The Many Uses for Epsom Salts

In high school, my best friend and I enrolled in a program to become athletic trainers. We were both thinking of majoring in nursing in college and thought the experience would provide, well, . . . patient type access and help us decide if nursing was really a career we wanted to pursue.   That is what we told our parents anyway. But, access to all those cute, sporty, handsome boys didn't exactly detract from our reasons to do it either.  So, in treating all those injured, good looking, strong, athletic boys, we trainers often used Epsom salts. And, oh, by the way, my best friend? She is now an ER nurse!

Epsom Salt Possibilities

Epsom salts have been used for ages with great success to soak sore muscles and strains, but, they are not just old school  Lately, I keep coming across so many other possibilities for it like these:




1.  Have a stubborn splinter?  Soak your splintered part in a cup of the hottest water you can stand that contains about 1/2 cup of Epsom salt in it.  Stir the salt around to dissolve and soak until the water starts to cool.  Pay area dry. It should help draw that splinter out. (I can attest to this. I used this many, many times as a child with endless splinters running about barefoot!)

2.  Itchy from a bug bite or two?  Dissolve a teaspoon of Epsom salt in 1/4 cup of hot water and let cool. Dip a cotton ball in the solution and dab on the bites to help with itching.


3.  Feel a headache coming on? Some say soaking in an Epsom salt bath may help relieve headaches.



4.  Want pretty, beachy waves for your hair? Mix a solution of 1 cup hot water, 1.5 tablespoons Epsom salts, 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite hair conditioner.  Put in a bottle with a fine mist nozzle.  Shake well. Spray on damp hair, scrunch with your hands and let air dry. Instant surfer dude or dudette.

5.  Does your winter skin need renewal? Try mixing a small handful of Epsom salt with a tablespoon of olive oil and rub all over your wet skin to exfoliate and soften. Rinse thoroughly.

6.  Counting sheep not working? Add a cup of salt to your bedtime bath to help bring on the slumber.

7.  Sore from a long bike ride in the country? Add 2 cups Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak to reduce the achy bum.

8.  Long day on your feet?  Sprinkle 1/2 cup to a foot bath or large bowl of water with warm water and soak your feet for 15 minutes or so.  Add a drop or two of peppermint oil too. Amazing how when your feet feel refreshed, the rest of you does too.

9.  Hate taking vitamins? Get your magnesium with no pills.  Many of us are magnesium deficient. When Epsom salt is dissolved in water in a detox bath, it is a great way for this mineral to be absorbed into our body.

So many questions! Here are two more. Do you have these salts in your house?  What uses can you add to the list?

bike: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bowow/7034863405/">Bowen Chin</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
surfer: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/klaus-peter-schmidt/5458236021/">K. Peter Schmidt</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>