11 Surprising Uses For Epsom Salt In And Around Your House

Epsom salt has been around forever. It’s not salt, per se, but a naturally made pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. It’s known for offering many health benefits, such as lowering inflammation, helping nerve and muscle functioning, and alleviating migraines and sunburns to name a few.

As beneficial as soaking in the stuff may be, there are so many other uses for Epsom salt, including the following 11 things:

1. As A Face And Body Scrub

By adding a tablespoon of Epsom salt to your face wash, you have an instant skin exfoliator. Add some olive oil, too, and you now have a body scrub, too.

2. A Soothing Face Mask

To soften your skin, try making this simple face mask. All you need is Epsom salt, mayonnaise and some grated carrot. Yes, carrot. After ten minutes, your skin will be so smooth you’ll want to apply the mask again.

3. Help Dry And Oily Hair

When you add Epsom salt to your bottle of shampoo, you’ll have an instant formula for getting rid of oily hair. You can also add it to your conditioner, microwave it, then apply it to help with dry hair.

4. Cleanse Your Hair From Excess Products

Don’t you hate going to bed with hair products in your hair? But now, Epsom salt is here. Just mix some with water and lemon juice and cleanse your hair with it, then shampoo.

5. Get Rid Of Blackheads

Like them or not, all of us probably have them: blackheads. When you wash your face with Epsom salt and water, it can help get rid of the pesky oil and dead skin cells that get trapped in the pores on your skin. You can also add a bit of honey to the mix and use that as a facial wash, too.

RELATED: 6 Times You Should Never Use Vinegar When Cleaning

6. Help Regulate Bowel Movements

While this may not taste the best, Epsom salt acts as an all-natural laxative. All you do is dissolve a teaspoon of Epsom salt in four ounces of water and drink. You can also add lemon juice to make it taste better.

7. Help Remove A Splinter

After you soak the splintered area in Epsom salt, the foreign matter should come right out. Pronto!

8. Relieve Mosquito Bites

I know, what can’t Epsom salt do? After you get a mosquito bite, soak a washcloth in cold water that has Epsom salt in it. Then apply the cloth to the bite area(s), and you’ll feel better in no time.

9. Deter Slugs

If your area has a lot of slugs slithering by, just sprinkle some Epsom salt in their path. That’ll make them take a new route.

10. Fertilize Your Garden

That’s right, your garden will benefit from Epsom salt, too. So try it with your house plants, tomatoes, peppers, your lawn, trees, garden and even rose plants. The National Gardening Association discovered that pepper plants grew larger with Epsom salt, for instance, and more flowers grew as a result, too.

The sulfur from Epsom salt helped produce vitamins and the magnesium helped seeds germinate, plus plants treated with Epsom had increased chlorophyll production. You really can’t go wrong with adding Epsom salt to your garden.

11. Clean Your Tile And Grout

Before you go spending money on fancy tile cleaners, reach for your Epsom salt instead. Also, grab your liquid dish detergent and mix the two together. Then, go attack those grimy bathroom tiles and grout. Someone has to do it… but at least you won’t be breathing in harmful chemicals in the process.

RELATED: DIY: Cleaning Hard Water Deposits Off Your Sinks

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