Did you ever imagine that your bathtub can become a place of pampering and beauty? One of the unique ingredients that can transform your bath into an ancient magic ritual of beauty is milk. An ingredient so common that we often have in the fridge and use for preparing drinks and food can help you get the skin of your dreams in a matter of a few delicious moments!
Milk baths are known ever since Queen Cleopatra’s time, who enjoyed them often. Milk baths relax the body and make the skin smooth and soft. Milk has a hydrating effect and restorative effect on the skin and can be very efficient in anti-aging skin treatments.
Why use milk in your beauty routine?
Milk is a real cocktail of vitamins, but also mineral salts and fatty acids. Milk is great for restoring the skin’s pH and also to eliminate stress. The milk baths are great for dry and oily skin alike, as it can eliminate the excess of sebum and balance the skin tonus.
More than the hydrating effect, milk contains lactic acid, which has an exfoliating effect. You might have heard already about face masks with yogurt that can have a whitening effect on the skin – milk can do the same.
When you treat yourself to a milk bath, you will notice that the skin gets softer and smoother due to the milk’s hydrating properties. It is possible to feel your skin a bit oily after a milk bath – this is normal and a testimony to the milk’s deeply hydrating effect.
The legend says that it was the milk and honey bath that was the secret of Cleopatra’s beauty. The milk bath helped the queen keep soft and sensual skin, which is probably why she had one every day.
What are the benefits of milk baths?
Nowadays, plenty of natural skincare products are made with milk that you can introduce to your beauty routine. And they are a great option if you don’t have the time to enjoy a milk bath as often as you’d like. However, the multiple benefits associated with milk baths might convince you to give in to temptation, at least every once in a while!
1. Calms down irritated skin
If you’re suffering due to skin conditions such as eczema, or your skin gets overly dry during the colder seasons of the year, you might want to indulge in a milk bath to make your skin feel and look better. If the irritation doesn’t subside after a milk bath, you might want to contact your doctor for recommendations.
2. Soft and smooth skin
If you never had a milk bath, it’s probably difficult to envisage how your skin might look and feel after such a treat. We can tell you for sure that the milk bath is a magic treatment and the results are often way over the expectations. When you get out of the bathtub, the skin is softer and smoother than ever before as the fat and proteins in the milk have a direct and immediate effect on the skin. It’s hard not to fall in love with this beauty routine!
3. Improves the texture and tone of the skin
The milk bath is relaxing, the skin feels amazing, but what if we’d tell you that there are even long term benefits of milk baths? If you are struggling with pigmentation or age spots, a milk bath can even the skin tone and, in time, make both the texture and the tone better. The milk bath is probably among the most affordable luxurious beauty treatments that you can enjoy in the comfort of your home, whenever you feel like it.
Also worth reading: Why Do You Need a Facial Acupuncture?
What kind of milk do you use in a milk bath?
Maybe you love the idea of a milk bath, but you don’t like the idea of using cow or goat milk. It’s not a problem – vegetal milk is also a good option. You can try coconut milk, but also rice or soy milk, and even almond milk. Just make sure to get good quality milk or natural products that you can use in your milk baths.
Cow’s milk is probably the most popular option when it comes to milk baths, mostly because it is the most inexpensive one, but goat milk is also recommended. Always choose full fat or whole milk to maximize the benefits of these baths.
If you’re now convinced you need a special milk bath, we should also tell you that mare milk is the most appreciated milk for a milk bath. Mare’s milk is fatter and can hydrate the skin even better.
How do you make a milk bath at home?
As we’ve mentioned before, the milk and honey option is probably the most popular for milk baths. However, the sky is the limit when it comes to the combinations you can make and the ingredients you can use – eggs, lemons, bananas, essential oils, organic oils, and others.
A simple recipe for a milk bath at home is to add a few cups of full-fat cow’s milk in the water in the bathtub. But if you are looking for a real beauty session in your own bathroom, then you can follow these steps:
1. Prepare 2 cups of oats, 1 cup of honey, 4 cups of whole milk (make sure the milk is warm), and your favorite essential oil and bring them to the bathroom.
2. Get in the bathtub and use a scrub or an exfoliating product to eliminate the dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Rinse well with water.
3. Half fill your bathtub with warm water.
4. Add the honey to the milk and stir until it blends.
5. Add all the ingredients to the bathtub.
6. Lit some scented candles.
7. Put on some music.
8. Immerse yourself in the bathtub and enjoy!
9. Rinse with water after the bath
You can spend up to half an hour or more in the bathtub enjoying the whole pampering experience. While doing so, you can gently massage the skin with a bath sponge to increase blood circulation and make it easier for the skin to absorb the ingredients of the milk bath.
If your skin is dry, you can add half a cup of coconut/ argan/ almond oil. Now you’ll certainly have soft, smooth, and deeply hydrated skin.
Our Favorite Milk Bath Products
Herbivore Coconut Milk Bath Soak
Bathorum Ancient Oat Hydration Crush
Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath
milk + honey Milk Bath Nº 05
Final words
If you are looking for a complete spa experience with visible benefits for your skin and wellbeing, you can try the milk baths. A milk bath can make your skin soft, smooth, and deeply nourished while relaxing your whole body. You can use any type of milk for this beauty treatment, including vegetal milk like coconut or almond milk. Make sure to exfoliate before your milk bath to enjoy the full range of benefits.
