What is epsom salt? It is made of naturally occurring minerals magnesium and sulphate. It’s a time tested mineral compound that’s been proven to have considerable health benefits with dozens of uses. Doctors warn us that a lack of magnesium – of which many Australians suffer – can contribute to high blood pressure, hyperactivity, heart problems, and many other health issues. Sulphate is essential to help flush out toxins and aid in forming proteins in the joints, brain tissue and mucin proteins.
Not only does it have all these health benefits, but it’s also a great remedy for your body in terms of fitness recovery, beauty routines and strangely enough tackling the outdoors! So whether you’re sore from a big training session, looking to improve your skin or hair, or have a splinter from the backyard, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to utilise the benefits of epsom salt.
Training Recovery
When you are sore after a training session, there is often associated inflammation that is occurring as the body tries to ‘heal’. Epsom salts contain anti-inflammatory properties which will help aid the recovery from a training session. You can create an ice-pack type solution with epsom salts to really help speed up the process of recovery.
1 teaspoon epsom salt
1 cup boiling water
Medium bowl
1.Poor the hot water over the epsom salt to dissolve
2. Cool the mixture in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes
3. Apply the cold mixture to sore areas of your body for relief
If you are however sore all over, spot treating the pain may not be enough. Epsom salts can be used in a bath setting, as the salts are readily absorbed by our skin. There are also a few options with your bath; a warm bath or an ice bath. Using epsom salts in a warm bath or ice bath (if you’re brave!) will considerably speed up recovery and help ease muscle and joint pain all over the body. Practice this ritual 2-3 times a week for the best results.
Beauty Makeover
You all know the benefits of exfoliation for the body – detoxifying the skin, gets rid of dead skin cells, kills bacteria to prevent breakouts – the list is endless. There are lots of ways to integrate epsom salt into your daily routine to experience these benefits from head to toe LITERALLY!
Hair Volumiser
Dealing with oily and heavy hair is the antithesis of what the hair commercials show us. In order to gain light and flowing hair, adding epsom salt in with your conditioner will enliven your hair and create volume.
One part conditioner
One part epsom salt
Small bowl
1. Combine the conditioner and epsom salt together
2. Apply conditioner as you normally would
3. Leave in the hair for 10-15 minutes and then rinse as normal
Facial
Don’t go buying expensive exfoliants when you can DIY your own with epsom salts. Exfoliating the face brightens the texture of your skin, and integrating epsom salts will help prevent breakouts caused by bacteria in the skin.
1/2 teaspoon epsom salt
Face cleansing cream
Small bowl
1. Mix together the epsom salt and cream together in a bowl
2. Apply to skin and exfoliate gently
3. Rinse with cold water
4. Repeat 2-3 times per week
Lip exfoliation
The Spring breeze that still has a tinge of crispness and is beautiful in the morning. However our lips may think differently! Dry and chaffed lips not only feel bad, but they look like we don’t take care of ourselves. Buffing off the dry skin with an epsom scrub will help them to look fuller and more healthy.
1 teaspoon epsom salt
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Small glass jar
1. Combine the epsom salt and coconut oil in a small glass jar
2. Apply the combination to your lips
3. Gently rub in and leave on
Body scrub and hand exfoliant
You don’t need to go to an expensive spa studio to receive a whole body treatment. Make this DIY home product solution that you can use on your whole body, or just on your hands for a quick pick me up.
2 cups epsom salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
2-3 drops of your favourite essential oil (I like peppermint)
Large glass jar
1. Combine all the ingredients in the glass jar
2. For a body scrub, apply to a body scrubber or use with your hands
3. For your hands apply a small amount and begin to rub together
4. Gently exfoliate the body and hands for several minutes
5. Rinse off to reveal smoother skin
Pedicure
Are your feet feeling tired and sore, or dry and cracked? Create your own at home pedicure utilising epsom salts instead of the mineral-less substances used at the salon! Epsom salt can also improve foot problems like joint pain, swollen feet, foot and toe fungus, and foot odour. For any of these ailments, just use warm water without the soap and repeat until the problem is gone.
1/2 cup epsom salt
Warm soapy water
1. Mix the epsom salt and warm soapy water together
2. Soak your feet for 10 minutes
3. Use a scrubber to clean the feet and attack any dry and cracked areas
4. Soak for another 5 minutes
5. Dry your feet
Tackling the Outdoors
Theres nothing better than being outside as Spring starts to blossom, but there are also sometimes when bringing the outside ‘in’ that can cause some havoc! Epsom salts have a variety of uses to help deal with this, and are a natural remedy.
Recovery after a splinter
When a splinter pierces the skin, it can cause swelling and irritation. Once it is removed, there is often a gaping hole left where the splinter used to be. Epsom salts can help sterilise the area and reduce the symptoms caused from the splinter.
2 tablespoons epsom salt
1 cup cold water
Washcloth
Medium bowl
1. Mix together epsom salt and cold water
2. Soak washcloth in mixture
3. Apply washcloth to the affected area
Bug bites (including bees)
When critters give you a bite, it can cause swelling, irritation and infection. The ingredients and process are the same as above. Apply the epsom salt mixture interspersed with ice to soothe the bite.
So you can see that epsom salt is like a jack of all trades! It really has a plethora of uses that can be used in a range of different ways! Enjoy integrating it into your daily routine.