You can make these Orange Blossom & Vanilla Bean Milk Baths with just five all-natural ingredients. Great for gifts or self-care!
When it comes to making holiday gifts, I'm a bit of a last-minute maker. Luckily, handmade bath and body treats, like these layered milk baths, can usually be made quickly. And despite being thrown together at the last moment, they look pretty impressive too!
Blending vanilla bean seeds with milk powder creates a rich and creamy aroma that is pretty irresistible all on its own. Adding neroli essential oil and pretty colored salts kicks the recipe up to another level, making it worthy of swooning, coveting, gifting, etc.
I like using buttermilk or goat's milk in my milk bath recipes, but coconut milk is a wonderful alternative for those who prefer using plant-based products. Just be sure to choose a vegan coconut milk powder as some varieties do contain dairy-based additives.
If neroli essential oil (made from orange blossoms) is not your favorite scent, try leaving this bath unscented or using another yummy smelling essential oil like lavender, rose, or ylang ylang. Pretty much everything smells great with vanilla, so as long as your blend is safe for the bath you really can't go wrong.
Orange Blossom & Vanilla Bean Milk Baths
Makes 4 8-ounce jars of Milk Bath
Ingredients
- 2 – 4 cups powdered goat's milk, buttermilk, or coconut milk*
- 2 cups epsom salt
- 48 drops neroli essential oil
- 1 vanilla bean
- natural food or cosmetic dye (optional)
*Some milk powders have a crumbly or coarse texture. These will condense when put through the food processor. Others are already quite fine in texture to begin with and won't change much when processed. Start with 2 cups milk powder, and add more if your powder condenses to get a total of 4 cups powder after being processed.
Directions
- Slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape out seeds. Slice bean into 4 pieces, and set aside.
- Combine seeds and milk powder in food processor and pulse 30-60 seconds, or until the beans are well dispersed.
- Combine the epsom salt and essential oil in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Adding one drop at a time, use the dye to color the salts pale orange. Stir well to distribute the dye.
- Fill four jars with 1/2 cup milk powder. Top milk powder with 1/2 cup salt. Place vanilla bean on top the salt before sealing lid – or tie the beans to the outside of the jar as a scented decoration.
- Milk baths will remain fresh in jars for up to three months.
To Use
Pour entire contents of one jar into warm bath water. The salts and milk powder will dissolve, adding a wonderful aroma and skin care benefits to the water.