Want to really show some love on Valentine's Day? The kind of love that goes to the heart, literally? Why not make custom scented bath salts for your sweetheart and bask in the delight of giving their heart a jolt of deep love.
Adding dead sea and epsom salts greatly benefit the time carved out for a soak. Both salts contain magnesium, an essential mineral that is found to be deficient in most people. According to the National Academy of Sciences, a deficiency in magnesium contributes to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis and joint pain, digestive problems and fatigue, among other ailments.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong.
Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. This mineral is also important in the elimination of harmful toxins! Did I forget to mention it's role in combating stress and fluid retention? And slowing down the aging of skin? It does that too.
Although magnesium is available in supplement form and can be maintained through diet, it is absorbed very effectively through the skin. Time to soak!
Sulfates, also in epsom salts contribute to the very important function of building brain tissue, joint proteins and the proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. Sulfates also work to stimulate the pancreas, thus generating enzymes and detoxifying the body of environmental toxins!
So, make a Valentine of bath salts! I used a combination of 2/3 epsom salt and 1/3 dead sea salt and decide on a scent! Combine in a mixing bowl and transfer to a glass container. I used a 1/2 liter tulip weck jar. Enjoy! Add 1/2 cup to running hot bath water.
Which essential oils to use?
Relax: 10-15 drops of lavender essential oil
Invigorate: 10 drops of sweet orange and 5 drops of grapefruit
Energize: 10 drops of peppermint and 5 drops of rosemary
Soothe: 5 drops of eucalyptus oil and 10 drops of lavender
The Epsom Salt Industry Council adds even more health benefits of Epsom salts:
- Improved ability for the body to use insulin, reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes.
- Flushed toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances.
- Improved nerve function by electrolyte regulation. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.
- Relieved stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.
- Reduced inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps.
