DIY Lavender Bath Salts

The holidays are now upon us and the next thing I know, I'll be watching the ball drop at midnight. Each year I have fabulous intentions of creating homemade gifts from my kitchen for friends and family, but somehow the time slips by and my good intentions rarely make it to reality.

This year is different. This year I am committed.  And this year I am starting early. As in, now!

If you've been wanting to get into the spirit of homemade gifts, I have just the thing: DIY lavender bath salts. These bath salts were inspired by my trip to the Sequim Lavender Festival this past summer.  I'm still working through my incredible stash of dried lavender and essential oil and needed to come up with a creative way to use up the rest of it. Bath salts to the rescue!

(These pictures were taken in Sequim in July and as I sit here wrapped up in two sweaters and three pairs of socks it seems crazy to see a picture of myself in a tee-shirt!)

Bath salts are simple and incredibly cost-effective to make, plus, who doesn't love a nice relaxing bath during a chilly winter?  If you are the crafty-type, you can even dye the salts different colors and make a nice label for your jar.

My bath salt recipe involves only four ingredients: epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda, and lavender essential oil. Epsom salt and sea salt are wonderful at relaxing the muscles and drawing toxins from the body while baking soda is fabulous for softening skin.  The lavender provides a relaxing fragrance, but you could also experiment with other essential oils like rosemary and peppermint.

DIY Lavender Bath Salts

Makes 3 cups (1 - 2 gifts)

Ingredients:

2 cups epsom salt

1/2 cup sea salt

1/2 cup baking soda

10 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and transfer to a container.

To use: add bath salts under hot running water to dissolve. Soak and relax!

Lavender Coconut Ice Cream

Since I live in the cooler Pacific Northwest, summertime is the only time of year that I find myself craving ice cream.  But, when I do have a craving, it hits hard.  Luckily Seattle has an abundance of local ice cream shops that feature non-dairy ice cream.  

Even though I am grateful for this, it has kinda turned into a problem.  I had to face the facts last night when I found myself walking to the ice cream shop for the third straight evening in a row.  I think this walk will now be called my "walk of shame."

Since my ice cream cravings don't seem to going anywhere soon,  I decided it was time to create my own lighter option that still tastes just as decadent and sweet as any other.  The result?  A relaxing and delicious blend of lavender, coconut, and banana.  And, you don't even need an ice cream maker to enjoy this one!

A few weeks ago my partner and I visited the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington for my birthday.  It had always been a dream of mine to stand in a field of lavender so I was super excited to cross this off my life-list.  These photos still take my breath away. 

For my ice cream, I used frozen bananas with a little coconut milk for the base.  You can use either coconut milk beverage or canned coconut milk in this recipe.  Since I wanted a lighter option, I used coconut milk beverage, but if you want a creamier version opt for the full-fat canned coconut milk.  This ice cream can be made using a standard food processor and you won't need any other special equipment.  The bananas add a wonderful sweetness so I didn't add any extra sweeteners in mine, but you can add some agave nectar, maple syrup, or another sweetener of your choice if desired.


Lavender Coconut Ice Cream
Serves 2


1 cup coconut milk beverage or canned coconut milk
1 - 2 tablespoons edible lavender flowers (depending on how strong you want the flavor)
2 bananas, peeled, chopped and frozen
natural sweetener (agave nectar, maple syrup, etc) to taste, if desired

Add coconut milk and lavender to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir thoroughly.  Let steep, covered, for 20 - 25 minutes.

Strain mixture, reserving milk and discarding lavender. Pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours or overnight.

Once frozen, break apart the frozen coconut milk into chunks and add to a food processor.  Add the chopped frozen banana.  Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy, adding additional sweeteners if desired.  This will create a creamy "soft serve."  If you want harder "ice cream," put the mixture into the freezer for 15 - 20 minutes to harden, then scoop and serve.