All of us enjoy a nice bath in the tub now and then, especially in the cold weather. We have listed the basic dos' and don'ts' of a bath so that your bathing experience is always safe and absolutely relaxing.

 

The dos' for a lavish bath:

Drink water before:

Drinking a glass of water before your bath will ensure you do not get dehydrated during your bath. If you are thinking of wine, then no, drinking wine in the bathtub does not count! Soaking yourself in hot water will make your body lose water and moisture. The hotter the bath, the more water you lose. Hence it is always recommended to use warm water for a bath or even a shower. Using hot water does have its disadvantages, you can read about them in the 'Don'ts' section.

Drink water after:

Drink a glass of water after your bath as well. Having a warm bath still manages to make you lose some water and hence get that glass of water chugged to get hydrated. Some people prefer keeping a bottle of water handy to drink in the bathroom itself. Doing this avoids any uneasiness that may occur because of dehydration.

Use a bath board:

Use a bath board or a bath caddy. If you are one of those who like to read, drink wine, or snack while having a bath, using a good quality bath board would be perfect. The bath board or bath caddy ensures having a place to keep everything, and you can have a clutter-free bath. You will find tons of bath caddies available with various e-commerce retailers, but if you are looking for a high-quality wooden bath board, I highly recommend checking out our DubTub Bath Boards.

 

Add a candle:

Light a mildly scented or unscented candle. For me, candles are an absolute must for a bath as they just set that perfect relaxing mood. The bath for me is incomplete in the absence of one. Using an unscented candle helps you take the maximum benefits of the aroma of your bath products. The last thing you want is to have a powerfully scented candle to disrupt your most awaited eucalyptus bath. We pay so much for these essential oil-infused products, might as well get their maximum benefits. The olfactory benefits of a good smelling bath help you further your relaxation and deep dive into thoughts and hopefully help achieve a peaceful minute.

Don't forget the music:

Music therapy or sound healing can be another added benefit along with the bath. You can play some soothing tunes on Youtube or use an app like Calm to play its peaceful songs. Many like to have a Bluetooth speaker which is waterproof which is always playing, and this would be perfect rather than handling a phone in the bathtub. Think of this time as a mini digital detox and voluntarily keep away from looking at your phone. Put on the playlist, and jump in the tub keeping the phone far away. Highly recommend those bathroom speakers.

Rinse the bathtub:

Make sure to give a quick rinse to the bathtub post your bath. Doing this removes any residual dye or bubble soap. Our bathtubs need to have a weekly or maximum biweekly scrub, and till then, this quick rinse will ensure the tub does not stain or become slippery. If at any time you do see a color stain caused because of extreme dark-colored bath bombs, you can always use baking soda to clean this up. The stain will come right off. If you are like me and enjoy a dye-less bath, try out this minimal color bath kit. I usually have a bath in candlelight, so it honestly does not make much of a difference whether the bathwater is colored or not. Besides, the artificial colors used are not right for the skin. If you do enjoy colorful baths, do make sure they use minimum color.

Moisturize:

Your body is like a sponge immediately after a shower or a bath. Hence you need to apply a thick moisturizer directly after the bath. You might keep the tub of your favorite moisturizer in the bathroom itself. Application on damp skin will help you big time in soaking those nourishing ingredients from your lotion or cream. Using a body oil or a bath oil too can gain a lot of hydration to your body. And no, under no circumstances should you skip this step. Avoiding body lotion will keep your skin dry and irritating even if you must have had a bath of your lifetime.

The don'ts' of a good bath:

No extreme hot water:

Do not use extremely hot water. The ideal water temperature should be between 90F and 105F. It's apparent that we do not need to check the temp with a thermometer unless we are drawing a bath for a baby; we can quickly check the temp by dipping one foot in the water. Dip it for under 5 secs and when you remove the foot if you feel the immediate need to pour cold water, then yes, the water is hot, i.e., not of the favorable temperature. Warm water or neutral setting water works best for your skin, and once you soak in it, you would not miss the extreme hot temp. Warm water is the best for showers/baths throughout the year. The hot water strips away the moisture of the skin and makes it dry and itchy. If you have sensitive skin, you may also get rashes. Hot water baths can also be very addictive. They also dehydrate you, and you may start feeling uneasy if you soak in it for a longer duration. Just like the skin, hot water is absolutely a no-no for hair too.

Avoid glassware:

To all the wine lovers out there, do not carry any glassware in the tub. Many of us enjoy having a nice glass of wine while having a bath. It is hands down romantic! (especially with some company, right!) Be sure to use the dollar store unbreakable ware here. There is always a possibility of the glass slipping and breaking, and the last thing you would want is to be cleaning glass particles outside or inside the tub. Safety is essential, and stepping on a glass particle is never a good experience. If you do buy one of our bath boards, there is a perfect slit to slid in your glass, but here too, I highly recommend using non-breakable wine glasses.

 

Stay away from too many candles:

We can never have enough candles around the bathtub. It just builds that perfect ambiance. Having said that, our regular bathtubs in our condos do not have a wide rim, and keeping multiple lit candles and placing them on edge is a hazard. The toppling of a candle with hot wax pouring inside the tub or outside on the floor will be much difficult to clean than the glass pieces. Again, a better option here is to use the bath boards.

Pro tip: Light candles and place them far from any possibility of any physical contact during the bath. You can indeed light up your entire bathroom if you can follow this tip.

Limit the soaking time:

I get it; it feels incredible! Especially after following all the dos' above, I really wouldn't want to get out of the tub. But do yourself a favor and set a timer. We tend to get lost in our thoughts when we get in the zone, but soaking ourselves for an extended time can cause dehydration along with dry skin and itchiness. The recommended time is about 20-30 mins, and this is more than enough to extract maximum benefits from any bath. If you are having a unique bath to relax your muscles after a tiring day or post a workout, 25 mins soak is good to go.

Limit excess-colored products:

We all love those extreme sparkly bath bombs or highly colored bubble bars, but unfortunately, they leave quite a bit of residue, which can damage your white bathtub. If you do get a stain, no biggie, a little scrubbing with baking soda should help eliminate it. Excessive colors may cause the color to deposit on the skin and could develop rashes on sensitive skin.

Do not use too many products:

There are tons of products available to enhance a bath. A good bath can be managed with warm water with Epsom salts. But we do look for enhanced benefits, and we introduce add-ons like bubble bath and bath bombs or bath teas or essential oils. All these components have their advantages, but mixing them might create one overwhelming bath, and that will land up just mixing all the scents. This will affect the result, and you may not get what you are expecting from the bath.

 

Pro Tip: Stick to a single fragrance in all the add-ons you would use in a bath. For example, if you are in a mood for a lavender bath, use a lavender bath bomb, lavender essential oil infused Epsom salts and lavender bubble bath. Or just pick up a Lavender Bath Kit. Doing this will take your bathing experience up a notch, and you will truly feel the benefits of lavender.

 

Keep in mind:

• Bath products which use essential oils instead of fragrance oils will be expensive comparatively as so the result too will be much more luxurious.

 

• You do not always need multiple products to get a good bath. You can create a fabulous bath by merely adding a Bath Teabag in your bath water to gain benefits.

 

• You can have a great bath even without adding bubbles to it. Bubbles are simply a feel-good component, and they do not add to any significant benefit to a bath.

 

• Add almond or jojoba oil to your moisturizer to be applied to your body after your bath. Your body will literally drink this nutritious juice, and thank you!

 

• You can also add a face sheet mask while you soak. The steam from your bath water will help penetrate the serum from the sheet mask in your face.