By Madalyn Watson | Print Managing Editor
Every person with a blog or simply a connection to the internet will tell you what self-care is and why you need to implement it into your daily life. Several editorials and columns written for the Baylor Lariat explain why caring for yourself is essential as well as how self care should be a part of college students’ lives even if it’s repetitive and boring.
Bubble baths are frequently listed as an example of self-care, especially for young women who need to relax away from their stresses and soak in the hot water to forget their worries. And I completely agree, bubble baths are a simple example of pampering oneself, but they’re just plain great and that is all that really matters.
I never really was a bath person growing up. As soon as I could stand for decent amounts of time without leaning on something or falling, I made the switch to showers. I thought that baths were gross and that bathing in your own watered down filth sounded downright disgusting. As a child, I even judged my friends and classmates who took baths instead of showers, because I viewed it as baby-ish, lazy and unclean.
While I was in high school, I still did not understand the whole Lush craze. I wondered why all my friends were getting each other baskets of colorful soaps and bath bombs and other weirdly shaped bath and beauty products that smelled like candy and possibly even shimmered.
Whenever my friends and I went to the mall and they all ran to the nearest Lush or Bath and Body Works, I browsed the more practical products… or candles (but I never even bought any because I wanted to save my money to buy things I actually needed like a millionth pair of Hollister jeans or a salty pretzel from Wetzel’s Pretzels or Auntie Anne’s).
Earlier this year, however, a few friends of mine gifted me a big basket of snacks, beauty products and other fun items for my birthday to fill my new apartment. Some of those items were a deliciously citrus-smelling bar of soap, lavender body wash and lotion (because I’m into aromatherapy, of course), bath salts and bath bombs.
I had received gifts like these in the past and used most of them, but none of them ignited a weird passion in me like these most recent birthday gifts. It may have been the stress of going from a staff writer to print managing editor of the Baylor Lariat, or the anxieties associated with back to school, but I started to actually enjoy baths and all the soaps and accessories that go with them.
If you know me, work with me, have a class with me or have even seen me walking around campus this semester, you have probably overheard one of my new classic quotes: “I’ll probably just take a bubble bath and watch a horror film tonight,” “While I was in the bath the other day…,” “I need to buy more bubble bath (or bath bombs) at H-E-B,” or even “All I’m going to do this weekend is study, clean, watch Netflix and take bubble baths.”
Several people in my life have found these quotes pretty predictable and commented on my seemingly lazy routine while others have been turned over to the dark side with me. Some of my co-workers, friends and even my boyfriend credit me as their inspiration when they take a bath at the end of a stressful day.
Although I am no bubble bath expert, I do have a few tips if you want to have the ultimate and relaxing bath time:
1. Clean your tub every time you bathe, before and after. It may just be you who uses it, but you are a whole lot more filthy than you think. Also, completely ignore this entire article if you start to consider getting into one of those ancient bath tubs at Collins Hall. Don’t do it! That’s really disgusting.
2. Light some candles. Bathtubs take a while to fill up, so light some candles, or incense or use some aromatherapy while you wait to really put yourself in the mood to relax. Even if you’re embarrassed or think it’s too girly, just do it anyway. It makes bath time so much better.
3. Add some fun bath bombs or bubble bath to spice it up. It’ll make the bath smell better, look good on your Snapchat and it could also make your skin feel nice.
4. Turn on some tunes or even some Netflix. I really enjoy listening to some of my favorite playlists on Spotify while I sink into the tub. I also use the time in the bath to catch up on all the shows I’m running behind on or watch some movies.
5. Take a quick shower afterwards. I really only take baths to relax, so taking a shower afterwards will actually make you feel more clean when you move on with your day.
Even though taking a bath isn’t the best example of self-care, you should try and add it to your routine. Bubble baths make any day a whole lot better.
