Bath broom is the best natural massager. Massage with a broom increases blood circulation in the skin and muscles. Sweating is activated, toxins are removed from the body. There are several types of brooms, and all of them emit phytoncides in the steam room – medicinal substances with bactericidal properties. And the essential oils contained in the branches and leaves of bath brooms improve metabolism, increase tone, and prevent skin aging. After whipping with absolutely any kind of bath broom, the skin looks smooth and healthy. The face and neck are steamed, the pores open, excess sebum is released.

When to prepare bath brooms

There is no definite answer about when to prepare brooms for a bath. Each attendant has his own favorite time for the ritual of collecting branches. Usually birch branches are cut after Trinity and before Ilyin's day (August 2), more often from the second half of June to mid-July. It is worth focusing on the birch itself and strictly adhere to the rule that branches for brooms should be cut only in dry weather.

Earrings on birch trees should not bloom yet – this is an important landmark in time. Whether the branches are suitable for a broom can be checked “by the tooth". Tear off one leaf from the branch and touch the surface with your tongue. If the sheet is hard, rough – such a birch will not work. Choose a tree where the leaves are tender, smooth, velvety "tastes", as if covered with fluff and a little sticky.

Preparation of birch brooms for a bath

It is best to harvest branches from birch trees growing in humid places: in lowlands, along river banks. Preparation of birch brooms for a bath begins with a trip to the birch forest. Entering the forest, choose a young birch that has not yet bloomed and, gently bending it, cut only the side branches without affecting the top! Silver, weeping and curly birches are considered ideal for a broom, but ordinary white birch is also good. Carefully cut branches about half a meter long. The branches should be straight, flexible and thin enough. Branches that grow on old stumps or birch roots are very good.

Cut branches no more than half a meter long. In the forest, it is convenient to hastily intercept the “bouquets” from the branches with a rope or elastic band, and then at home you can then correctly and accurately tie the brooms.

There should be 20-30 branches in one broom. It is desirable to fold so that the leaves look in one direction, and the branches are arranged as if in the shape of a fan. Tie the branches tightly with cotton twine or hemp rope and cut off the excess ends of the branches. The branches must be tied very tightly, because when they dry, they will shrink in size and the rope will weaken. Not only wrap the rope around the “handle” of the broom, but also pass it between the branches. And it is better to bandage the "handle" not in one, but in two places.

Types of brooms for a bath in the photo

We bring to your attention a photo of bath brooms made from various natural materials. All of them have healing properties and fill the steam room with an incomparable aroma.

The most common types of bath brooms are birch, oak and bath brooms "bouquet" – assembled from various branches and herbs.

Types of bath brooms: linden and nettle

Linden broom increases sweating, has a relaxing and calming effect, relieves headaches, dilates the bronchi, and has an antipyretic effect.

Nettle broom is usually steamed with back pain, aching joints. Nettle broom is considered especially healing: it improves blood circulation, helps with the deposition of salts, has invigorating, tonic, tonic properties. So that the nettle does not burn, the broom should be dipped in hot water for 2 minutes, then held in cold water for 3-4 minutes, then again lowered into hot and cold water. If you want the nettle to burn, you should dip the broom in boiling water for a few seconds and immediately steam. Nettles treat sore joints and muscles, lightly whipping with a broom. Nettle brooms are harvested from May to July.

Photo of a birch broom for a bath and their use

A birch broom for a bath relieves muscle and joint pain after physical exertion, cleanses the skin, and heals wounds. It perfectly "knocks out" bronchitis and cough, especially useful for asthma patients and smokers. We will talk about the correct preparation of birch brooms separately, but for now you can see more photos of birch brooms for a bath:

Photos of oak brooms for a bath and their use

Oak brooms for a bath have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, remove excess fat and give dullness to oily skin. They soothe, prevent an increase in pressure in the steam room for hypertensive patients, relieve stress, and reduce sweating of the legs.

An oak broom for a bath is recommended for skin diseases, radiculitis, hypertension, and neuralgia. With proper preparation and storage, the broom can be used 2-3 times. Usually oak brooms are harvested in August-September. The best tree for cutting branches is the one under which large burdock grows – leaves from such branches will not crumble longer.

As you can see in the photo above, the oak broom looks more "solid" due to the darkness of the leaves and the increased density of the rods.

What brooms are prepared for a bath: from wormwood or coniferous?

Wormwood broom helps to relax, normalizes sleep, relieves headaches and increases potency. Wormwood brooms are disposable, they are harvested immediately after the plant has faded so that the stems are strong and dry. Wormwood is good for the skin, its persistent pleasant smell will stay on the skin for several days.

