DIY bath soaks for all skin types

Take advantage of the power of a long soak in the tub to soothe, moisturize and heal your skin. Read more for some TLC tips.

After you step out of the bath, follow up with a moisturizer. First, you have to determine your skin type. Dry and oily skin each require different treatments, and even if your skin is normal, it still requires special care.

• Open your pores with a yogurt-based bath additive. Puree one individual serving of plain yogurt, 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of honey, 25 millilitres (two tablespoons) of almond oil and the pulp of one vanilla bean in a blender. Add 10 drops of orange oil and swirl into the bathwater.
• Invigorate your skin with a spruce needle bath additive. Fill a jam jar two-thirds full with fresh spruce needles, add enough sea salt to fill the jar completely, then pour in water to the top. Let steep in a warm place for two weeks and shake vigorously every day. Put 25 millilitres (two tablespoons) of this mixture into a cloth bag and put it into the bathwater.
• Pamper yourself with a vanilla shower gel. Stir together 100 millilitres (3 1/2 ounces) of neutral, unscented shampoo, 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) of warm water, a pinch of salt and 15 drops of vanilla oil.

• Get silky-soft skin with a bath oil made from 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) of almond oil, 10 drops of grapefruit oil and five drops each of lemon and orange oil.
• Soak in a lavender bath. Cover a handful of dried lavender flowers with water, boil for five minutes, and strain. Add 25 millilitres (two tablespoons) of honey and 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) each of cream, buttermilk and olive oil, and add to your bathwater.

• Make a buttermilk bath by adding to the water a puree made from one litre (four cups) of buttermilk, the juice of four lemons and four generous handfuls of peppermint leaves.
• Soothe your skin with an oatmeal bath. Combine 250 grams (one cup) of oatmeal, a handful of fresh sage and peppermint leaves, and 10 drops of lemon oil in a cloth bag or old pantyhose. Drop the bag in your bathwater, squeezing it out occasionally while you soak.
• Short on time? Simply add one litre (four cups) of fresh whey and 10 drops of peppermint oil to your bathwater.
• Stimulate your body with a firming shower gel. Stir together 250 millilitres (one cup) of shower gel base (available from beauty supply stores or online) with 10 drops each of geranium and lemon oil and five drops each of rosemary, juniper and sage oil.