We invest in our bath soaks for a reason—they really work. Magnesium soaks help our muscles heal and recover from soreness or injury, and they help deeply relax us into a calm state of mind and an excellent night’s sleep. They can help reduce fatigue and anxiety, and they can relieve muscle tension and spasms, among other things.
What’s more, magnesium chloride absorbs transdermally (through the skin) much more easily than magnesium sulfate, which is the kind found in common epsom salts.
This enables it to quickly enter the body and bypass the digestive tract without overdoing it (no bad side effects).
Here’s how to get the most out of your precious soaks:
Drink a glass of water before soaking
Because magnesium is hydrophilic, meaning it loves water, give your body a boost of hydration to help the magnesium move through and work its magic.
Move that lymph
Before jumping in, activate your lymph to help your body circulate fluids and flush out toxins during your soak. You can do 100 little hops, run in place for 30 seconds, massage your lymph nodes, or do some dry brushing to work the manual pump.
Material matters
Stainless steel, glass, or ceramic only. This may be a no-brainer when it comes to bathing. Ehem, aren’t all tubs glazed in ceramic? But magnesium soaks aren’t just for the whole bod. Dogs barking? Short on time? A foot soak can do wonders. Just make sure you avoid aluminum or plastic vessels.
It doesn’t have to be hot hot hot
In fact, warm water is more friendly to our skin barrier and coaxes the pores to relax better than hot water. This helps our skin to absorb more, faster.
Happy soaking!
