Is an epsom salt bath good for sunburn?

The summer season is upon us again, and many of us are gearing up to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea! Unfortunately, sometimes we don’t prepare well enough for the sun’s harmful rays. So if you’re feeling more lobster than human after a day out in the sun, fear not! We’ve got some good news about how an epsom salt bath can help soothe your sunburn.

What is Epsom Salt?

Before we dive into how epsom salt baths can be beneficial for treating your crispy critter skin let’s first learn what epsom salt actually is. Epsom salt isn’t actually a type of ‘salt’ at all- it’s magnesium sulfate – a chemical compound comprised of magnesium sulfuric acid. This delightful little mineral was discovered long ago in water from natural springs in Epsom (hence its name) and has been used as a home remedy ever since!

How Does Using an Epsom Salt Bath Help with Sunburn?

Magnesium Magic

One of the reasons that epsom salts have been touted as effective treatment against inflamed and painful skin conditions like sunburn is due to its high levels of magnesium content: around 10% per pound! When epsoms salts dissolve in water during bath time their minerals absorb through our skin – stimulating blood flow which helps reduce inflammation caused by things like too much fun in the ☀️☀️

Sulfate Superhero

But this ‘salt’ doesn’t just contain superpowers within its ‘Mag’-nesium – sulfates also make up part of this wonderous composition! Magnesium itself has anti-inflammatory properties naturally but when combined with sulfates these two elements create one powerful soother for those hotspots on your body.

Time to Get Sudsy!

If you’re wondering the best way to use Epsom salt on your sunburn it’s an easy fix, you can try soaking in a bath or take a sponge and apply directly onto affected areas (Note: this might be more effective if blood-curdling screams are expected). A nice soak for about 20 minutes with two cups of epsom salts is probably what the doctored ordered but keep in mind that saturating those Angry Bird red patches might require more!

Here are some things you’ll want to consider when using epsom salts:

Warm vs Cold Water

When dealing with burnt skin, it’s important to remember not to shock your body by tossing yourself into icy water! But even worse, hot showers may make matters worse as they tend to dehydrate already parched skin! So instead opt for lukewarm temperatures which will help better facilitate the absorption of essential minerals from your epsoms.

Get Your Magnesium Fix!

As mentioned previously magnesium plays an important part in reducing inflammation caused by sun-exposure so think of epsom salt baths as wingmen laced with magnesium-loving amino acids ready charge ahead and stab all pain points!

The Benefits Don’t Stop There

Exfoliant Extraordinaire

Epson salts exfoliate! With its slightly coarse texture (nothing too harsh though!) these crusty crystals remove dry layers revealing soft supple gleaming radiant baby-smooth skin.

(Without wanting to send everyone straight into their bathroom cupboards we’d just like say here again how super beneficial our oft’ maligned friend Magnesium is – helping create healthy new proteins whilst eliminating unneeded debris!)

You Can Relax More Deeply

Many find taking warm baths soothing after any long taxing summer weekends but now imagine pairing that bubblebath*with mega-cooling calming properties found via numerous DIY remedies mixing together all-purpose ingredients like mint, cucumber, chamomile tea? Having an epsom soak can definitely help relax your entire body.

(*Again, we strongly advise against mixing products without proper research it may not only hurt your skin but also your pocket)

Things to Watch Out For

Not All Sunburns Are Created Equal

Although you now know the benefits of getting sudsy in a glorious Epsom bath right after any sun-shenanigans there are still some things to be mindful of! While this true wonder works in almost all cases if you’ve somehow managed to get yourself blistered on a desert island somewhere (lucky!) it’s best advised that you seek real medical advice before trying salty baths at home.

Over-Soaking

While soaking for longer than 20 minutes won’t hurt anyone and might get those magnesium-saturated minerals deep into those painful areas keep in mind our fragile human bodies need rest which means being overexposed or overheated organically doesn’t do us many favors in fact it makes pain worse. So don’t go too wild and soak until you prune!

Allergies Can Happen Anytime

As they say —”Better safe than sorry!” so whether You’re using store-bought fancy types of salts or doing some D.I.Y whipping up batches from blog recipes be aware and careful about what ingredients goes into concoctions. You never know who may have allergies sheesh.

Last Word On Epsom Salt Baths & Sunburns

In conclusion with their excellent exfoliating properties, powerful anti-inflammatory agents, heaps of ‘mag’-nesium sulphate mineral content all wrapped up in one easy-to-do easily procured affordable yet incredibly healing standard bathroom staple… An epsoms salt bath is pretty much perfect treatment for those sunny days gone wrong! Though keep heavily burnt skin away from salt scrubs these little tips will help put your #SunnyDaze back into groovy beachy order in no time at all!