You might not think too much about your daily soak, but did you know that what you put into your bath can make a big difference to your health and wellbeing?

When it comes to taking a full body soak, many of us turn to bathing ‘salts’ for a renewing experience – but how many of you actually know what you’re soaking in and whether it contains the best ingredients for optimal relaxation, re-mineralisation and as a natural aid to good quality sleep?

The most well-known bath time additions are epsom salts and magnesium flakes, both of which contain magnesium compounds – in different forms. And so natural health brand, BetterYou, experts in transdermal (through the skin) magnesium, has created a guide to help identify the key differences between the two.

  • Natural purity: Epsom salts is the name given to magnesium sulphate, one of the most common forms of magnesium and with the vast majority being synthetically manufactured for mass market. While epsom salts can also be sourced naturally from open water, these sources can be exposed to man-made pollutants, which can contaminate the resulting crystals. These pollutants include aluminium and mercury, which can have a negative effect on health if allowed to build up over time. In contrast, magnesium chloride bath salts – known as magnesium flakes due to their large, flat appearance – are mined from a rich seam one mile below ground, such as the Zechstein mine in Northern Holland.
  • Absorption efficiency: While both compounds contain a similar level of elemental magnesium, a key difference between magnesium flakes and salts is their rate of absorption within the body. Because it is wholly soluble, magnesium chloride will efficiently elevate cellular magnesium levels when exposed to the skin. This high solubility is vital to allow the compounds to break their bonds and travel into the pores, through the dermal layers and into the bloodstream. Ultimately, magnesium chloride can be more easily absorbed and utilised by the body, compared to when using epsom salts.

Beyond these health benefits, taking a bath provides an opportunity to relax the body and reboot the mind. Championed by A-listers and health practitioners alike, this quiet period of contemplation can help you to find your ‘zen’, supporting creativity and mood, whilst allowing the super mineral that is magnesium to work its ‘magic’. For optimal absorption, BetterYou advises you to take a magnesium bath two or three times a week to increase and maintain your levels.