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Every night right before I go to bed you can find me doing an Epsom salt foot soak. I’ve seen such great benefits from doing it, I hardly ever skip a night! It’s super easy to make and quick to do.
Epsom salt baths are fantastic for relaxing your whole body and getting the benefits of magnesium, but if you don’t have time to take a bath you can pretty much get the same benefits by doing an Epsom salt foot soak. You don’t need a tub, so it’s very convenient to do anytime and anywhere.
Why Use Epsom Salt:
MAGNESIUM
Epsom salts provide many health benefits. When added to water, the minerals are easily absorbed through your skin. Which is the best way to boost your magnesium (aside from through food). Sometimes getting the magnesium transdermally can be a good way because it is less affected by activity in your gut, from things like stomach acids and digestive enzymes. When the liver and stomach are bypassed more of the magnesium can go directly into the bloodstream.
Most of us need to increase our magnesium because it is estimated that at least 50% of Americans are deficient in this mineral. Magnesium can get depleted whenever we are under stress or have anxiety.
One study found that a daily 20 minute Epsom salt foot soak resulted in a significant increase in individuals overall magnesium level in 4 weeks.
Since Epsom salt increases your magnesium, it has also been found correspondingly helpful in increasing the level of serotonin in your brain, which is a “happy” chemical and this helps make your feel good and relaxed!
Cardiovascular benefits of Epsom Salts
Epsom salts may also help your cardiovascular system by improving circulation, elasticity of the arteries, and lowering your inflammation. It can even help lower your blood pressure! When your arteries benefit, then you reduce the risk of blood clots, accumulation of plaque and lessen any damage that may happen to the arterial wall. To get these full benefits you may want to try a bath.
Additional Benefits Include:
- Flush out toxins
- Increase and absorb magnesium
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Relieve muscle aches, pain, and cramping
- Eliminates odors
- Treats foot fungus
- Helps regulate blood sugar
The benefits I’ve seen from doing Epsom salt foot soaks:
Every time I do an Epsom salt foot soak, I feel a difference in just 20 minutes of soaking my feet! I notice I feel less stressed and more relaxed. Since I started doing one every night, my sleep has also improved. I get to sleep easier and don’t wake up as often in the middle of the night.
How to Do an Epsom Salt Foot Soak:
What you need:
- A large container of any kind big enough to soak your feet in (I use a plastic bin)
- 1/4 cup of Epsom salts
- Warm water (Not too hot, or you won’t get the optimum benefits)
For additional benefits you may also want to add ( I only add these occasionally, once a month)
- You can add essential oils, like a drop or two of lavender. Lavender gives a soothing and calming effect which aids in relaxation. This is especially helpful to use near bed time. Many find it help them get to sleep easier.
- Some like to add in ginger or cayenne to help boost the detoxifying benefits.
- A few tablespoons of baking soda can also be added to help with detoxification and also soften your skin.
Steps:
1. Add the Epsom salt to your container and add warm water from your sink or tub (enough so that the water will come up to your ankles when you put your feet in).
2. Find a comfy spot to do the Epsom salt foot soak because you need to do it for at least 30 minutes. I like to sit in a comfy chair and watch TV while soaking my feet.
How Long Should you the Epsom Salt Foot Soak and How Often?
I typically do an Epsom salt foot soak for 30 to 45 minutes every night or at least a few times a week. Some recommend doing it for at least a full 40 minutes in order to allow your body time to get rid of the toxins and fully absorb the magnesium.
I cannot take magnesium internally because it causes an ulcer. I also tried magnesium oil on foot, but that bothered me too. If I do Epsom salt soaks try it for 3 days a week, will my magnesium levels increase from that amount?
Epsom salt does absorb transdermally and will increase magnesium level.
well, lets hope this helps…just finished soaking my foot after a painful operation to remove my damaged big toenail
Hope it feels better soon!
Can I reused the water with eps on salts for another day?
Yes, the water should be good for 3-4 days.
going to try this in a few minutes, i have the flu and flushing out toxins sounds good.
Hope it works for you and you feel better really soon!
I am glad I ran across your post today. I suffer from migraines and was told to try a magnesium supplement to help lessen the frequency of them. I think I will try the Epsom salt foot soaks instead and see what kind of benefits I experience from them. Thanks for your post!
Hope it helps you too!
My magnesium is super low and it’s prob from alcohol can epsome salt soaks put back my magnesium? Instead of going to get iv.
Soaking in Epsom salt helps increase your magnesium.
