How to Make a Traditional Moroccan Bath at Home
Growing up in Morocco, going to the Moroccan bath, also called Moroccan Hammam, was part of my weekly routine. Every Saturday afternoon, I would start with my mother and aunts the pre-Hammam ritual, which involved preparing the ingredients, body scrub and oils and getting our hair and skin ready for Moroccan bath treatments.
Moroccan baths, also called Moroccan Hammams, are one of the best care treatments to detoxify and deeply exfoliate your body. In Morocco, women have a Moroccan bath every week. It’s a non-negotiable me time that can take up to two hours. It’s meant to deeply clean and nourishes the skin and hair, but also to reconnect with the body’s senses and relax.
Having tried many Hammam relaxation massages and SPAs, there is honestly nothing like being in the steamy Hammam, where every inch of your muscles relaxes and every pore opens for a deep cleanse. Once you finish your Moroccan bath, you feel completely clean and relaxed, like you were just born.
Because I don’t have a Moroccan bath where I currently live, I created my own Moroccan bath hammam at home routine that is almost as good as being in a traditional Hammam. You can find the products easily online – I will share my favorite products at the end of this article as requested by many of you. Once you try it, there is no coming back!
What is Moroccan bath (Hammam) treatment?
Moroccan Baths are a Moroccan traditional beauty ritual where Moroccan men and Moroccan women go to a public gender-separated bath, to benefit from its purifying virtues and skin detoxification.
Hammams in Morocco are everywhere. You can find them in almost every neighborhood. They are one of the most appreciated cleansings and relaxing beauty treatments in Morocco. In fact, it’s very rare for women in Morocco to go to regular SPAs as they can get everything they need in a Moroccan bath.
In Morocco, Moroccan Hammams are also very cheap. Going to a traditional Hammam costs less than $5 per person. Talk about a bargain!
How to make a Moroccan bath at home?
Here are the detailed steps to follow to make your Moroccan bath at home, as well as some useful links to amazing Moroccan products that will bring your Hammam experience to another level.
STEP 1 – Apply an oil treatment to your hair
The first step to getting prepared for a Moroccan bath is to nourish your hair with an oil treatment and leave it for at least a couple of hours, under a warm towel.
In Morocco, the most used oil for hair is Premium Moroccan Argan oil which is perfect for deep-nourishing any hair type. Moroccan women apply this oil a few prior to their bath to make sure it deeply penetrates the hair and scalp. They also use a heat cap for deeper nourishment.
STEP 2 – Prepare your bathtub or shower and get it steamy
Once your hair treatment has deeply penetrated your hair and scalp, you can start preparing your Hammam environment.
The idea is to obtain as much warm/hot steam as possible in your shower. To produce enough steam, let the hot water flow for 2 to 3 minutes until your shower starts getting steamy.
In the meantime, get an essential oil and add some drops to a napkin and let it diffuse in the shower. With steam and heat, the essential oil will diffuse better and will make your hammam experience much more relaxing and enjoyable.
STEP 3 – Prepare your skin with Moroccan Black Soap
Once your shower is hot, steamy, and smells amazing with essential oils, the next step is to open up your skin pores. For this, adjust the water temperature to warm, get under the shower and let the water flow all over your body for about 2 to 3 minutes, your face included. This will open up your pores.
Then apply all over your body traditional Moroccan black soap.
Moroccan black soap is essential in Moroccan women’s beauty routine.
It is a dark paste made of dried olive peels and dried plants. Once in contact with wet skin, it foams like soap and prepares it for the coming deep and gentle exfoliation that follows.
STEP 4 – Clean your hair and apply a deep-conditioner
This step is simple and consists of cleaning your hair from the oil treatment while you give some more time for the black soap to penetrate your skin.
For cleaning your hair, use a gentle shampoo and make sure you clean your hair thoroughly, scalp, and ends. Once you are finished, apply your deep conditioner.
STEP 5 – Use a Hammam Scrub (The Moroccan Kessa glove) To Exfoliate
Now that Moroccan black soap has penetrated your skin and your body is ready to get exfoliated, it’s time to start removing the dead skin! For this, you will need a Moroccan Kessa glove.
Moroccan Kessa glove is popular bathing essential in Morocco, used to remove dead skin.
The most important part here is to choose the right Kessa depending on your skin sensitivity.
I recommend using a gentle Kessa glove for the face and body. It will respect the skin barrier and allow for gentle, yet deep exfoliation. This Kessa Hammam glove is one of the softest you can find on the market – some of them can be really rough on the skin.
The Kessa glove will remove dead skin from all your body, by scrubbing gently your skin, using circular motions. Thanks to Moroccan black soap applied earlier, your skin will release A lot of toxins and dead skin. You will be surprised!
STEP 6 – Apply Ghassoul Mask for a Deep Clean
The Moroccan Ghassoul is clay mined from the Moroccan Atlas mountains. It’s a very unique and rich clay full of minerals such as magnesium, iron, and potassium. You can find the Ghassoul in powder form, solid or paste form.
The Ghassoul is also an essential part of the Moroccan Hammam experience. it is used in Morocco since the 8th century by women to clean their bodies and sometimes hair (if you have oily hair, it will do wonders!).
To use Moroccan Ghassoul, make sure you rinse your skin with warm water, then apply the paste on your skin, face included. Let stay for 5-10 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Your skin will be as smooth as a baby’s skin!
STEP 7 – Rinse your entire body and apply Argan oil
You’re almost done. Make sure your skin and hair are well-rinsed and clean, then dry your skin with a towel. If you want to, you can massage your dry parts with argan oil. You can even indulge from time to time and massage your entire body with argan oil. You deserve it!
That’s it. Your skin and hair will be clean, detoxified and so so smooth. You will smell amazing and you will be deeply relaxed and in a good mood.
Try to have a Moroccan bath Hammam every week or two, and you will notice your hair and skin will incredibly get better and healthier.
Essential Picks
PREMIUM COLD-PRESSED ARGAN OIL FROM MOROCCO – $23
This argan oil has been cold pressed in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, making it one of the richest argan oils in nutrients.
PREMIUM MOROCCAN BLACK SOAP – $12.99
I use this high-quality black soap from Morocco weekly. Natural and organic, it will leave your skin as soft as a baby’s skin.
TRADITIONAL KESSA SCRUB – $9.50
Use it to exfoliate your skin after applying the black soap. This scrub, with the black soap and argan oil, are Moroccan women’s secret to soft skin!
CORDLESS DEEP CONDITIONING HEAT CAP – $19.99
This is a game changer. It’s a cordless cap that provides heat to help your treatments deeply penetrate your hair.
ORGANIC MOROCCAN GHASSOUL CLAY MASK – $19.99
Moroccans’ favorite clay mask to absorb toxins. Your face will look radiant after using it! Follow it up with your favorite hydrating cream.
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