Bath salts made with the Thermomix® are not really a recipe but a three-step system. We mix 500 g of Dead Sea salt dry with food colouring and a few drops of fragrance oil, 25 seconds at speed 4, then seal it airtight. No water, no oil in the salt. For a full bath, use 2 to 3 tablespoons (about 100 to 150 g) at around 37 °C water temperature. In 20 minutes you have three finished jars: Unicorn, Orange and Rose Blossom.
We have made all three versions hundreds of times. The unicorn bath salts in colourful layers, the orange bath salts with real zest and the rose blossom bath salts with dried petals. Each works on the same principle and each is ready in under ten minutes of hands-on time. The reason we use the Thermomix® rather than stirring by hand is explained in the very next section.
Unicorn Bath Salts, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 500 g Dead Sea bath salt
- 3 food colourings yellow, pink, blue
- nach Bedarf biodegradable glitter
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Colour yellow.
Place one third of the Dead Sea salt into the mixing bowl along with a few drops of yellow food colouring and some gold glitter, mix for 25 sec / speed 4, then transfer to a small bowl. Do not rinse the mixing bowl; simply wipe it out with a dry kitchen towel. Moisture causes the salt to clump.
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2
Colour pink.
Place the next third into the mixing bowl with pink food colouring and glitter of your choice, mix for 25 sec / speed 4, then transfer to a small bowl.
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3
Colour blue.
Mix the final third with blue food colouring and silver glitter for 25 sec / speed 4 and transfer to a small bowl as well.
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4
Fill the jar.
Now layer the salt into the jar in alternating colours and seal airtight.
Tip: You can use other containers for your bath salts. Jam jars, honey jars or similar work perfectly well. Feel free to vary the colours and fragrance to suit your taste.
Why we mix the salt dry at speed 4
The Thermomix® distributes colour and fragrance evenly through the salt without any stirring on your part. 25 seconds at speed 4 is enough for 500 g. No longer, because the salt will otherwise become too fine and lose the coarse texture that crackles so nicely in the bath water. If the result still looks streaky after 25 seconds, add more time in 5-second bursts. Two short runs are better than one run that is too long.
There is a second reason to mix dry. As soon as the salt comes into contact with water it partly dissolves and forms lumps that cannot be smoothed out again. That is why we wipe the mixing bowl between batches with a dry kitchen towel only and never rinse it with water. This is exactly where the Thermomix® makes the difference: by hand you will never distribute three colours as evenly as this, and citrus zest will never be ground as finely into the salt as it is at speed 4.
Dead Sea salt, Epsom salt or sea salt: what to put in the jar
We use 500 g of Dead Sea salt as our base, and that is a deliberate choice. Dead Sea salt is rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium and has been used for years on dry or itchy skin. It leaves skin feeling softer after a bath than ordinary table salt. The coarse grain also helps the colour adhere and makes the salt flow nicely when filling the jars.
Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) is the alternative if you want to absorb magnesium through the skin. It is finer and takes colour less readily, so colours come out more subtle with it. Plain supermarket sea salt works too, though it has fewer minerals. What should not go in the jar is table salt with an anti-caking agent: it clumps faster and feels rough on the skin. If you like, mix 400 g Dead Sea salt with 100 g bicarbonate of soda to soften the water.
Unicorn bath salts: layering rather than mixing
For the unicorn bath salts we colour the 500 g in three passes, so about 165 g per colour. Yellow with gold glitter, pink with glitter of your choice, blue with silver glitter. Each third goes into the mixing bowl with a few drops of food colouring and some glitter for 25 seconds at speed 4, then into its own small bowl. Wipe the mixing bowl dry between each pass.
The layering only works if you fill the salt into the jar in alternating colours: yellow, pink, blue, then yellow again. That is what creates the coloured stripes that define unicorn bath salts. If you pour everything in at once the pigments blend as the salt settles and turn a murky grey-brown. A tall, narrow jar shows the layers far better than a wide one.