Thank you Lori for this article.
Hope it was helpful 🙂
Aren t elpsom salt bath dangerous for diabetics? That is what doctors claim…
I have read that as well. I would check with your doctor just to be safe before using it.
Can I use the epsom salt foot soak every night
Absolutely!
Thank you so much for the post. What is the proper temperature of the foot bath should be? What do you mean when you said “not too hot’? Thanks
I use warm water..just whatever feels comfortable to you (I just meant not too hot so that no one burns themselves or causes stress on the body)
Does it help with gout
I’ve heard of it helping ease the discomfort.
Trying it tonight. Have had pain in left foot for the last month. Is it OK to do it every night? I put the Epsom salts and water in a vibrating foot fixer with pads. Would the vibrating have an effect on the effects of the Epsom salts?
I do it every night in place of taking a magnesium supplement. I don’t think the vibrating would effect the Epsom salts.
Loved taking Epsom salt baths.Moved into new house no tub!!Decided to soak my feet in it and I feel great.Funny how just a little pampering with Epsom salt can do such great things.I’m a former waitress and always told my co-workers and friends to use it.My pic should be on the box!!Ran across ur sure looking to see the benefits of the good soak only…totally made my night ?
So glad to hear that! Foot baths work great 🙂
Thanks for your post and the instructions and tips provided for a healing epsom salt foot bath.
You’re welcome 🙂
Does it help planters faciaitis, I have it so bad I have had several shots I do stretches ice it . I can’t hardly put any weight on my right foot bit both ate affected by it
It may help reduce the inflammation.
I got a special foot brace that kept my foot at a certain angle all night it had an air pump in it as well, that along with the Epsom salt cured my plantars fasciitis.
You need to see a foot specialist . there is a treatment call shock wave therapy are Google it. No surgery . I had a heel spur for three after the shock wave therapy
Treatment no more pain going on 6 years check it out you want regret. Let me know how you
made out. Wish you luck.
Crocs really helped with my plantar fascinating issues
I know this is an old thread but I would love to know how crocs helped. I am a PF sufferer as well 🙁
Great article btw!!
Hi Nikki
I am an acupuncturist and have treated several people with PF with cupping on their feet, one time! And pain COMPLETELY gone. I’m sure the foot soak would help, but I recommend finding an acupuncturist in your area who does cupping (almost all do). They will need small curved cups so that they are able to suction to the boney and rounded areas of your feet. Try it!
Do you know why I can’t sleep after taking quality magnesium hallucinate?Does doing it transdermal have the same affect?
What type of magnesium do you take/use?
I’ve been doing Epsom foot soaks for a few weeks now. I add about 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and my feet come out baby soft. I had my annual exam a few weeks ago and my doctor discovered a cervical polyp. No big deal, just needs to be removed to check it out. Well, this is kind of gross but it expelled today when I went to the bathroom. A few minutes of bleeding and my cramping is gone as well as other symptoms. It may be a coincidence but I’m wondering if the toxins removed by the foot soak had anything to do with it or regulated my hormones??????
Wow, interesting! Thanks for sharing your experience. Anything is possible! I’ll have to add coconut oil to my foot soak tonight, my feet are getting so dry with the colder weather.
Wat was your symptom for polyps ? I have polyps now
I just purchased a new pair of work boots, and the “breaking in” process is killing me. I work for the railroad, and i am constantly walking on gravel and uneven surfaces. I surfed the internet to kind a way to soothe the pain and stumbled across your page. So glad I did! I’ve been soaking for a couple days now and can already feel a huge difference. Me and my dogs (feet) appreciate you! Thank you for the advice………
So glad it’s helping Anthony!
Certainly encouraging. Will start tonight.
I combine Epsom salt, sea salt from dead sea, magnesium chloride and baking soda in foot bath. I end up with about 2 cups of ingredients in my foot bath and have felt terrific benefit from it. I do it every other day and definitely feel more relaxed and I notice my bad allergic reactions have been reduced. I buy the salt ingredients through California Salt Company.and found them to be excellent source of virtually any salt from around the world.
So glad to hear it’s helping!
Is the main reason for warm water to help disolve the salt? I have vein issues and shouldn’t draw blood to my feet with heat. Cool water would be best, but wasn’t sure if that would diminish the results?
You can definitely uses cooler water..maybe just lukewarm.
I am on blood pressure medication and just had my blood pressure measured at the doctor’s.
Wow! it’s the lowest it has been for years.
