Epsom salts (Magnesium sulfate)

This week I have moved into a new home in Portland replete with a fairly deep soaking bathtub! Up until now, I’ve mainly soaked only in epsom salt. So, I’ve started to look at a variety of therapeutic soaking recipes and wanted to share what I found with the rest of you!

The ultimate detox bath

  • 2 cups of epsom salt, or sea salt
  • 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup bentonite clay
  • 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil

Recommendations for ingredients via several of our referral partners:

Here is another variation from Real Food RN that involves drinking ginger tea while one soaks:

  • 2-3 Tbsp powdered ginger (depends on how much heat you can handle)
  • 1 coffee mug full of boiling water, allow it to cool just to the point of drinkability
  • 1 bathtub full of hot water
  • 3 cups epsom salts

Follow her instructions.

Is it safe to mix ingredients?

There seems to be some differences of opinion about whether or not it is safe to mix detoxifying ingredients.

The Wellness Mama highlights 3 recipes: a salt detox bath recipe, a clay detox bath recipe and an oxygen detox bath recipe that includes 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tablespoon of dried ginger powder. See all her recipes and instructions. She offers the following notes:

  • The warmer the water, the more powerful the detox effect will be.
  • If you have chlorine and fluoride in your water, I recommend adding a few tablespoons of bentonite clay to any of these baths to help absorb the chemicals so they aren’t absorbed into the skin.
  • Any of these natural ingredients can be used alone or in combination for a cleansing effect.
  • All recipes can be doubled or tripled but this will increase the detox effect.
  • I recommend starting slowly with this or any health change.

The Healthy Home Economist in an article titled Detox Baths: Which Ones are Best and for What Ailments writes on the other hand, “Be sure to only do one bathing formula per day. Do not mix ingredients from different bath recipes.”  She recommends using only one or 2 ingredients at a time such as a baking soda bath, an epsom salt bath, a sea salt and baking soda bath, or an apple cider vinegar bath. In a discussion in the comments, Sarah Pope clarifies that “The caution not to mix is from Healer: The Pioneer Nutritionist and Prophet Dr. Hazel Parcells in Her Own Words at Age 106. She does not give a reason for this … my guess is that it could overstimulate the detoxification pathways. If one is very toxic, this could result in illness perhaps. I personally choose not to mix detox bath ingredients.”  Another commenter named Beth shared, “I believe Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride also recommends in her GAPS™ book to not mix the ingredients but alternate them.”

What detox bath recipes do you follow?!