DIY Shower Steamers (Natural Winter Wellness)

DIY shower steamers for natural winter wellness and aromatherapy are effective and oh-so-easy to make! This recipe for homemade shower steamer tablets includes a video along with a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the best essential oil shower steamers for relieving congestion and turning your shower into its own natural wellness spa.

For another how-to tutorial for making winter goodies using essential oils, check out this DIY Soothing Winter Hand Scrub for soft, hydrated hands.

DIY Aromatherapy For Year-Round Wellness

Whether you’re still feeling the impacts of winter wellness or spring is in the air (I can see it literally floating in the air, achoo!) I have a DIY idea to help support respiration: homemade shower steamer disks infused with eucalyptus essential oil!

I whipped up a batch of these last week and we’ve been l-o-v-i-n-g them as a way to soothe and support respiration. Plus they make your bathroom smell like a spa, which is pretty darn delightful if I do say so myself.

What I love about these steamer disks is I can add essential oils as needed. Sometimes I’ll use eucalyptus, and sometimes I’ll mix it up with Rosemary essential oil or another respiratory support blend such as Raven or R.C.

Maybe I need to wake up a bit, so I’ll add some Lemon or Citrus Fresh oil. Or at night if I want a calming scent, Lavender does the trick.

DIY Shower Steamer Ingredients

The ingredients are natural and are the same ones used to make bath bombs, so my kids jumped in and helped out. With all the scary chemicals out there, I’m so thankful to have a natural way to support health and wellness in my home.

Here is a bit of information about what I used.

• Baking Soda: This is what helps it all dissolve in the shower.
• Citric Acid: The citric acid is what gives it the fizz.
• Arrowroot Powder: You can use corn starch as a replacement. This is an important ingredient because it helps everything stick together.
• Water: Use filtered water. You should only need 3 tablespoons.
• Essential Oils: I explain further in this pots the best types of oils to use for your exact needs. You will only need about 4 drops in the entire batch.

If you’ve never made bath bombs before, there’s a bit of a learning curve because the ingredients react differently depending on the weather, humidity, etc. But don’t let that deter you! On my first attempt, the disks overfilled the molds a bit but it didn’t impact their effectiveness.

See the Troubleshooting Tips at the end for ways to solve common issues.

How To Make DIY Shower Steamers

All the exact steps and ingredients are in the printable card at the bottom of the post. First, here is a quick overview along with a video and some helpful step-by-step pictures.

Video Tutorial

Prefer a video over a written tutorial? No problem! Here’s a video tutorial on how to make the shower steamers; keep scrolling for the step by step instructions:

 

1. Mix Everything Together

Use a really large bowl for this step. First, mix the dry ingredients together. Then, gently mist this mixture with water from the spray bottle a little at a time. If it starts fizzing, you are using too much.

Be sure to mix frequently so the water doesn’t react with the mixture. When it starts to form a loose ‘snowball’ type consistency, you’re ready for the next step.

Remember, be very careful and don’t add too much water!

2. Fill The Molds

Pack the mixture into your silicone molds. This is a very messy step, and that is ok! It won’t be clean, so place the mold on a baking tray to confine the mess.

Place the mold in a dry area for 12-24 hours to let the steamers solidify and harden.

3. Store Extra Steamers

Store all of your shower steamers in am airtight container where they will stay nice and dry. Once they have any contact with water, they’ll start fizzing and fall apart, so make sure to keep them dry!

When stored properly, they should last about a month.

4. Add Essential Oils

Wait to add the essential oils until you are ready to use them. Just add a few drops of your favorite oils to the shower steamer and then throw them in the shower.

DIY Shower Steamer Questions

Here are some common questions people often ask about how to make DIY aromatherapy shower steamers. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.

Can you put essential oils in the bath or shower?

Yes, you can! But it’s best to do it in a way that the steam is infused with the oils so they don’t wash down the drain. Also, oil and water don’t mix so if taking a bath you don’t want to drop them directly in the water.

That’s why it’s best to have a way to get the oils and water to work together, such as by mixing essential oils with bath salts or adding to bath bombs or shower steamer disks.

What are some tips for making shower steamers with essential oils?

• Most of these ingredients can be found in the grocery store and/or Amazon.
• You can use cornstarch or arrowroot in this recipe; I chose arrowroot because I have a sensitivity to corn.
• A spray bottle helps disperse the water so it doesn’t react with the mixture while you’re mixing, but isn’t a ‘must’ so don’t let that keep you from making the recipe.
• This silicone mold was super helpful because I could just push them right out, but you could use a muffin tin with liners as well
• I like to add the oils just before using the disks so the scent is fresh and I can customize them
• I only use pure, therapeutic grade essential oils since many brands are cut with carrier oils or chemicals

What effect will humidity have on making shower steamers?

You need a really dry place to cure the steamers so they solidify correctly.

Rainy days and humid climates can make this recipe a bit fussy! Use less water in these situations, and remember to add it slowly. Try to find an extra dry spot in your home for drying them to help reduce moisture.

Why is my mixture fizzing?

If your mixture fizzes, you are using too much water– be sure to stir thoroughly, and add water slowly!

Why are my disks breaking apart?

If your disks break apart when you are unmolding them, you might have used too little water. The pieces will still work, they just aren’t as pretty. Adjust the water level next time. You might also not be using a silicone mold. The silicone mold makes it easy to push them out without breaking them, so it’s a good investment if you plan to make these often.

If your disks overflow the top of the mold or aren’t drying, you’ve used too much water. Adjust for this next time. This happened the first time I made them but they still worked!

What are the best essential oils to use in the shower?

The best essential oils to use in the shower depend on your wellness needs and goals. Here are my top picks based on the most common aromatherapy needs.

For Respiratory Support:

• Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• RC
• Raven
• Peppermint
• Ravintsara
• Snifflease (for kids)

For Waking Up and/or Mood Boosting:

Citrus oils are the best for boosting your mood and waking you up! Use these:

• Lemon
• Lime
• Orange
• Grapefruit
• Citrus Fresh
• Peppermint

For Calming Down:

• Lavender
• Cedarwood (I’d mix with another oil like Lavender)
• Roman Chamomile
• Peace & Calming

To make it easy, here’s a few of the products mentioned to make these disks:

Ahhhhh… a spa-like shower that supports respiration. I’m so thankful to have these on hand– especially when it’s time to get stubborn kids to take a shower, they love choosing which kid-friendly oils to add to their steamer disks!