Epsom Salt-who knew it was such a money saving item!

I recently received and email about Epsom Salt and I thought I would share it with you!  I never knew all the things you could do with it!   Let alone the bath crystals would make a nice and frugal Christmas gift!!!  Some people may remember it only as something their grandparents kept in the medicine cabinet, and I know you’ll get more glamorous suggestions than this one, but Epsom Salt can help Moms create their own spa treatments at home, soothe achy muscles or help start or improve their gardens. Epsom Salt – actually magnesium sulfate – is easy to use and easy to find in your local pharmacy or supermarket and it costs just a few bucks.

Here are a few suggestions on how to use Epsom Salt. If you’d like to learn more, please visit either www.epsomsaltcouncil.org or www.facebook.com/epsomsalt

For pampering

One of the first budget cuts for many families is spa trips and expensive bath beads, but Epsom Salt can be used to create the ultimate at-home spa, and it’s something several celebrities use to look and feel better. A relaxing bath or exfoliating treatment will leave Mom’s skin radiant and glowing.  

Tips include:

• Glowing skin exfoliating treatment: Mix 2 cups of Epsom Salt with 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches.
• Microdermabrasion Facial: Mix 1/2 TSP of Epsom Salt into cleansing cream for a deep-pore cleansing. Massage on skin. Rinse with cool water. Pat dry.
• Bathtime Bliss: Add two cups of Epsom Salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub; soak for at least 12 minutes, three times weekly. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent.
• Pedicure Perfection: Dissolve a half cup of Epsom Salt into two quarts of warm water. Pour the water into a container and soak your bare feet for fifteen to twenty minutes. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent. Massage the entire foot with Epsom Salt concentrating on the heels and ankles to remove any dry, rough spots. Then, rinse your feet off with clean tap water and dry them thoroughly.
• Homemade bath crystals: Mix two cups of Epsom Salt with a few drops of fragrance to create a custom bath crystal. Add a few drops of food coloring or 1/2 TSP of glycerin if you like. Store in an air-tight container.  Just think you could get some nice ball canning jars, wrap the lids in fabric and create some cute homemade Christmas gifts!
  
  
  

For gardeners

 Epsom Salt helps seeds germinate, makes plants grow bushier, produces more flowers, increases chlorophyll production and deters pests, such as slugs and voles.  It provides vital micronutrients to supplement your regular fertilizer.  Epsom Salt is recommended by Master Gardeners and used regularly by commercial growers around the world.  Tests by the National Gardening Association confirm that roses fertilized with Epsom Salt grow bushier and produce more flowers, and it also makes pepper plants grow larger than those treated only with commercial fertilizer.

Tips include:

Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants monthly.

Tomatoes: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks.

Roses: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks. Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes in 1 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests.

Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): 1 tablespoon per 9 square feet. Apply over root zone every 2-4 weeks.

Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader, or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.

Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet. Apply over the root zone 3 times annually. Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into soil before planting.

After exercising

Epsom Salt– actually magnesium sulfate – can help people maintain optimum levels of both magnesium and sulfate.  Sulfate helps form joint proteins and helps keep joints healthy, flushes toxins and improves absorption of nutrients. Magnesium regulates more than 325 enzymes in the body, performing more functions than almost any other mineral. Among the benefits: magnesium helps reduce inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps, helps muscles and nerves function properly and helps prevents artery hardening and blood clots.

Tips include:

·         To ease muscle pain and fading bruises. Add two cups of Epsom Salt to warm water in a standard-sized bathtub (double the Epsom Salt for an oversized garden tub) and bathe three times weekly, soaking for at least 12 minutes.  Also can be used to make compresses.

·         To soothe feet aching from a tough workout or a long day, add a cup of Epsom Salt to a tub of warm water and soak them.