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Chill Out With These 3 Anti-Inflammatory Detox Baths For Summer

Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
Author:
July 13, 2019
Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
mbg Health Contributor
By Gretchen Lidicker, M.S.
mbg Health Contributor
Gretchen Lidicker earned her master’s degree in physiology with a focus on alternative medicine from Georgetown University. She is the author of “CBD Oil Everyday Secrets” and “Magnesium Everyday Secrets.”
Image by Trinette Reed / Stocksy
July 13, 2019
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We're smack dab in the middle of summer, and that means it's hot with a capital "H" out there. In other words, you switched to iced coffee, you ditched your underwire bra for a cotton bralette, and you're most likely huddled inside by the AC while you're reading this. You may even think it's too hot to continue your beloved Epsom salt baths that you swear by in the winter. Well, I'm here to tell you that baths can benefit your health: All. Year. Long.

Yes, you read that correctly. Even in the summer!

The following baths are designed specifically to combat the aches, pains, and other health woes many of us experience during this season. So without further ado, here are three anti-inflammatory, detoxing ingredients you should be adding to your bath this summer:

1. Bentonite clay

Bentonite clay, also known as Aztec clay, is well known as one of nature's best detoxers. It's chock-full of minerals like calcium, sodium, copper, magnesium, iron, and potassium, and as mbg's senior wellness editor Steph Eckelkamp wrote, "Many toxins, heavy metals, and free radicals are said to carry a positive charge, and some research1 suggests that negatively charged bentonite is able to attach to these substances and help remove them from the body."

Because of this, bentonite clay is often used in face masks—like this $11 cult-favorite you can buy on Amazon—to purge the skin and combat acne. So why put bentonite clay in your bath? Sweat can lead to clogged pores, and in the summer, that can mean pimples cropping up on your back, shoulders, chest—basically anywhere. Adding a few tablespoons of Aztec clay to your bath could help balance your skin's oil production. Plus, a tub is only around $10, so there's nothing stopping you from giving it a try.

2. Manuka honey

On the list of summer's low points, right next to body acne, are sunburns. They're best avoided in the first place, but sometimes we underestimate how much time we've spent in the direct sun and end up red, inflamed, and peeling. Enter: Manuka honey, one of wellness's favorite natural ingredients. Manuka honey has about a million benefits, but one of the most exciting is its ability to soothe skin inflammation and help heal burns more quickly. In fact, a 2012 review2 of the existing research on honey for burns "found robust evidence for the use of topical honey to reduce healing times in burns." Pretty cool, right?

If this was enough to convince you to give it a try, make sure you buy a high-quality honey, like those from Wedderspoon or Manuka Doctor. Apply it directly to your skin before the bath, get in, and let its anti-inflammatory properties get to work while you relax.

3. CBD oil

You're at a friend's house for the ultimate summer BBQ; there are iced cold drinks, roasted veggies on the grill, and, of course—tons of mosquitoes. Before you panic, try one of these five natural ingredients you can use as bug repellent. If it's too late and you're already itching up a storm, try adding CBD oil to your bath that evening. CBD has demonstrated skin-soothing properties that could benefit a wide range of skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, and atopic dermatitis. All of these are characterized by inflammation and itching, which is where CBD really shines. In fact, as Robert Dellavalle, M.D.—associate professor of dermatology and the senior author of a study on the role of cannabinoids in dermatology3—told Science Daily, "Perhaps the most promising role for cannabinoids is in the treatment of itch."

Try one of the CBD-infused bath bombs on Eaze Wellness, an online store that ships high-quality CBD products to your home, or these Vertly Hemp CBD Infused Bath Salts ($29).

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