Handmade Salt Pouches For The Shower Or Bath

I love salt scrubs, especially this time of year when I want to slough off the dead skin from winter, and I equally love bath salts for the skin softening ingredients in them – but more often than not I find myself in the shower.  These pouches are perfect for combining both bath salt and salt scrub into an exfoliating pouch I can bring into the shower, and they are simple to make.

You can go a few different routes when making these so play around with your recipes and find your favorite.  I made these for my mom for mothers day so I added a few things for specific reasons.  I will list them to give you an idea of how you can customize these to suit your needs.  In my moms pouches I included:

• 1 cup sea salt – Coarse because it holds up better in the water for exfoliating
• 1 cup Epsom salt – Anti-inflammatory, skin softener among other things
• 1 cup powdered milk – Skin conditioner, gentle exfoliate
• 1 cup baking soda – My mom has hard water, this will soften it
• 15 drops of Peppermint essential oil – She is up before dawn and needs a pick-me-up

A few different ideas for a mix:

• Oatmeal, lavender buds and powdered milk with a little of your favorite essential oil
• Just sea salt and grapefruit or petitgrain essential oil for an invigorating scrub
• Salts, herbs, and essential oil

Salt Pouches

Start with 6 cheap washcloths.  I picked mine up at the dollar store.  The cheaper the better, you want them a little rough!

Folded in half, cut them into thirds.  Mine were 3½ inches each.

Still folded, sew along each side leaving the end open.

Fill each pouch half full with desired mix.

With a needle and thread do a loose stitch across the top then pull to gather and secure with a knot.  If you are only using sea salt and essential oil you might be able to sew the top with a sewing machine, just make sure no fine dust is getting into your machine.  You are done!!

Now put them in a pretty airtight jar (a mason jar works great) until you are ready to use them!

You can use alone but there are a few different ways, for example:

• Form a little well in the pouch with your thumb and pour in a tablespoon of grapeseed oil or even olive oil for a more softening effect (tried that this morning…it was fabulous)
• Put a little of your body wash on it for a cleansing scrub
• Toss in the tub while it is filling for a salt bath

They make great gifts, just throw them in a pretty jar with a few instructions and your set!

Do you have any special recipes you use?

Also, I have had quite a few of you email me about the Hanging Fabric Basket tutorial wanting more specific measurements.  I have a post coming up showing how you can make them bigger for kids toy storage and hang on the wall.  You will love ‘em!!