Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Bath

Epsom salt is popularly used for many ailments. Most people use it for many health issues. Medical specialists often recommend it for mental and physical health benefits. It is affordable, harmless, easy to use. This article provides all the information about epsom salt.

What is Epsom Salt?

Epsom salt is known as magnesium sulfate, it is a substance made from a chemical component namly magnesium, oxygen and sulfur. It is named Epsom because of the town of Epsom in Surrey, England where it was originally discovered. Epsom salt is totally different from table salt. it is termed to be a salt because of its chemical structure.

It has an appearance similar to table salt but it tastes distinctly different from it. Epsom salt is quite unpalatable and bitter. You can also dissolve it in the baths and so it is called bath salt. Some people consume this epsom salt by dissolving it in water, but it is not added to foods for taste.

People used this salt to treat ailments like insomnia, constipation and fibromyalgia for hundreds of years. But unfortunately the research on these conditions were not reported. The benefits of epsom salt are attributed due to its magnesium content. You can get this epsom salt in grocery and drug stores, but it is mostly available in the pharmacy or cosmetic area.

How Does It Work?

When you dissolve Epsom salt in water, it will release sulfate ions and magnesium. These particles are absorbed by your skin. Epsom salt provides magnesium and sulfates which serve important functions in your body.

Many people say that magnesium and sulfates enter into your body, but there is no evidence stating that sulfates and magnesium enters into your body through the skin. The most commonly known benefit of epsom salt is the bath. Here you simply dissolve it in the bathwater and take a bath. You can also apply it on your skin as a cosmetic. It takes at least a month to absorb the sufficient amount of magnesium supplement for your skin. It is a long time process. You can also take it by mouth with a laxative or magnesium supplement.

How to Take a Epsom Salt Bath

The water should be warm and should be comfortable to touch. While water is running from the tap add some epsom salt in the bathtub that helps to dissolve it quickly. You should add only the suggested amount of salt. In the pack there will be a suggestion list, so carefully read it.

Usually 1 or 2 cup of salt is recommended by the doctors. You should not use epsom salt in hot water. You also need to consider the material of the tub if the manufacturer says ok then you can use it. You should also avoid using it in the pool. Keep your body in water for at least 12 minutes and just relax yourself in the bathtub.You can do this by considering your doctor about how long you have to soak your body. If you have arthritis pain then you can do this every day to keep it in control.

Epsom salt has a high level of magnesium content. An adequate amount of magnesium is essential for stress management and for good sleep. Magnesium helps your brain to produce neurotransmitters which induce sleep and helps to reduce stress. Magnesium also helps your body to produce melatonin, which helps you to sleep. The low level of magnesium negatively affects the stress and sleep quality.

So people who are affected by getting depressed and asleep, take this epsom salt bath which helps you to reduce these issues by allowing your body to absorb magnesium through the skin.The epsom salt should not be dissolved in hot water. It is more effective when using epsom salt while bathing.

BENEFITS OF TAKING EPSOM SALT BATH 

Reduces Pain and Swelling

Another good thing that you gain when taking bath with the epsom salt is, it helps you to relieve pain and swelling. Many people say that taking a bath with epsom salt helps to reduce arthritis and improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Magnesium is responsible for these effects, because people with arthritis and fibromyalgia have deficiency with these minerals.

To overcome this mineral deficiency you can take a bath with epsom salt regularly. This helps you to absorb the minerals from the salt through your skin, so you can get improvement from arthritis and the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The research done with 15 women who have fibromyalgia have concluded that applying magnesium chloride in their skin has helped in reducing the symptoms.

Muscle Aches

Epsom salt also helps with muscle aches; it reduces inflammation and relaxes tense muscles.

Arthritis

The arthritis foundation recommends soaking and stretching your body in the Epsom salt bath helps you to get relief from an aching joint and stiffness. It also gives relief from muscle soreness that occurs after doing exercise or heavy garden work.

