Milk Bath DIY

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Pampering yourself never gets old. Paying for spa treatments does! There are so many ways to pamper yourself without breaking the bank. I have done facial scrubs, hand scrubs, lip treatments, hair treatments, and so many other inexpensive DIY spa days from items in my kitchen. I will admit, for today’s DIY Milk Bath, I did have to go out and get the instant milk. It’s not something I would normally keep around. If you aren’t already using essential oils you will want to run out and grab some because they make the milk bath experience even better!

Milk baths have been around for centuries. Most famously, Cleopatra used it to keep her youthful skin. But she used donkey milk, not cow’s. Elizabeth I of England was also known to enjoy the benefits and luxury of bathing in milk. These two badass women didn’t know all the chemical components of why milk was so amazing for their skin, but they did recognize that a milk bath would leave their skin supple and smooth.

There is a bit of grossness to its historical use though: it is said that some people would use the bath leftovers in creating cheeses or the elite would resell it to the lower class. No thanks.

A bit of a warning before you treat yourself. Milk baths have been known to lighten skin. The lactic acid will break down the pigmentation in your skin. But we aren’t filling our whole bath with milk and we aren’t doing it every day.

There are a few ways you can enjoy a milk bath. The first is to literally fill your tub with milk and lay in it. Honestly, I don’t want to waste that much milk. And, I think I would freeze my butt off because the idea of leaving milk sit out to warm up grosses me out. I won’t even finish a glass of milk if it has set out for more than five minutes.

The next option is much more reasonable for me because I can make it ahead of time and it will keep in a container next to the tub until I am ready to use it. I make a powdered milk bath mix. There are a ton of online recipes to try but here is the mix I like best:

1 cup instant whole milk

½ cup baking soda

½ cup corn starch

10 drops essential oil (I prefer lavender or eucalyptus)

To enjoy the full benefits of the milk bath, you will want to get whole milk so you have all the fats that replenish your skin. The baking soda will balance the pH levels of your skin. The corn starch helps to keep the mixture from clumping if not in an air-tight container, but corn starch is also known to help skin irritations. The essential oils is not necessary, but then again, when aren’t aromatherapies necessary?

I have read some mixed reviews of milk bath leaving hair oily, but I find that this mixture has not done that. It may be because corn starch and baking soda are wonderful oil removers (in fact if you are running late in the morning, a mixture of corn starch and baking soda can be used as a dry shampoo!)