Over two thousand years ago, Cleopatra filled her elegant tub with camel milk to maintain her notoriously supple skin. However, the multiple benefits of milk baths and milk-based skin care products are being revisited as more people seek holistic solutions to their health and beauty needs.
Milk naturally contains Vitamins A and D, which helps to make your skin soft, yet strong. Further, the lactic acid in milk has natural beta hydroxy acids which not only exfoliate your skin, but soothe it. The natural ingredients found in milk improve the appearance and condition of your skin. As milk eliminates dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, it adds essential moisture.
Milk is even beneficial for your hair because it seals up the small scales on your hair follicles that can cause hair to look dull. Using milk on your hair will make it shinier and healthier, just as using milk on your skin will made it silkier and more radiant.
No matter what type of milk you use, it is sure to benefit your skin. Although Cleopatra used camel’s milk and many people today use cow’s milk, other kinds of milk are also excellent for skin care.
Goat’s milk has the same ph as human skin and is quite effective for attaining smoother skin.
Oat milk contains oat grain, which is super for sensitive skin because it soothes as it moisturizes.
Soy and rice milk are also terrific for hydrating the skin and promoting healthy new cells. Regardless of where the milk was derived, it is certain to deliver multiple benefits to your skin.
You can make your own milk bath at home by adding a couple of cups of warm milk to your bath, or in a pinch, you can substitute with a couple of cups of instant milk. You can also add a drop or two of almond oil to the bath because it smells delicious and will provide a bit of additional moisture.
Consider using milk and milk-based skin care products for more beautiful, glowing skin. After all, as the commercial tells us, “Milk does a body good”!
Milk Baths Recipes
Milk Baths are just like regular baths, only with an addition of milk and often other scents such as lavender, honey, and essential oils. Cleopatra, Elizabeth I of England, Elisabeth of Bavaria, and others have historically acclaimed the beautifying benefits of these baths.
Milk baths are said to utilize lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, to dissolve the proteins which hold together dead skin cells.
Proponets say that the natural properties of milk help to:
Soften/Smooth
Exfoliate
Make visible new, fresh cells
Accelerate skin cell renewal
Moisturize
Stress relief
Homemade Milk Baths Recipes
Milk and Honey Bath
It seems that women have been indulging themselves with milk and honey baths for centuries, so I figure that it does the body good. Here is a quick and easy recipe that should do the trick. Enjoy.
1/2 cup liquid honey
3 cups powdered milk
lavender buds (added for color and fragrance)
Combine the ingredients above in a large bowl and then transfer to a decorative glass bottle in your bathroom. This also makes a great and inexpensive gift idea.
Scoop out a luxurious amount of the milk bath and dissolve in a warm bath.
Lavender-Honey Milk Baths
Ingredients
Tablespoons dried lavender flowers*
1-1/2 cups whole milk, cream or combination
1/3 cup honey
Directions Process lavender flowers in a blender until they become a powder, turning off the blender and scraping down the sides as necessary. Whisk together lavender powder, milk and honey in a glass bowl, then pour into a jar. Before each use, shake the jar and pour half of the mixture into the bath. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes enough for 2 baths.
*Dried lavender flowers can be found in the spice section of gourmet and specialty stores. Better yet, make your own.
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