Fashion & Style

Describes the reasons why a milk bath is beneficial for the skin. Lists necessary ingredients as well as optional ones.

Milk has never been something you just pour on cereal, although it seems many of us have forgotten that. Milk has been used to clean and nourish skin for centuries. It is believed that Cleopatra used to bathe herself in camel’s milk quite frequently. Taking a milk bath is one of the easiest ways to improve the look and feel of your skin almost instantly. If you have a bathtub and a carton of milk in your refrigerator, then you already have everything you need.

Milk is incredibly beneficial for the skin in many different ways. Its various ingredients serve a multitude of skin-improving purposes. Part of the reason milk works wonders for skin is because it contains different kinds of acids. Don’t be frightened by the word “acids,” because the kind contained in milk is too mild to cause burning of the skin. The alpha hydroxy acid contained in milk, called lactic acid, acts as a gentle cleanser for skin.

Another naturally occurring acid in milk is a beta hydroxy acid which acts is an excellent skin exfoliant. Exfoliation is extremely important when it comes to skin care. Removing the old skin cells makes way for the newer, more vibrant skin underneath to shine through.

Many milk bath producers enrich their products with vitamin E to further condition skin but milk naturally contains other skin helping vitamins on its own so purchasing such a product is not really necessary.

Milk also contains fat and proteins that provide the skin with a softer, more supple feeling. For this reason, it is not productive to bathe in skim milk. The fat milk naturally contains can serve a good purpose when it is not ingested.

Materials:

A bath tub filled with warm water

1 and ½ quarts of whole milk

Stove

Pan

Measuring cup

How to:

Find a clean pan in your kitchen and measure out the milk. (If you want to use more than the above listed, that’s fine but you don’t need more than ½ gallon.) Pour the milk into the pan and gently warm up the milk on low to medium-low heat. Your milk need not come to a boil! While the milk is heating, start running the warm bath water. When the milk is heated pour it into the bath and viola! Your milk bath is complete.

At this point you can soak and enjoy. However, many people complain about the scent of a milk bath. There are a numerous optional items you can add to the bath to make the stink disappear. You may want to add to the bath some citrus oils or a strong scented flower essence such as rose oil. Adding lightly crushed lavender petals will cover any odd smell and its fragrance is known for its soothing qualities. Adding fragrant crushed herbs such as mint or thyme can also help.

If you are feeling particularly indulgent, add chocolate shavings or powdered cocoa to the milk while you are warm the milk. Remember to warm the milk and chocolate gradually because chocolate burns easily and burned foods will not ease the bad smell that can occur during the bath.

Don’t forget to drain the tub and then shower after you are done soaking to wash off the offensive scent that milk residue can leave behind.

Written by Angela McKendree – 2002 Pagewise