Salt Treatment?
Image: Google
I headed for the kitchen, picked up the salt shaker, wet my hand and applied some salt onto it. I then, dabbed the wet salt onto the subject area. I felt some stinging, which immediately made me feel 'Ooo ahh, it's working'. The stinging lasted for a few minutes, and then I just dusted the salt off and let my skin breathe.
I did some google'ing and came across several topics about using salt in skincare. There were 2 things that jumped out.
- Acne Treatment
- Exfoliation
According to this website Salt (Sodium Chloride) is an astringent and anti-inflammatory. This website states that it softens skin and acts as a detoxifying cleanser that draws impurities out of the body through the skin.
If you think about it we are advised to use salt water to rinse our mouths if we get an ulcer to help clear it up, so why shouldn't it work on spots? Using salt water as a toner for your face will probably work wonders. I have only used it for a few days and am liking the effects, one of my spots has almost disappeared and the other is flat as a button but slightly pink.
However, after more research I came across an interesting article on Savvy Skin. Jeni, the writer posted a list of skincare ingredients to avoid if you have acne-prone skin. Sodium chloride (salt) is on that list, perhaps things we consider 'natural' remedies are more harmful than they are good? It's a tough one as skin care is SO personal. Personally, I am all for natural ingredients, The best ever skin treatment I have had is definitely sea water which does wonders for my skin, some others include, honey and lemon juice. Our ancestors didn't have a choice of complex skincare products like we do today. Coconut oil is on the list too which seems a little bit crazy.
I thought I would pick your brain a little with this post. What are your views?
Comments
@Belledujour excellent, I usually mix sugar with olive oil to exfoliate but I bet salt feels great!
I tend to go with tradition and ignore lists. Lol if it worked for grandma and centuries it will work for me!! xx
The only thing I need to mention is that the salt needs to be the sea salt kind, not the table salt because they add anti-caking ingredients to it and it doesn't really contain any minerals. It's sort of like table white sugar, it's stripped from everything and too high in sodium and too low in potassium. At the same time sea salt (you can always find it in supermarkets) does contain traces of minerals and is slightly lower in sodium. This is the one to use.
Salt can dry skin out, so it's important not to use it on dry or sensitive skin.
LittleRus
x
A friend of mine had to take accutane to clear her skin cause nothing else worked. It dried out her skin, but she used a product called spectro gel which seemed to help.
Another pricy but EXCELLENT product is decleor. My sister bought two or three bottles from ebay, finished the regimen, than started using body shop's less expensive tea tree oil collection, her skin has been clear since.
Muhsine, thanks for this post, you got my brain turning with ideas for a post!
@aaina this is the thing with skincare, it's so hard to say one thing is right and a another is wrong, a person can tell themselves what their skin likes and dislikes. thanks for your response. I'm glad you liked the post and that it got you thinking :) xx
@Jo thanks, I do get a bit carried away :)
@essjay23x natural skin and haircare is the best, heavily chemical based ones tend to dry out the skin. And I know what you mean about one clears up and another appears, but that generally happens close to the subject area like they are bringing along friends. if they are appearing in different unconnected areas maybe you should take antibiotics to treat the skin? X
@Rocaille your welcome, thanks for your thoughts. Our skin is always changing, one day it may be oily and dry the next, you have to figure out the best way to treat it without upsetting it. x
@fashiontitbits that is some great advice you have given, I shall follow some of them up :) thank you for your response. x