Couldn’t think what I have been doing differently to bring it down then I remembered..I have been using Epsom salt foot soaks for several weeks to cure athletes foot. As well as defeating athletes foot is it possible that the absorbed minerals from Epsom salt has reduced my blood pressure.
Wow, that’s great! Thanks for sharing!
Will the Epsom salt foot soak help heal a open Wound?
I don’t use it on open wounds. It may irritate it.
I have a friend that is a diabetic. He had an open sore on the bottom of his foot that he had tried to heal for several months. I suggested soaking in epsom salts. He did and it healed from the bottom out. His nurse practitioner agreed.
Look up magnesium deficiency, or what is Epsom Salts good for, or anything like that, you will be shocked. Yes the Epsom Salts (magnesium) will reduce blood pressure along with many other symptoms of health issues.
Any suggestions of what to do if you don’t have bath tub but shower only. I really want to try the Epsom salt body soak
I would just use a large foot bath. It’s not the same as a tub, but still very effective.
Lori, you can also buy electric foot massage spas pretty cheaply at charity stores. I enjoy this foot soak together with a foot massage and bubbling water from the electric foot massage spa, so you get added benefit by improving your circulation as well!
So glad you like it!
I use my bucket lol just give it a good cleaning then add water and epsom salt and sit back and relax lol (bucket for my mop) Think i will invest in a second bucket just for doing this!
I decided to try this foot soak ,but I added some white vinegar. Am doing it now and am also using my mop bucket. LOL.
I use a dish pan. Perfect size for two feet!
Found the perfect pan for feet soak at Menards for $5. Has handle in middle for carrying and space for both feet with petition in middle so feet are separate.
Add some 100% peppermint oil it makes the foot soak so much better!!!
Great suggestion!
How would several drops of coconut oil/butter work?
That would be a good addition
I have type 2 diabetes and my feet have begun to be swollen. Tonight I plan on soaking my feet in some epsom salt water to see if that helps. Will let you know how it turns out.
Hope you get some relief from it
On the Epsom salts I just purchased it recommends consulting your doctor before use if you have diabetes. FYI
Google eleven day diet to cure type 2 diabetes. Apparently the cause is a pancreas stuffed with fat and the eleven day low calorie diet clears it and allows the pancreas to function properly again. This man astounded doctors but presumably there is no money in it so it will never get support and the health service cost of treatment soars and we all pay for that.
Its the liver that is fatty not the pancreas, John Hopkins university did a study and found that 90% of those were type2 diabetic because of Fatty liver disease and that they had healthy pancreas, this was discovered when stomach surgery became popular and the patients were put on strict diets to shrink the liver so they could get around it to do the surgery! Thus why so many that have had the surgery are no longer diabetic as long as they do not stray.
Note that once the liver is healthy again, the pancreas is able to function properly and the liver is able to process the insulin produced by the pancreas!
I really think God sent the best he had in heaven to come down to help us in these last days and you are one of them. Thanks for all you do to help the world. Best wishes
Thank you Linda! I just hope this helps someone 🙂
I do this a lot, too – ESPECIALLY 3 days before my *aunt Florence* comes for a visit! My hubby is more than happy to get my foot bath together for me to help alleviate some of the symptoms. 😉
Hi Lori
You mentioned how much baking soda to use but not the amount of epsom salts.
I don’t want to waste it by using too much.
it says in her article to use 1/4 cup epsom salts.
Thanks Sara G. I just looked at the article again and I don’t know how I missed it.
The article say 1/4 cup of Epson salt and add the 1 of the other options.
I usually use about 1/4 cup, but I don’t really measure it, just estimate. 🙂
Hi Mary. I recommend ordering a big pack epsom salt from ebay or amazon so that you always have it at home. It costs less than buying small packs.
Epsom salts is cheap I use over a cup per gallon
I moved to a house a year ago that has no bathtub! I miss my bath soaks so was excited to see this foot soak post. It’s not the same as a bath, but hopefully it will satisfy my soaking needs. Thanks!
It’s a great alternative to a bath 🙂
I can definitely vouch for Epsom salts….magnificent product with immediate benefits delivered!! Last night after my salts footbath (40 mins approx.) I fell asleep watching Tv…for maybe halan hour or more..missed the late news…..slept like a log when I eventually retired!!
Glad it helped you sleep.
Hi Lori do u have a Gmail or phone number I can call u on?
Hi Lori, silly question but do you rinse your feet when you’re done? Or do you just drive off and moisturize? Thank you got your time and this post!
I just dry off; I don’t rinse them.
