What are Bath Salts & How do They Help Us Relax?

Bath salts have been used in one form or another to help with relaxation and recovery for hundreds, possibly thousands of years now. The Chinese discovered the power of salt as early as 2700 BCE and have been using it ever since.

Nowadays, bath salts come in various shapes, sizes, and smells, but what they can do remains the same. Read on to find out what bath salts are, as well as how they can help you and your body.

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What Are Bath Salts?

In simple terms, bath salts are water-soluble minerals that dissolve in your bath. They are said to emulate the effects of a hot spring, giving your skin and body a hit of minerals and allowing you to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

Bath salts are often scented with smells like lavender, which is known to help relax you. Epsom salts, the most basic kind of bath salts, are used by athletes to help with muscle and joint recovery.

What Can They Be Used For?

Bath salts have multiple uses and can benefit everyone, including those who simply want to relax, athletes, and have even been shown to alleviate pain in chronic sufferers of arthritis.

Detox

A detox bath is one of the most common uses for bath salts. Much like the hot springs, the minerals in Epsom salts are said to draw toxins out of the skin and body. Magnesium absorption will also help you feel more energized and lessens the chances of headaches and migraines.

Adding a scent such as lavender or peppermint has been shown to help you relax and put you in a better mood.

Muscle Aches

Using bath salts for muscle pain is similar to the process of using them for a detox bath. Two cups of Epsom salts poured into running water will allow them to dissolve quickly; you should then soak for at least 12 minutes.

Regarding essential oils, cinnamon bark has been shown to help relax muscles and help alleviate muscle inflammation. However, it is very strong; therefore, a diluted mix will be needed.

Skin Inflammation

One lesser-known but still highly effective use of bath salts is for the treatment of skin inflammation and irritation. Bath salts have been shown to help with athlete’s foot, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

One of the significant benefits is combining the mineral attributes of bath salts with tea tree oil. Tea tree is an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory.  Regular baths with tea tree or bath salts can help calm skin irritations. While it can’t completely heal the problem, it can make it easier to deal with.

Adding almond oil instead of tea tree has also been shown to help with dry or itchy skin, something that can be especially useful in winter.

Arthritis

Arthritis can be helped in two ways. The first is to add bath salts to your bath and ginger essential oil. Ginger has been shown to have anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory effects and can help alleviate pain in joints.

The other route you can go is creating a paste with bath salts, water, and ginger essential oils. You can apply the paste to the painful joints and leave it. Regular use has been shown to have long-term benefits.

Feet

A foot soak with bath salts has many benefits. It can relieve problems associated with athlete’s foot; it can help with gout, toe fungus and help eliminate persistent foot odor. Regular foot baths can also help with dry soles and cracked heels.

Adding tea tree can assist with athlete’s foot and gout, a pleasant-smelling oil like lavender can help with foot odor. Regular soaks for 10-15 minutes every day will have your soles feeling soft and smooth in no time.

In the Shower

Using bath salts in the shower may sound a bit silly as they will just go through the drain, but fear not. You can create a scrub using your bath salts mixed with essential oil of your choice.

What is excellent about the scrubs is that you can make multiple kinds. You can add lavender for a calming one, tea tree for healing, cinnamon for muscle and joint pain, and have them available whenever you need them.

Read more: 7 Potential Benefits You Should Know About CBD Bath Bomb