Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Epsom Salt

Epsom salts have amazing health benefits - really! Here are 11 ways to use epsom salts, including a relaxing bath, a face scrub and a hair volumizer. It’s also a miracle cure, helping to get rid of splinters and reduce swelling of sprains and bruises. One ingredient really does fit all!

I always knew that soaking in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of Epsom Salts was good for relaxing muscles and drawing toxins from the body,  Epsom Salts—made of the mineral magnesium sulfate—are also a sedative for the nervous system.

When magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin, such as in a bath, it draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling, relaxes muscles, is a natural emollient, exfoliates, and much more.

11 Wonderful Ways to Use Epsom Salts

1.  Relaxing and sedative bath: Soak in warm water and 2 cups of Epsom Salt.
2.  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.
3.  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.
4.  Splinter remover: Soak in Epsom Salt, it will draw out the splinter.
5.  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.
6.  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 non-fat 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.
7.  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.
8.  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.
9.  Remove 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.
10.  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.
11. And Last but not least a recipe for your Own Spa formula!

The easy-to-find ingredients for this wonderful bathing mixture help to relieve soreness and aching joints and muscles. Soothing and relaxing, Healing salt crystals draw out impurities from your body and deodorize, too! With many of the healing properties of a seaside spa, this formula is perfect for the day after a strenuous workout, or for any time you need a little healing time-out. If you can’t get away to the beach, you can at least relax in a tub with these lovely crystals.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup borax
2 cups Epsom Salts
½ cup coarse sea salt
¼ cup baking soda
¼ cup white clay
½ cup dried lavender
10 drops lavender essential oil
1. In a large bowl, mix together the borax, salts, baking soda, and clay, then mix in the dried lavender, stirring with a wire whisk.
2. Scent the mixture with the oil, mixing well with the whisk. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave overnight to fix the scent.
3. In the morning, thoroughly mix again and package in jars, zip-seal or muslin bags, or envelopes.
To Use: Add ¼ to ½ cup healing salt crystals to a tubful of warm water.

6 comments:

Erin | Bygone Living said...

This was interesting... definitely will try some of these out! ♥

Createology said...

Very true about Epsom Salts. Mr. Createology is soaking in a tub of them right now. We use them a lot. Happy soaking...

Anonymous said...

If you soak your feet in epsom salt, it will draw out toxins in the body just like those "foot pads" do. Your meridians end in the feet, so soaking in a drawing agent helps detoxify the body.

Dead Sea Salt said...

Soaking in an Epsom Salt bath is one of the most effective means of making the magnesium your body needs readily available. :)

Gary said...

Thank you for all of the great canning tips with epsom salt. Where do you prepare your foods for canning, in a vintage tub? I need to find a good area where I can take care of my canning.

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