Cleopatra's Bath

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra 1963

"Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, was famous for her beautiful skin and her penchant for milk baths which she attributed her beauty to." - Shakaya Leone 

Now that winter is here and we have been living with the dry cold air for some weeks, it is good to take extra special care of our largest organ, our skin. A hot bath is a special treat on a bleak and stinging day.  Combined with the skin softening ingredients of Cleopatra's bath, you will emerge feeling like a Queen.  The following recipe is taken from Shakaya Leone's book Naked Beauty: Your Guide To Getting Gorgeous, Naturally.

CLEOPATRA'S MILK AND HONEY BATH

2 C coconut milk

4 T coconut oil

1/4 C honey

4 drops cardamom essential oil

4 drops bergamot essential oil 

Coconut Milk from the can is perfect for this recipe. It is a blend of the water and flesh of the coconut, and is a convenient way to enjoy this treatment.

Coconut Oil on the skin is pure luxury; it has a delicate aroma and very small molecules so it can easily penetrate the skin. Honey is an effective anti-microbial agent and natural humectant that attracts and maintains moisture in the skin. 

Cardamom Essential Oil comes from seeds that were chewed by the Egyptians to whiten teeth. The highly aromatic oil is sweet and balsamic, and comes from a wild herb that is a relative of the ginger family. Romans used it as a carminative when they over-indulged and had stomach issues, and the Arabians ground the seeds into their coffee. Generally not used in skin care because it is a potential skin irritant, it smells divine and is safe for hair or bath treatments. 

Bergamot Essential Oil has a fruity fragrance with a warm, spicy floral quality. It is native to Southeast Asia, is cultivated widely in Italy and is made from a tree with star-shaped aromatic flowers. It is used to flavor Earl Grey tea.

METHOD

Combine the milk, honey and oils. Then, pour into a running bath and sprinkle with organic rose petals. Light a candle, turn on some relaxing music and let yourself go...

Cleopatra, the famously alluring Queen of Egypt has become known throughout history less for her leadership than for her beguiling ways, which she used in an attempt to keep Egypt free from Roman domination. Among those whom she charmed was Julius Caesar. She had herself wrapped in an oriental rug and had the rug offered as a gift to Caesar. When the rug was unrolled, she tumbled out. Though she is regarded to have been a great beauty, she actually wasn't. But her charm overtook the powerful Caesar, and it was love at first sight. - Shakaya Leone, Naked Beauty

Shakaya Leone

If you have a hard time finding the essential oils or the rose petals, the bath is still as effective using just the coconut milk, coconut oil, and the honey. And, although this bath will make you feel like a Queen, it has the power to make a man feel like a King as well. In my experience, it is a more difficult to convince a man to take time to reward his body for its hard work. Men tend to pride themselves on being tough and rugged and shy away from things as luxurious as a hot bath. My suggestion would be to convince your honey to take a nice hot soak (you might have to join him to get him in there), offer to draw the bath for him and go ahead and add the ingredients. He will be surprised and happy that you did. After all, it was his lady that made the nice milky bath for him. He enjoyed it, and would like to do it again sometime but he would never have taken a fancy bath had she not set it up. ;) 

Below is some nice relaxing music perfect for a luxurious soak. 

~ Love & Light ~