How to Prepare an Oatmeal Bath

Many people enjoy oatmeal with fruit and milk as part of a healthy breakfast, but did you know it has been used for centuries to treat skin problems?

Colloidal oatmeal, which is oatmeal ground to a fine powder, mixed in warm bath water will soothe the itch and irritation from chicken pox, poison oak, ivy, or sumac, insect bites, eczema, diaper rash, windburn, sunburn, shingles and the anal itch which may result from pin worms.

There are many commercially-prepared oatmeal bath products available in department stores and drug stores, but it's easy and much cheaper to make your own at home. Here's how:

* You'll need one cup of unflavored oatmeal, quick oats or slow-cooking oats. They all work equally well. For a baby's bath, 1/3 of a cup is sufficient.

* Using a blender, food processor or coffee grinder, process the oats at the highest setting, until they become a very fine powder. This enables them to mix readily with the bath water.

You can test the oatmeal by stirring one tablespoon of the powder into a glass of warm water. If it quickly blends in, giving the water a milky look and slimy feel, it's just right.

* Turn on the tap in the bathtub to a lukewarm temperature and sprinkle the oatmeal powder in as the water is running. Stir with your hand to ensure it mixes evenly.

Be sure to use tepid water. Water that's too hot will draw moisture from the skin instead of lubricating it, and aggravate any inflammation that is already present.

* Feel along the bottom of the tub for clumps of oatmeal powder and break them up. When the bath is ready, the water should have a milky look and a silky feel. As you relax in the tub, the oatmeal mixture will coat the skin, softening, moisturizing and protecting it.

* Soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes, then pat dry to retain as much moisture as possible. If the skin feels sticky, rinse gently with lukewarm water and blot dry with a soft towel.

You can take up to three oatmeal baths a day. Even if you have no skin problems, you'll find an oatmeal bath is soothing, relaxing and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Whether you eat it or bathe in it, there are many reasons to love oatmeal. It's one of those natural remedies that has been around years, known to our parents and grandparents. It's time we revived interest in the utilization of its benefits.