This Skin-Soothing DIY Is Even Better Than an Oatmeal Bath

Enjoy the Benefits of an Oatmeal Bath with Less Mess

It happens the same way every year: when the weather starts to turn colder, my mind turns to oatmeal. (Wait… let’s try that again.) I don’t mean that my mind turns into oatmeal, I mean that my thoughts turn toward oatmeal! :-)

Related: 9 Unusual (But Useful) Things You Can Do with Oats

On mornings when the bitter cold outside seems to have crept into my bones overnight, there’s no better way to start the day than with a warm bowl of oatmeal. I like to add a splash of caramel vanilla creamer and a handful of roasted almonds, and pretty soon I’m warmed up and ready to face the day!

But oatmeal isn’t just a nutritious and satisfying breakfast option—it’s great for your skin too!

What Does an Oatmeal Bath (or Shower) Do for Skin?

Many store-bought lotions and moisturizers feature colloidal oatmeal as the star ingredient because of its soothing, moisturizing, and exfoliating properties, but what exactly is it? If your memory of high school chemistry is as hazy as mine is, recall that a “colloid” is a mixture in which a microscopic substance is suspended throughout another substance.

Colloidal oatmeal is oatmeal that has been ground into microscopic particles and dispersed into some type of medium (usually water). In this format, oatmeal is easy to add to skincare products to alleviate dryness, itching, burns, inflammation, and other uncomfortable skin conditions like chapping and eczema.

The anti-inflammatory and soothing effects of oats make them useful for treating a variety of skin problems, from standard wintertime dryness to more serious conditions like chickenpox. Oatmeal is also well tolerated by sensitive skin, which is great news for people like me.

But while a soothing oatmeal bath can certainly be beneficial, there’s usually a certain amount of cleanup required after taking one. Luckily, there’s a clever oatmeal bath hack that offers the same skin-soothing benefits: DIY oatmeal shower bags!

I’ll be showing you how to make your own oatmeal shower bags using a few small drawstring bags, a handful of oatmeal, some grated soap, and a few drops of essential oils. Read on to learn how to enjoy the soothing benefits of an oatmeal bath without any of the mess!

Related: The Best DIY Natural Body Wash for Aging Skin

How to Make DIY Oatmeal Shower Bags

You’ll need:

• Bar of soap
• Grater or microplane
• Mixing bowl
• Rolled oats
• Lavender essential oil
• Drawstring favor bags (organza or muslin work well)

Directions:

Start by grating a bar of soap with a box grater or microplane. You’ll only need to grate about half of a standard size bar of soap, then you can set the remaining portion of the bar aside to use in the shower or for hand washing.

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Add the grated soap to a mixing bowl, then measure out 2 cups of rolled oats and add them to the grated soap. Finally, add 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil (or another essential oil of your choice) to the soap and oats, then stir to combine.

Scoop a handful (around 1/4 to 1/2 cup) of the soap and oat mixture into several small drawstring bags. If possible, choose bags that are made of a relatively sheer material, like organza or muslin, so that water can pass through it without meeting too much resistance.

Once you’ve filled the bags, just tie them off in a double knot and they’ll be ready to use!

How to Use Oatmeal Shower Bags

Simply dampen one of your oatmeal shower bags and start scrubbing! The water and soap will form a cleansing lather, while the oats and the bag itself will gently exfoliate and moisturize your skin.

(To use these oat bags for bath time, drop one or two of them in the tub while you’re filling it so it can act as a “tea bag” of sorts. It’s one of my favorite oatmeal bath hacks!)

After using them, hang the oat bags to dry in your shower or on a hook near your sink. When a bag stops lathering effectively or otherwise loses its “oomph,” simply discard its contents, rinse it out, and refill it with fresh soap and oats.

These simple oatmeal shower bags make it easy to enjoy the soothing and moisturizing benefits of oats without having to do a lot of cleanup afterward. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Have you ever had an oatmeal shower or bath?

DIY Oatmeal Shower Bags

Jill Nystul

These simple shower bags combine soap with moisturizing oatmeal to provide gently exfoliate and soothe skin with minimal cleanup.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Yield 2 cups

Equipment

• Bowl
• Grater
• Spoon
• Small fabric drawstring bags

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 bar castile soap
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 5 – 10 drops lavender essential oil optional

Instructions

 

• Grate the soap into a mixing bowl.
• Add the rolled oats and essential oils and stir to combine.
• Scoop 1/4-1/2 cup of the oat mixture into each bag and tie them off securely.

Notes

• Select bags with an open weave so water can flow freely through them.
• Each bag can be used multiple times. When it stops lathering effectively, discard the contents, clean the bag, and refill it with fresh ingredients.

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