How to Use Salt Lamps to Detox Your Home and Body
Himalayan salt lamps bring beautiful soft lighting and fresh air into any space you put one in, we’re also going to show you how to use salt lamps to detox your home and body!
There’s a lot of hype around the detox benefits of having them around the house, but aside from helping with ambiance, do they really work?
They’re made from crystallized ancient sea salt, which has become a common cooking staple because of its health benefits when eaten.
Everyone loves them for a reason, and scientific proof is beginning to show us why!
Salt lamps are made of chunks of pure food grade Himalayan salt crystals that come from the Punjab region of Pakistan, then fixed onto a base with a small bulb.
You can also find chunks of it made into candleholders or thrown in a bowl with a light on the bottom.
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How Do Himalayan Salt Lamps Work?
The body needs salt for things like blood pressure regulation, maintaining proper pH levels in your stomach, and staying hydrated, so it’s important to eat the right amount every day.
One of its properties is that it attracts water molecules.
If you’ve ever felt bloated after eating a super salty snack, it’s probably because of water retention. The benefits that we get from Himalayan salt lamps are believed to be a result of their ability to attract and retain water.
Water vapor can carry many different allergens and indoor pollutants like mold and bacteria. That big pink or orange hunk of salt rock on your nightstand that gives the room a sweet, soft glow will draw this stuff in and trap it.
The heat from the lamp will dry it out and release the water back into the air while holding on to the pollutants. Salt lamps are also negative ion generators. (1)
Negative Ions are made from things like ocean waves, waterfalls, storms, and running water. They increase the amount of oxygen that flows to the brain and make us feel pretty good.
Metadata research shows that they have an effect on depression, which is probably why beach vacations are so popular. (2)
Himalayan Salt Lamps Can Purify Your Home of Airborne Pollutants
Clean air that’s free of toxins does wonders for your health, and a salt lamp will help with that. (3)
Allergens, smoke, bacteria, and mold are not good for anyone to breathe in because they can cause health problems like asthma and affect the immune system.
Salt therapy has been shown by several studies to help alleviate symptoms from lung problems due to cystic fibrosis, bronchitis, and asthma. (4)
It can clean the respiratory system when it’s inhaled and remove toxins directly from the lungs.
It can do the same thing for the air in your home! When you remove toxins from the air going into your lungs, it’s going to be good for your health.
There haven’t been any large-scale studies on the air purifying properties of salt lamps, but there’s tons of anecdotal evidence.
They are a much cheaper and natural alternative to air purifiers, which are often pricey and loud.
They Can Neutralize Electromagnetic Radiation by Generating Negative Ions
We all love our technology, but the electromagnetic radiation it emits isn’t good for us.
Most of us are constantly exposed to it from cell phones, televisions, tablets, and even appliances like air conditioners and microwaves.
Electrosmog can have the short-term effects of fatigue, depression, and immune system problems. Multiple studies show that the long-term effects are even scarier because they can cause Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease. (5)
Salt lamps have a very cool ability to neutralize electrosmog by adding negative ions into the air. Positive ions are generated by all the fun tech you use every day, and they make allergies, stress, and insomnia a whole lot worse than if they weren’t around.
Negative ions in the air attract particles of pollution and give them a negative charge, making them seek an electrical ground. When they bond with positive ions, they become incapable of causing you harm.
They can be found near falling water, waves, and during a lightning storm, and they’re one of the best ways to naturally detox the body from the radiation that we are constantly being hit with.
Earthing or spending the day by the ocean or a river will do give you a good dose of negative ions, but a Himalayan salt lamp will bring the same benefits into your home.
Your mood will lift, and you’ll have more energy. (6)
Half Dome Salt Lamps can be Used as a Foot Detoxifier
Not only do they give off a beautiful glow, but half dome salt lamps can also double as a foot detoxifier.
The warmth of the heated salt crystal causes feet to sweat, and the salt does its binding magic and removes the impurities from the skin.
According to reflexology, every part of the body corresponds to different points on the feet, so the salt lamp can draw toxins from just about everywhere.
It works in a similar fashion to ionic foot baths, but you don’t have to get your feet wet and your skin will feel soft and smooth from the salt.
When using a salt lamp as a foot detoxifier, wash your feet well first, and don’t put lotion on. When you’re done, rinse your feet off and give the lamp a quick wipe with a wet cloth.
You can also use a half dome salt lamp on your hands and get similar benefits if you feel weird about rubbing your feet all over your pretty light.
What Size Salt Lamp is Best?
When you decide to buy a Himalayan salt lamp, the size you’ll need to get the best benefits depends on how big the space you want to purify is.
The general rule is that you need one pound of salt rock per 16 square feet.
Usually, one lamp is enough for most bedrooms and offices, but two or three might be necessary for larger spaces like living rooms.
The average-sized lamp you find everywhere is about five pounds, but they do come in larger sizes.
You can put as many as you want into a space, though. There are lots of spas and healing centers around that offer time in rooms made entirely of Himalayan salt crystals!
It’s important to remember that salt lamps absorb water. Over time they can melt if they’re in an environment that’s too humid, like a bathroom or near a sink or washing machine.
If the lamp starts to melt, it can become a fire hazard, especially if it’s a cheaply made product.
Just make sure to avoid bathrooms and laundry rooms, and you’ll be fine!
Beware of Fake Himalayan Salt Lamps
When things get popular there are always going to be cheap knock-offs, and salt lamps are no different. The problem is that it can be hard to tell the difference, and sometimes you don’t know until you get it home and don’t get any benefit out of it.
When you buy knock-off shoes or bags, they usually fall apart quickly. Not so with fake salt lamps.
Real salt lamps are fragile, so if you drop them, they’ll usually break.
If your lamp is super durable and you could use it to crush ice, it’s probably not real.
All Himalayan salt comes from Pakistan, so if the lamp doesn’t mention that anywhere on the label, it’s probably fake. If you found a white one, but it’s really cheap, it’s also not real.
White Himalayan salt is a real thing, but it’s rare and expensive.
Salt lamps are prone to sweating when they’re near water, which makes sense considering how they work.
If yours stays nice and dry, it’s also probably not real.
You Can Buy Salt Lamps Locally and Online
You can buy salt lamps just about anywhere lately. We’re going to recommend a few from Amazon because they have a huge selection of the real-deal salt lamps in various sizes!
You can find them at many major chain retailers, but as we mentioned before, they can often be fake or cheaply made, so check to make sure they are sourced from Pakistan and the base is firmly attached to the crystal.
You can also get them at many metaphysical stores and spas. There are even a few stores that only sell Himalayan crystal products and have salt healing rooms.
The easiest way to buy quality salt lamps is online, though. Amazon has quite a few for sale. This is a great eight-pound lamp if you have a larger room.
Amazon also sells some Himalayan sale candle holders that are a great smaller addition for around the home! I honestly just like the look of these – health benefits aside!
Half dome lamps for your feet and hands are more difficult to find, and also more expensive.
If you enjoyed this article on how to use Himalayan salt lamps to detox your body and home or have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below!
Great information! Thanks for sharing your research in educating people on the salt lamps. I have asthma and deal with severe allergies where I have to sometimes sit outside with a mask on if I don’t want to deal with the impact of the allergens in the air. But I purchased a Himalayan salt lamp to just try it out and this was before I read your article because I would have supported your work by purchasing through your site. But long story short….I think I slept just about an entire day after plugging in my lamp the night before. Evidently rest is what I needed! Thanks again for a great and informative article.
So glad to hear that it helped you get some rest!