Have you ever had a deep tissue massage? Today was my first and I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re 25 percent awesome, 75 percent evil. The masseuse hinted something along the lines of I may be sore later on because of fused muscles yada yada and suggested I take an epsom salt bath to help eliminate the toxins that were released during the massage.
Oh you better believe I stopped at the store on my way home to pick up a box. And then I fired up a Google search to fact check the legitness of epsom.
Heads up, it’s about to get nerdy.
Epsom salt, which isn’t even salt at all, is a pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate that has a laundry list of health benefits. And oddly enough, sitting in this mineral tub allows your body to absorb a ton more magnesium than if you were to ingest it. And more magnesium means better regulation of enzymes, production of energy, and elimination of harmful toxins.
Wait, it gets better! After getting out of the tub (which felt a lot like time out, I don’t like baths) my skin was uber soft, which initiated some additional Googling – epsom salt and beauty secrets. Turns out mixing epsom with just about anything makes that anything better.
Here’s a list of ideas I stumbled upon:
- Mix with facial cleanser to exfoliate skin (done!)
- Mix 1:1 ratio with conditioner and microwave until epsom melts (not long) and use like a normal deep conditioner to add body
- Dissolve with water in a spray bottle and spray on damp hair as a styling product to add texture
- Mix 2 cups with a 1/4 cup of Vaseline to make a foot scrub