Practical uses for Epsom salts

* Relaxing and Sedative Bath – Soak in warm water and 2 cups of Epsom Salt.

* Face Cleaner – To clean your face at night, mix a half-teaspoon of Epsom Salt with your regular cleansing cream. Just massage into skin and rinse with cold water.

* Homemade Skin Mask – Apply the mask to damp skin. For normal to oily skin, mix 1 tablespoon of cognac, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk, the juice of 1 lemon, and a half-teaspoon of Epsom Salt. For normal to dry skin mix 1/4 cup of grated carrot, 1 1/2 teaspoons of mayonnaise and a half-teaspoon of Epsom Salt.

* Foot Soak – Soothe aches, remove odors, and soften rough skin with a foot soak. Add 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt to a large pan of warm water. Soak feet for as long as it feels right. Rinse and dry.

* Skin Exfoliator – Massage handfuls of Epsom Salt over your wet skin, starting with your feet and continuing up towards the face. Have a bath to rinse.

* Remove Excess Oil from Hair – Epsom Salt soaks up excess oil from hair. Add 9 tablespoons of Epsom Salt to 1/2 cup of oily hair shampoo. Apply one tablespoon of the liquid to your hair when it is dry; rinse with cold water. Pour lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar through the hair, leave on for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse.

* Hairspray – Combine 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup Epsom Salt. Combine, cover, and let set for 24 hours. The next day, pour the mixture into your dry hair and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then shampoo as normal.

* Hair Volumizer – Combine equal parts of deep conditioner and Epsom Salt. Warm in a pan. Work the warm mixture through your hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse.

* Soak Sprains and Bruises – Epsom Salt will reduce the swelling of sprains and bruises. Add 2 cups Epsom Salt to a warm bath, and soak.

* Splinter Remover & Sting Remover– Soak in Epsom Salt, it will draw out the splinter, or sting. If used on a sting after you have drawn it out wrap the area in a clothe soaked in Epsom Salts and water.

*Garden help. Epsom salt can help house plants, roses, peppers and tomatoes, and lawns, trees and shrubs. About the only plant that doesn’t like it is sage. Click here for suggestions on using it in your spring garden.

The Science

Hands-On use and recommend pure food grade magnesium sulphate (sulfate) salts for floatation therapy, we use the only natural source of Magnesium Sulfate, dug from the ground and purified to pharmaceutical standards. Floatation therapy in a float tank is the most relaxing therapy in the world, but you can also benefit greatly from using Epsom salts in your bath or hot tub.

Recent research in Birmingham University, at the School of Biosciences has shown an amazing result. Magnesium and sulfate will pass through the skin, raising the levels detected in the blood.This can have important benefits to health because both Magnesium and Sulfate deficiency are common.

Magnesium is found in vegetables and grains, derived from the ground in which they are grown. However many soils are magnesium deficient either naturally or through over cropping. Magnesium is also found in sea water. It is essential to life and deficiency is linked to many diseases including cardiovascular disease. see:www.mgwater.com  Sulphate (sulfate) is also essential to life in several ways. Sulfate is essential for the formation of proteins in joints, also for digestive enzymes and the gut wall lining. Furthermore sulfate is essential to the formation of brain tissue and is also involved in detoxification. Sulfate is not easily absorbed from the diet. Bathing in magnesium sulfate is therefore a significant, safe and easy way to correct deficiency. The evidence also shows that surplus is naturally removed by the kidneys, just as it is if you have surplus in the diet.

The recommended amount for regular bathing is 1% solution which means ten grams per litre,  A standard UK bath is about 60 litres. Please note that most normal commercial bath salts are based not on Magnesium sulphate, but on common (and cheaper) salt, Sodium Chloride. Sodium chloride is generally speaking derived in the diet in excessive quantities, and absorbing more through the skin would not be advantageous in our opinion. Clearly the benefits of Magesium sulphate also apply to floating where the concentration is much higher, normally 50% solution using the same definition as above, 1 kg per 2 litres solution.

We now see that as well as the healing effect of muscle relaxation, capillary dilation and endorphin generation coming from floating at skin temperature we can add the chemical benefits of magnesium and sulfate absorbtion through the skin. We know of no similar research into this aspect of floating.  However, the Birmingham team point out in their published paper that the mechanism of transfer through the skin is probably saturated at about 1% solution, so our preliminary assumption from the Birmingham research is that floating will raise the blood levels of Magnesium and Sulfate at about the same rate. The study also concluded that optimal levels will be maintained in the body thanks to natural excretion. It is clear form the research that some of the long lasting benefits of floating are due to the Magnesium Sulfate itself, and these benefits can be substantial.

If you are looking to buy Epsom Salts / Spa Salts so you can experience the benefits of relaxing in magnesium sulphate solution, we sell 1kg jars for £8 & 1.5 kg refill bags for £5.  Please contact us for details

Studies show these benefits from the major components of Epsom Salt may:

• Ease stress and improves sleep and concentration
• Help muscles and nerves function properly
• Regulate activity of 325+ enzymes
• Help prevent artery hardening and blood clots
• Make insulin more effective
• Reduce inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps
• Improve oxygen use

Sulfates:

• Flush toxins
• Improve absorption of nutrients
• Help form joint proteins, brain tissue and mucin proteins
• Help prevent or ease migraine headaches

Read more about Epsom Salts at www.epsomsaltcouncil.org