Orange bath salts: zest delivers the fragrance
For the orange bath salts, place 500 g of salt, the zest of 1 unwaxed orange, 5 to 10 drops of orange oil and orange food colouring into the mixing bowl, then 25 seconds at speed 4. The orange peel contains essential oils that are released as it is chopped. The Thermomix® grinds the zest finely and distributes it throughout the salt. The added orange oil boosts the scent, because the zest alone fades as it dries in the salt.
Using an unwaxed orange matters here. Treated peel carries wax that will not distribute evenly and leaves unsightly patches in the salt. Organic oranges are the safer choice. Grate the zest thinly, avoiding the white pith as much as possible, or it will turn bitter.
Rose blossom bath salts: dried petals keep the salt dry
The rose blossom bath salts need 500 g of salt, 2 tbsp dried rose petals, 5 to 10 drops of rose oil and pink food colouring, all together for 25 seconds at speed 4. The rose petals must be dried; fresh petals bring moisture into the salt and that is the quickest route to clumping. Dried petals keep the salt free-flowing. The rose oil provides the scent and the petals provide the visual appeal.
The pink colouring completes the effect. Without colouring, the salt looks like grey grit with brown specks. With pink food colouring it becomes a proper rose bath salt. If you prefer a stronger scent, combine the rose oil with a few drops of vanilla, which takes the sharp, perfumed edge off the rose.
The three most common pitfalls with homemade bath salts
The salt clumps after a few days
Bath salt draws moisture from the air and from any damp ingredient. The most common mistake: fresh rather than dried petals, a wet mixing bowl or a jar that does not seal properly. Our solution: wipe the mixing bowl dry only, use exclusively dried petals and fill the finished salt into a jar with a clip-top lid. This keeps it free-flowing for months.
The unicorn colours turn grey-brown
This happens when you put all three colours into the mixing bowl at once or simply pour them all in when filling the jar. As the salt settles the pigments blend into a murky tone. Our solution: mix each colour separately, transfer it to its own small bowl and layer them alternately in the jar. Only then do the stripes stay cleanly separated.
The salt becomes too fine and dusty
Blending the salt for too long or at too high a speed grinds it to a powder. The coarse grain that crackles in the water is lost and it creates dust when you open the jar. Our solution: stay at speed 4 and start with 25 seconds. Only blend again if the colour is still streaky, and then only in 5-second bursts.
More scent and colour combinations to try
The core method stays the same; we just swap the colour and fragrance. A few combinations that work well for us:
- Lavender for sleep: 500 g salt, 1 tbsp dried lavender, 8 drops lavender oil, purple colouring. The classic evening bath.
- Eucalyptus for colds: 500 g salt, 8 to 10 drops eucalyptus oil, no colouring. The steam over the warm water clears the nose.
- Lemon and mint to wake up: zest of 1 organic lemon, 5 drops peppermint oil, yellow colouring. The fresh option for a morning bath.
- Adding a skin oil: If you like, add 1 tbsp almond or jojoba oil directly into the bath, not into the salt jar. This keeps the salt dry while your skin still gets the benefit.
Combining the bath salts into a wellness gift set
Bath salts go beautifully in a homemade wellness gift set. We combine them with homemade foot balm and bath bombs made with the Thermomix®. For unicorn fans, a little bottle of unicorn liqueur makes a great addition. If you want to make the whole set yourself, you will find more ideas in our Thermomix® Cosmetics collection.
How to store bath salts so they stay free-flowing for months
Bath salt draws moisture from the air. In an open jar it clumps within a few days. Jars with clip-top lids keep the salt free-flowing for months; colour and fragrance last roughly three to six months. Jam jars with screw-top lids also work, as long as the lid seals properly. With honey jars, check that the rubber seal in the lid is still intact.
Store the jars not in the bathroom but somewhere dry and dark, such as a bedroom cupboard. The humidity right next to the shower is the main reason bath salts clump faster than expected.
Frequently asked questions about bath salts with the Thermomix®
You will find more homemade Thermomix® Cosmetics recipes in our recipe collection.
