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Sea Salt, Ocean Salt, Epsom Salt
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Salt is not only essential to life but it is necessary
for good health. Human blood contains 0.9% salt-sodium chloride, the same saline
solution used medically to cleanse wounds. Salt maintains the electrolyte
balance inside and outside the cells.
Therapeutic benefits of bathing in salts have been known
for centuries. King Solomon presented the Queen of Sheba with dead sea salts on
her visit to the Holy Land. Cleopatra was a frequent user of beauty formulations
including bath salts.
Sea salt is beneficial to the skin. Skin absorbs sea
salts, vitamins and any other substances it comes into contact with. It is
universally accepted that sea salts can have a wonderful effect on circulation
and metabolism.
Sea salts contain many minerals beneficial to the body.
Magnesium is important for both combating stress and fluid retention, slowing
skin aging and calming the nervous system. Calcium is effective at preventing
water retention, increasing circulation and strengthening bones and nails.
Potassium energizes the body, helps to balance skin moisture and is a crucial
mineral to replenish after intense exercise. Bromides act to ease muscle
stiffness and relax muscles. Sodium is important for lymphatic fluid balance
(this is important for the immune system).
So we can see that bathing in high quality sea salts
could replenish the minerals vital to our skin metabolism. Combining bath salts
and essential oils together creates a synergistic blend of therapeutic
proportions. When combined with the relaxing properties of hot water the
benefits increase again. Aromatic baths can provide relief from stress and
anxiety, assist with joint and muscle pain, and treat the symptoms of more
severe skin conditions. The therapeutic benefits of salt baths are well known
and often recommended by doctors for treating a wide range of medical
conditions.
There are many salt blends available. If you can’t decide
for yourself ask a trained professional to help you decide which can benefit you
and your conditions. Each ingredient in bath salts has a specific therapeutic
benefit. For example baking soda assists sea salts in detoxification of heavy
metals and radiation, also for soothing itchy skin. Dried milk powder is used as
a super skin softener, a muscle relaxer and it soothes the skin when sunburned.
Epsom salts draw out foreign objects (metal shavings, splinters, etc…) and
toxins from the skin.
There are many places to purchase bath salts but you need
to be careful to understand the ingredients used. The skin absorbs everything it
comes into contact with. We use only therapeutic grade ingredients with no
harmful dyes or colorants.
Epsom salts are made up of a
naturally occurring mineral that is found in water. More properly known as
magnesium sulfate, Epsom salts derives its popular
name from the town of Epsom,
England, where the compound was first distilled from water. The chemical formula
for Epsom salts is a rather
simplistic one: MgS04-7H2O.
Epsom salts are easily obtained
at any drug store or supermarket. Inexpensive and versatile, the salts can be
used for a number of different applications around the home. Many of the
applications have to do with expediting healing, as well as improving the
quality of the skin and helping with basic grooming.
Perhaps the
most popular application is the Epsom
salts bath. As an ideal means of relieving stress at the end of a hard day, two
cups of Epsom salts in a tub of hot water
can help to soothe jangled nerves and restore a sense of well being. This one
application makes Epsom salts a staple in many
bathrooms around the world.
Cleansing is
also a common use for Epsom
salts. Many people make use of Epsom
salt compounds to exfoliate
skin,
applying a paste of Epsom
salts with a little water to the skin, then rinsing with clean warm water.
Homemade skin masks that help with oily skin can be created, using the salts as
the base ingredient. Along with the Epsom
salts, the mask requires a small amount of lemon juice, an egg, and a small
amount of nonfat dry milk. In situations where there is not time to wash hair,
Epsom salts can be used to
partially clean the follicles, making it easier to comb and set the hairdo.
Disclaimer: The information
presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements
have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat
or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any
supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care
provider.
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