Homemade shower steamers are easy to make and create a spa-like shower experience. As much as I love baths, sometimes they are not practical. A shower steamer helps to create a more relaxing shower, even when your rushing in the morning.
Table of Contents
Prefer to watch this project instead of reading it?
Some of the links are affiliate links, because I am an associate and I earn a small commission on them.
What is a shower steamer?
A shower steamer has a few basic ingredients: baking soda, citric acid and fragrance oil. These combine to be solid, much like a bath bomb. The fragrance is then carried up by the steam of the shower to create an aromatherapy steam right in your shower.
I like to use a menthol shower steamer when I am fighting a cold or during allergy season as it helps to relieve congestion.
How to use a shower steamer
Place one shower steamer in the bottom corner of your shower. You want it to be in a place where it is out of the direct stream of the shower, but close enough that a bit of water gets on it, so it will last the length of your shower. As the water activates the shower steamer, the oils are released into the steam. Its like it turns your shower into a giant diffuser.
Shower Steamers Ingredients
I found that menthol is going to give you the most relief for congestion. I like to pair this with eucalyptus essential oil or peppermint essential oils to help with sinus clearing. You can really customize this to suit your needs. For example, a citrus and mint goes together very well. Also, I am a fan of using your favorite fragrance oil. I did a mixture of eucalyptus essential oil and Mad About Mint fragrance oil.
Making Shower Steamers
Dissolve your menthol crystals in your fragrance or essential oils. To make this process faster of if you are having a hard time getting them to melt, you can also use rubbing alcohol to dissolve them.
Measure the baking soda, citric acid, and kaolin clay into a bowl. If you need to get rid of the clumps, you can push the mixture through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Mix everything together.
Mix in the dissolved menthol crystals and fragrance oil.
Add mica powder. Be sure to give this a really good mix. I like to use my hands to mix it.
Lightly spray the mixture with witch hazel and give it a good mix. You are going to do this until you get to the consistency of wet sand. It should hold its shape when you squeeze it in your hands.
Place in your mold. You will really want to pack the mixture in.
Allow the shower steamer to sit in the mold for a few minutes. Then remove from the mold.
Let the shower steamers dry for several hours or overnight.
Optional: Add melt and pour soap to decorate them. Melt a small amount of melt in pour soap in the microwave for a few seconds.
Add mica powder. You may need to spray with rubbing alcohol to get it to mix in.
Using a spoon, drizzle on the shower steamer.
Add sprinkles or biodegradable glitter.
Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use.
How To Make Shower Steamers For Cold and Aromatherapy
Equipment
- Scale
Ingredients
- 4.80 ounce | 60% Baking Soda
- 2.40 ounce | 30% Citric Acid
- 0.40 ounce | 5% Kaolin Clay
- 0.16 ounce | 2% Menthol Crystals
- 0.16 ounce | 2% Mad About Mint Fragrance Oil
- 0.08 ounce | 1% Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Instructions
- Dissolve your menthol crystals in your fragrance or essential oils. To make this process faster of if you are having a hard time getting them to melt, you can also use rubbing alcohol to dissolve them.
- Measure the baking soda, citric acid, and kaolin clay into a bowl. If you need to get rid of the clumps, you can push the mixture through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Mix everything together.
- Mix in the dissolved menthol crystals and fragrance oil.
- Add mica powder. Be sure to give this a really good mix. I like to use my hands to mix it.
- Lightly spray the mixture with witch hazel and give it a good mix. You are going to do this until you get to the consistency of wet sand. It should hold its shape when you squeeze it in your hands.
- Place in your mold. You will really want to pack the mixture in.
- Allow the shower steamer to sit in the mold for a few minutes. Then remove from the mold.
- Let the shower steamers dry for several hours or overnight.
- Optional: Add melt and pour soap to decorate them. Melt a small amount of melt in pour soap in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Add mica powder. You may need to spray with rubbing alcohol to get it to mix in.
- Using a spoon, drizzle on the shower steamer.