Mineral Salt Bath - Is there efficacy for improving health?

Of course most conversation surrounding mineral salts refer to internal nutrition via foods, and that is, indeed, where we get most of these components vital for forming tissue, producing hormones, as well as regulating organic functions.

Every day, our bodies produce skin, muscle, and bone. We produce new rich red blood that carries nutrients and oxygen to remote digits, and new nerve tissue so our brain can communicate with our bodies and control the many balancing functions necessary for life. To do all this, our bodies require some raw materials in the form of vitamins and minerals.

Some of the most well-known mineral salts are:

Sodium
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Potassium
Phosphorus
Zinc
Copper
Selenium

All of these minerals can be found in Dead Sea salt. Of course some like magnesium and sodium make up the bulk, but there are dozens of additional minerals found in smaller amounts. Though the topical benefits of several minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc are recognized and approved by the FDA, the topical benefits of other minerals to the skin have been in large part unexplored. Read on to learn about some of the recent studies working to discover more how mineral salts affect health topically.

Building skin barrier protection

mineral salts and skin health This study on Interaction of mineral salts with the skin: a literature survey provides a wealth of context about where science is at with regard to minerals and topical application for skin health. For example, the study says that mineral salt baths have been found to be inconclusive for treatment of psoriasis, in that patients bathing in tap water had the same outcomes, meaning it did not alleviate the condition; the people still had psoriasis. However, bathing in solutions of 5% Dead Sea salt were found to improve related symptoms, such as flaking and dryness, to reduce roughness and improve hydration. Most interestingly, it was found that mineral salt baths do appear to speed and improve skin barrier formation, which naturally then aids the skin in protection and recovery.

In short, using mineral salt baths are a solid skin protecting addition to your skin care regimen, as they soothe and help skin recover by providing new layers of emerging epidermis the components needed to build better barrier protection and retain moisture.

Destressing and soothing aches

Of course one of the most popular purposes of mineral salt bathing is to unwind after a long day. For ages people have added mineral salts to bath water to enhance the relaxation and pain soothing effects. While there is not yet much scientific evidence to support minerals passing through the skin, many people attest to enhanced relaxation and soothing of sore muscles when they take the time for a mineral salt bath.

This could be due to the warm relaxing water helping to pull focus into our bodies, which in turn, helps us take some time out just to be present. Or perhaps it's the minerals and salt water helping the skin to better purge impurities it is trying to expel. Being the largest organ of the body, and the one most in contact with the outside world, the skin is largely responsible for exuding toxins and waste to help the body function its best. Surely exfoliation and nourishing the skin with the minerals in Dead Sea salt help the skin carry out its important daily functions.

UV Protection from Selenium?

Selenium, one of the minerals found in Dead Sea salt, is showing evidence of being able to provide skin with special UV protection, and perhaps even anti-aging effects where sun damage has occurred.

According to one of the studies touched in on the article mentioned above, there was a small human clinical study with 8 subjects, where topical lotions containing selenium (selenomethionine – the most effective way of delivering selenium into the skin) – were applied for 2 weeks . This was shown to improve the effects of UV exposure. Additionally, in animal studies, similar application has been shown to reverse photageing.

So many minerals in Dead Sea salt!

While research still needs to be done to determine just how much we can absorb through our skin, there's no doubt about the relaxation, pain relief, and skin conditioning properties most people enjoy by bathing in mineral salts.

So if you're in the market to find out for yourself what mineral salts can do for you, Dead Sea salt contains 60+ minerals! Usually the more important minerals are in a bigger concentration (like magnesium and potassium) but they are also a great source for less common minerals.

Sodium, magnesium, and potassium are incredibly important minerals for overall digestion. Whether it's the minerals in the salts, or the relaxing warm bath, or both, many people with digestion issues benefit from mineral salt baths. Symptoms like constipation, food sensitivity, and bloating often are greatly relieved by bathing in a nice warm bath. All the better if you have some mineral salts to add!