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Today for #SpoilYourselfSunday, let’s give our skin a treat! What’s the perfect way to keep your skin happy for autumn and fall? A warm and relaxing oatmeal and milk bath, of course! Cleopatra and other historical strong (and beautiful) women loved a good milk bath, so we’re following suit.
Why is milk so beneficial for skin? The lactic acid in milk is an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), which provide gentle exfoliation that strip off layers of dead skin. This allows your skin to rejuvenate itself quicker, because the dead skin cells have already been taken care of. While Cleopatra and her contemporaries firmly believed in the power of donkey’s milk, any full-fat milk or milk powder can give you the same results. Oatmeal is another great ingredient for sensitive, dry, and irritated skin (oatmeal baths are great for relieving rashes!).
Keeping all that in mind, here’s a Cleo-worthy oatmeal, lavender, and milk bath recipe, complete with super-hydrating ingredients and soothing scents:
- 1/2 – 1 cup oats
- 2 cups full-fat powdered milk
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup baking soda and/or Epsom salts (optional, but great for exfoliation!)
- 15-20 drops lavender essential oils (or your favorite relaxing EOs)
- Optional: lavender sprigs or rose petals (for a little extra luxury)
First, place your oats in a blender and pulse until you have a fine powder. If you don’t have a blender, you can get oatmeal powder instead of regular oats. Add your oat powder and the rest of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, stirring carefully until combined. Add the essential oil (and, if using, the sprigs or petals) and stir again, making sure there are no clumps. Then pour the whole mixture into a glass jar or some other container with a lid. Ta-da!
When you’re ready to use your milk bath, scoop out 1-2 cups of your mixture and pour it into under running hot water in your bath. Allow it to mix in a little, then get in and let your skin have a nice drink of milk!
If you’re lactose intolerant, you should not have any issues with soaking in this milk bath (just don’t drink it!). However, if you’re allergic to milk or if you’re vegan, you can also use equivalent amounts of soy milk, rice milk, or coconut milk – these won’t hydrate the skin as much since there’s less fat, but it will still feel great and leave your skin soft! Remember to moisturize once you’re out of the bath.
What’s your favorite way to get baby-soft skin? Leave us a comment on social media using the hashtag #SpoilYourselfSunday!
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