Question: Why Is Epsom Salt Good for You?

We know the bathtub mainstay seems to cure all. But what does it *actually* do?

By: Noah Lehava

The art of a baller bath is something we like to think we’ve mastered (let’s just say we were happy for the many nights of trial-and-error). Here is our magic formula: draw near-scalding water (just hot enough to make you sweat out the bad stuff, but not actually painful), bring along a good book (leave the phone in another room), pour out a beverage (wine is our modus operandi, but so is tea or water), and line a border of vetiver and patchouli candles around the tub. But the absolute, unwavering must-have for a successful bath is Epsom salt.

What we know is that Epsom salt, the informal name of the naturally occurring compound magnesium sulfite, is good for a cache of reasons not limited to relieving PMS symptoms, loosening over-SLT’d muscles, chilling you out for better sleep, producing serotonin (that mood-balancing chemical we all need), and softening skin. So what is it about soaking in a tub full of Epsom that does all the aforementioned?


It’s All About Magnesium

According to The National Academy of Science, a majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium, the second-most abundant element in human cells, which regulates 325 (!) enzymes for optimal bodily function. As in, it helps improve nerve and muscle functions, enhances oxygenation, reduces inflammation, and improves blood flow throughout the entire body. Oddly enough, it isn’t easily absorbed by way of supplements or food, but it is through the skin—hence where the bath part comes in.


Sucks Out Toxins

Creating a water-Epsom salt concoction in your tub and getting in creates a process called reverse osmosis. Which is a fancy way of saying it pulls out salt (yes, salt!) and toxins from your cells and allows your body to take in all the good stuff—magnesium and sulfate.


Sulphates Are Good Too!

Just like its counterpart, sulphite needs to go through the skin rather than the stomach for peak absorption, and is essential for stimulating the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes (and we know how important the gut is!), healthy joints, and forming skin and brain tissue (NBD).


Want more stories like this?

Inside 5 of California’s Most Extreme Detox Destinations
These Are the New Beauty Foods to Eat in 2019
Is It Time to Stop Drinking Celery Juice?