Epsom salt is one of those unsung heroes I absolutely love! I love using it in a bath. When you soak in it, your body absorbs the magnesium and sulfate which helps reduce inflammation and improve your mood. It also balances your body’s electrolytes.
It’s super affordable too—making it a no brainer addition to your healthy remedies! Keep on reading for why you should be using Epsom salt on the regular.
What is Epsom Salt?
Epsom salt is a type of mineral compound of both magnesium, sulfate, and oxygen—it’s not edible. It is typically used for its health benefits—as opposed to regular salt that is used to enhance the flavor of your food. It gets the name from where it originates from: Epsom in Surrey, England.
You can usually find it in the health or natural health aisle of your local grocery store or CVS/Walgreens.
Health Benefits Of Epsom Salt
Reduces inflammation
The most common reason people like to use Epsom salt in their bath is to reduce inflammation. If you have conditions that cause a lot of selling—Epsom salt baths work wonders for reducing this type of inflammation.
It’s amazing to soak in a few times a week if you are engaging in rigorous workouts throughout the week as the magnesium levels in it helps your body use glucose and lactic acid properly (source)
Soothe sore and tired muscles
Magnesium itself is wonderful for your muscles, so it makes sense that a hot bath with Epsom salts would help even more for this. Magnesium is one of those minerals that most of us do not get enough of—making a weekly soak in Epson salt a major benefit to your health!
Stabilize your mood
So this is pretty cool: magnesium helps increase the serotonin levels of the brain. This is why Epsom salt baths help with your mood, reduces stress levels because it’s calming, and can even help with anxiety.
Helps with constipation
The magnesium in Epson Salt can help with constipation by drawing water into your colon which of course encourages a bowel movement (source, source)
How does it work?
As the Epsom Salt dissolves in the water it releases magnesium sulfate ions. Your skin then absorbs these particles—providing you with magnesium and sulfates (which are super important for bodily functions).
The most common way to use it is by adding it to your bath. Just add about 2 cups of Epsom salt to a bathtub of hot or warm water (read the label on the back of your package for quantity recommendations).
Quick tip for using Epsom Salt
I add the Epsom salt to a container, then add a few drops of essential oils like Peppermint, Raven, or even Lavender.
Here’s what I did last time: Rave, Gentle Baby, and Valor.
It’s totally up to you which you prefer to use but add them to the Epsom salt first, mix it up, then pour the salt into the tub as it’s filling up!
xoxo,
Marlene
