In alternative medicine, toxins are those substances that produce ill-health or sickness to the human body. They can be found anywhere and are often referring to as substances like pesticides on food items, preservatives, and other artificial additives. When these toxins are absorbed by the body, it will result in damage to the body. The damage done by these toxins will impact a person’s appearance and affect a person’s health, which is worse.

Fact is, that toxins are everywhere. We can get these toxins while walking in the street – even more when we are exposed in a city with polluted air – and even in the water used in our bath & shower – which are supposed to clean us from toxins in the first place although this depends on the quality of water systems in your area.

A bath is still a necessity in cleaning our bodies from toxins and there are ways for it to be a truly cleansing experience. One way of achieving this is through using a filter in the water system. Among the currently available filters in the market, those that uses the process of reverse osmosis are the best option. It uses pressure for water to pass through a membrane, where the toxins are filtered.

Another solution is by using sea salts (commonly referred to as bath salts). These salts will help to soften and condition the water, draw out toxins and impurities from your skin and help heal skin aggravations like rashes, muscle aches and other common skin problems.

After having a true detoxifying bath, you will definitely see and feel the change it has done to you. The more you try to incorporate these baths into your lifestyle, the more you’ll see its benefits – the first sign of a healthy body is a healthy skin.

By: Elizabeth Boardman

About the Author:
The San Francisco Bath Salt Company’s slogan is “Relaxing The World One Bath at a Time”. We specialize in luxury bath salts for skincare and relaxation with the overall goal of improving health through bathing. Our website is a powerful resource of information about bathing and contains many more articles and our daily bathing blog. for more information visit http://www.sfbsc.com or to visit our complete resource section on bathing goto http://www.sfbsc.com/resource-center

Overview

Himalayan crystal salt is one of the cleanest salts available on this planet with a wide array of remarkable health benefits to be had. Himalayan crystal salt contains an almost identical set of elements to those found inside the human body, 84 of the possible 92 trace minerals, in the same proportion as naturally exists in our blood.

Benefits Of Himalayan Crystal Salt

Here are some of the benefits that have been associated with unrefined mineral rich salts such as Himalayan and Celtic grey sea salt.

Balance PH of cells Supports Respiratory Health Sinus Health Regulating Water Content of body Stimulates Digestive Process Promote Bone Strength Blood Sugar Health Relieve Body Pain & Arthritis Regulate & Promote Sleep Prevents Muscle Cramps Balance Hormones & PMS aid Help Allergies Adrenal Fatigue Promotes Cardiovascular Health Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure

Uses/Applications

The best way to start incorporating unrefined salts such as Himalayan and Celtic sea salt into your diet is first by replacing your normal salt with these mineral rich types. You can use these salts just as you would any other type by using them directly on food, in recipes where salt is called for and so on.

The most common way Himalayan salt is used for healing is by the use of Sole (so-lay) which means soup of life. Sole is a mixture of water and crystal salt at a specific concentration. Here’s the instructions on how to make up a batch of sole, you’ll need a sealable glass container, Himalayan rock salts and a bottle of spring water.

Fill a glass container with several crystal stones. Add spring water to cover the stones and more. After 24 hours if the crystal salt has dissolved fully add a few more. When the water can no longer dissolve anymore salt crystals, they will sit at the bottom of the jar without dissolving. This is when your sole solution is ready and saturated at 26%. The dosage is one teaspoon in a glass of water on an empty stomach each morning.

The next most common way is through the use of Himalayan crystal salt baths. These strong detox baths are amazing at relieving stress and alleviating skin disorders. Users have quoted that bathing for 15-30 minutes feels equal to fasting for 3 days and i would go as far as saying their bang on their money. Some of the benefits of using the crystal salt in your bath is increased circulation, hydrate the skin and help numerous skin conditions, reduce inflammation and relieve muscular pain.

Their are many different guidelines on the internet for how much salt to use per bath, some say 1-2 cups is enough whilst others will recommend you use a kilogram to get the right concentration. I prefer to use somewhere in between as the detox is very strong.

By: Chris Sharkey

About the Author:
To read more on digestion, juicing, medicinal herbs please visit http://www.juicingforum.co.uk

All of us are unique, and so are our bodies. With body scrub recipes, you can meet your skin’s needs because you can try out differrent ingredients and look for best results. Skin will respond differently to different oils and different exfoliating agents.

