If there is one thing that I have been (slightly) obsessed with these days, it’s trying to detox. I know that most people say that our bodies can naturally detoxify themselves but I feel that it doesn’t hurt if I can help move things along, right? I’ve been reading a lot on this on Pinterest and one thing that got my attention was the use of Epsom salt.
One thing I’ve read and tried recently was to use Epsom salt as part of a foot soak. I mixed one cup of it with one cup of apple cider vinegar and warm water. I soaked my feet in for 30 minutes. I have to admit that I did not feel anything detoxifying about the process, plus the whole mixture smelled bad because of the apple cider vinegar. I did not know how to feel about that. Luckily, the soak helped with the foot scrub I gave myself after. The soles of my feet felt so soft and smooth. I may not have felt any detox effects right then and there but at least I got something good out of it.
According to the sites I found on this soak, the Epsom salt is supposed to help the body to relax, helping with pain from sore muscles, and helps to restore magnesium balance in the body. The apple cider vinegar, on the other hand, supposedly helps to treat fatigue, aches, and pains and with cracked skin on heels.
Since I did not feel any of the anti-stress/relaxation effects that I was supposed to get from my foot soak, I decided to try something else: an Epsom salt body spray. I mixed equal parts of warm water and Epsom salt and placed it in a spray bottle. I then used this to spray my body with the mixture, letting it stay on for 30 minutes. I read that it was optional to rinse it off but the spray left a powdery substance on my body so I had to rinse it off once I was done.
This was, while inconvenient, more effective than the foot soak. I did the spray before going to bed and I slept very well that night. I felt very relaxed when I woke up the next morning (or should I say, when I OVERSLEPT the next morning). I usually find it difficult to sleep early and to keep myself asleep through the night but with the spray, I managed to get a good night’s sleep.
I’ve read that it is more effective to use magnesium chloride instead of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) for the salt spray but the former seems a bit more difficult to find than the latter. I’ve seen some magnesium products that can be bought as an alternative to the spray. They are apparently less messy since they don't leave residue after you put it on your skin. These magnesium products such as oils and gels (made from magnesium chloride) can be bought online but they are more expensive compared to using the Epsom salt variety.
Epsom salt can also be used as a soak in the bath, that’s one thing that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe one of these days if I get to staycation in a hotel room with a tub, I’ll give that one a shot. I can soak in a tub of it and put it on my hair since it's good for the scalp too. Maybe one of these days I can do this.
Have any of you ever tried Epsom salt? How has it been for you?
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