Bath Soak questions
This one is down to personal preference. We know some people who have a bath every night to help them sleep. Some people like a muscle-soothing bath after they’ve had a hard workout or sports match. Others like to have a stress-relieving bath the night before an important event to help with both sleep and stress levels. Humans do seem to thrive with routine though!
Personal preference again! Some people say if you stay in an Epsom salt bath for more than 15 minutes you will re-absorb toxins from the bath water. But, unless you’ve had the water so hot that you’ve been sweating during your bath, you won’t be immediately releasing toxins. Your body will excrete its toxins as usual, once they’ve been processed through the liver etc.
We don’t see the need to do this, unless you have sensitive skin and can feel a residue.
Your bath should be warm but not too hot. We are told between 33 and 37 degrees is good. But, to be honest, I don’t keep a thermometer by my bath! If the water is too hot, it can dry out your skin, as well as making you all red, sweaty and uncomfortable.
Any of our soaks that contain Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate). Magnesium helps with hundreds of your body’s functions, including the removal of toxins. Sulphate can strengthen the walls of the digestive tract and make release of toxins easier.
Magnesium can boost the brain neurotransmitters that are responsible for inducing sleep and reducing stress. Magnesium is necessary for producing serotonin, your ‘feel good’ brain chemical. And it supports your adrenal glands, helping to keep your nervous system calmed rather than excitable.
A warm bath can promote sleep because it raises your core body temperature which then falls after your bath. Humans are designed to sleep better when we have a lower body temperature. So this drop in temperature when you get out of the bath is aiding your body’s natural desire for sleep at the right time!
Add a magnesium-based bath soak for even more ZZZZ-inducing benefits: Magnesium regulates melatonin, which is the hormone responsible for your sleep patterns.
Dead Sea Salt is rich in nutrients like magnesium, calcium, sulphur and zinc and can help soothe symptoms like itching and inflammation. It’s a good idea to make sure your bath is warm, not overly hot, and to bathe for only 10-15 minutes so as not to dry out your skin. Our Dead Sea Salt is pure and unscented so is suitable for sensitive skin.
Magnesium Oil questions
It’s a simple, fast, effective way of replenishing your magnesium levels. So many of us are low in magnesium and it can make such a difference to our vitality and well-being if we supplement it. But not everyone likes taking the large pills or powdered drinks. Magnesium oil absorbs into your skin to get to work where it’s needed, without bypassing your gut. Oral magnesium can be affected by your digestive acids so you don’t get its full benefit.
By boosting your magnesium levels you may experience these benefits and more:
- Sore muscle relief
- Fewer cramps and muscle spasms
- Headache relief
- Fewer PMS symptoms
- Less restless legs
- Improved sleep
- Lower feelings of stress and anxiety
- Improved focus and memory
- Increased energy
No, it’s not really an oil, and it doesn’t contain oil. It’s simply pure, food grade magnesium chloride flakes that have been turned into a liquid brine with distilled water. It will absorb into your skin and not feel oily, nor leave marks on clothing.
Magnesium oil is not a massage oil as such, though you can certainly use it for a massage, combined with your normal massage oil. Note that used on areas like your back, you may experience some tingling.
Some people experience a tingle or even an itch the first few times they apply magnesium oil to their skin. There are a few theories as to why this is.
- Some people suggest that you’ll feel the tingle if your body is low in magnesium. This explains why you no longer feel the sensation when you use your oil every day.
- It could be that, because magnesium is a vasodilator, it opens up the little blood vessels near the surface of your skin, and the sensation you feel is the blood rushing there.
- Dermatologists think it may be because the pH of magnesium oil is different to that of our skin.
- For people with sensitive skin, it could be that a slight salt residue triggers itchiness (magnesium chloride is a brine, like salt water).
Whatever the cause, anecdotally, most people who experience it find the sensation disappears after using magnesium oil a few times.
If you’re not one of the ‘most’, there are some things you can do to combat the tingle so you can still get your magnesium top-up:
- Apply your mag oil but rinse it off with a warm flannel after 15 minutes.
- Apply it in the morning then shower off after 15 minutes.
- Dilute your mag oil with pure or distilled water.
- Apply a moisturising cream at the same time.
You can use it all over your body but please avoid sensitive areas, broken skin and your eyes. Don’t apply to your legs after shaving (learned the hard way)!
People comment on the relief they feel when they apply magnesium oil directly to areas that are niggling them, like knees and ankles. If you sustain a sports injury, see if you can get some mag oil on the area even before you apply the ice.
A good place to rub in your mag oil is your feet as they seem to absorb it well, and seem less likely to experience the tingling.
If you’re experiencing menstrual cramps it can bring some relief to rub it into your abdomen.
Don’t apply your mag oil to areas that will be exposed to the sun as this can cause a sensitivity reaction.
This sounds counter-intuitive, but you can apply your magnesium oil in the morning, after your shower is good, to energise you for the day. And you can apply it at night to help you relax before sleeping. We recommend applying it to your feet just before bedtime to help you relax into sleep.
About 6 – 8 sprays works well. For example, spray 6 sprays into your cupped hands then massage into both your feet. Our body uses up our magnesium supplies quickly, especially when we’re active or feeling stressed. So it’s a great practice to apply your magnesium every day. You’ll feel better results with regular use. Your 150ml bottle should last you several months of daily use. With topical magnesium such as our oil, your body can self-regulate and will absorb only what it needs.
Your body will excrete any excess magnesium. 8 sprays will provide you with about 100mg of elemental magnesium. The daily recommendation is around 400mg. While taking too much oral magnesium can cause loose bowels, topical magnesium just seems to help keep you ‘regular’.
Yes, it’s fine for children to use our magnesium oil spray. Though see below for contraindications. A good idea is to start by using less and see how they respond.
Yes, it’s safe to use magnesium oil while pregnant and breast-feeding. These are times when your body may well need more magnesium. Again, if you haven’t used magnesium oil on your skin before, it’s a good idea to start with a small amount and build up.
There are some contraindications for which you’d want to check with your health care provider before supplementing with magnesium:
- Magnesium can lower blood pressure so, if you have low blood pressure or are taking medication to lower your blood pressure, this should be taken into consideration.
- If you have an extremely slow heart rate, please be aware that magnesium, as a muscle-relaxant, can also cause your heart rate to slow further.
- People with kidney failure or other kidney disorders should not use magnesium oil as it is a salt product.
- If you have regular insulin injections, please note that regular use of magnesium oil could lower the amount of injected insulin you require. It is imperative you check this with your healthcare provider.
