5 Amazing Benefits of Sea Salt Baths (And How to Make Your Own)

We know far too many of you don’t get the rest and relaxation you deserve, so it’s time to upgrade your nightly routine. And we’re proposing one of our favorite unwinding practices: a salt bath.

Salt baths are known for their benefits to the skin, joints, muscles, and mind. But did you know they’re also incredibly easy to make? In fact, we find the whole process to be relaxing. There’s something about taking the time to make something special just for you— like mastering the perfect at-home pour-over or spending an extra five minutes on your skincare routine. It’s the simple things!

Let’s explore the simple joy of making and taking a salt bath.

What Is a Salt Bath?

A salt bath is an age-old therapeutic soak, made up of sea salt and water. You can add other ingredients to make the bath even more beneficial and enjoyable (like bentonite clay and essential oils). But salt alone provides plenty of healing properties to this simple bath.

Sea salt carries a variety of minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and potassium that provide benefits to our bodies when consumed— or absorbed.

What Are the Benefits of a Salt Bath?

1. Skin Health

   A good salt soak allows the body to rid itself of impurities and shed toxins that buildup during the day-to-day. Those with skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and atopic dermatitis can especially benefit from a salt bath. Salt baths calm the skin, decreasing itchiness and allowing the pores to open, release buildup, and accept minerals like zinc— which protects our skin and helps it heal. Salt baths can also be helpful in treating acne.

2. Muscle and Joint Relaxation

   Warm water reduces swelling on our load-bearing muscles and joints. Not to mention that the buoyancy of the water reduces the weight our joints, bones, and muscles have to support. Sea salt baths have proven effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, relieving stiff joints, and easing muscle cramps.

3. Mineral Absorption

   Unrefined sea salt is rich in trace minerals that keep our bodies happy, healthy, and functioning properly. Soaking in sea salt water allows us to take in additional minerals we may be lacking. Our skin, the body’s largest organ, can soak up extra magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, and potassium, and more during a short sea salt bath.

4. Sleep

   Baths in general can lull us to sleep with their warm, calming temperatures. But it’s the magnesium in a sea salt bath that makes it especially helpful to those with insomnia. Magnesium helps us relax and sleep longer by supporting the regulation of our brain’s neurotransmitters. Magnesium can also make it easier to fall asleep and minimize restless legs syndrome symptoms.

5. Decreases Stress

   Soaking with sea salt can increase circulation in the body, relaxing our nerves and supporting cellular functions. Bodily stress is reduced, as is mental stress and fatigue as if you’re entering a stage of meditation. Sea salt baths improve both our mood and our muscles!

How Do You Make a Salt Bath?

As promised, the process is easy and (dare we say?) relaxing. But there are a few key things to remember:

• Never use white table salt to make a salt bath.

  Or if you ask us, never use white table salt period— ha! But especially in this sense. You won’t get much out of the bath you’ve brewed if you use a salt that’s bleached and stripped of all the minerals your body is craving. Using unrefined sea salt is key to soaking up the nutrients!

• Grain = gritty.

  Different grains of salt will dissolve at different rates. If you prefer not to feel any texture in your tub, go with a fine grain or a powder that will dissolve completely and quickly. If you don’t mind either way, simply use whatever natural sea salt you have on hand!

• Set the scene.

  We know it can be hard to carve out these moments for yourself, but TRUST US. You’ll feel all the better for it. Set yourself up for success by carving out intentional time to soak, allowing at least 10-15 mins to absorb the benefits of your mixture.

Our Homemade Bath Salt Recipe: 

• 1 cup sea salt
• ½ cup bentonite clay
• A drop of your favorite essential oil

1. Mix the clay and salt.
2. Add a drop of your favorite essential oil to the clay and salt mixture. *Adding a drop of essential oil to the mix before adding it to the bath will better diffuse the oil. If the oil is added after, it will likely sit on top of the water!
3. Add the entire mixture to a warm bath.
4. Enjoy your homemade salt bath!

Sources:

Scientific Evidence-Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body—US National Library of Medicine

Does Magnesium Help You Sleep?— Cleveland Clinic