Savvy Secrets – Epsom Salts

We’ve got some great uses for this common household product….

Epsom salt, named for a bitter saline spring at Epsom in Surrey, England, is not actually salt but a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. Long known as a natural remedy for a number of ailments, Epsom salt has numerous health benefits as well as many beauty, household and gardening-related uses.
1. Maybe the most common use is to put some in the bathtub and soak your tired body in a warm bath with Epsom Salts.  Epsom Salts are a good source of Magnesium, which is crucial in 100’s of the basic functions of the human body and it can be absorbed through the skin! So that relaxing bath really is as good for you as you hope it is!

2.For the garden you can use ES by adding a few bags to the soil before planting.  This can help replenish the magnesium levels in the soil.

3.Adding a tablespoon of epsom salt to the ground around a rose bush before watering each week is also supposed to help them grow faster and stronger.

4.Mix liquid soap with epsom salts and use it to scrub your tile and grout, then simply rinse off for a sparkly shine!

5.Epsom salt is believed to improve heart health and help prevent heart disease and strokes by improving blood circulation, protecting the elasticity of arteries, preventing blood clots and reducing the risk of sudden heart attack.

6.Dissolve a tablespoon of epsom salt in 1/2 cup of water, let it cool, and then spritz it on itchy skin or soak a cloth in it to make a soothing compress for bug bites.

7.The same goes fro a bad sunburn.  Dissolve a tablespoon of ES in 1/2 cup of water and spray on your sunburn or apply with a compress.

8.Soaking for about 20 minutes in a bath with 2 cups of Epsom Salt in it is supposed to help you look slimmer! The theory is it works by helping your body let go of extra water weight that’s hanging on in all the wrong places.  Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it. For a detoxifying bath, at least once weekly add two cups of our Ultra Epsom Salt to the water in a bathtub and soak for 20 minutes.

9.Got a splinter? Soak affected skin area in an Epsom salt bath to draw out the splinter.

10.Mix a half cup of Epsom salt in warm water and soak your feet for 10 minutes to remove bad odor, sooth achy feet, and soften rough skin.

11.Clean detergent build-up on washing machines.  Simply fill your washing machine tub with hot water, add Epsom salt, and run an agitate/soak/agitate cycle to dissolve detergent build-up (please consult your machine’s instruction manual for specific instructions).

12. Add epsom salt to coconut oil for a healthy and inexpensive natural body scrub.

It is easy to find epsom salt in small quantity bags or cartons at almost any drug store or even some markets.  You can also buy it in a larger quantity from Amazon.  Just click here for the link.  Knowing how many things you can do with it may cause you to want a bigger bag!  So many uses, so much abundant living 🙂