Salt actually has many important functions in the body, including:
Keeping the correct balance of water in and around body tissues and cells Proper digestion Metabolism Making the heart beat correctly Proper muscle functioning
Processed Table Salt Is Bad for your Health

Highly processed table salt has a bad reputation for raising blood pressure and increasing inflammation that is not seen when people consume natural unrefined sea salt. That is why you have probably heard recommendations in the media on reducing your salt consumption. In addition, most people don’t realize that regular table salt has been heavily refined by a chemical cleaning process. Major table-salt producing companies dry their salt in huge kilns where temperatures often reach 1200 degrees F. This changes the salt’s chemical structure, reducing the number of elements that are naturally found in the salt from 84 to only a couple. This man-made product usually consists of just sodium and chloride, along with some additives, like inorganic iodine in the form of potassium-iodide, and often sugar and aluminum silicate to prevent clumping. However, our body needs those other elements, including trace minerals and natural iodine, in order to be healthy.

Perhaps this is why most macrobiotic experts regard consuming refined sea salt as just as bad for your health as ingesting white sugar. Fish from the ocean will die quickly if placed in a solution of refined salt and water. This sodium chloride is poisonous to them, so it’s no wonder that it seems to be harmful to humans as well. However, our bodies need some salt — blood, sweat and tears all contain salt, and both the skin and the eyes seems to be protected from germs by the anti-bacterial effect of salt. The only kind we can honestly recommend as a salt to consume on a day-to-day basis is natural unrefined sea salt.

Unrefined Sea Salt High in Trace Minerals

Unrefined sea salt that is evaporated from the ocean is higher in vital essential minerals (especially magnesium) than even the mined unrefined salts that we have seen. This pink or grey sea salt contains all the minerals and micro-nutrients that are found in the sea, including iodine. Almost all processed foods, even those found in the health food store, contain regular, refined table salt, including soy sauce. (Even if it says “sea salt,” that is probably refined sea salt, that has been robbed of its nutrients just like common table salt.) That’s another reason why you need to eliminate or drastically cut back on all packaged foods.

If you chose to buy another salt besides unrefined pink or grey sea salt, you need to ask where the salt comes from, how it was harvested, whether or not it has been refined, and what types of nutrients are contained in it. Truly natural sea salt should be hand harvested and left out to dry by solar evaporation. The grey sea salt from the salt marshes of Guerande, France, in the Brittany region, has been naturally collected for over 1200 years. There are some brands of pink salt from Hawaii and the Mediterranean that are excellent as well.

Bathing in Mineral Rich Waters Also Beneficial

If you are deficient in minerals, like most of us are, using unrefined sea salt can help you to replenish those minerals. Another way to help increase your mineral stores is by bathing in mineral and salt-rich waters. You can either go take a cure at a mineral spa, as people have done for hundreds of years, or use products at home in your bath, such as bath salts from the Dead Sea, which are rich in minerals as well as sodium chloride. Our bodies absorb minerals through our skin, which is why many people swear by mineral bath soaking, whether at a spa or in the comfort of your own home. Mineral-rich salt baths, salt scrubs, rubs and polishes all work to replenish minerals in the body, exfoliate dead skin, stimulate circulation and relieve stress. Just make sure and get one that uses natural sea salt and pure essential oils if you want some fragrance, not synthetic.

By: Karen Pijuan

About the Author:
Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about nutrition, vitamins, healthy living, whole food supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight loss and more. Find out more about what to look for in a truly healthy vitamin, as well as resources for where to find the whole food vitamins she recommends at http://www.Healthy-Vitamins-Rx.com

Many truly natural, healthy and organic products including excellent whole food nutritional supplements can be found online at http://www.EcoViva.com

As summer looms on the horizon, the layers of winter clothes and heavy shoes are discarded for light clothing and flip flops. Many of us prepare for summer by discarding our cold-weather duds, but before exposing skin to the elements, offer it a little TLC to make it fresh and summer-ready.

Exfoliation is the key to exposing fresh skin beneath dead skin cells. Our bodies shed skin cells at an amazing rate every minute of every single day. And unless we get rid of them, they sit on the skin making it look dull and dry. Glowing skin is not attainable with just moisturizing. It must be exfoliated as well.

Choose a body scrub for an invigorating shower. Gently rub the exfoliator in circulator movements entirely on the body from the shoulders down. Use only a mineral essential facial exfoliator on the face and neck. Afterward, rinse clean. Do this several times a week year-round for beautiful skin. At-home scrubs may include sea salt with grapeseed or rice brand oil, or oatmeal. For a splurge, try Blisstabs Hot Salt Scrub, Origins Ginger Body Scrub, or Osmotics Sugar Scrub Body Exfoliant. A more economical choice is St. Ives Olive Scrub, fortified with olive oil and olive leaf extracts.

Following an exfoliation, nothing feels better than hydrating that new-found skin. Choose a light lotion scented with the smells of summer that absorbs quickly into the skin. Body butters are best kept for winter. Gels and purees are ideal for summer use, and with scents such as mango or coconut, they offer a personal island escape any time of the day. Following a shower, lightly towel off and apply lotion to seal in the moisture your body soaked in.

