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How to use Mineral Baths for Better Health
When you think of nutrition, you usually only think about what you are eating and drinking. But did you know that we can absorb nutrients through the skin with mineral baths? This method is one of my favorite ways to get minerals up more quickly, especially if we’re working on gut healing at the same time.
Why Use Mineral Baths?
- Minerals are absorbed better this way. Since we are bypassing the gut and not depending on stomach acid to break down food, this method can be a quicker way at getting many nutrient levels back up at once.
- They are huge stress relievers. Most people like to take a nice long soak in a bathtub to begin with, but using mineral salts in there too can be so amazing for your entire body. One of the main reasons why I add mineral baths to my protocols are because they are a great self-care ritual. It makes you take time out of your day just to sit and relax!
- If you’re on a limited diet, this can help with filling in more gaps for your nutrition. I have had so many clients that are dealing with multiple food intolerance issues and they are so restricted with what they can eat. Soaking in mineral baths is often a perfectly tolerated way to work on other mineral levels.
- They are so mineral rich! Most mineral bath salts have 60+ minerals in them. Usually the more important minerals are in a bigger concentration (like magnesium and potassium) but they are a great source of trace nutrients.
- They can help to improve your digestion. Sodium, magnesium, and potassium are incredibly important minerals for overall digestion. I have had many clients that found benefit from the baths with symptoms like constipation, bloating, and food intolerances.
- Mineral baths can help you get a better night of sleep. Not only are baths a relaxing part of a nightly routine, mineral baths specifically have many minerals that can aid in a better night of sleep. The better our sleep, the easier it is to heal!
- They are so great for your skin! Mineral salts can help with any kind of skin issue, or they can just help to make your skin smoother and healthier.
Ideas for Relaxing Mineral Baths
Ideally, an HTMA can tell you what your main minerals are doing so you can determine what bath would be best for you. Slow oxidizers tend to do better with more potassium and sodium, and not as much magnesium. Fast oxidizers tend to just need a lot more of everything, especially magnesium. But often times, we can add extra sea salt in with our dead sea salt for a better balance between the main minerals.
You can do a full bath or even a foot bath too! Most of my clients go for foot baths since they are easier to keep up with, but if you are a true bath lover you can absolutely go for a full bath. For a foot bath you can use a nice big bowl of any kind, or go for a thick plastic one like this (there aren’t many other kinds available on Amazon-plastic might not be the best, but if you have no other options then you’ve just got to do what you can).
Note: If your water is chlorinated, you can add in baking soda to help reduce the absorption of chlorine. If possible, you can also look into a bath filter, or something like this bath ball to eliminate chlorine. For foot baths, you can also just heat up some filtered water on the stove- it’s an extra step, but it does help to use the best water possible.
Dead Sea Salts or Ancient Sea Salts
There is one main brands of bath salts I tend to recommend: San Francisco Sea Salt Company. The dead sea salt from SFSSC is mostly rich in magnesium and potassium, and it has over 20 trace minerals as well.
For a foot bath: 1/2 cup of either of the mineral salts above is perfect, in just enough water to cover your feet. Soak for 15+ minutes once or twice a week, but you usually can do them more often if you are finding benefit with them. You can also add 1/4 cup of an unrefined sea salt (like this one) if you need extra sodium.
For a full bath: You can use anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups of the mineral salts in a full tub of water (try to keep it more warm, not too hot!). Soaking for about 20 minutes at least is usually perfect, once or twice a week. You can add up to a full cup of the unrefined sea salt as well if you need that extra sodium.
Just Sea Salt
If you are in super slow oxidation and need to work mostly on sodium, you can still find benefit with just sea salt foot baths. You can use any unrefined sea salt, but Pink Himalayan is usually the most affordable to buy in bulk. For foot baths, 1/4-1/2 cup is usually perfect to use. For full baths, use up to 2 cups.
Just Magnesium
I’m no longer a huge fan of magnesium in isolation, but I do know some that need to work solely on mag for a time. The perfect solution would be magnesium flakes or oil in a bath or foot bath. You can use 1-2 ounces of mag oil or 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the mag flakes in your bath or foot bath. I would be a bit more cautious with using too much mag in isolation long term though- you can read the full explanation on why right here in my post on magnesium, sodium, and potassium balancing. You could also mix the magnesium flakes/oil with the unrefined sea salt too if you wanted to just balance mag and sodium.
Soothing Touch Bath Salts
The body is a whole and we must treat it as such! I have my Bachelor of Science in Natural Health Sciences, certificates in Herbal Studies from Herbal Academy, and I am constantly learning more about health to help my clients and followers.
My goal is to help you unleash your own inner healer! You already hold the power to heal inside you. My role is as a guide to help you realize this potential.