Pink Himalayan Salt Benefits + 6 Ways to Use it

We’ve all heard it before, watch the salt! But for as much as salt gets villianized, the reality is, not all salt is created equal. If you haven’t tried the pretty pink stuff, you’re missing out. Once you discover the many pink himalayan salt benefits, plus the six ways to use it, it might just change the way you think about salt forever.

The reality is modern day foods contain a huge deficit of minerals. Years of increasing population and mass production have eroded and depleted the soil of valuable trace minerals that would naturally come from deep within the earth, and our water supplies are filled with toxic chemicals instead.

Minerals are necessary to sustain many different functions within your body down to a cellular level, in fact you can have every other nutrient in your body, but if you don’t have minerals your body won’t function properly.

Simply put, you cannot live without salt. It’s an essential mineral for life. If it’s the right kind.

Himalayan Salt vs Table Salt

Table salt doesn’t exist in nature. Salts from nature, in their pure form, contain tons of naturally occurring minerals. Commercial table salt is chemically cleaned, bleached, and processed at such extreme heat that the entire chemical structure becomes altered and all but one mineral (sodium chloride) are stripped away.

Sodium chloride makes up 97.5 percent of table salt and chemical additives such as synthetic iodine and moisture absorbents to prevent caking make up the remaining 2.5 percent.

This kind of salt is extremely difficult for your body process, so instead it accumulates in organs and tissues causing burden on your elimination mechanisms. Your body is forced to use large amounts of water from cells to try and “wash” out the excess sodium chloride it can’t get rid of leading to excess fluid in body tissues.

Hence the term “water weight”, causing things like cellulite, puffiness, high blood pressure, gout, kidney and gall stones, and arthritis.

To make matters worse commercial salt is in virtually every packaged food on the market. The RDI of sodium chloride is no more than 1500 mg and the average person consumes 4,000-6,000 mg a day, with some using upwards of 10,000 mg a day.

Himalayan salt, on the other hand comes from crystallized sea beds deep within the Himalayan mountain range, once covered by lava rock hundreds of millions of years ago keeping it protected and unadulterated from pollutants and contaminants.

Containing over 80 minerals, evident by it’s many shades of pink, all the energy collected from the primal ocean and sunlight is locked into the salt beds creating a matrix of incredibly powerful, bio-available and even vibrational energy similar to the elements in your body.

The particles of himalayan salt are so small that they’re able to penetrate your cells easily and are readily absorbed instead of negatively accumulating in tissues and organs like table salt.

6 Ways to Use Natural Himalayan Crystal Salt

1. Seasoning

A super healthy and easy swap is to switch out commercial table salt in your kitchen for pink himalayan salt. This or celtic sea salt is the only salt I cook, bake, and ferment foods with. Unless using a recipe that calls for a specific amount you actually need less of it since the flavor is more concentrated. This is a great way to incorporate healthy trace minerals into your daily diet while ditching the processed salt.

Tip: For a delicious salty protein snack loaded with healthy fats and minerals soak raw almonds overnight in a bowl of purified water with himalayan salt. The next day strain the almonds, discard the water, remove the skins (they will rub off between your fingers), and enjoy! Your nuts are now easier to digest, and oh so satisfying.

If you plan to increase intake of salt, even unprocessed/unrefined, but have kidney disease it’s best to consult your health practitioner first.

2. Salt Sole

I look forward to starting my morning each day with salt sole (water saturated with himalayan salt). Immediately you’ve just set your body to alkalize mode and kick start the elimination of toxins. You’ve also started your body off in a state of electrolyte balance by saturating your cells with a nice dose of mineral hydration for increased energy.

Salt sole promotes healthy adrenals, thyroid, and balanced hormones in general which also contributes to restful sleep, and hydrates muscles reducing and eliminating cramps.

Tip: Replace your usual cup of morning coffee with sole. If you’re not ready or wanting to kick your coffee habit have your salt sole upon arising, on an empty stomach and about 30 minutes before your cup of joe. This simple little habit will add an alkalizing buffer to your stomach to help counteract the negative acidic effects of coffee.

How to make salt sole:

1. Fill a glass jar (I use a small mason jar) 1/4 full with himalayan salt stones, or crystals. Fill almost to the top with purified water and cover with a plastic lid (avoid metal, as it corrodes from the moisture it can release other metals and chemicals into the salt) and leave on your counter top.
2. Upon rising in the morning add 1/4-1 tsp of salt sole to 8 ounces purified room temperature water and drink immediately. The amount varies for each person, it will take some experimenting at first to get the right amount that your body requires, your water should taste pleasantly salty but not overwhelmingly salty.
3. Leave the same water in your salt sole jar (it’s natural anti-bacterial ability makes it last forever) adding more water as needed and more stones or crystals, they should always be visible in your sole.

3. Detoxifying Bath

Add 1 cup salt stones or crystals to a hot bath. It’s a great way to draw out toxins, soften the skin, ease muscle cramps or just relax and soothe tired, sore muscles and feet.

Tip: Detoxification peaks during a New Moon and absorption peaks during a Full Moon. Get the most out of your salt baths during these phases.

4. Salt Cave or Salt Inhaler Therapy

Common in Europe, and becoming more so in the U.S. are places offering an alternative treatment in a salt room which replicates the microclimate found in salt caves. A typical 45 minute session is said to treat things like bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

A salt inhaler can be used to achieve the same benefits at home. It’s a quick and convenient thing to do while watching your favorite TV show, or listening to some music, to clear your respiratory system. It’s a porcelain jar with a spout that you fill with himalayan salt, place your mouth over the spout, inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose for at least 10-15 minutes a day.

5. Neti Pot Therapy

A neti pot is great for people who suffer with allergies, to clear nasal congestion from a sinus infection, or any other sinus congestion. They come in ceramic which I prefer and plastic (nice for traveling).

They are great for intermittent use when needed to get rid of infection or bad microbes but I wouldn’t suggest using them on a daily basis since you don’t want to kill all the good bacteria inside your nasal passages.

Follow the instructions for use and make sure to use distilled water and not tap water.

6. Salt Lamps

I love the soft beautiful glow of salt lamps, they look great in any room, provide a soothing bedroom environment, and make great nightlights. That’s just the cosmetic side of these lamps.

The real importance lies in their ability to clean the air and reduce toxic EMFs (read more about the little known dangers of EMFs here). This makes them great to have in offices near computer equipment and electronics.

They also help to purify the air by producing negative ions that attract allergens like dust, dander, and pollen, all positive ions suspended in the air. Once they land on the surface of the lamp the negative ions neutralize them and prevent them from being airborne any longer. A case where “opposites attract” is just what you want. You can also get salt candle holders which are very pretty.

What are your favorite ways to use himalayan salt? Share in the comments below!