How to Make Lavender Shower Steamers

Shower steamers are like a bath bomb for the shower, and they will elevate your showering experience in the same way a bath bomb levels up your bathing experience. A small scented puck you can put in the bottom of your shower to envelop yourself in scent and transform your bathroom into an aromatherapeutic experience, a shower steamer is indulgent and beneficial to mind and body. You can actually make them yourself at home with just a couple of easy-to-find, multipurpose ingredients. 

I first discovered the shower steamer concept when I was under the weather, scrolling Instacart for feel-better supplies. Under “Suggested Items” they had lavender (Lavandula spp.) shower steamers available, so I had to give them a try. My bathroom was suddenly morphed into a spa steam room! Being enrobed in the fresh floral scent of the lavender steam was such a gentle and comforting support to my body and mind.

How it Works

Aromatherapy can have a plethora of positive effects on our minds and bodies. Research on lavender essential oil has shown it to be beneficial for providing a break from pain and anxious tension. Lavender essential oil is often used to help stave off headaches, let go of muscle tension, and bring on sleep (Chevallier, 2000). For more information on the benefits of lavender essential oil, see this article on the blog. And for further reading on the effects of aromatherapy and mood, you can read our post, How Does Scent Affect Mood?

Things to Consider

Nowadays, you can find lavender-scented everything, from everyday essentials like trash bags and laundry detergent to luxury items like perfume and skin care. You can find lavender essential oils in most pharmacy sections of big-box stores. However, if you’ve stopped and smelled the bouquet of lavender products available, you’ll know that not every lavender scent is created equal. I used an essential oil of Lavandula officinalis for these steamers, but there are many lavender essential oil options available and they are not all exactly alike. For more information on choosing the right lavender essential oil, see the article on the Herbal Academy blog, How To Choose the Right Lavender Essential Oil.

Bringing it Home

While I fully appreciated the store-bought lavender shower steamers, I couldn’t help but wonder if I could make them myself. I just needed to figure out how to make a puck as a vehicle, and then I could apply the lavender essential oil I have in my home apothecary. I already had these silicone molds that I bought for making lotion bars a little while ago, so I just needed to experiment with what to use as a base. 

The store-bought shower steamers looked like they were probably mostly baking soda, so I started simple. Just using baking soda and water, I couldn’t get the finished pucks out of the molds in one piece without them getting crumbly on me. I needed to add something with a bit more binding power that would still dissolve in the shower. Then I remembered the huge container of bentonite clay I have in my bathroom cupboard and thought it might do the trick.

I started to play around with a mixture of baking soda and bentonite clay. After trying several different ingredient ratios and curing times, I found a successful one that produced a porous and absorbent puck that would fully absorb essential oils and release from the mold in one piece. Here’s what I came up with.

The great thing about these shower steamer pucks is that they are a blank canvas, which means you can add whatever essential oils are your favorite. Eucalyptus and mint essential oils can be more invigorating while still providing that spa experience right in your own home. Citrus essential oils are more energizing, and still great for calming the mind, if you want a little extra get-up-and-go for the morning (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). It’s so easy to customize your experience with these, just be sure to store your differently scented puck in different containers or they will all start to smell the same.

In Closing,

These shower steamers washed away entirely without leaving anything behind at the end of the shower. With easy-to-find multipurpose ingredients, you can make them at any time without having to have a stash of special ingredients. I also appreciate the fully customizable experience of getting to add as much or as little scent as I please. 

Making these shower steamers is so simple that it makes giving yourself and your loved ones the gift of elevated self-care easy. Keep them on hand to elevate any shower to a spa-like experience, whether you’re looking for support during times of illness or simply from the stress of the day. 

REFERENCES

Chevallier, A. (2000). Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Reference to 550 Herbs and Remedies for Common Ailments. Dorling Kindersley.

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, December 14). 11 Essential Oils: Their Benefits and How To Use Them. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/essential-oils-101-do-they-work-how-do-you-use-them/,