I absolutely love bath salts. In the past I’ve posted tutorials for making rainbow bath salts and for making a stress-relieving lavender-magnesium bath soak, but I’ve never posted a tutorial about baking plain old bath salts. Sometimes simple is best, and with the holidays coming up, this simple DIY is a great go-to gift if you’re looking for something thoughtful, easy to make, and affordable.
So why bake bath salts? Well, you don’t really have to. But your finished bath salts will have oils in them, which will lead to some clumping after a while. Baking your salt/oil mixture will help it stay clump-free and looking fresh, which is particularly important if you’re giving the salts as a gift (or baking them well in advance!). It’s an easy process that really helps your gift look polished. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
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- 1 cup Epsom salt
- 1 cup sea salt–or if you want to try something new (read: more expensive), you can use Himalayan Pink, dendritic, or, my favorite, Celtic.
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 3/4 tbsp sweet almond oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp essential oil of your choice
- Food coloring
- Measuring cups, bowl, baking sheet, foil, oven, spoon
(Don’t use any ingredients you’re allergic to, and always spot test new ingredients to make sure you don’t have a reaction to them 🙂 Use your best judgment.)
Step 1: Mix the Epsom salt, sea salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add the oils and stir.
Step 2: Add the food coloring. A little bit goes a long way, and remember, you can always add more to tweak the color. Mix well.
Step 3: Cover your pan with foil and spread the salt mixture evenly over the foil. I used two layers of foil. Pop it in the over for about 15 minutes at 175.
Step 4: Every 5 minutes, take the pan out and gently mix the salts with your spoon. This is why I suggest using two sheets of aluminum foil–one might rip. I also used a wooden spoon.
Step 5: When 15 minutes have passed, take the pan out of the oven and let the salts cool completely, mixing them as they cool. Once they’ve cooled completely, store in air-tight containers and give these as gifts to your lucky friends.
Note: It’s a good idea to let these sit out for a few hours before packaging them, even after they’ve cooled. One reader had an issue with a jar exploding when she put them into a jar and sealed it too soon. I stored my salts in plastic baggies after they had cooled completely, but I did leave the baggies open while I was in the kitchen working on multiple colors/scents at once.
If you aren’t sure what scent to give someone, consider a scent sampler, which also looks really nice if you color each scent differently.
Here’s my sampler lineup…
- Blue: Peppermint & Eucalyptus
- Purple: Lavender
- Pink: Rose
- Yellow: Citrus (Lemon & Sweet Orange)
PIN IT!
If you liked this post, definitely check out my 10 easiest DIY beauty gifts post here!
Nice! Now I see what you were doing while you were house sitting and what I might get for Christmas!! I like lavender, rose, peppermint eucalyptus and lemon & sweet orange (in that order).
🙂 <3
Hi. This looks like a great project. Can I add slsa to it for bubbles and would it be safe to bake as you would the regular bath salts? Thank you so much.
Hi Linda, thanks!! Unfortunately I have never worked with slsa, so I can’t say if it would be safe or not. I have, however, baked bath bombs with citric acid in them, which is a powder that also gives a fizzy effect.
May I asked how you baked your bath bombs? Or if you have a post about them
Hi! I have a post about them coming soon!
These are great bath salts, but make SURE to let them cool and off-gas completely before putting them in airtight containers!! I just made a batch, and had a very thick flip top bottle explode like a bomb, sending glass for about a 30-foot radius, and smashing holes in other glass vases!! I think it has to do with the baking soda reaction… Be careful!
OMG! That is crazy! I let mine cool completely and then stored them in plastic baggies for a bit until I picked up jars for them. I’m sorry you had a bad experience!
I’m making these to use as a favor for my sisters bridal shower. It’s actually cooling on the counter next to me right now and smells AMAZING (I used a calming blend). How much goes into the bath at once?
That sounds great!! Honestly, I usually just dump some in the bath, probably about a 1/4-1/2 cup, but sometimes I go overboard. 🙂
This is an excellent recipe. I been experimenting with other recipes and noticed that the salts were very damp. I didn’t want to keep it that way, since I am using this for work (I am a manicurist and using this for my pedicures) Baking it made it nice and fluffy and dry, and still kept the scent. I was a bit worried about, so next batch I am going to add a few drops of essential oil. I just like lots of fragrance.
As for the cooling, had no problem. Took the salts off the tray and put them on another so they would cool off. (just like baking cookies) This seemed to do the trick and was able to package in about an hour with no trouble.
Simply wonderful!! Thank you!
Raquel, that’s great! I hope your clients love them!
I made these, they turned out good. Next time, I will bake them, then add sea salt. They kinda melted down in the damp mix, and I like the big chunks of salt glistening in the blend.
Good call. Using coarse sea salt might help with that, too!
hi dear!!this is very interesting and will use this idea to the test!need sme advice…I plan to make and sell bath salt scrubs…the ones you mix with olive oil..I’m worried as to what combination doesn’t rot..as I’d like to be able to sell scrubs that can be stored at in a cool place out of the fridge..that way makin it convenient for clients wen travelling. I’ve never made them before but am very interested in making a business out of it..your advice or any idea if you don’t mind will be greatly appreciated
I’m sorry but I’m not sure I have much advice for long-term storage of salts 🙁 I usually make them and use them up within a month or two, and I don’t make them so they need to be put in the fridge. I’m sorry!
Why the need to bake? Do you have to use the almond oil?
Hey Ang! You definitely do not have to bake, but it helps to keep them fluffy and prevent them from getting clumpy. I also like adding the sweet almond because it’s good for your skin, but you can opt out of that! If you opt out of the sweet almond oil, you’d probably avoid some of the clumpy-ness that you’d get if you mixed an oil in.
