Happy Monday, friends!! In our efforts to add more homesteading posts into our repertoire, we’re going to start out this week with a post on some of the uses of Epsom Salt. The Epsom Salt Council (who knew?) tells us that “Epsom salt is made up of naturally occurring minerals magnesium and sulfate”. For those of you not familiar with the health benefits of magnesium, or, rather, the dangers to our health of a lack of magnesium, they are many. A lack of magnesium is associated with:
-heart disease
-high blood pressure
-diabetes
-osteoporosis
-heartbeat irregularities
-artery constriction and blood clot issues
-joint and muscle pain
In fact, our family takes Standard Process’ Calcium Lactate (no affiliate link) on a regular basis, because of the great calcium and magnesium qualities of the product. We first heard about Epsom Salt when we were learning about treating a specific ailment for our horse, but soon learned that Epsom Salt has many other benefits as well. Epsom Salt can be used to:
1. Cure a hoof abscess in a horse. Just soak the hoof in a bucket containing lukewarm water and a cup or two of Epsom Salt, or place a cup of Epsom Salt in a baby diaper and fasten it onto the horse hoof, securing it with horse bandaging wrap.
2. Relax you and ease those achy joints and muscles. Put 1 or 2 cups of Epsom Salt into a warm bath, and soak for at least twenty minutes.
3. As a grout cleaner: put equal amounts of dish soap and Epsom Salt in a bowl, use a rag or an old toothbrush to apply the mixture onto your grout, scrub until clean, and rinse thoroughly.
4. Help your garden grow. Sprinkling Epsom salt into your soil on occasion, before watering, can increase the magnesium levels in your soil and give your veggies a much-needed boost. Use it specifically for tomatoes.
5. As an all-natural fabric softener. Mix 1/4 c. Epsom Salts and 1-2 drops of your favorite essential oil, and add it to your wash load when the water is full at the beginning of the wash cycle.
6. Help remove embedded splinters. Soak a washcloth in warm water and Epsom salts, making a compress to hold onto your splinter, helping to extract it from the skin.
7. As a foot scrub. Mix Epsom Salt with essential oils and a bit of water and rub vigorously on your feet to exfoliate those calluses away.
8. As a body exfoliator. Mix Epsom salt with coconut oil or your favorite essential oil and rub it on your body to exfoliate dead skin cells away, leaving your skin bright and beautiful.
9. Help house plants grow. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to your houseplants on occasion, before watering them, to give them a boost of good health.
10. Relieve constipation. Drinking 1 teaspoon of Epsom Salt in 12 ounces of warm water can help relieve constipation. Make sure to check with your doctor first before ingesting Epsom Salt.
11. Fake frost for your windows. Mix Epsom Salt with stale beer and apply to your windows for a “fake frost” effect for winter décor.
12. Mosquito bite relief. Apply an Epsom Salt compress (see #6) to mosquito bites to relieve itching and prevent infection.
Epsom Salt is super cheap and can be found at most grocery and big box stores. We found our 4-lb. bag at Walmart for the low, low price of $2.68. I think I’m going to end my Monday with a nice Epsom Salt bath soak. 🙂
Did you know Epsom Salt had so many uses? What are your favorite ways to use Epsom Salt?
I had no idea! You learn something new every day, right? Thanks for sharing!
Me too, Holly, until I started researching for this post after we used it for our horse. I figured there must be something useful about it if it was in every single grocery store. 🙂
I honestly had NO idea there were this many uses for Epsom Salt!! I participated in back to back work out classes last week with an intense instructor and this nice older lady said to me that I should pick up some Epsom Salt after and take a bath with it. I did not take her advice, because honestly I don’t take that many baths so didn’t see the use of Epsom Salt, but now I have to reconsider the purchase. 🙂
Soaking baths are my lifesaver, Shannon. They bring my sanity back! 🙂
Sounds like quite the miracle salt, I’ll see if I can get some as I have been looking for natural mosquito bites relief.
