New Year, new you - January 2002 - Cover Story - relax with a herbal bath

Better Nutrition, Jan, 2002 by Kathi Keville

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Herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford, author of the Herbal Menopause Book (Crossing Press) and Herbal Remedies for Women (Prima Publishing) says her absolute favorite idea for a new you is a sea salt bath. She recommends not only indulging in this bath for New Year's, but throughout the year. It is like taking a rejuvenating trip to the sea, except you don't have to journey farther than your own bathtub. The hot water soothes your nerves and relaxes tight muscles while the salts cleanse your skin and detoxify your entire body.

Crawford doesn't skimp on the salts. An entire cup of sea salts gets dumped into her bath. She uses Dead Sea salts for the extra mineral content, but any sea salt will do. Enjoy bathing for at least 25 minutes with the water as hot as comfortable. If you have time, keep soaking for an hour, adding more water to keep the temperature hot. When you're finished, be sure to ease out of the tub instead of quickly standing up to prevent feeling light-headed.

If you have arthritis or a skin condition (such as psoriasis), or you are undergoing chemotherapy, increase the salt to three or four cups to make each bath even more detoxifying. Sprains, sore or pulled muscles, or any sports injuries respond better to soaking in magnesium salts (e.g., Epsom) rather than sea salt. Use a cup of Epsom salts per bath.

If you're in the mood for a deluxe treatment, turn Amanda's Sea Salt Bath into an aromatherapy experience by adding four to six drops of your choice of essential oils. She notes that citrus scents feel especially cleansing to both body and mind. Crawford finds that grapefruit helps conquer that morning-after feeling after staying out late partying--even if you only toasted in the New Year with sparkling cider. A nice combination is three drops grapefruit, two drops lavender, and one drop lemon in the bath. (If you design your own citrus bath oil recipe, use no more than a couple drops of lemon or orange since they can burn skin.)

Amanda's full Sea Salt Bath treatment also includes a conditioning treatment for the hair. First, warm either coconut or olive oil in a pan, then massage the oil into your hair. It will take one to four tablespoons, depending on the length and thickness of your hair. Then, wrap your head in a towel. Finish your bath with a shampoo to rinse out the oil. (Crawford's personal choice is shampoo scented with lemon and rosemary.) The result is clean and shiny hair. Ready for a real New Year's change with a new look? Then add the herb henna to this treatment to give your hair new color or highlights. You can also get neutral henna that brightens without coloring. Follow the instructions on the box, but since henna dries the hair, do combine it with the oil. Herbalist Diana DeLuca, author of Botanical Erotica and owner of a body-care company by the same name, chose an aromatherapy oat skin scrub as her favored new beginning. She says that it's "a great way to have super-silky skin that has a healthy shine." The scrub removes dead cells on the skin's surface that tend to make your complexion look dull and your skin feel rough. She recommends it as a daily routine. The most common use for scrubs is cleansing the face, but they are suitable for the whole body. In fact, use your scrub anytime in place of soap.

AMANDA'S DELICIOUS RELAXING DETOX TEA

Make sure you stay hydrated before and during your sea salt bath by drinking herbal tea. Amanda McQuade Crawford's choice is this relaxing detox tea.

3 oz. lemon verbena leaves
1 oz. lemon balm leaves
1 oz. verbena leaves
1 oz. calendula flowers
1 oz. violet leaf (optional, if available)

Pour hot water over the dried herbs and steep for 15 minutes, then strain and drink.

You'll find this scrub doesn't dry or irritate skin like chemical-laden soaps can, but cleanses just as well.

Skin scrubs made with wholesome ingredients are available in the health and beauty department of natural food stores. Or, make your own scrub following Diana's favorite recipe. Gently apply the scrub on your face with your fingers, adding a little water as you go to thin it out. Then rinse it off at the sink. For a body scrub, gently rub the mixture all over your wet body while you are in the shower and rinse with warm water.

Glow, Girl!

Rosemary Gladstar, well known for her books and seminars on natural body care, agrees with Crawford and DeLuca that the best fresh start for a new you is to scrub away the old. Her favorite body treatment is a loofa salt glow body treatment. It feels divine," she says. "And, it is so simple." DeLuca loves how this salt glow makes her skin feel and look renewed, refreshed, and baby soft. Friction from rubbing salt over the body improves circulation, sloughs off dead cells, and softens the skin. She promises that although it sounds elaborate, a full treatment takes only l0 to 15 minutes. She suggests that you continue to enjoy it after New Year's as a monthly practice.