During the long winter months, it often seems less than important to keep legs shaved smooth on a daily basis. Invest in a good razor for the summer that won’t cause razor burn, such as Gilette’s Mach lll. Also, use a shaving lotion created for women – avoid the cheap men’s version. Shaving lotion not only creates a smooth shave, it hydrates and wards off nicks and cuts. If you’re in a pinch for shaving lotion, use conditioner for moisturizing shaving cream.

We all want the glow of summer on our skin, but at what cost? With the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, it pays to protect the longevity of your skin with SPF. However, today’s market is brimming with self tanners which add a beautiful summer tint to the skin. Using a sunless tanner gives skin a great start to summer without burning and peeling. They don’t have to be used over the whole body but can be applied to key areas such as legs, arms and face. Alternating a facial moisturizer with one that adds color will create a healthy glow without all the harmful effects. Look for a facial tanner that builds in color gradually and alternate it with a daily moisturizer to avoid getting too dark.

Once feet emerge from the winter boots they often need some special TLC. After all, it’s sandal season and toes need to be ready for some exposure. Either schedule a pedicure at the local day spa or beauty school (if cost is a factor), or try an at-home pedicure. There are plenty of fun scrubs and lotions just for feet at the local store. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to keep a foot scrub and file in the shower to give them a touch up every few days. Walking barefoot or in sandals often creates calluses that need to be smoothed over.

To really make the most of your tootsies, choose a bright and fun shade of nail polish to make them shine in a favorite pair of sandals. Summer is a great time to try a new shade of coral, red or hot pink. While it may not be a color most people use on their fingernails, these bold colors of summer are ideal for the toes. Also, the color tends to stay on longer as feet don’t receive as much abuse as the hands. Start with a clear base coat, followed by two applications of color and a clear top coat to protect. Let toes air dry for a few hours before wearing shoes.

Last year’s sunscreen may still be waiting in a beach bag somewhere, but it’s time to replace that bottle for a new one. Sunscreen isn’t meant to last forever and most often people don’t use enough in the first place. But play it safe and purchase a new bottle. For the face, apply a full teaspoon and a shot glass full for the body on a daily basis. Don’t forget to reapply for every 1-2 hours in the sun to ensure full body protection.

By: Susan Gans

About the Author:
Geologix Inc. manufactures products using a proprietary formula featuring 34 natural minerals contained in the ancient sea water from the famous Michigan Basin — a concentration of minerals higher than that found in any known body of water in the world. Mineral Essentials focuses on spa, skin care, and massage products to moisturize and provide anti-aging protection for great skin. Visit us at http://www.mineralessentials.com and http://www.acheaway.com

Why wait for your go-spa day to exfoliate when you can do it every day in that is your home-spa day?

Exfoliation is removing the skin cells that are naturally sloughing off to allow new cells to be on the surface layer of the skin. It helps to reduce dry skin and eliminate itching. Freshly exfoliated skin often glows too.

Every day is a new day for your skin. Exfoliating on an ongoing basis gives you the best opportunity for the real beauty of your skin to shine through – every day.

There are natural, easy, and chemical-free ways to exfoliate at home. Here are four recipes to exfoliate your face, hands, feet and body:

–Oatmeal Scrub for Gentle Exfoliation of Your Face
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp honey oatmeal – enough to make a paste Combine ingredients and apply to face.

Let dry. Rub off gently with warm washcloth. The micro particles in the oats will remove dead skin cells and the acids in the milk and honey will also help exfoliate gently.

–Sweet n Sour Hand Exfoliator
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apricot oil juice of 1/2 lemon or 3 drops lemon essential oil

Combine ingredients and immediately rub mixture onto hands. Rinse with warm water and moisturize. Sugar abrasion is an excellent exfoliator. The apricot oil is a natural lubricant, and the lemon is a skin rejuvenator.

–Nuts About Me Foot Scrub
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon castor oil
1 teaspoon honey 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil

In blender grind walnuts to coarse powder. Add olive oil, castor oil, honey, and essential oil to make a thick paste. Rub feet with paste vigorously. Rinse with warm water. For best results do this twice a week.

–Bright Shine Body Scrub Polish
2 cups coarse sea salt
1/4 cup apricot kernel oil
4 drops lavender essential oil

Combine sea salt and oils in bowl to make a paste. Stand in bathtub – not under water – and spread mixture starting at the lower legs in smooth, upward circles on body. Use firm gentle consistent pressure. After entire body has been exfoliated and scrubbed, gently rinse and pat dry.

By: Marilee Tolen

About the Author:
Visit http://www.HomeSpaLady.com for simple tips on natural health and beauty that you can do at home. Subscribe to Home Spa Lady’s free “Tips of the Week” newsletter delivered to you each and every Wednesday in your e-mailbox. Visit Home Spa Lady’s blog to read tips right now!