Here are the best of the homemade body scrubs:

One of the most popular body scrub recipes is the one for brown sugar body scrub. It is often described as yummy and soothing. Certainly, it is not caloric, so if you are on a diet, you can freely enjoy it without worrying about gaining weight

Brown sugar is full of molasses which makes it brown and moist. Its grains are smaller than of regular, white sugar which makes it a perfect exfoliant. It is not too harsh on the skin, it is gentle and easily sloughs off dead skin cells. It smells great, warms the skin up, and leaves it smooth and luscious.

Brown sugar body scrub

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground oats

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon almond oil (in case you don’t have almond oil, use olive oil, it is a great substitute).

Preparation

Before you start preparing this scrub, grind the oatmeal using a coffee grunder or food processor. It has to be of sandy consistency, flaky and light otherwise it will scratch the skin. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until it resembles a paste It should be applied on moist skin, the best time is after you took a shower. It will help the skin cells slough off faster. Use circular motion and massage gently using your fingertips. Rinse off with warm water.
What do these ingredients do?

Oatmeal is hypoallergenic. In case you have sensitive skin, using the oatmeal is highly recommended because it is soothing and there is no risk that it will irritate the skin. Oatmeal is benefitial to oily skin as it is extremely absorptive and picks up on excess oil. It helps dry and itchy skin and is widely used in cosmetics.

Aloe vera gel is gentle on skin, it speeds its healing and reduces the possible irritation and pain.

The next brown sugar scrub contains lemon which is a great natural disinfectant. It opens up the clogged pores and cleanses them thoroughly so your skin can “breathe” better.

Brown sugar lemony body scrub recipe

Ingredients

1/ cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sea salt

1 tablespoon of coconut oil (as with the previous scrub, you could use olive oil)

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablepoon of honey.

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until it resembles a paste It should be applied on moist skin, the best time is after you took a shower. It will help the skin cells slough off faster. Use circular motion and massage gently using your fingertips. Rinse off with warm water.
Honey body scrub

Ingedients

3/4 cup of honey

1 cup of sugar (you could use brown sugar, even better than regular sugar)

1 cup of sea salt or Kosher salt

1 tablespoon of jojoba oil

1 tablespoon of oil of your choice: vanilla, orange…

Preparation

Mix the dry ingredients first. Add oil and mix until you get a paste-like mixture It should be applied on moist skin, the best time is after you took a shower. It will help the skin cells slough off faster. Use circular motion and massage gently using your fingertips. Rinse off with warm water.

Honey is excellent as it is a strong antibacterial agent.

Yummy chocolate body scrub recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder 1 cup of brown sugar 1 tespoon of vanilla oil (extract will work) Olive oil as needed (you could use vegetable oil too, but not if you have oily skin)
Preparation

Mix all the ingredients except for olive oil. Start adding olive oil, gradually until the mixture starts looking like a paste It should be applied on moist skin, the best time is after you took a shower. It will help the skin cells slough off faster. Use circular motion and massage gently using your fingertips. Rinse off with warm water.
Variations:

Strawberries in body scrub recipes

You could always mash a handfull of strawberries, add an essential oil of your choice, a bit of oatmeal, a bit of honey and use it as a scrub. There are no specific amounts, add oil until you get the pasty consistency.

Strawberries act similar to honey, they dissinfect the skin, smooth it out, and decrease the appearance of dilated pores.

Coffee body scrub recipes

Recently, ground coffee has been recognized as an excellent way to treat and prevent cellulite. Use it in any body scrub that contains oatmeal, add a tablespoon or so. Apparently, it increases the circulation of the underlying skin layers and distributes clusters of fat that give the skin the “orange skin” appearance.

Ingredients
2 cups of ground coffee 1/2 cup of sugar or sea salt 2-3 tablespoons of massage oil of your choice
Preparation

Mix all the ingredients. Start off by taking a quick, warm shower. Then, start applying the scrub, gently massaging the skin. Rinse off with luke warm water.

Salt and baby oil body scrub recipe

Mix enough Kosher salt (sea salt works well, too) and baby oil. Blend until pasty and apply as described in other scrubs.

By: Biljana Drake

About the Author:
Biljana Drake is an avid collector of homemade skin care recipes. For more great skin care tips, facial masks recipes, homemade remedies, visit her website http://www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com