Ginger Tea for Your Bath

Weeks ago, we were practicing for my choir's first concert EVER! With little time to prepare, we practice for hours almost three times a week and with the current weather that's more bipolar than I am when I am on my period, our instruments were in it for some throat setbacks. And our go to? Why Ginger Tea (More popularly known as Salabat here)! And of course, it helped with it's soothing, spicy hot number.

Everything I intake, I research over the Internet for some confirmation. And in my surfing, I found out that Ginger Tea has a lot of skin benefits when you put it in your bath like detoxification, soothes aches and pains, for colds & fever, good blood circulation! And yes it helps soothe menstrual cramps too! I've also read somewhere (I don't remember where, Sorry!) that it's good for dandruff, Psoriasis and removing scars (oooh.)

And of course, being the tea bath girl that I am (try other tea baths like Java Mint, Stevia & Chamomile too),  I decided to try it out. I didn't use any oils. Just good old ginger chopped up. 

What you will need:

A bucket of water

Chopped Ginger

Heater

Instructions:

Place chopped ginger in bucket of water and heat for 20 minutes (The same goes with Ginger tea for oral intake. You can keep reusing while the flavor is still there. It gets spicier every boil.) Add water for the bath and bathe like the usual.

My verdict:

I was suffering from allergies when I tried this. (I got this allergies from trying old perfumes if they have expired. I should charge myself hazard pay. Perfumes are only good for two years. Longer than that and I assure you, you will get bad allergies like mine. I better find a good way for to use these perfumes.) 

It was a concern for me if this would help my allergy condition. I have taken an anti-allergy pill to help me get drowsy and ignore the itch because it's unbearable and unsightly. I rubbed some ginger on my face and body too while in the bath. I don't know if it's the medicine or the ginger but my itch patches are subsiding very quickly. Apart from feeling relaxed, I notice that my skin feels powdery soft after I have towel-dried. Even, my menstrual discomfort is lessened. 

With all these benefits, this is definitely a must do! And if it works so well with my skin, I bet it can do wonders in my scalp. And that's just the tea bath!

Concert

As for our concert, this are the videos if you want to hear them. 

Great Are Your Works

Humayo't Ihayag

I did the solo for 'Great Are Your Works' so I am a living testament that Ginger does work. Goes to show that Ginger is not only voice care material, it's skin care and hair care material too! To the next concert and next ginger bath! 

Java Minty Tea Bath

I had a lot of Java mint spare when my parents harvested for the Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip cookies and the Mint Chocolate ice cream I made for them so I figured why not air dry it and make a tea bath out of it. 

This baby came from my mom's garden. Pretty thing, isn't it? Smells great too. 

Air-drying takes about 3 days. I used about 3 tbsps. worth of dried leaves before putting them in boiling bath water. I left it to boil for another 20 minutes. At around 15th minute, the house was filled with the sweet, refreshing smell of Java mint. My mom noticed it first. I completely forgot about heating the water with tea leaves in it. Ha! This is why I do not cook! But, it was incredible like a whole-house aromatherapy session. But the smell just doesn't stay too long. Too bad. 

The bath was incredible. I currently use mentholated shampoo because when it changes weather a lot, I tend to get dandruff. What I notice about Java mint bath is that it's not as mentholated as what we use in commercial shampoos and body washes. It's a lot milder and the smell doesn't stick so long as all good things but the effects are to be in love with. My hair was really shiny and soft and manageable right after and no itch! I had my mom feel my hair and she said it was like a horse's. And I take that as a compliment. 

After talking about a lot of tea baths here, you might think that all tea baths are made the same. Well, no. I'm just lucky that so far because I've tried good teas that have great effect on hair and body. My mom has tried Lagundi tea bath, although it has warmed her entire body on cold days, it didn't make her hair look as nice. So not all tea baths are made the same but I am starting to believe that all are awesome for skin. I haven't used lotion for weeks (apart from the fact that it's summer)  and I can tell you it's far from being dry. 

DIY Stevia Tea Bath

So another of the tea bags that I have totally forgotten and just expired are the free samples given to me by an organic Stevia gentleman farmer I met. 

And it would be a waste to throw away like the Expired Organic Chamomile tea bags I had. So I did a little research. According to Wisdom of the Ancients, Stevia can heal cuts and sores. It is said also to smoothen wrinkles and make skin soft when they dry from this tea rinse. A woman also claims that it removes aches and pains when put in the bath and is just as relaxing. It's also a good hair conditioner that helps retain hair color and makes the hair stronger. Just leave the rinse at the bath for 5 minutes. 

With my expired Stevia tea bag, it's time to try this ancient secret to sweetness and beauty.

What you need:


Hot bath water
Stevia tea bags (enough to color water)

Steep tea bags for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and enjoy. Tea bags may be reused 5 times.

Review:


It's indeed relaxing but it didn't have the extremely calming effect as the Chamomile bath I had last night. I almost fell asleep through dinner. And it did get  my aches and pains I have or maybe it's the hot water. As for the effect on hair, it didn't turn out as soft as the chamomile bath but the shine of my hair was fantastic and it managed to calm my curls. Definitely a must do! Can't wait to do a chamomile-stevia fusion bath!

This is what it looks like when it's fresh by the way.

Get your Stevia at Php60/seedling. 

Coming soon at https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ 

What to do with Expired Chamomile Tea Bags

Our next door neighbor gave us a box of organic chamomile tea bags from London about a year ago. But being busy people that we are, we forget things. And two days ago I found out that it already expired.

Photo from: http://www.whittard.co.uk/tea/herbal/organic_camomile_caffeine_free_herbal_25_teabags.htm

Honestly, I found it a waste to just throw it away so I found a different use for it that's just as effective as the oral intake. I used it in my bath. 

I placed in hot bath water 3 bags of this baby. I shampooed and scrubbed with loofa and rinsed out with chamomile tea.  

I knew of the calming properties of chamomile as a drink and as an essence but as a tea bath, who knew? I was so relaxed right after, you'd think I came from the spa. 

I was well-aware that chamomile can be used for highlighting hair for blondes but not of the other benefits of bathing hair with chamomile tea. My hair was so soft and shiny after. Conditioner got nothing on chamomile tea! And it is said to lighten eye bags too. I have yet to try this!

Which reminds me, I have expired stevia tea bags too - but that's another story. Expired tea bags rock!!!