When cooked, oats create a moisturizing milky liquid. In her book, Herbal Rituals, Judith Berger says “oat baths send moisture deep into the skin...soak away emotional stress, [and] physical pain in the joints, uterus, bladder and bones.” This is a recipe from her book for an oat bath:

To create an oat bath for yourself you will need:

Put the oats in the pot and fill the pot almost to the top with hot water.

Bring the water to a boil. Watch it carefully as it likes to boil over quite dramatically.

Simmer over low heat for several hours.

Remove the thin film that forms on top. It is very emollient and can be placed on an especially dry or itchy part of your body for extra soothing and moisturizing.

Strain the oats out of the milky water.

As you fill your bath with water, pour the slick, milky water into your bath.

Sink into your delicious oat bath and soak for at least twenty minutes. Maybe even light a candle and add a few drops of lavender essential oil to your bath to for an especially relaxing experience.

Bonus Lesson: Oat Grain Face Scrub

Judith also included this recipe for an oat grain face scrub which I tried and loved. My skin felt so smooth after scrubbing with it last night.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

.1 (POINT one) ounce rose petals (or lavender buds)



1/2 tsp. ground almonds

1/2 tsp. white or red clay (optional)

a dash of seaweed (optional)

a blender or mortar and pestle

Grind the almonds and seaweed together first since they take more grinding then add the other ingredients and grind until the oats are well ground.

You can simply take some in your hands, wet your face and rub it on, but then little bit of oats and rose petals must go down your drain. I found it nice to put the mixture in a small mesh bag, wet the bag and rub my face with that. Then I could easily compost the mixture when I was finished.

Enjoy washing away all your winter dryness and refreshing yourself for a beautiful spring!

-Kimberly