Can u use grape seed oil in place of almond? And if u bake will the essential oil scent still be their or will the scent won’t be as strong anymore?
Yes, you can use grape seed since it’s a carrier oil! I didn’t have any issues with baking diluting the scent, but I have a tendency to go wayyy overboard on my scents. You can always add more if it isn’t as strong as you’d like.
I used jojoba oil. The only thing I would do different next time is not add that much lavender. I had a headache afterwards because the scent was so strong. Otherwise turned out great!
Yay that they worked, sorry you had a headache! Hopefully next time will be a bit more relaxing. 🙂
Can u also use regular roasted almond oil from the grocery store
I’d probably stick to sweet almond oil…I’ve never used roasted almond oil for skincare DIY projects 🙂
Ok thx
Hi! I’m really excited to try these. I will be giving them as gifts to my bridesmaids, along with a few other ‘spa day’ things, but the wedding is still 2 months away. Considering the amount of stuff I will have to do as the wedding gets closer, I’d like to go ahead and make their gifts. Do you think these will still be fluffy after 2 months or should I wait until closer to the wedding? Basically I am wondering how long it will stay ‘fresh’? Thanks so much!!
I think they will be fine! Baking helping to dry them out a bit so they won’t get too sticky as they sit. 🙂 When I bake bath salts, it sometimes takes me months to use them up depending on what time of year it is.
Do you think you could substitute coconut oil for the sweet almond oil?
Do you use essential oils? I just want to make sure that when I bake the salts with the oils, that the scent does not bake out from the heat. Do you think adding the oils after baking would work, or would that defeat the purpose of baking the salts?
Yes, I use scented oils, and I add them before baking. The temp is so low that you will be fine! If you do feel that it has diluted the scent a bit, drop a few more drops in after they have cooled and stir thoroughly. Adding just a few drops back in should not make a difference in consistency. Good luck!
I have the same question as Diane as I have a lot of Coconut oil
You can try it, but coconut oil solidifies at room temps, so it might make the salts clumpy. I’ve never tried to use it in bath salts…I use it in salt scrubs because I like how it solidifies, making it easier to pick up and use!
Does baking the salts allow the essential oil scent to last longer? I have tried adding EO’s to my bath salts, but it seems that the scent dissipates after a few days…. I’m trying to make something where the smell will last so i can sell them at Christmas Bazaars and such…. any suggestions?
Hi Shannah! Baking the salts prevents them from becoming clumpy when they sit…keeps them fresh! As for the scent, I would try adding more. I’ve never had an issue with the scent dissipating.
Hey! I was having an issue with a recipe, in that after a week or so the salts were discolouring. I figured it was due to the moisture, so I did a search and came across this blog!
I’ve tried baking a few batches, but each time it lost quite a lot of it’s colour (pink was turning out a more peach colour), and also came out quite clumpy/crispy. Almost like bits had melted together. I only baked for 10 minutes too. I was wondering if you use a fan oven to bake your salts? If not, then perhaps I just need to turn the temp down?
Thank-you in advance! 😀
Oh no! I did notice just the slightest bit of the color fading when I baked them, but you can experiment with how much color to put in. I don’t use a fan oven, but I turn my oven on the lowest possible temp. If the temp is too high, the salts can melt! I also take them out to stir every few minutes to make sure they are drying out evenly. Good luck!
Hi, thanks for a great post! I just wonder if it’s 175 Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Fahrenheit, sorry about that!!
Hi Brittany, I came across your article while figuring how to avoid salts catching moisture since they are a lot better when dry.
My recipe is :
1 cup Epsom salt
1 cup dead sea salt/any other salt
1/4th cup citric acid
1/4th cup borax
Powdered additives
Color and essential oil
(Not baked)
Now the salt was perfect for 2 days (stored in an airtight container opened just once for usage) but it’s caught a lot of moisture.
Now I’m not sure whether citric acid and borax can be baked. Please help me 🙂
It’ll be perfect if its dry.
Thank you
Hi Eesha! Thanks for stopping by–I’m glad you found my site! Unfortunately I have never baked borax, but I have baked citric acid in a batch of scented shower discs, and it was fine!
Thank you 🙂 that was a recipe given by someone I learnt soaping from..I could try without borax and maybe replace it with baking soda instead. Thanks again 😀
You are welcome and good luck!!
Do you loose a whole lot of the scent when you make the salt?
I did not! I baked them on the lowest heat possible. If you need to add a few drops of scent after you bake them, that’s fine. A few drops is such a small amount, not enough to make it clumpy, and is still quite potent.
Ok thank you so much!! I was wondering if the baking soda could be what’s drawing the moisture in if it’s not baked??? Will try and see. Thank you for sharing your thoughts
I am new to making bath salts. Why the almond oil if you don’t mind me asking.
Hi Alexis! I just like to add a bit of extra oil so that the salts aren’t super dry. I also use almond oil in my salt scrubs.
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe! Other times I’ve made bath salts with baking soda, I’ve had the baking soda bits floating in the bath…does the baking of the salts fix this issue?
Yikes, I’ve never had that happen. It sounds like maybe the baking soda was getting clumpy with any oils you may have added? I hope this recipe doesn’t do that!
Thanks for the suggestion, I am going to try it but I am wondering if heating the essential oils would affect the therapeutic benefits of them?
Hello, I read you put them in a plastic bag when getting a container. Can I leave them in a plastic bag if the bag is sealed shut? Or does it HAVE to be in a container with lid?