Hi Lori
Can this Salt help or cure diabetes?
No, there’s no cure for diabetes, but you can live a normal life with diet and exercise and some times also with medication.
Fasting can cure diabetes II, just google Jason Fung and you will find his book and website and youtube videos. He s done it with hundreds of patients already
yes I have watch some of his videos and tried also fasting anytime I fast my blood sugar goes down and start to shiver in this case I dont know if I still have to take my mettformin and gliclazide ,when BG is 4.8 and its time to take your tablets what do you do ?
When my MILd blood sugar was low, I wouldn’t give her her blood sugar meds. She did fine I those days.
that s why Islam believer do fadting because God know the benefit of fasting.
Diabetes has been linked to fatty liver disease. John Hopkins University did a study on 1000 diabetic 11 cadavers and found that 90% had fatty livers and their pancreas was healthy, this was around the time stomach surgery for weight loss became on the rise, patients we put on strict diets to shrink the fatty liver in order to get around ot to do the surgery, thus you see they either become diabetic free or are less dependant on diabetic meds, because of the change in diet and the liver becoming healthy again! So yes in certain cases you can be considered diabetic free!
There is too a cure….lots of people have permanately cured diabetes with nutrition and supplements!
Lol, how is it permanently cured if all you have to do is take on a high sugar diet to “have it” again? Good nutrition is more of a lifestyle than a “cure”, ridding diseases is just the beginning of the benefits
I get you do it almost everynight so should be relativly clean of the toxins it rids of but just curious as a man who maybe does this once a month at best do you think I should rinse off I do out of belief ill reabsorb the toxins left on my skin.
I don’t think you need to rinse off afterwards.
Thank you for your information.. I have plantar fasciitis and therapist told me to soak. Purchased soak machine. It’s heavy full of water. Can I use the water more than once?
I need to know how long you can use the water. My foot bath is too heavy for me to move myself so I have to wait for someone else.
I cant lift anything either so i use a big cheap platic bowl i bought in a dollAr store. I fill it with 16 ounces of water which i can carry. I then bring over another 16 ounces of water in a strofoqm cup and pour that in. Then when im done i undo the steps in reverse i pour half back in the cup and carry that to spill then do the rest either pouring into cup again or lifting bowl. Btw, i used to use magnesium oil (magnesium chloride) but am trying now to swith to magnesium sulfate(magnesium sulfate) because i want to absorb the sulfate too
I would not use the water more than once
That’s true
can i hv foot bath 3 x a day -my calf n feet r always tired n tight –
Hi there – when I don’t have time for a mg bath, I’ll plug up the drain, turn on the shower and throw in the salt. Mix it up and take a shower.. 5-10 minutes you get benefits and save time too.
Love that idea!
I would like to add….your suggestion to do an epsom salt foot bath is a great idea! I also do not have a tub. I recently discovered the great importance of magnesium from listening to Carolyn Dean (The Magnesium Miracle) on YouTube. I also discovered in recent research that people with chronic Lyme disease can be deficient in magnesium to a great degree. I have been experiencing extreme weakness and heart palpitations for years, but it had increased to a worrying degree. Then, I began to supplement with magnesium bis-glycinate- 140 mgs. 5 or 6 times a day. On the same day the palpitations stopped. They have remained that way for over a week now. No palpitations whatsoever. The extreme exhaustion is also gone. I am also eating extremely healthy, avoiding all GMO foods and foods that have been sprayed with glyphosate. VERY important to avoid those foods! Google Dr. Stephanie Seneff from MIT and the word: glyphosate. You will be shocked but thankful for what she teaches you. Many crops are sprayed with that terrible poison just before harvest: rye, barley, oats, wheat, sunflowers, flax, lentils, chickpeas, peas, corn, soy, canola, etc. This herbicide is causing all manner of gut dysfunction and metabolic disturbances. It is vital to recovery from chronic illness to stop ingesting that toxic herbicide.
Back to the epsom salts: epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. The ‘sulfate’ part is very important as we need sulpher in the body so that many processes are carried out. Eat garlic and onions aplenty if you can. We all need more sulpher due to glyphosate. I also make a gel out of dissolved epsom salts and a little bit of water and spread it on my skin. It dries it out, but I don’t mind. I can use coconut oil later. Today I did your foot bath for 45 minutes. Wow! Do I ever feel relaxed and energized. There is something very effective about this. I am telling my friends already. I feel terrific! I have not said that in a very long time! Thank-you very, very much for this great idea!!