Making your own bath salts
Submitted by Lucinda Jenkins

Be careful what you soak in...

Dead Sea Salt From Israel

Bath salts and salt scrubs have become very popular. They leave the skin feeling soft, refreshed and in some case relived from itching. They can also promote healing of psoriasis & eczema if you use the correct salt. Bath salts can also help relive muscle strain, rheumatism and arthritic pain, but you have to use the correct salt.

"The Dead Sea cannot be praised too highly. Travelers take as much of this salt as they are able to carry home with them because it heals the human body and is therefore used in many medicines." The Jewish Roman historian Flavius made this quote over 2000 years ago. The Dead sea has been offering its gifts for thousands of years. The elements contain within these salts is what makes them so valuable and healing.

The waters of the Dead Sea are unique compared to other seas and lakes primarily due to the high concentration of salts reaching 27% compared to 3% in ordinary seawater. The composition of the Dead Sea salts is also unique. Whereas in ordinary sea water sodium chloride (common salt) is the major constituent (about 80% of the total salt content) the Dead Sea on the other hand contains a considerably smaller proportion of sodium chloride, the balance consisting of magnesium, potassium and calcium chlorides, and a comparatively high concentration of bromides. It is believed that the therapeutic properties of the Dead Sea are due in large extent to the presence of these other salts, mainly those of magnesium, potassium and bromide

Recent studies are showing bromides to be the healing factor for psoriasis.

Epsom salt is also used and is made up of magnesium sulfate, which pulls soreness from muscles. Epsom salt baths are an excellent way of combating stress and alleviating muscular aches and pains. The high magnesium content in epsom salt baths facilitates the removal of acids through the skin.

What NOT to use is solar salt, kosher salt, rock salt. These salts are sodium chloride, in other words plain salt. They offer no healing benefit like Dead Sea salt or epsom salt. Sitting in a bath of salt water can also be harmful to people with high blood pressure and edema. It also dries the skin out. If the first ingredient of a bath salt is sodium chloride then you know it is a cheap product with little benefit.

Restful Evening Bath salt
1 cup of Dead sea salt
1 teaspoon of calendula oil
7-10 drops of lavender essential oil
5 drops of patchouli essential oil

Mix together essential oil and calendula oil, add salts.. then and add to a warm bath. When I make bath salts for myself I like to mix an oil and essential oil together and then add to the salts. The essential oil seems to mix in better and floats on the water to better give more aromatherapy or therapeutic measure to the bath.

Making bath salt can be fun! Just let your creative side run wild!