I’d rather use the oil on my skin after the bath to keep it out of the tub. Adding oil also shortens the shelf life of your bath salts because oils can spoil. Baking soda helps dissolve oils on your skin and makes a great addition to a hot bath. Make sure you’re using baking soda (it’s cheap!), NOT baking powder. Absolutely! Knowing that each type of salt provides unique properties, it makes perfect sense to combine different salts to make a mineral bath. You can bathe anytime you want to decompress and relax. Taking a bath before bedtime can promote better sleep because the temperature change as you leave the tub increases the production of melanin, the hormone responsible for sleep. How long can I soak in the tub?

What makes Himalayan Salt special is that it comes from the purest source on earth, an ancient prehistoric salt-water lake found within the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. As the lake dried up over time, the precious salt was condensed deep within the earth, protecting it from modern pollution. You can use these pretty pink salts to cleanse and relax in pure mineral waters with a Himalayan salt detox bath at home.Look for finely ground pink salt so it dissolves faster in the warm water (otherwise you'll be sitting on salt chunks, which doesn't feel awesome). If you have coarse grain pink salt, pulse it in the food processor a few times to break it down. Create a spa-like soak with one of the following essential oil blends. Essential oils provide additional skincare and aromatherapeutic benefits that elevate your bath time. Stir the salt into the warm bathwater until it dissolves to ensure an even distribution. Tips for Taking a Himalayan Salt Bath Beautiful– Put your homemade bath salts in a glass jar next to your bathtub for a decoration that is both beautiful and functional.

A reaction could also be caused by essential oils, hence I recommend you prepare your crystal salt soak only with essential oils and aromatics that agree with your skin. If you have never used an oil before, perform a patch test to see how your skin reacts. Is a pink salt bath safe during pregnancy? Slowly pour in the Himalayan salt, one scoop at a time (topping off at 2-3 scoops total depending on the size of your tub). Allow the salts to completely dissolve as the tub fills. (Tip: We prefer a finely ground salt for baths, as chunkier salts may not fully dissolve in the time it takes to fill your tub.) Pink Himalayan salt seems to be a safe skincare ingredient, and I couldn’t find any reliable medical information suggesting otherwise.

For an extra soothing element, you can also add an essential oil to your bath, such as lavender or rose. If your goal is to relax your muscles, mix 1/2 cup Himalayan salt with 1/2 cup Epsom salt or other mineral-rich salts like magnesium flakes. And to soothe the symptoms of irritation, itchiness, or eczema, blend 1/2 cup pink salt with 1/2 cup dead sea salt. What are the side effects of a Himalayan salt bath? Healthy– I use only all-natural ingredients here and avoid any type of artificial colorings. The natural pink hue of the Himalayan sea salt is all you need! However, mineral baths, including Himalayan salt baths, may be beneficial in the following ways: Relaxes and calms What’s more, a long hot soak in a Dead Sea salt bath is a fabulous way to soothe tender joints and muscles thanks to the anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties that help reduce swelling and ease general aches and stiffness. Baking soda

That being said, everyone’s body is different. If you experience skin irritation or itching, drain the bath and rinse your skin free of the product. I use the dried Pakistani rose petals from the Savory Spice Shop online, but feel free to use any kind you like. Nourishing Skin Oil (Optional) Both ingredients are also harvested differently. Himalayan salt occurs naturally and is found in salt mines that are deposits of ancient oceans. Epsom salt is extracted by distilling water. Cue the Norah Jones (or Leon Bridges) and soak your cares away for the next half hour. We recommend keeping a tall glass of cold water nearby to stay hydrated while you bathe. After sharing a body scrub, bath bombs, and soap recipe with Himalayan salt, I felt it was time for a homemade bath soak featuring the gorgeous pink salt.

As the heat from the bath dilates the blood vessels, your pores open, and detox ingredients like Epsom salt can be absorbed into the skin more readily [ source] to draw out toxins and deliver minerals like magnesium. Sukenik S, et al. Balneotherapy at the Dead Sea area for knee osteoarthritis. Isr Med Assoc J. 1999.

Don’t add essential oil directly into the bathwater, though. Add 3 to 10 drops of essential oil to a carrier oil like almond oil, then pour the mixture into the bathwater while stirring. Bentonite clay is said to help remove impurities from the body. When used as a bath ingredient, it encourages detoxification by drawing impurities out through the skin [ source]. Himalayan Salt is made of Sodium Chloride, which is the traditional form of salt used to create saline solution, a commonly used at-home medical treatment for skin purification and wound healing. Himalayan Salt contains essential skin minerals Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium.It also helps absorb some of the essential oils to keep your bath salts smelling great. Essential Oils Another multi-level category is balancing. Himalayan salt can help to balance out a variety of elements within the body. For instance, the unrefined, mineral-rich salt bath is an excellent way to lower blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels. Further, hormonal balance can also be aided by the addition of Himalayan salt to baths as well as diet. Epsom Salt (aka magnesium sulfate) technically isn’t salt at all. But for the purposes of bath salts, we call Epsom salt “salt.” Epsom salt dissolves nicely in hot water and releases magnesium and sulfate ions, which many believe are absorbed through the skin, thereby helping relieve muscle tension. There haven’t been any scientific studies on this, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it works. Coarse Sea Salt New research out of England even suggests that soaking in a hot bath for 20 minutes can have similar benefits to gentle exercise [ 1] – yet another reason to enjoy taking long, hot baths. Homemade Bath Salts Benefits IMPORTANT! Baking soda in glass jars can develop high air pressure in humidity or at high elevations. A reader mentioned that a glass jar of her bath salts exploded after sitting in her cabinet in a glass jar.