more drugs in our lives!
I haven’t tried it – but I know that some of the warming effect of the ginger comes from the way it heats up in hot water. I have MS and all of the fun muscle spasticity that can sometimes accompany it and find that a bath like this just before bed does a lot to relax them. I don’t know if there is such a thing as a ginger or cinnamon essential oil, but if so – it could probably be made into a massage oil or a balm that way.
This sounds so soothing! I’ve had fibromyalgia in the past and something like this would have been so helpful. Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! Hope to see you again soon.
[…] dry clothes with the extra time I have off this summer. As far as homemade products go, I made a warming bath soak for when some unexpected cold weather at the beginning of the month caused some chills and muscle […]
Thanks so much for stopping by, liking and leading me here! I’m participating in the monthly “food pals”, which involves sending a gift box of food or other items to whoever you are assigned to that month. I’ve plenty of food type gifts, wanted something else a bit more indulgent. This is the perfect thing!
Thanks! Glad to help out. I did one of the foodie penpals things too one month – I enjoyed putting my box together. I didn’t receive anything, but later discovered that it was my fault – my email to the penpal that was to send me a box got stuck in “drafts”. Oops.
I also have reaction to Barometric pressure. Do you know of anything that would help with the migraines that come with the Weather changes?
No, I’m sorry, I don’t. I wish I did.
I made it just now and it smells great. Used Ginger, Cinnamon and Orange Essentials Oils instead of the dried spices. Also used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt instead of just Sea Salt.
That sounds wonderful. I hope you enjoyed the bath. Did the cinnamon oil and ginger oil heat up like the spices do?
How much of this do you add to the water?
Seems like a lot for one bath…?
The entire thing. That amount of salts is the normal amount for a soak.
I was feeling a tad sore after a day of gardening and your recipe worked a treat.
[…] Even better, warm up afterwards with a ginger, cinnamon and orange bath salt soak. […]
Would substituting ginger and cinnamon essential oils be less effective or the same? I don’t mind a little mess, but it seems the oils would be a bit cleaner.
I haven’t used ginger essential oil before, but I do know that cinnamon oil can burn skin – I stay away from it.
[…] Orange, Cinnamon: A lovely concoction of fresh ginger, cinnamon and sweet orange essential oil. Simultaneously relaxing and energizing. […]