What is Epsom salt? Epson salt is a combination of magnesium and sulfur, i.e. magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. It looks like table salt (sodium chloride), but it has a bitter taste (hence the name), is odorless and has a neutral pH for the skin.
It is obtained from springs near the English town of Epson, hence the name of the preparation. This specificity has been used in industry, cosmetics and medicine. However, it is best known as one of the most popular and available in the world … Laxatives 🙂 And here’s my question, why do all the specifics that are good for hair care always have to be purged? (Senes, Cassia, Kruszyna, in the pharmacy they start looking at me strangely …
Where to buy bitter salt?
I bought bitter salt during the Free Shipping Days in an online pharmacy. A 25g sachet costs about PLN 4 and is good for one treatment, for a supply of 50 g you will pay PLN 8. Availability and price work to her advantage. I think it should be in every stationary pharmacy and you don’t have to order it online.
I wrote more about the various uses of Epsom salt in cosmetics in this post:
Epsom salt – a cheap gem from a pharmacy with many uses for health
We can use Epsom salt in hair care in several ways.
Scalp peeling with bitter salt
Add half a teaspoon of salt to the base, i.e. oil or a light conditioner or mask without silicones, massage the head for a few minutes and then wash your hair as usual.
My test:
I added salt to Babushka Agafia’s Balm because I wanted to use it, besides it gives very good smoothing effects on my hair and it seems to me to sooth irritation. So just in case, because such a peeling is quite coarse – luckily there was no irritation, the hair was clean and fresh, bounced off the roots. It is definitely an alternative to sugar peeling – the same effect of very strong cleansing, even rubbing, but too strong for me. I prefer clay peeling.
Cleansing hair shampoo
Add the dissolved salt solution to a portion of a mild shampoo if you want to increase its effect and bounce the hair off the roots.
My test:
For my hair, salt has the same effect as washing with baking soda – it cleans well and increases volume. However, I prefer to use soda because salt works best for me in a rinse and conditioner, but soda is cheaper.
Removal of varnish and other stylers from hair
For 4 liters of water, add lemon juice and 1 cup of Epsom salt. Put the vessel closed for a day. The next day, apply the mixture to dry hair. Wait 20 minutes and wash your hair as usual.
Wavy hair spray / natural hairspray
Dissolve a tablespoon of Epsom salt in a cup of warm water, pour it into a bottle, and sprinkle it over your hair. Dab it into your hair and let it dry naturally. It is also suitable as a hairspray for styling straight hair.
I haven’t tried this method yet, but it will definitely be testing! 🙂
Increasing the volume of hair
Equally parts of the salt and hair conditioner are mixed in a dish, then heated in a water bath to dissolve the salt more easily. Then, massage it thoroughly into your hair and rinse it off after about 10 minutes.
Hair smoothing mask with Epsom salt
The powder is mixed with any organic hair mask in equal parts, evenly applied to the hair after washing and rinsing thoroughly after approx. 20 minutes. The mask has a smoothing effect, adds flowability and helps to control oily skin.
My test:
I poured half of the sachet into a bowl, gently crush the crystals with a spoon and dissolved it with a little moisturizing spray under the oil. I mixed it with a portion of ORS hair mask, which is very dense and nourishing on its own (so the extra water doesn’t hurt it at all :). I washed my hair with a cleansing shampoo with a stronger detergent. Then I applied the resulting paste to the scalp, gently massaging it and pressed it exactly into my hair along its length. I wrapped my hair in cling film and turban. After half an hour, I washed everything off with cool water and let it dry naturally.
Effects: hair is nicely reflected from the scalp, a noticeable effect of slight smoothing, much greater softness, visually more of them and shiny, definitely thicker to the touch. We will see how long this effect will last …
Epsom salt hair rinse
I used the mouthwash according to the recipe from the Zrób Sobie Cream shop with L-cysteine aloe vera, so that the test and comparison of the effects was as reliable as possible.
- a flat teaspoon of concentrated aloe vera or aloe vera gel or 2 juice from a bottle
- L-cysteine 3 level teaspoons
- warm water 43 ml or about half a glass
My test -Epsom salt on the hair:
On my hair, bitter salt has very similar effects to an L-cysteine rinse. The hair is smooth, loose and reflected at the root. They shine more than usual and do not frizz, and since turning on the radiators, I have had a little problem with that. The hair was no longer fresh. But maybe it’s because I got used to washing them every other day – I didn’t notice any faster greasy hair.
All this without the bothersome stench of L-cysteine 🙂 In addition to the product that I already had at home and had to use for something. I will definitely buy a stock of bitter salt and they will keep testing it.