Let’s face it, baths aren’t for everyone. They’re sweaty, time consuming and hard work. By the time you’ve scrubbed the tub, located your expensive salts, and filled up the bath, you’ve lost the urge to take a dip. But that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the aromatherapy benefits typically reserved for bath bombs.
If you find yourself in a time crunch or too frazzled to prep a bath, these aromatherapy shower steamers should do the trick. Simply toss one in the bottom of your shower and relax while the essential oils work their magic.
DIY Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
DIY Aromatherapy Shower SteamersMade with yummy smelling essential oils and baking soda, these aromatherapy shower steamers will take your mornings to a whole new level. I like to make mine in several different scents for different moods.
Rose is uplifting and has been known to help fight anxiety and depression. Lavender is great for soothing stressed nerves and encouraging sleep. And citrus is energizing, perfect for giving you an extra boost in the morning.
Since cold season is fast approaching, don’t be afraid to trade out these scents for something more cold and flu friendly. Peppermint, eucalyptus and thyme oils can be used in aromatherapy shower steamers to help clear the sinuses, soothe sore throats and support the immune system.
When combined with the steam from a hot shower, they’ll have you feeling back to normal in no time. Simply use what you have on hand or invest in oils that you are sure to use over and over again.
And while not totally necessary, I like to glam mine up by adding some natural food coloring and dried flower petals. Call me crazy, but I think it helps calm my nerves to have a jar of beautiful fizzies sitting on my bathroom counter just waiting to be used. Plus it’s an added reminder to set aside some time for myself to unwind and just breathe.
They’re so pretty, I have been known to toss several in a jar and give them as gifts to stressed girlfriends. Simply tie a pretty ribbon at the top and add a sweet note and your BFFs will be thrilled.
Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
Equipment
- Medium-sized bowl
- Ice cube tray or cake pop mold
Materials
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup citric acid available at health food stores or online
- ¼ cup corn starch
- Small amount of water or witch hazel
- 20 drops of your favorite essential oil I used lavender, orange, and rose
- Natural food coloring
Instructions
- Mix together the baking soda and citric acid in a medium-size bowl. Just slightly moisten the dry ingredients with water or witch hazel until it will clump when you squeeze it in a
fist. That will prevent over fizzing.
- Mix your ingredients together (I like to do this part by hand just to make sure everything is well-blended). Add the food coloring and continue mixing until you reach the desired shade. Tightly pack the mixture into an ice cube tray or cake pop molds. Or use a cookie scoop to drop small rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Allow to dry for 12+ hours, then transfer to a lidded jar until ready to use.
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Holly Smith, a board certified physician in nephrology and internal medicine with a background in nutrition. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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I used the cornstarch, though it's not mentioned in the instructions. I added it at the time the other dry ingredients were added. I used witch hazel rather than water and they came out great! I read that some had trouble with them expanding in the molds, so I made sure to check the molds periodically. The steamers did expand and I tamped them back down twice in the first several hours. After that, there was no more expanding and they came out of the molds beautifully the next morning :)
This recipe didn’t work at all for me. Everything kept rising and overflowing over the molds. It’s one big flat mess. Wish I could post a pic.
The other bonus is when you are done, add some vinegar & give the shower floor a good scrub.
Don’t use veinegar on marble or other natural stone tile as it can cause erosion. ?
Love your hay idea… is there anything you would change now that you’ve been using it awhile?
Thanks!
They smell great but like others have said, they expand like crazy. Next time I think I’ll use about 1/4 the amount of water that this recipe calls for.
I made these yesterday—I used an ice-cube tray and a cookie scoop to form the tablets. When left to cure for 12 hours they expanded and nearly doubled in size! Is there anyway to have them keep the general shape of the mold they are in?
I had the same problem Danielle! Did you add the cornstarch?
These are basically bath bombs and the water amount is whats setting them off, you just want to mist it or better yet use which hazel in a spray bottle and just slightly moisten until it will clump when you squeeze it in a fist. That will prevent the fizzing which is making them double.
These look wonderful!
Question..When do you add the flowers and cirnstarch?
This is so pretty! I’m DIYing most gifts this Christmas and I bookmarked this to add to my list of projects :)
What about the corn starch? It is mentioned in the recipe but not when to add.
Hi! How many steamers would you say this makes? Thanks!