What brooms are prepared for a bath so that the steam room is filled with a special aroma? Conifers! Juniper, spruce, cedar and fir brooms are excellent antiseptics. The use of these brooms normalizes blood circulation, relieves pain spasms. Coniferous brooms need to be softened for 10-15 minutes in boiling water. On the first entry into the steam room, they do not take it, so as not to injure unheated skin. It is better to steam with a coniferous broom in the third run, when the skin warms up well and becomes elastic. However, if you have sensitive, delicate skin, a coniferous broom will not work. You can harvest spruce brooms at any time of the year. If bathing with such a broom is painful, you can lay spruce branches on the shelves in the bath and lie on them.

A broom with juniper is useful. It is saturated with useful substances fifteen times more than leaf brooms. The broom is not made entirely from juniper, but with the addition of its branches to the main, for example, birch, broom, because the juniper itself is very prickly.

Sauna brooms in the photo: from maple and ash

Maple broom anesthetizes, relieves inflammation, heals wounds, tones.

Look at the photo – bath brooms made of maple and ash are flexible, resilient, excellent for pumping steam. They are prepared in the same way as birch brooms.

A broom made of ordinary ash has similar properties. Ash leaves contain many essential oils, as well as carotene and ascorbic acid. Ash broom is indicated for patients with radiculitis, arthritis and rheumatism. In diseases of the respiratory tract, it is also good to bathe with an ash broom. Since ash is poisonous, it can only be used externally.

How to choose a broom for a bath

Before choosing a broom for a bath, decide for what purpose you go to the steam room – just wash, relax, or maybe help your body get rid of certain diseases.

A hazel broom is excellent for treating varicose veins, trophic ulcers, and diabetes.

At the very beginning of summer, it is good to cut several young cherry shoots for a fragrant broom.

It is useful to steam with a viburnum broom for allergies, and aspen for gout, skin diseases, rheumatism and long-term non-healing wounds.

For colds and skin problems, it is good to take a steam bath with an alder broom. Alder, linden and hazel brooms are prepared in the same way as birch brooms.

Bird cherry broom is good for preventing flu and treating colds, it is useful for skin and other diseases, since bird cherry has strong bactericidal properties. A bird cherry broom spreads a wonderful aroma in the steam room, similar to the aroma of ground almonds.

Eucalyptus broom has antiseptic and analgesic properties. With a eucalyptus broom, it is advised to bathe with diseases of the upper respiratory tract and larynx. In the steam room, it is useful to apply it to your face and breathe in healing vapors. You can also carry out eucalyptus inhalation by spraying the walls with eucalyptus decoction, splashing it on the stones. The eucalyptus broom is harvested in August and only from eucalyptus with flexible, like a willow, branches. Since it is inconvenient to bathe with a too flexible broom, eucalyptus branches are placed in a birch broom.

Broom-"bouquet"

It should be noted that sauna connoisseurs, in order to increase the healing properties of a birch or oak broom, make their own "bouquets" by adding sprigs of other plants to the broom. Dry summer bouquets of herbs: oregano, St. John's wort, calendula, mint, chamomile, heather, wormwood, tansy. And then just add individual dry twigs to a birch or oak broom. It is useful to pour the infusion from steaming such a broom-“bouquet” at the very end of the bathing procedure onto yourself and not dry yourself with a towel – let the herbs do their good deed with the body!

Preparation of brooms for a bath

Harvesting brooms for a bath begins with a trip to the forest, and, of course, to an environmentally friendly one, so that there are no busy roads nearby. If the broom is made from fresh branches, it can be used immediately without steaming. Steaming will only make it worse. A fresh broom contains more biologically active substances, it is stronger, more flexible, more fragrant.

How to steam a broom for a bath

A dry broom must first be dipped in hot water (not boiling water!). If you want the broom to be hard enough, you should steam it for 10-20 minutes. If you prefer softer, soak it for 40-50 minutes. Before use, the steamed broom must be dried over the oven. The infusion obtained from steaming a broom (especially long-term steaming) can be used later to create a healing fragrant steam, rinsing hair after washing.

If the broom is too dry, it must be moistened the day before in cold water and wrapped in a wet rag or lowered into a bucket of cold water. After that, the broom no longer needs to be brewed in boiling water.

There is another secret of how to steam a broom for a bath. Some attendants advise to put a dry broom in cold water for 15-20 minutes, and then in hot water for 1-3 minutes.

How to dry and store bath brooms

Experienced bath attendants can give a lot of advice on how to dry bath brooms. The main one is that drying should be carried out in a dry, warm and dark place with good ventilation. And it's better not to hang them right away, but first put them on a flat horizontal surface to dry – this way they will acquire the necessary flat shape. You can stack brooms on top of each other for a day, and hang them out to dry the next day.

When the brooms are dry, it is important to keep them properly so that they do not become brittle and can last a long time. Before storing bath brooms, make sure that the room is well ventilated. Wrap the brooms in thick paper so that they do not gather dust. And again, to maintain their shape during long-term storage, they should be folded on top of each other.