Himalayan Salt Benefits for Skin
Himalayan Salt for Skin: Bath Salts and Body Scrubs
Before using Himalayan salt on your skin, turn the packet over. Is it sold for bathing, as a body scrub or for cooking? The name on the front doesn’t answer that question. Those details matter more than claims about how natural or pure the salt is.
There’s also a difference between adding salt to bathwater and rubbing the crystals directly over your skin. Don’t assume the instructions for one can be used for the other.
Using Himalayan Bath Salts
Choose a product specifically intended for bathing and follow the directions supplied with it. Use the stated amount rather than copying a recipe for another product. The same applies to any instructions about soaking time or rinsing afterwards.
Before adding anything else to the water, check what’s already in the packet. Look through the ingredients for fragrance, oils or anything you know you react to. Buying scented bath salts isn’t the same as adding essential oil to the water yourself. Essential oils can irritate the skin, and some aren’t suitable for direct skin contact.
What Does Salt Do in a Body Scrub?
The salt grains give the scrub its rough texture. As you gently rub it over your skin, they loosen dead cells from the surface. It’s the rubbing that does this, rather than anything special about pink salt.
A light touch is enough. Don’t press harder or keep scrubbing one patch to try to get it smoother. Rinse off as directed on the label. Scrubs can be too rough for dry or sensitive skin, even when used gently.
If you want to reap the benefits of using Himalayan salt be sure to visit our Himalayan salt collection
Leave Out Homemade Face Sprays and Masks
A mixture of salt, lemon juice and essential oil isn’t something we would recommend as a facial toner. Lemon can cause skin reactions when followed by sunlight exposure, while essential oils can cause irritation or an allergic rash. Familiar kitchen ingredients aren’t automatically suitable for leaving on your face.
There’s another issue with making a bottle of salt water to keep in the bathroom: preservation. Water, ingredients and handling can introduce bacteria or fungi into homemade cosmetics. Adding salt doesn’t give you a tested preservation system or a reliable use-by date.
For facial use, choose a product made for that purpose rather than adapting a bath soak or body scrub. The same goes for homemade scalp sprays. Stick to the intended use instead of adding salt to an existing conditioner or mist.
Looking After an Open Jar
Keep the container clean and follow its storage instructions. Wash your hands before taking product from a jar, and avoid getting shower water inside. Don’t add water to thin a scrub that has become difficult to scoop; this can introduce contamination and dilute its preservatives.
You can browse our Himalayan salt collection to see the different products available. Check each listing’s intended use before choosing something for bathing or skincare.
Should Bath Salts Fizz?
Plain salt doesn’t fizz when it dissolves. A bath bomb’s fizz comes from a different process: ingredients such as bicarbonate of soda and citric acid react in the water and release carbon dioxide gas. Those escaping bubbles are what you see.
So a packet of plain Himalayan bath salts shouldn’t be expected to behave like a bath bomb. No fizz doesn’t mean you’ve used it incorrectly. A product that combines salts with fizzing ingredients is a different formulation.
What Do the Names on the Ingredients List Mean?
Some ingredient names look more complicated than they are. Aqua means water. Parfum refers to a fragrance composition. Cosmetic labels use standard ingredient names, which helps you recognise the same ingredient across different products.
The order gives you some information as well. Ingredients are generally listed from the greatest amount to the smallest by weight, although those below 1% can appear in any order after the higher-concentration ingredients. The list won’t normally give you the exact percentage of each one.
When comparing two salt scrubs, read beyond the salt itself. Look at what else is listed rather than assuming that two jars with “Himalayan salt” on the front contain the same mixture.
How Many Baths Will One Bag Last?
The weight of the bag is only half the calculation. You also need the amount the manufacturer tells you to use for each bath.
As an example, a 1kg bag would provide ten uses if its instructions specified 100g each time. At 200g per use, that same bag would provide five. Those figures are just an example, not a suggested bathing amount.
Divide the total weight by the amount stated for one use. That gives you a clearer idea of how long the bag should last. You can also divide the price by the number of uses to compare the cost per bath.
