Baking Soda, Homemade Bath Salts, and Glass Jars

It is quite easy to mix together a couple of homemade salts in a matter of minutes. In fact, it is so easy that little kids can put together a handful of the ingredients. But, because they are that easy, it is equally easy to overlook the way you are storing the salts for future use.

More often than not, you will have a great time throwing together your usual bath salt ingredients (your lavender aromatherapy oil, your purple food coloring, your glycerin). You will probably take no more than ten minutes to reach the right intensity of scent along with the right tone of color.

It would seem as though the same ingredients are listed in homemade epsom salt recipes all over the internet world, so there shouldn’t be a big fuss over them, right? Unfortunately, you should be wary if you live in a place where you experience damp and humid air.

Fortunately for me, when I throw together all of my epsom salts with my chocolate essential oils, I only take a couple of whiffs before I know they are ready and I can pour them into a little glass jar.

In the world of keeping my homemade salts intact, I am happy to not be living off of the coast of Costa Rica (or, am I? After all, it is Costa Rica. Do I feel that happy living in the city? Anyway…). I can be rest assured that there’s no humidity in the air, and I can keep all of my salts in a glass jar without fretting that this one particular ingredient will rise and explode in it!

The ingredient I am speaking of is something many of you know (and possibly love). It is called “baking soda”. Yes! The kind that you use to absorb odorific scents in the refrigerator, the baking soda that you use to bake goodies that fluff up with utmost glee, and the same baking soda that you use to clean veggies and fruits in your kitchen.

Naturally, baking soda generates and expels carbon dioxide (which is safe). When baking goodies, this is what creates the fluff and rise in the yeast. But, think about what this does if the baking soda is mixed in with homemade bath salts contained a nearly full glass jar where there’s not much empty space. Talk about a date with bath salt bombs.

Please don’t think that this article is a scare tactic on the war against baking soda. In fact, I love baking soda and am a big fan. However, as an authority on homemade bath salts, I felt it was a step I had to take in providing this helpful information so you bath salt lovers would have this under your belt.

What is exactly the purpose of baking soda being listed as a common bath salt ingredient? Well, this is something that you will particularly enjoy: the fizz factor. Baking soda mixed with homemade bath salts in the bathwater lead to fizzy water. Baking soda adds a nice fizzy effect to the salts as they are used in the nice hot bath. And, to me, fizzy equates to tingly.