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What are Epsom salt bath uses? Can I use Epsom salt for constipation? Get answers for these questions, how to use Epsom salt for constipation, as body scrub and Epsom salt as fertilizer in your garden, lawn, or for your trees.
The greatest discovery occurred in Epsom at Surrey, England, when the magnesium sulphates or sulfates if you like were discovered there. These are mineral salts discovered in the saline spring there. For many years the Epsom salts have been used at home variously. The good thing about them is that they are safe if used in their right proportions. Therefore, it is up to you the consumer to read the packaging for instructions on how well to use the salts.
One of the common uses of Epsom salts is giving relaxing baths. Epsom salt bath uses is not just for relaxing the body, as you will find out shortly. You can do more with these baths and the salts themselves inside and outside your home. It is also possible to use the salt for constipation where you have to use it orally. For these and more about the uses of these natural mineral salt read on.
Various Epsom Salt Bath Uses
There are various Epsom salt bath uses, which include:
- Helping you sleep better
- Cleaning the gut of children with autism and helping them sleep better as well
- Curing skin conditions, such as staph infections, eczema and itchy scaly feet among others
- Used to treat colds and congestion
- Used to heal muscle aches and pains
- Healing cuts on body
- Relaxing the body, soul and mind because it gives a floating sensation when you are in the bathtub
What Is an Epsom Salt Bath Good for?
If you are wondering, what is an Epsom salt bath good for? You have come to the right place. In our day-to-day activities, our bodies accumulate many toxins from the foods we eat or just medications we use to heal various conditions. There is no better way to remove these toxins than through a relaxing Epsom salt detox bath. You do not have to soak your whole body as the benefits of the salts can also be experienced by part of your body such as your tired feet.
In this case, an Epsom foot soak would do you a great deal after a long day standing, walking or even running if you are an athlete. It is important to get the right amounts of the salts into your bath in order to get maximum good use from them. Normally, you may need just a cup or two of the Epsom salts and half a cup for your feet.
Apart from removing toxins from the body, what is an Epsom salt bath good for? It can help you get relief for hemorrhoids. For this, you would need an Epsom salt sitz bath, but a bathtub would also work equally fine. Note that these main benefits are derived from baths. You can acquire other benefits from using the salt with other ingredients or just water in various uses as you will find out below.
Epsom Salt Body Scrub and Recipes
When it comes to using salt away from the baths, you can exfoliate your skin, rid it from acne, excess dead skin cells and accumulated dust particles from the environment. Sometimes you may also get rid of dry skin by just exfoliating using Epsom salt body scrub. After all, in is cheap and readily available at home. You do not have to go to a beauty spa to get the luxurious body scrub and pay a fortune for it.
It is important while doing it at home you get the right proportions of the salts and oils correct. Furthermore, ensure that you use oils that you have used before with good effects on your skin. Oils such as coconut oil, jojoba, and olive oil are most used. You can also add essential oils to make the scrub antiseptic and therapeutic.
Here are some Epsom salt body scrub recipes you could use at home and your skin could fall in love with these.
- Pour 1 cup of Epsom salt in a jar
- Pour ½ cup of your preferred carrier oil, it could be avocado, peanut, sesame oil, jojoba or coconut and even olive oil
- Add about 6-12 drops of an essential oil and mix the three ingredients with a spoon for a smooth blend
The above recipe is best for dry feet, hands and the whole body. It moisturizes and exfoliates at the same time. Another scrub recipe best for face requires that you do the following:
- Add 1/2 cup of Epsom salts
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil to the salt
- Add fresh lemon or lime juice to the mixture
- Add an herb of choice e.g. lavender or thyme
Mix these ingredients properly, store in a tightly closed jar, and store it in the fridge if you have to. This recipe keeps your face moisturized and exfoliated, but not oily while getting rid of age spots or freckles on face.
Epsom Salt for Constipation – Magnesium Sulfate Laxative
Another use for Epsom salt is enabling bowel movement. It is safe to take the salts orally, however you must do so with a lot of caution. First, you must consult your doctor because it is not safe to use the Epsom salt orally when you have certain medical conditions such as kidney disease.
It also important to consult with your doctor on the right dosage of Epsom salt for constipation since what is provided out there by other people could be dangerous for you. Most Epsom salts packages will have clear instructions on how to use it as a laxative. If your brand does not have, instructions desist from using it for that purpose.
The taste of Epsom salt for constipation is not interesting and most people prefer to use it in lemon juice, grape juice or apple juice. Choose the taste of juice you prefer most. Furthermore, you must add about 8 oz of water to the salt. If you search, online most people recommend about 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt. However, one tablespoon contains 35 grams of the salts. The recommended amount is only 300-400mg.
Therefore, 1 tablespoon is on the higher side. You may want to do half a teaspoon of the salts instead to be on the safe side. An overdose of Epsom salt for constipation can turn fatal with death or a coma. Hence, it is better to be safe than sorry. Furthermore, do not use the laxative for more than a week.
Your body can become dependent on this laxative and you may find it difficult to pass stool without it. You can expect bowel movement after using the laxative in 30 minutes and in the longest period 6 hours. Therefore, when you take the laxative, do stay near the bathroom to avoid any mess.
Using Epsom Salt as Fertilizer
Epsom salt is not just useful for beauty and healing. It can also make plants healthier and give better yields. The magnesium and sulfate elements in the Epsom salt make it a suitable fertilizer not just for food plants, but also flowers, trees and lawns.
Magnesium lacks in most soils and plants may show this by having cured leaves, stunt growth and bitter fruits. When the Epsom salt as fertilizer is used it adds the magnesium into the soil therefore strengthening the plant cell walls while enabling them to take up nutrients effectively from the soil. An increase in levels of magnesium in the soil enables the plants to take up phosphorous and nitrogen nutrients.
Sulfates on the other hand, boost chlorophyll production in plants. Furthermore, it is the best way to keep away pests from the plants. You can add Epsom salt as fertilizer daily at the root of the plants. In this case, you make use of small doses. Alternatively, during planting you can make use of a concentrated Epsom salt mixture so that you can balance the pH of the soil. This mineral fertilizer works best for tomatoes, peppers, roses, asparagus, greener grass and some trees. Do not spray it on the leaves as it can lead to scorched leaves especially on sunny days.
Epsom Salt Bath Side Effects – Symptoms
When using Epsom salt orally you may experience the following side effects:
- Nausea when you take two doses closely together
- abdominal pain, vomiting, and rectal bleeding
- You may experience decreased blood pressure, low heartbeat rate and drowsiness after over dosing on this laxative.
- Sometimes death or going into coma if the above side effects are not treated.
On the other hand, Epsom salt bath side effects include:
- Light headedness
- Fatigue
- There may be no relief from aching muscles
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