got this emailed to me - homemade epsom salts cream

For any who have tried epsom salt baths, but don't like the hassle of standing there to make sure the water doesn't get drunk. If you have not tried epsom salts yet, perhaps you should give them a go. Many parents report that they help smooth out behaviors and can encourage more regular sleep patterns.


For the cream:

Dissolve the salts with a little water, usually heating the water and salts in the microwave helps it dissolve better and then just mix into any cream you like. I bought 4 oz of cocoa butter at GNC in the mall. Mixed a little water with 3 tablespoons of epsom salts and dissolved it by heating in the microwave (about 1 minute). Then just mixed the salt water in with the cream. You can add more of less salts, but more than this and it leaves the white film and gets a little too itchy for me. Adding a little oil or coconut oil may help this if you like. I have also mixed the salts in leftover suntan lotion, primrose oil cream (2 oz for $1 at GNC), and some aloe vera cream (4 oz for $2 at the grocery). Pretty much any lotion your child can tolerate. You can buy large bottles of hand lotion or skin cream for just a few dollars in the grocer or other places. The salts will last a long time this way. I just couldn't justify paying $20 or more for 4 oz of something I could make just as well at home for far less.

For the oil:
Just mixing the salts with water would leave a salty film on the skin which my two boys and I didn't like (itchy). Lately, I have been mixing some coconut oil in with the salts and water. Actually it is more oil than water. 3 tablespoons water + 4 tablespoons salts + 12 tablespoon coconut oil. The coconut oil is good for the skin anyway and it seems to counter the drying effect of the salts. I found that just mixing the salts and oil did not dissolve the salts, so I needed to add just some water. I apply this liberally on the skin and it soaks in plus leaves the skin smooth and soft.