Which bath salt is best suited to you?

August 12, 2022
Posted by Jeannette Oelschlaegel

We often get asked what the differences are between the types of salt, and also what sets Westlab salts apart from regular bath salts. Bath salts come in many varieties and can vary in quality and benefits. So it can be confusing to know which ones are right for you. We asked our founder and mineral salt expert, Penny Hamilton to give you her definitive guide to bath salts, so you can shop with confidence.

What’s the difference between the salts? Aren’t they all the same?

“Interestingly no, they’re not the same at all. When it comes to our Health Range of bath salts, there is actually quite a difference between each one and what it can do for you. I use all of them, but which I choose depends on what I’m in need of on that day. I’ve put a chart together below which hopefully helps show the difference at a glance.

I do often combine the salts too – for example if I’m aching but my skin is feeling dry then I’ll blend Epsom and Dead Sea together. There’s lots of blends you can experiment with to personalise your bath for your own individual needs.

Could you guide us on how much to put in the bath and how often to use them?

Of course. It’s a common misunderstanding when it comes to how much to use and how often. The key with our Health Range of salts is to use them regularly and with confidence.

Transdermal bathing in Magnesium-rich salts is a great way to help boost your Magnesium levels. Your body doesn’t make Magnesium and needs constant replenishment to keep your skin and muscles healthy, as well to help manage your sleep, stress and energy levels.

We’ve taken the advice of medical experts in regards to how much salt to use, and our recommendation is to use 2-4 cups of salt (500-1kg) 1-3 times per week. If you bathe only once a week you’ll want to be using closer to 4 cups, whereas if you bathe 3 times a week, then 2 cups is more suitable each time.

(Always check with a medical professional if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have medical conditions.)

Why Westlab Salts?

We’re passionate about the quality of our salts. Both what goes into the pack, but also what doesn’t. Having started this company by using salts for our children’s eczema, my rule has always been ‘If there’s any compromise which means I wouldn’t use a product on my own family, then we won’t consider launching it.’ Our customers deserve to feel that our products are of the highest quality, despite being at an accessible price for everyday use.

We independently test our salts to ensure that they meet the required grades set by our standards. Be this pharmaceutical grade for our Epsom and Magnesium salts, and food grade for our Himalayan Salt. The salts are also tested for heavy metals and other contaminants to ensure that they meet our strict purity standards. So you can feel confident in our Dead Sea and other Sea Salts too.
We never add any unnecessary ingredients to our bath salts. You’ll often find that bath salts contain cheap synthetic ingredients such synthetic colours (often listed as a C or D followed by some numbers. Or texture enhancers such as Isopropyl myristate and propylene glycol to make the bathwater feel more silky. This is just completely unnecessary. Why would you want to add chemicals to your bathwater when the salts alone work in perfect harmony to support natural skin and body health.
Our salts are always responsibly sourced, vegan and cruelty-free.

What about your other range of salts? The ones with Aromatherapy?

I’ve been an Aromatherapist for over 25 years now and so for me, essential oils are just part of my daily life. It seemed like an obvious step to create the perfect pairings of Aromatherapy and Mineral Salts so our customers can enjoy an easy way to give their bath the ultimate wellbeing boost.

With Sleep we used Epsom Salts and Dead Sea Salts to relax the muscles and soothe the skin for a more comfortable night’s sleep. Blending these with renowned sleep-inducing extracts of Lavender, Jasmine & Valerian oils. It’s such a soothing blend to use before bed.

For Recover we used Arnica – a recognised ingredient for swelling and bruising and paired it with Eucalyptus and White Willow. These power-house ingredients are amazing for helping soothe and re-energise fatigued, aching muscles.

As these blended salts have the additional benefits of essential oils, there’s no need to use quite as much in each bath. 1-2 cups is all you need for these. What I often do is add 2 cups of Health Salts (such as Magnesium Flakes), and 1 cup of Wellbeing salts (Such as Sleep Salts) to create my own prescriptive bath and give it an extra boost.