In the realm of natural skincare, few ingredients offer as many benefits as pink Himalayan salt. Famed for its distinctive pink color and enriched with minerals, this ancient salt is mined from the heart of the Himalayan mountains.
It’s rich in nutrients and minerals, can absorb toxins from the skin, and is a fantastic exfoliant for buffing dead and flaky skin cells. But better yet, Himalayan sea salt can also help to support overall skin health! Let’s explore why it’s superior to regular salt and its numerous health benefits.
The Origins Of Himalayan Sea Salt
Himalayan sea salt, a type of sodium chloride and minerals-rich rock salt from found in the Punjab region of Pakistan, is often used in food seasoning. It’s similar to regular sea salt, but has some unique properties that we’ll soon discuss.
During the Silk Road era, pink Himalayan sea salt was as valuable as gold, and traded extensively for its power to preserve things like food.
In the world of today, we don’t necessarily think about salt as a preservative. But it has still found its way into modern kitchens, and more intriguingly, our DIY skincare routines too! It’s a testament to how good this salt is.
Five Key Skin Benefits Of Pink Himalayan Salt
Take a little regular sea salt between your fingers and feel how scratchy it feels against your skin. This is why salt, such as pink Himalayan, is so good for removing dead skin cells. But its composition provides even more benefits for our skin!
While I could talk for days about how this ingredient can really benefit skin, let’s zero in on 5 of its more impressive therapeutic qualities.
1. A Treasure Trove of Minerals To Support Skin Health
The skin is a complex organ of your body. It helps to regulate the body’s temperature, prevents moisture loss, acts as a barrier against our environment, and also functions as a sensory organ. It has an awful lot of jobs to perform!
Himalayan sea salt is rich in over 80 minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Crystal salt minerals play a crucial role in maintaining skin hydration and improving overall skin health. They work in tandem to nourish and replenish the skin, promoting a natural glow.
2. Detoxifying the Skin
It’s the skin’s job to protect us from our environment. This includes regular weather, but also pollution. But it can only do so much, and It’s just so easy for skin to become congested, acne-prone, irritated, or overly sensitive.
Himalayan sea salt is a natural detoxifier, so can be the extra hand your skin needs to fight off these toxic chemicals.
3. Exfoliation At Its Best
Like all cells of the body, skin cells don’t last forever. They start their lives as fresh, spongy cells in the very bottom layer of our skin. They end up at the very top, where they die to form a tough, harder layer of skin.
This layer of skin helps to protect us, but it also becomes unsightly very quickly. It becomes dry, flakes off, and can make skin appear patchy. So we can renew this layer faster by exfoliating. And Himalayan sea salt is the perfect exfoliant!
4. Soothing for the Skin
Its natural anti-inflammatory properties make pink Himalayan sea salt particularly beneficial for soothing skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It helps reduce redness and irritation, providing relief to sensitive skin types.
The best way to make use of this salt for this purpose is in a homemade bath bomb or bath salt mix. Skin that is actively irritated shouldn’t be exfoliated, and so sea salt exfoliators are not recommended.
5. Balancing Oil Production
The skin has its own ways to lubricate and moisten the skin naturally. However, as we age, this becomes more difficult for the skin to achieve – leading to drier more mature skin.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s possible for skin to produce too much oil. There are a number of theories, both genetic and environmental, for why skin produces excess oil in some people. But in many cases this can lead to clogged pores and acne prone skin.
An often overlooked benefit of pink Himalayan sea salt is its ability to regulate oil production. This makes it suitable for both oily and dry skin types, promoting a balanced and even complexion. It’s a wonderful ingredient that adapts to the unique needs of your skin.
Pink Himalayan Salt in Skincare Applications
The Magic of Body Scrubs
One of the most popular ways to use Himalayan sea salt is in homemade body scrub recipes. When mixed with a carrier oil, a few drops of your favorite aromatic oil, and salt, it transforms into a luxurious exfoliating salt treatment. It’s particularly effective for targeting rough areas like elbows and heels, leaving them smooth and revitalized.
And even better, its pink hue gives you the chance to get creative! Take a look at my homemade strawberry body scrub that uses pink salt as a base for this fruity and colorful formulation. I also use a little strawberry fragrance oil to match its aroma to its beautiful pink color.
Soothing Bath Salts and Soaks
Imagine immersing in a warm bath infused with Himalayan pink salt benefits. The minerals penetrate deep into the skin, soothing muscles, and hydrating the skin. For an enhanced experience with a hint of salt, add a few drops of lavender or chamomile essential oil to create a spa-like atmosphere complete with the freshness of the sea right in your bathroom.
If you love a good soak, my detoxing Himalayan bath salts are going to be the perfect DIY treat for you. To elevate the experience, I infuse the mixture with rosemary and lemon essential oils, creating a heavenly aroma. These bath salts are a personal favorite of mine, and I treat myself to their soothing embrace at least twice a month. To set the perfect ambiance, I suggest lighting a few candles to create a serene atmosphere. It’s the ideal way to unwind and relax.
Or take things a step further. My floral bath salts recipe is the perfect example of this. I make use of pink Himalayan sea salt and Epsom salts to make two variations on a natural floral bath salt formulation. They’re super easy to make and the dried flower petals make this a fabulous product to use in the bath.
Revitalizing Bath Bombs
Incorporating the benefits of pink Himalayan salt into bath bombs adds a layer of skin-softening and detoxifying properties to your bathing experience. It’s a simple addition that elevates the humble bath bomb into a therapeutic skincare treatment, harnessing the benefits of pink Himalayan salt.
However, bath bombs are a little trickier to master than our bath salts and scrubs. So, take a look at my basic DIY bath bomb recipe. It’s pretty fail-safe, and while I don’t make use of pink Himalayan sea salt in this post it’s super simple to just swap out the Epsom salts like for like.
