Whether it’s Epsom salt, dead sea salt, or Himalayan salt, salt baths for eczema warriors are the best remedy as they contain the Earth’s natural minerals. Many minerals found in salt baths are nourishing, some aid healing, others are anti-inflammatory, and yet others are calming and promote better sleep.
In this other article, we discuss why we do not use regular commercial body wash on our eczema warriors. If you’re going to put chemicals on your skin, then you’d be better off using just tap water (which is what we actually do some times). This is especially so for people who have to deal with eczema, as they are very sensitive in nature, in terms of both the skin and the gut. So you definitely do not want to further load the already stressed up body with toxins and other synthetic substances.
No matter what you put onto your skin or into your mouth, go for all natural. With that said, even the most natural remedies do not work the same for everyone. Some people can react to even the most nutritious foods, or to seemingly harmless minerals. So always start small when it’s your first time trying out anything. Dilute your baths on the first time, to see if your skin reacts negatively.
What are the available salt baths for eczema
Here are our top choices of salt baths for eczema, chosen for their healing properties:
Epsom salt
Epsom salt is nothing like your regular salt. It is actually magnesium sulphate, whilst table salt is sodium chloride. Hence, it combines the magnificent properties of magnesium and sulphur, when dissolved in water, to relief pain, calm the mood, hasten wound healing, and act as an anti-inflammatory agent.
We have experienced first-hand the ability of Epsom salt to draw out impurities, especially when my two eczema warriors were undergoing topical steroid withdrawal. It soothes their inflamed rashes and itch, and relaxes their mind and muscles for a night of better sleep.
Hop over to this other post for more detailed benefits of Epsom salt and our experience with it. Medicalnewstoday.com also has an article about Epsom salt detox.
Our favourite brand: Epsoak Epsom salt
We love this brand because it is made of pure magnesium sulphate, to USP (United States Pharmacopeia) standard. Which means it is of the highest grade, made for therapeutic purposes.
Dead sea salt
The Dead Sea is the most saline lake on Earth, located between Jordan and Israel, known for its deep healing properties. Countless people have visited it just to seek some relief from many different ailments, not just for skin conditions, but also rheumatic diseases and respiratory conditions.
Dead sea salt is rich in beneficial minerals, like magnesium, calcium, bromide, potassium, sodium, and carbonate. Sulphate content is low in dead sea salt. So it is particularly useful if you are sensitive or react to sulphur (then Epsom salt would not be suitable for you), as it allows you to reap the immense benefits of mainly magnesium, together with other minerals, without the reactions to sulphur.
This linked research shows evidence that bathing in dead sea salt improves skin barrier function and enhances skin hydration. Inflammation and redness of eczema rashes are also significantly reduced.
Our favourite brand: Minera Dead Sea Salt
This is the highest quality of dead sea salt that we found, in its most natural and unprocessed form, with no other stuff added for fragrance or some ‘salt blend’ used in beauty or skincare products. The company sources its dead sea salt from the southern end of the lake, where mineral content is the highest. It boasts of 21 beneficial minerals.
Himalayan salt
Himalayan salt is found in the Punjab region of Pakistan. It is ancient sea salt, from seas hundreds of millions of years ago which became landlocked and dried up. Hence, it is sea salt of the purest form, made up of 98 per cent sodium chloride, which acts as an antiseptic in treatment of wounds (something that our eczema warriors frequently get as they claw at their skin to get at the bone-deep itch), by drawing the water out of bacteria and killing them. Find out more about the benefits of salt water for eczema in this other post.
The selling point of Himalayan salt, besides being saline, are the trace minerals, though present in smaller quantities compared to Dead Sea salt. They include potassium, magnesium and calcium, which give the salt a faint pink tint.
Our favourite brand: Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt
This is, again, of the highest purity and quality, with no additives like anti-caking agents, colourings or fragrances. It is also Kosher certified, meaning it complies with Jewish religious dietary law.
You may find that as you add this salt to the bath, it does not dissolve fully. It is because there are naturally occurring insoluble minerals in the salt, so this is perfectly normal, and in fact assurance that you are getting the salt in its most authentic and original state.
