Epsom salt is often used in detoxes. It helps with losing weight, relieving aching muscles, and it can help you relax. The salt is rich in magnesium. Magnesium improves skin conditions, and it helps to reduce acne. It aids with the absorption of calcium and decreases cortisol.
We will discuss the uses of Epsom salt, then give you different recipes to use on each of your feet, body, and face. This article also includes the method of extracting peppermint oil and coconut oil and ends with a bonus part just for you, which talks about the Epsom salt paste.
# DIY Epsom Salt Scrub Recipe for the Feet
Use 1 cup of Epsom salt with ¼ cup of olive oil, and add 10 drops of peppermint oil. The peppermint oil can be extracted from peppermint leaves. Dry the leaves, then crush them with your hands or a spoon. Add the dried leaves into a jar full of olive oil, and leave it to sit for a month before using it. After that filter the oil into a jar through a coffee filter to separate the oil from the solid residuals. The peppermint oil can be stored to be used for up to 6 months.
Using 1 cup of the Epsom salt mixture, put it with warm water into a feet tub, and soak your feet in it for 30 minutes. Scrub your feet further with a soft feet scrubber, for extra exfoliating. Dry your feet properly and use a moisturizer to keep your feet fresh. This mixture can be used indefinitely unless you add water-based products into it. In that case, it should be used within 6 months.
Also, if your legs are severely dry and cracked, it is better to check with your health provider. This mixture might worsen the feet if it’s due to a health condition.
# DIY Epsom Salt Scrub Recipe for the Body
It is an effective body scrub. Before taking a shower, add ½ cup of Epsom salt with 10 drops of essential oil (Peppermint Oil), and scrub your body using the mixture. It will clear your skin, soothe muscle pain, and reduce any swelling.
You can also make it into a bath instead. Use 2 cups of Epsom salt, and add 1 cup of lavender oil (up to your preference) with your favorite scented shower gel into the water tub. And sit in it, with some candles and a magazine, and some relaxing music. It will soothe your mind, relax your body and muscles, and clean it thoroughly. It is great to do this after a rough period of exams, or after a stressful time. Or even just after a normal workday. Mothers can even use this bath to pamper themselves on Mother’s Day.
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DIY Epsom Salt Scrub Recipe for the Face
For this recipe, add 2 cups of the Epsom salt, with 1 cup of your preferred oil, either almond oil or olive oil and 2 drops of coconut oil. The coconut oil can be made at home as well. Cut a brown coconut in half and take its white components part into a jar. Then take the components and pour them into a blender or a food processor, and then add the blended mesh into a pan with a cup of water, and bring it to boil. Leave it to cool, then pour it into a jar covered with a coffee filter to separate the coconut residuals from the coconut oil.
Gently scrub the mixture on your face evenly and scrub in a rotating motion to exfoliate. Then rinse your face off with warm water. This will clear your face of all the dirt, unclog your pores, and reduce the inflammation of your facial acne. You will feel refreshed instantly, as the oils will also soften your face. Use it regularly, at least twice a week, for great results.
# Epsom Salt Paste for Skin InfectionsAs mentioned above, Epsom salt can be used as a natural scrub for most body parts: Face, feet, whole body, etc. However, another use, which might not be as commonly known, is a paste to treat skin infections.
Epsom salt is the common name for magnesium sulphate, and if you ask a chemist or a pharmacist, they’d tell you that magnesium sulphate is used quite commonly in many pharmaceutical formulations, most commonly Intravenous magnesium, however, another use is as a paste, which is used to treat limited skin infections.
Magnesium Sulphate is used in the preparation (Source: British Pharmacopeia) of a paste that can be used to treat local skin infections, including the removal of boils.
The cool thing is the magnesium sulphate paste doesn’t have any reported side effects! And it’s quite easy to use. You can buy a magnesium sulphate paste at your local drug store or pharmacy. You can also make it yourself, using liquid Phenol, which you can buy over the counter, and mixing it with magnesium sulphate powder until you have a thick, consistent paste.