3 Easy Ways to Use Epsom Salt in Your Beauty Routine Tonight

The use: Use Epsom salts to make a DIY body scrub.

DIY it: Mix some Epsom salts with either oil (any kind of body oil or even olive oil), lotion, body wash, or a mix of the three. Try half a cup of Epsom salts to half a cup wet ingredients and adjust more salt or more wet according to your personal preference. Bring the bowl or jar of your mixture into the shower or bath and scrub away! Be careful when using oil because it makes the floor of your tub or shower very slippery. A safer option is mixing with a body wash.

The salt works as a physical exfoliator (as opposed to an acid or enzyme or something like that) and effectively removes rough/dry skin on the body — especially on elbows and knees. When you mix anything coarse (like salt or sugar) with some form of a base, it just physically scrubs the dead skin off your body. The salt in this case has the added benefit of being . . . salt. And we know that salt has healing and anti-inflammatory benefits, as well. — Hanna Naranjo esthetician at Haven Spa

The use: Make a DIY salt-and-tea mix to relax in the bathtub.

DIY it: My favorite use for Epsom salts is in the bath. Epsom salts are high in magnesium, which helps the body produce serotonin — an important way of creating relaxation and calmness. The magnesium in Epsom salts is also important because it minimizes the affects of adrenaline on the body. When we are under stress, our bodies get flooded with adrenaline, which can wreak havoc on our bodies over time, so it is important to lessen the damage whenever possible. I love making DIY bath salts with Epsom salts, some tea leaves, and 5-10 drops of lavender or rosemary essential oils added to the bath water to make the bath even more calming." — Clara Williams, aesthetician and founder of Cultivar