Soothe, soften and support dry and dull skin and get a better night's sleep while you're at it - without spending the earth
Ever been to the Dead Sea? Me neither, but I feel like I came pretty close floating in my bath last week. I regularly throw close on to a vat of Dead Sea salt into warm water, along with a drop or two of bath oil to up the luxe factor, and lie back waiting for the mineral rich salt to work it’s time honoured magic on the psoriasis on my feet, eczema on my hands and achey post-workout joints. What cost for this miracle soak? A not too shabby £4.99 per kg, courtesy of Westlab.
While perhaps not an actual bonafide miracle, I’ve known Dead Sea salt to alleviate itching and flakiness for even the most extreme eczema sufferers ( my sister for one ), and lying back in a candlelit bath certainly helps to diminish irritation of the emotional kind. Rich in minerals that the skin absorbs ( your best way to get a sleep promoting magnesium hit ), Dead Sea salt has an exfoliating but also protective effect, so that rough skin is smoothed but moisture is replenished.
The absence of fragrance and other potentially itch-inducing chemicals is a major plus for those with skin conditions or sensitivity, and while you shouldn’t dive in if you’ve got broken skin, soaking in a Dead Sea salt solution is said to promote skin healing across the board. As self-help goes, it’s a fairly inert remedy to try, and the salt won’t cost you an arm or a leg either, which is a relief when you’re already shelling out for lotions, potions and other emollients in the hope of abating the itch and nourishing desert-dry skin.
Westlab Pure Dead Sea Bath Salt , £4.99 for 1kg
Suffering from eczema? Check out The Eczema Files for a little light relief…