Directions for use
In a full bath tub of warm water, add about 2 cups of your preferred salt (whether it’s Epsom salt, Dead Sea salt or Himalayan salt), relax, and enjoy. Do not exceed 20 minutes of soaking time.
In a small bath tub for kids, scale down the amount of salt according to the amount of water used. An estimate will do, you may want to start off with a heapful of tablespoon of salt, and adjust accordingly, based on your child’s comfort level.
If you’re trying out a salt for the first time, do not go full strength, but dilute it. This is a general rule for any first tries, as you do not know whether you’d get any reaction from it.
Final thoughts
As you journey through your eczema, bear in mind that these symptoms manifesting on the skin are signs of an internal health issue, and your body is giving you the signal and the chance to make things right. Adopt the most natural remedies, including salt baths for eczema, so as to set the stage for deep healing, which your body is capable of, as long as it is given the right conditions.
It’s amazing how natural substances are often pushed aside in favor of chemicals or medicine to treat our health challenges. I’ve used both Epsom salts and pink Himalayan but have only heard of Dead Sea salt. I’ve read that Himalayan pink salt lamps can act as an ionizer that can change the electrical charge in the air removing pathogens and impurities. I have one and use it… but I don’t see any validated research to support this. Any thoughts on that?
Hi Tim,
It is true that ions can kill bacteria, as backed by this research.
But as to how effective Himalayan salt lamps are in producing ions, I wasn’t able to find any valid study on that.
Hi,
Thanks for this article and I enjoyed reading and I’m glad that I learned something from your article. I’m just curious when I came across the “Directions for use” and it mentioned that “do not exceed 20 minutes of soaking time”, are there anything that we should worry about after 20 minutes had passed?
Hi Glenda,
If your health is in good shape, I guess there’s nothing to worry about soaking too long in the bath. But for instance my two eczema warriors do experience detox when they soak in baths, so exceeding 20 minutes will cause me worry that they are re-absorbing the bad stuff back into their bodies.
I live in the Philippines. We have a lot of natural sea water salt. Can I use this to a person with eczema? I mean, you are talking about sea salts here but I still need to buy them. while I am surrounded by the great Pacific Ocean. We also have sea salt production beds near our place. For lesser expense this would do, I think.
What’s the difference or is it harmful to use our natural sea salt here?
Hi Eli,
There’s no issue with using your local sea salt, it will have antiseptic properties. I guess the only down side will probably be the lack of other minerals, which the Dead Sea salt and Himalayan salt boast about. But there’s certainly no harm in using regular sea salt.
I love the salts you have described. We have the Himalayan salts already and I definitely vouch for their healing properties. My youngest plays basketball as soon as she comes, her go to bath is himalayan salt bath. The epsom salts are used for when there is any type of swelling. Which happens often when one is twisting and turning on their feet constantly.
I never knew that dead sea salt came from Jordan, learn something new everyday.
Hi Jag,
It’s great that you are already seeing the benefits of Himalayan salt and Epsom salt. Stay healthy!
This is a very interesting subject to me. I have used magnesium lotions but have not bought Dead Sea Salt. I have also used Epsom Salts and Himalayan Pink salt. I have only used the pink salt in cooking however. We do not used iodized salt, only the natural pink salt or sea salt. I have noticed the tiny grains of what looks like dark pink sand when I have used a lot of the pink salt in cooking water. it was left at the bottom of the pot and I had never seen that before. I am glad to know it is a sign of the natural minerals in the salt and not a problem. My husband used more salt than normal cooking pasta and I saw that stuck to the bottom of the pot and was quite confused!
I did not realize the Dead Sea salt was lower in sulfur compared to Epsom salt. Thanks for this very useful and interesting information.
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Yeah, you got the genuine stuff. I think I’m using too little of the Himalayan salt in my cooking to observe those bits that don’t dissolve.
This article is very timely. We have a close family friend who really suffers from eczema on his hands. And while I was familiar with Epsom salt, Dead Sea salt and Himalayan salt are new to me. It sounds like the Himalayan salt might be the best to begin with. It sounds like the trace minerals along with the potassium, magnesium and calcium will give him a real shot at relief.
Hi Nancy,
Yes do get your family friend to give it a go. Himalayan salt is great to begin with, like you said. Epsom salt is amazing too.