Basic bath oil (floating)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) sweet almond oil, or sunflower if you have a nut allergy
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) jojoba or fractionated coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon vitamin E oil (helps the oils keep longer)
- 20–30 drops essential oil in total
- Pour the base oils into a clean, dry glass bottle (amber or cobalt keeps light out).
- Add the vitamin E and essential oils.
- Cap and shake. Label it with the date.
- Use one to two tablespoons per bath, under the running tap. Shake first.
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Dispersing version (turns water milky)
Add a solubiliser so the oil mixes into the water instead of floating. It's less slippery, less greasy, and spreads essential oils more safely. Replace 20 ml of the base oil with 20 ml of polysorbate 80, then shake well before each use. The water will go cloudy, which means it's working.
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Choosing a base oil
- Sweet almond: the classic. Light, soft, inexpensive. Avoid with nut allergies.
- Jojoba: technically a liquid wax. Very stable, long shelf life, not greasy.
- Fractionated coconut: stays liquid, no smell, very light.
- Sunflower or grapeseed: cheap, light, nut-free. Shorter shelf life.
- Avocado or apricot kernel: richer, for very dry skin.
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Scent blends
For the 100 ml recipe, use one of these. They come to about 1–1.5%, a gentle level for bath use.
- Spa: 12 lavender + 8 eucalyptus + 4 rosemary
- Sleep: 14 lavender + 6 Roman chamomile + 4 cedarwood
- Rose garden: 10 geranium + 8 palmarosa + 4 rose absolute (or rose blend)
- Citrus wood: 10 sweet orange + 8 frankincense + 6 sandalwood
Keep cinnamon, clove, oregano and thyme out. They irritate skin even in small amounts. More in the essential oils safety guide.
Shelf life and storage
Stored cool and away from light, most homemade bath oils keep for 6 to 12 months. Jojoba and fractionated coconut last longest; sunflower and grapeseed are the shortest-lived. Throw it out if it smells like crayons or old cooking oil, because that means it's rancid. Since the recipe has no water, it doesn't need a preservative. Keep water out of the bottle.
Making it a gift
A 100 ml glass bottle with a cork or dropper, a hand-written label and a sprig of dried lavender tied on with twine makes a good present. Put the ingredients and the "use 1–2 tablespoons per bath" instruction on the label, and mention almond oil for anyone with a nut allergy.