Detox Bathing For Stress & Illness
I was on penicillin for this whole week after my gum surgery, and could feel the toxins from that and the drugs they gave me during surgery building into yuck, so I decided to take a bath. I mostly shower, but when I take a bath I often indulge in my own patented process "Auntie M’s Daily Detox" bath. Gentle enough you can do it every day if you like, and helps rid the body of the toxins that can build up in even a clean-living body, just from the stress of modern living. Here’s how:
Pre-Preparation: First, use a vegetable fiber brush (nylon is too abrasive to the skin) to vigorously dry brush your entire body inwards toward your heart - up from the feet and down from the neck (leave the face for a rough washcloth in the bath). This will exfoliate the top layer of skin that often clogs our pores and prevents us from detoxing effectively. This will get your heart going, so wait until you’ve calmed down and cooled off a little before you hop in the bath.
The Bath Itself: Into a very warm (not boiling but as hot as you can take) bath put a pound of sea salt, a pound of epsom salts and a pound of baking soda in the bath, and swirl to mix. I add a few drops lavender oil for its harmonizing and generically curative effects. You might see the water turn a funny shade as the toxins are pulled out of your pores. If it looks muddy , gray or even pink, that’s fine, that just tells you the salts and soda are doing their work.
Soak as long as you can, rubbing your skin at least once all over with a rough washcloth (don’t use a nylon glove or cloth as this is too rough - stick to natural fabrics) to get even more dead skin and toxins off. This is a salt-rich bath and you don’t want to end up with a fine coating of salt crystals on your skin after you dry off, so drain your bath, then stand and rinse off thoroughly under a slightly cool shower. This will also wash off any remaining toxins and seal your pores. You should feel smooth as a newborn baby and feel wonderfully warm and glowing with health.
Afterglow: If you use any moisturisers after your bath, PLEASE make sure they don’t contain propyl glycol (antifreeze), anything ending in -paraben (methyl paraben, ethyl paraben), lauryl or laureth sulfate or any other toxic and carcinogenic cosmetic additives. Even some healthfood products can contain these. Don’t put back in what you’ve just taken out! Check labels for healthiest outcomes.
A great way to safely moisturize yourself is while still wet from your bath: take a spoonful of sesame oil (very light), grapeseed oil or coconut oil and rub it between both palms, smoothing over your entire body. This doesn’t feel greasy and if you like a bit of scent, you can add a scant drop of lavender, ylang-ylang or sandalwood, all of which are warming and harmonizing.
Keep yourself warm after such a bath - it’s good to take such a bath close to bedtime and to bundle up and go to bed right after. Your sleep will be deep and sweet when you do this.
For more info on non-toxic cosmetic substitutions for the health of your body, see AvianWeb’s Non-Toxic Personal Care page
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