Yes, I wonder if they have it there? If not, I’ll ship you some, Pauline. Just email me.
Epsom salt is awesome! I love learning about these types of things that are super cheap and have a myriad of uses. Thanks for sharing with us, Laurie!
Sure thing, Kali! Have a great day. 🙂
Epsom salt in a tub of hot water helped me get through many a sprained ankle from basketball in high school. It really did wonders to reduce the swelling and get me back on the court quickly. I had completely forgotten I did that…perhaps it’s time I use it for soaking my feet after running. Thanks for the memory jolt. 🙂
Good to know, Brian!!! Thanks for sharing your success with it!
Thanks Laurie! This is great to know. I have used it as a relaxing bath but that’s it. I will definitely give it a try in the garden.
Yeah, me too this year, I think. Have a great day, Kay. 🙂
I use it when I get poison ivy. I am highly allergic to the plant, so it will turn bad if I touch it. I use the Epsom salt to dry out the poison ivy and relieve the itching.
Great to know, Grayson!! I’ll remember that for the future. 🙂
Cool! I knew about it as a bath agent, but I had no idea about the other uses! The fake frost thing sounds cool! Might have to try that. Thanks Laurie!
Yeah, it does, doesn’t it, Dee!! We’ll have to do that next year. 🙂
Wait a second. Who lets beer go stale? 😉
I’ve never used epsom salt, Laurie. But for less than three bucks, it sounds like a fantastic thing to keep around the house.
LOL, I was betting on which one of you blogging guys would mention that first. 🙂 I agree, DB40, about it being a great thing to keep around the house. Might be good for the stockpile.
I think it’s wild how the most simple things like epsom salts or baking soda have so many varied uses.
Me too, Stephanie – and we waste so much cash on prescription stuff.
I did not know epsom salt had all those great uses. I will have to remember it the next time I have achy bones that a nice soak in the bathtub with epsom salts is a good remedy. It’s amazing how many natural and simple (and generally cheap) ingredients have so many benefits.
Doesn’t it sound wonderful? Yeah, we’re learning lots lately about the benefits of cheap ingredients for healing. Lots of great natural stuff out there!
Very interesting! I had no idea that Epsom Salt has so many health advantages. It certainly makes me want to jump in bath and do my body a favor since I’ve been neglecting it in the past few weeks :))
Tell me! I’ve been thinking the same thing. Now if I could only find the time. 🙂
My wife puts epsom salt in the bath tub when she takes baths. Seems to have some powerful healing properties.
Yeah, that’s what they say! Brian and Grayson have testified to this too in the comments.
I’m amazed by all the uses of epsom salt (I had no idea). I definitely want to pick some up to clean my grout. I’d been using baking soda, but it doesn’t really seem to be working the way I’d like.
Me too! You’ll have to let me know how it works on the grout.
that is a great list. I love the beer/salt one. I wonder how someone came upon that accidental find! 😉
LOL, yeah, even stale beer shouldn’t go to waste. 🙂
I love epsom salts when I have muscle soreness from a workout. It’s odd that there hasn’t ever been an explanation as to why they work so well. I didn’t know that epsom salts help house plants grow. I should have put some epsom salts in my plants pot before it died last time. I think I have a black thumb.
LOL, funny about the black thumb. 🙂 Yeah, I’ll definitely be trying the Epsom salts when our busy gardening and wood-chopping days set in – that’s for sure.
Love this! I am definitely looking to simplify my life and use more eco-friendly practices. This is a step in the right direction, can’t wait to try some of these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sure thing, Danielle! We are hoping to do more of these types of posts in the future. 🙂
I just found a formula for a great detox using epson salts! Since I am disabled and a little stressed I decided to try it out. It was amazing!!! It was just epson salt,baking soda, and lavander extract so soothing. I think I willtry to check out these other uses
Martha, thank you so much for sharing that!! Glad to hear that worked for you. Have a great weekend. 🙂
I bought some Epsom salt over the weekend. I look forward to a long soak in the tub tonight. Thanks for suggestions, Laurie.