I love these detox baths. The first is an Apple Cider Vinegar Bath and the second is called the Salt & Soda Bath.
In the third to the first centuries BC in Roman life, bathes were an essential component of life. Augustus, his wife Livia and their daughter Julia were big bathers. It was considered virtuous in Roman times to take ones time in the bathes. Hippocrates, the Greek father of medicine knew the benefits of hydrotherapy, water’s therapeutic benefit, both internally and externally.
You can take detox baths up to 3 times a week. They are incredible for your health and they also have many beautification elements. All of these baths are good for detoxification. The skin is the largest organ of your body and sweating is one of the best ways to rid your body of toxins. These baths will induce the parasympathetic nervous system and induce a deeper rest, so you may want to take these at the end of the day unless you’re like me and finish off with a cold shower.
As with anything, make sure you are not contraindicated for taking hot baths. Pregnancy, high blood pressure, heart conditions, or diabetes are all conditions you may want to be careful with. Poor circulation and heat can cause dizziness, so please use your discretion.
First off, have a lot of clean drinking water by you, when you are bathing. You can also keep a cold towel or 2 next to you to cool down while in the bath. Your bath should be as hot as you can comfortably allow. I recommend starting by dry brushing or using an exfoliate cloth to get off the dead skin. It will help stimulate your lymphatic system and it will help the minerals from your baths assimilate better. Your skin is like a 2 way permeable sponge and many minerals can be absorbed just by soaking. I suggest soaking for 30-40 minutes. Be like the Romans and remember that bathing is virtuous.
Apple Cider Vinegar & Ginger Bath
Make sure you get raw Apple Cider Vinegar, if it is processed it won’t have same benefits. The apple cider vinegar rids your body of excess uric acid and therefore it is great for people with an inflammation in the joints especially for people with arthritis, bursitis or tendonitis.
The Apple Cider Vinegar bath will also be great to relieve excess mucous in the body, so it’s good for people with colds. The Apple Cider Vinegar is also great for a myriad of skin conditions such as sunburns, rashes, and reduces the sting in bug bites. Your skin is like a 2 way permeable sponge, and Apple Cider Vinegar is rich in potassium, that can help reduce muscle pains and cramping.
Now for the beauty effects. Apple Cider Vinegar is used as a terrific toner for the skin. It balances the skins PH, giving you a perfect balance between oily and dry skin. It also is beneficial for cases of acne. For the hair Apple Cider Vinegar removes residue from other hair products, helps manage dandruff, and leaves your hair silky smooth. It also makes your hair extremely shinny due to the fact that that the Apple Cider Vineger closes the hair cuticles.
The ginger will also help to open the pours, inducing sweat and increase circulation. You may use either fresh or dried ginger. Be aware that the ginger can induce redness in the skin. For fresh ginger I grate it and use approximately a tablespoon. For dried you can use up to 1/3 of a cup or a ginger tea bag works well directly into the bath.
Salt & Soda Bath
This is a mixture of 1 cup Epsom Salts, 1 cup of Sea Salt, and 1 cup of Baking Soda. Make sure you get aluminum free baking soda, during detoxification we want to help rid our bodies of heavy metals, not add any more in. The baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, has an alkalizing effect and it aids against radiations negative effects. If you are on your cell phone, computer or another gadget a lot, this bath is going to be great for your nervous system. This bath is also highly beneficial for people undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Baking Soda also helps neutralize the effects of chlorine and sulfuric acid in your tap water. Some people have chlorine filters for their water but unfortunately sulfuric acid is difficult to filter out of your water and trust me there are low levels in most city water. Baking Soda also helps to take out the odors from feet, softens the skin and is used as an exfoliant.
Epsom salts are high in magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is absorbed well through the skin and magnesium has so many functions in the body. It is essential form calcium absorption, hormone balance and brain chemistry balance just to name a few but it is essential for over 400 biological functions in the body.
Now, sea salts are full of minerals. They help dispel negative energies both subtle and emotional and sea salt help to remove the body of lactic acid. Excess lactic acid usually happens from tough workouts and it can cause muscle stiffness/ soreness.
The sea salts with help increase circulation by opening our pours to induce sweat.
You can also add in essential oils. Eucalyptus is good for relieving muscle soreness. Lavender has a more sedative effect.
Be like a Roman, and enjoy your baths!!