Fill the bathtub with warm water, add 2 cups of Epsom salt. Soak your body in the bathtub for at least 20 minutes. You can do this after doing heavy work or whenever you need.

Additionally, you can also use essential oil such as ginger oil to treat arthritis. It has anti-inflammatory properties that effectively work on arthritis. You can add a few drops of oil with the bath salt, or you can do a massage after bathing with Epsom salt to get these benefits.

Make a paste using Epsom salt and ginger oil. Use warm water and make it a thick paste. Rub it on the joints. This helps you to get relief from the joint pain.

Skin Irritation or Inflammation

Epsom Bath salt is also used to relieve skin irritation and inflammation caused by psoriasis, eczema, athlete’s foot, and contact dermatitis. The national eczema association recommends adding 1 cup of epsom salt while bathing. So you can use Epsom salt to treat skin inflammation and skin irritation.

If you take an epsom salt bath regularly with a carrot amount of salt, you can enjoy the benefits of using this salt.

• Improves blood circulation
• Relieve sore muscles
• Soft and smooth skin
• Improves better sleep

Most people think that bath salt is used to keep ourselves relaxed by soaking our body in the tub, but it also helps to cure several physical and mental disorders. Bath salt also has health benefits in treating stiff, aching joints, arthritis, headaches, stiffness, muscle pain, circulation problems, stress, anxiety, skin issues, such as eczema, itchy skin and dry skin.

More Information about Epsom Salt

The chemical name of Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. In 1618 in England, one local cow herder named Henry wicker bent down near a pool to drink water. He noticed that the water is salty, bitter, and acidic in nature. When water gets evaporated, Wicker found a white residue left-behind and he realizes that it had a laxative effect. After this happenstance, epsom salt had become a sought-after remedy for constipation.

In 1755, Joseph Black, a British chemist and physicist, conducted experiments on magnesium sulfate’s chemical properties. They recommended that magnesium be incorporated as an element. Magnesium is one of the essential minerals for every living thing on this planet. In the human body, we all need it to regulate our nerve function and muscles. This magnesium helps you to boost your immune system, and is good for your heart, bones, and blood glucose level.

Other Ways that you can Follow by using Epsom Salt

• You can use it to make a detox foot bath and shower scrub.
• You can create a detox bath.
• Mix a foot soak for general use.
• Use Epsom salt water in a compress for direct application to sore muscles.

What are Bath Salts?

In ancient days Bath salt is used in the treatment of physical and mental ailments. Bath salt is one of the easiest and inexpensive ways for treating diseases. Bath salt is commonly made of magnesium sulfate because it easily dissolves in warm water and helps to treat everything from pains to aches and also stress.

How to Use Epsom Salt for Bath in Different Ways

You need to use Epsom salt, depending on what type of disorder you wish to treat.

Detox Bath

A detox bath is generally made from Epsom salt. Generally, the minerals in a detox bath help to remove toxins from your body. It also improves your body health, treats constipation, relieves stress, and reduces body weight.

Magnesium in the Epsom salt absorption is another significant benefit in a detox bath. Epsom salt detox bath gives a lot of benefits to people especially for those with mineral deficiency and fibromyalgia. In 2004, a research of 19 participants had found that 17 of them who took part in the study had increased magnesium and sulfate in their blood by following Epsom salt baths.

How to Take a Detox Bath using Epsom Salt

Fill a standard size bathtub with warm water and add 2 cups of Epsom salt.
Adding salt to the running water helps the salt to dissolve faster.
Soak your body in the tub for at least 10 to 15 mins to treat constipation.
If you need, you can also add other essential oils like peppermint or lavender that gives some additional benefits for aromatherapy, such as improving your mood and keeping you feel relaxed.

How to use Epsom Salt for Muscle Pain

• In a standard size bathtub, add 2 cups of Epsom salt and fill the tub with warm water.
• The running water helps the salt dissolve quickly, then stir the water to make sure that salt has dissolved completely.
• Soak your body in this water for 15 mins and relax yourself.
• Then add a few drops of cinnamon bark oil to your muscle that gives a warming effect to your skin and relieves you from muscle pain. It also finds soothing on sore muscles.

