Salt therapy: The way to rejuvenate, revitalise and refresh the body
Salt is not only cleansing but also purifying as it helps to remove the oils and bacteria that cause skin irritation and skin conditions
Salt is a precious mineral. The amazing benefits of salt and modern technology brings to us salt therapy to take away the toxins from our body.
“The one way we can find out how salt takes away the toxins is, take one basin of salt and water and another of only water, you will notice the basin with salt water will evaporate”, says beauty expert Blossom Kochhar. She adds,“If you go to places like Singapore and Thailand, you will find big containers of water mixed with lavender as they believe people will drop all the negativity before entering the house and salt lamps are used to cleanse the aura of the room.”
Elucidating the technical nature of the salt therapy Dr Deepali Bhardwaj, a dermatologist, says, “More formally this is known as halotherapy, it is a treatment that’s said to benefit the body in several ways through inhaling salty air.” Dr Bhardwaj also elaborates that typically, one can accomplish this by sitting in a salt cave or salt bath in thermal springs or spa where salty air is dispersed through a machine called a halogenerator or even at your home.
Another dermatologist, Dr Sadhana Deshmukh, explains that salt has anti inflammatory and healing properties. She says, “It acts by reducing the inflammation and thereby helping to relieve the lesions along with the use of treatments.” She also adds “It is an adjuvant treatment. The salt is not only cleansing but also purifying as it helps to remove the oils and bacteria that cause skin irritation and skin conditions.”
Salt therapy is natural and safe therapy for preventive and restorative health care and there are no harmful side effects however, there is a dearth of scientific studies on long term benefit believes Dr Pallavi Ailawadi as she warns , “It does not offer a cure and should only be used as an adjuvant treatment.” Dr Ailawadi suggests that it is not suited for people with infections, fever, open wounds, cancer, severe hypertension , mental disorders and pregnant women should consult their doctor first.”
Here’s how you can replicate it at home:
1. If you can have a bathtub and you are very tired, you can take 100gm of normal salt or Himalayan salt, mix it with 500gm Epsom salt, add it to your tub water, put a few drops of your favourite essential oil, about 3-4 drops, and then just dip and relax.
2. Sandalwood, neroli, lavender essential oils are amazing to mix with salts for relaxation.
3. Another way to use salt therapy at home is as a scrub, take a cup//handful of salt, add 2-3 tablespoon of oil, add 2-3 drops of any essential oil, and give nice scrub to the body before the shower/bath.
4. For feet pain, take magnesium sulphate, put in a bucket of water and soak your feet in it, it’ll take away the tiredness and relax the feet.
5. For body pain, dip a towel in hot salt water, and put it in the area where there is body pain, change the towel when it cools. Lavender essential oil can be mixed for pain.
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