What’s your ideal bath set-up? Is it a scented candle or two, a glass of wine and a book before bed? Or maybe an invigorating body scrub, a hot cup of tea and a podcast on a weekend morning? What about an at-home spa session bath, which involves full body exfoliation, a hair mask and a face mask with some meditative music in the background? Or how about all of the above?
Lockdown has not only shown us that there is a bath for every mood and time of the day, but there is also a variety of ways to make sure your bath is just perfect. From bath bombs, to velvety bubbles, to Himalayan salts, there’s a vast array of beauty products that elevate bath-time to become a special moment of self care. Some of them are so appealing that they’ve become social media phenomenons in themselves, trending on TikTok and popping up all over Instagram.
The latest to do so is “bath tea”, which has over one million tags on TikTok and is trending among followers of the #witchtok movement, which involves sharing ritualistic self-care practices and spells. One video by small business @MoonStreetKits, which has over 117 thousand likes, shows a self-love “witch box” being prepared containing bath tea, healing crystals and incense for a holistic, spell-binding experience.
Luckily, you don’t need to possess any magical powers to enjoy the new trend. In fact, bath tea is actually a simple evolution from traditional bath salts and dried flowers that have been used in bath products for years. The only difference is now the ingredients are contained in a handy muslin ‘tea bag’ to allow them to infuse with the bath water without leaving messy residue and blocking your drain.
They’re incredibly easy to make yourself at home – all you’ll need is follow these simple and relatively low cost steps…
1. Buy some reusable muslin tea bags
You’ll need some reusable, drawstring muslin tea bags to put your chosen ingredients in. You can buy them everywhere from &Keep, which specialises in environmentally-friendly products, as well as on Amazon.
2. Select your ingredients
Have a think about what you want to feel after your bath. If you want to feel relaxed, opt for ingredients with relaxing properties like dried lavender or chamomile. If you have sore muscles, try sea salt crystals and dried arnica. The sky is really the limit on what you can mix up, but you’ll want to source your ingredients from a trusted supplier. For essential oils, try Neal’s Yard Remedies, Boots and Holland & Barrett. For dried flowers, try Buy Whole Foods Online.
3. Mix your blend and brew
Pop your chosen ingredients in the tea bag and pull the drawstring tight. Run your bath and let your bath tea infuse with the water before sinking in.