There is no denying the relaxation you can derive from a quiet interlude in a serene, carefully prepared bath. By adding just a few cosmetic preparations to the tub, you can create a tranquil refuge right in your own home. And none of these products have to be expensive or contain irritants. In fact, the less expensive ones (like pure almond, or olive oil, Epsom salts, or nonfragranced moisturizers) all work beautifully. Fragrance can be a serious skin irritant. If you use fragranced oils and salts in the bath, the perfume can be especially sensitizing for the vaginal area as well as other parts of the body.
Simply feeling beautiful and tranquil is the main goal of a leisurely bath. Even the thought is gratifying. Without trying to burst anyone's bubble, because my job is to tell you what I know to be true from current research, I must mention that, as blissful as all this can be, the only benefits are psychological. Regularly soaking for long periods, especially in hot water—and that includes Jacuzzis—is actually not best for the long-term health of the skin. Oversaturating the skin with water can break down its immune/healing response and can actually make it drier (Source:
Contact Dermatitis, December 1999, pages 311–314). If you bathe regularly, soak for no more than five to ten minutes. Occasionally, it is fine to soak for longer periods, but make that the exception instead of the rule. Whether it's for five or ten minutes, or the infrequent twenty- to thirty-minute soak, the repose and quiet serenity of a bath can give you the time to feel the texture changes in your skin and to calm stressed-out, responsibility-weary nerves.
Following are some ideas for enjoying a relaxing bath without harming your skin.
- Start running the bath using water that's only slightly hotter than normal; water that is too hot can be hard on the skin and may cause problems over the long haul.
- If you have normal to dry skin, drizzle in a teaspoon or two of almond, olive, or sunflower oil. If you have oily, blemish-prone skin from the neck down, oils of any kind are not the best idea. Bubble bath is best, and the dish detergent in your kitchen will produce lots of bubbles and you only need a drop.
- Add a teaspoon of bubble bath or bath salts. As I mentioned above, these should preferably be fragrance-free to avoid irritation and breakouts. Epsom salts are a great, incredibly inexpensive addition to any bath.
- Rather than pouring fragrance into the bath, which can be irritating for the skin, light a scented candle or two and place them in strategic locations so the light can flicker on the water and in the mirror. Tiny oil lamps can also help radiate fragrance throughout the room.
- Turn down the lights or turn them off altogether and bathe by candlelight.
- Prop a towel or bath pillow behind your head and stretch out.
- While you're soaking, take the time to gently, and I mean gently, buff a washcloth over your body. (Be careful with loofahs—they can be hard on most skin types and if they are not cleaned regularly can be a source of staphylococcus infection.)
- Use a body cleanser or body wash alone or with a gentle washcloth. Soap can be too drying on skin.
- When you're done soaking, exit as slowly as you entered.
- If you haven't used a body exfoliant in the bath, you can use your towel to give your legs and arms a good but gentle rubdown. But take it easy; hard rubbing can irritate the skin.
- If you haven't shaved, you can apply an AHA or BHA moisturizer (or use your towel for a good but gentle rubdown) over your legs and arms, especially on your knees, elbows, and heels.
- Next apply a moisturizer (but not on areas of the body that tend to break out).
- If you bathe in the morning it is essential to apply an effective sunscreen over those parts of the body that will be exposed to daylight.
Paula Begoun 
Have any questions about Paula's Choice products or need to talk to a real person?