How to use Epsom Bath Salt to Relieve Irritated Skin

• Take a cup of Epsom salt and add it to a standard bathtub.
• Pour warm running water and stir well to dissolve all the grains.
• Soak your body in that water for at least 20 minutes.
• After taking a bath, massage your body with essential oil that helps you to get even more health benefits. Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties that help you to treat minor skin infections like itching and eczema. Add 2 or 4 drops of tea tree oil along with bath salt to get relief from irritation and inflammation. An essential oil should be diluted before using, but tea tree oil comes diluted.

How to use Epsom Bath Salt for Dry or Itchy Skin

You can use Epsom bath salt to relieve your skin from itchiness and dryness. It also helps you to get rid of the itchiness caused by poison ivy and insect bites.

• Fill the bathtub with warm water, add 1 or 2 cups of Epsom salt, and stir well.
• Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Now stir the water with your hands to combine oil and Epsom salt together.
• Soak your body for at least 15 minutes and do it 2 or 3 times a week. So that it moisturizes your skin and soothes pain. You can also add almond oil, powder milk, oatmeal with Epsom bath salt to get even more benefits.

Tips for Using Epsom Salt in the Shower

• If you do not have a big bathtub to soak your body in Epsom salt, then don’t worry; you can enjoy the same benefits by simply creating a shower scrub. To create a shower scrub, take 1 cup of Epsom bath salt or sea salt.
• Add 1/3 cup of olive oil, almond oil, or coconut oil with the salt and mix it well.
• Add one tablespoon of vitamin E oil, mix all the ingredients well and make a thick paste.
• Take the paste in your hand and apply it all over your body and wash it after 10 minutes.
• You can also store the paste in a container with an airtight lid so that you don’t want to make a new paste all the time when you need a shower scrub.
• While creating a shower scrub, you can also add your favorite essential oil to enjoy its benefits. Epsom bath salt scrubs are excellent for exfoliating your skin.

Epsom Salt for Foot

• Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate compound dissimilar to sodium table salt. Do you know that Epsom Bath salt also offers you some benefits when you soak your foot in the warm water with Epsom salt? They are,
• Treats toenail fungus
• Decreases the symptoms of athlete’s foot
• Reduces foot odor
• Reduces gout pain and inflammation

How to Use Epsom Salt in Your Foot

• Add 1/2 cup of Epsom salt in a large tub with warm water.
• Stir it well until the salt gets dissolved.
• Soak your feet in the water for at least 20 to 30 minutes to get relief from gout.
• Clean your foot clearly with a cloth.
• Continue this treatment for at least three or four times a day until you get relieved from the symptoms.
• You can also use shower scrub on your foot to remove the dead cells and calluses from your skin. Soaking your foot in warm salt water helps you to get relief from cracked heels.

Side Effects of Epsom Salt Bath

If you generally take an epsom salt bath then it will not be a big deal for you. If you never had an epsom salt bath, then consider a patch test of the skin by applying magnesium sulfate and water first. Avoid soaking the broken skin in epsom salt water, it may cause harmful effects to your skin. If you experience any skin related problems like 

• Allergic reactions, like hives or rash
• Itchy skin 
• Skin infection

then stop using it immediately. 

Conclusion

Bathing with Epsom salt makes your skin smooth and helps you to relax from the toxic substances. Soaking your body in Epsom salt water helps your skin to absorb magnesium, but it is not scientifically proven.
People who have used this Epsom salt bath have enjoyed its benefits. Generally, bathing is one of the meditations that we should do in our daily life. It gives a break from our stressful life.
Adding Epsom salt in your bathtub helps you get even more benefits. It keeps you stress-free and relaxes your body by soothing the tired muscles. Enjoy the benefits of Epsom salt. I hope this article helps you in the best way.