Himalayan salt, you’ve probably heard of it by now and if you haven’t, not to worry, in this article we will be revealing more about this peculiar pink salt and how it can benefit your spa session.
What is Himalayan salt?
As the name suggests, Himalayan salt is salt that comes from the Khewra mines in Northern Pakistan, an area that is in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range. It’s the start of the Himalayan mountain range. There is no other place in the world where you can find Himalayan rock salt.
Why is it pink?
Himalayan salt contains a whole range of macro and micro minerals that regular salt doesn’t. The pinkish orange colour of Himalayan salt comes from the Iron Oxide that’s inside it, by the way, that’s just a fancy name for rust. But it’s actually a great source of iron. Apart from Iron it also has other important macro nutrients like calcium and phosphorus. In-fact Himalayan salt contains 20-30 times more iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium than regular salts or even many sea-salts, making it a great base for bath salt blends.
The benefits of Himalayan salt
Himalayan salt has been reported to have a whole range of Health benefits, many of these are well documented, and backed by studies – and some are outlandish. Himalayan salt cannot cure cancer or diabetes, however it can be a great addition to your spa routine.
The earliest known recorded use of pink salt dates centuries back, where legend has it that locals who lived in the salt mines area would send their sick ones to the salt caves for healing. The salt caves were shown to have a soothing effect and more importantly, they seemed to treat any breathing difficulties the locals had.
As a bath salt, Himalayan salt offers a greater range of trace minerals as compared to normal salts and unlike many other salts it is completely unprocessed. The reason for this is that it is already quite pure and free of regular rock/dirt when it is mined, thus it meets most safety standards worldwide without the need for adding anti-caking agents or other additives. Virtually all pink salt you will come across is as it was when first extracted from the mountains.
How you can use Himalayan salt in your spa routine
So how exactly can you use pink salt in your spa routine? There are countless products and methods people have developed which best suit them. Three of the ways which we recommend you try for yourself are listed below.
- Pink salt bath bombs – These are like regular bath bombs but they contain the added benefits of the trace minerals in pink salt as well as the anti bacterial effects of salt.
- Coarse pink salt scrubs – Pink salt is best used in it’s coarse form. These scrubs are readily available because pink salt is mined as rock salt in large pieces and so it can be easily crushed into coarse granules. The coarse texture of pink salt srubs will help to remove dead skin cells while at the same time killing off any harmful bacteria on your skin.
- Pink salt body bars – Salt body bars are great for massaging yourself whilst taking a spa. As an alternative to coarse salt scrubs, body bars are meant to relax your muscles and alleviate tension through a gentle massage motion. At the same time you will still be making use of salts natural anti-bacterial properties.
How to buy the right Pink salt spa products
So far we’ve listed some of the key facts and uses of Himalayan salt, however there is one aspect of this pink mineral that isn’t shared often. That is that not all pink salt products are made equal. Due to it’s popularity many companies do exploit salt workers and cut shortcuts while producing and selling salt products. So make sure you buy from trusted brands that support fairwages and are transparent about their methods.
We hope this article has been illuminating and useful. With the above tips and tricks you can’t go wrong.
Eddie G.
The Salt Lamp Shop
