Luxe Loyalty Main
Profile and Settings
Orders
Subscriptions
Contact Us
No matter what you call it — organic Himalayan salt, Himalayan pink salt, or just pink salt — this crystalline mineral is trending in not only the culinary world but with the self-care crowd, health-conscious, and interior design savvy as well.
And thanks to its popularity, you don’t have to trek to the Himalayas to get your hands on it — Himalayan salt is now more affordable and readily available than ever before. This makes it a perfect ingredient for some truly impressive DIY projects.
More Than One Type Of Salt: Himalayan Salt, Sea Salt, Table Salt, And Kosher Salt
Before jumping into the many DIY uses of Himalayan salt, here’s a breakdown of the different types of salt you’ll find on market shelves.
Himalayan salt is mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan. The unique mineral content of the Khewra Salt Mine gives this rock salt not only its trace element profile — including calcium, iron, and magnesium — but its signature pink color and flavor.1
Sea salt is naturally created when ocean water or salt lake water is evaporated. Since it’s naturally produced and minimally processed, it retains its trace mineral content and unique taste.
Table salt also called refined salt, is mined from the earth and then goes through a filtration process to remove excess minerals and heavy metals. Iodine and anti-clumping additives are added after it is finely ground.2
Kosher salt is similar to table salt — the difference being kosher salt is flaky rather than finely ground, and it is less likely to contain iodine and anti-caking additives, which are common in regular table salt.3
Natural Vs. Refined: The Health Benefits Of Salt
All salt, both natural and refined, is comprised of two elements — sodium and chlorine — which are essential to your body in that they help your nerves and brain send electrical impulses. Sodium is one of the three major electrolytes, alongside potassium and chloride, and it is crucial to your health and proper function throughout your body.4,5
Naturally processed salts, such as Himalayan salt and sea salt, content a unique mix of trace minerals that give these salts their unique taste and color, compared to regular table salt, which has had any excess minerals filtered out.
Now, in terms of natural salts being better for your health than refined salt, it’s true that it’s a safe bet to avoid a lot of excess additives (like those added to table salt to prevent it from clumping). But when it comes to getting any benefit from the trace minerals in naturally processed salts — well, unfortunately, their quantities are too low to have any real positive impact on your health.6,7
While the health benefits of one type of salt over another are debatable at best, there is one thing for certain: Himalayan pink salt stands out for its unique color and seemingly endless uses, especially when it comes to cooking delicious food.
Now You’re Cooking: Scallops On A Himalayan Salt Block
Cooking food on a Himalayan salt block is not only very versatile, but it also looks extremely impressive. You can also skip salting your food since the unique flavor from the Himalayan salt will carry through.
This recipe is for scallops, but you can also cook steak, pork chops, fish, chicken, vegetables — you name it — on your salt slab. Note to chef: Always follow heating directions for your salt block carefully, otherwise, it can shatter.8
What You’ll Need:
- Completely dry Himalayan salt block
- Scallops
- Olive oil
- Cracked pepper
How To Make It:
- Place your block on your gas stove top burner or grill and heat on low for 20 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium for another 20 minutes and then another 20 minutes on high.
- Test that your slab is properly heated by sprinkling a couple of drops of water on it. The water should sizzle and evaporate immediately.
- Brush your scallops with olive oil and season with pepper.
Place your scallops onto the salt block and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.9
You will have now thoroughly impressed your dinner guests with your culinary skills.
Squeaky Clean: Himalayan Salt Body Scrub
A homemade Himalayan salt scrub can help effectively exfoliate your skin, removing dead skin cells from the outermost layer of skin.10
What You’ll Need:
- 2 Tbsp. sweet almond oil
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp. castile soap
- 1 cup finely ground Himalayan salt
How To Make It:
- Mix together the sweet almond oil and coconut oil.
- Add the castile soap and salt.
- To use, rub your scrub gently on wet skin and rinse off.
- The unused portion can be stored in a glass jar.11
A quick note on safety: This scrub contains oil, so be mindful that the shower floor may become slippery.
Soak It All In: Himalayan Salt Bath Bombs
One study found a warm bath may help improve feelings of contentment and decrease stress, while another study linked hot baths to help improve sleep quality.12,13
Here’s how to make bath time’s best companion: the bath bomb. This recipe benefits from pure ingredients and is left unscented.
What You’ll Need:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup finely ground Himalayan salt
- ¼ cup citric acid
- Small spray bottle of witch hazel or water
- ½ cup measuring cup to use as a mold (you can also use a cookie cutter, an ice cube tray, a muffin tin, etc.)
How To Make It:
- Mix your dry ingredients together.
- Begin to spray your mixture with witch hazel or water until it is very lightly moistened and sticks together if you tighten a clump of it in your fist. It may start to fizz — this is completely normal.
- Pack your mixture into your mold, and then delicately release it onto a flat surface to dry for 24 hours.14
Drop one of these into your next bath and enjoy.
Let There Be Light: Himalayan Salt Candle Diffuser
Himalayan salt lamps have become very popular over the last few years and can be found relatively inexpensively online and in stores. Many people enjoy the warm glow of salt lamps while meditating or winding down in the evening.
Alternatively, you can create a salt candle diffuser with items you may already have readily available at home, and save on your electric bill in the process.
What You’ll Need:
- ½ cup to 1 cup coarse Himalayan salt
- Essential oils of choice
- 1 short unscented candle
- 1 heat-safe glass jar or bowl
How To Make It:
- Mix together your pink salt and 5 to 10 drops of essential oil.
- Place your candle in your glass jar or bowl and pour the salt around the base of the candle, coming to about halfway up the candle.15,16
Now light your candle, and bask in its glow as the essential oils warm and fill the room with their scent.
From Cooking To Candles: The Many Uses Of Himalayan Salt
Great flavor, beautiful color, and endlessly versatile — organic Himalayan salt is something anyone who loves a DIY project should experiment with. Hopefully, one of these projects inspires you.
Learn More:
Sources
1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331039587_Inorganic_Chemical_Composition_Analysis_of_10_Different_Types_of_Commercial_Salt_by_Wavelength_Dispersive_X-Ray_Fluorescence_WDXRF_Method
2. https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/pink-himalayan-salt-vs-sea-salt/
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/different-types-of-salt#kosher-salt
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/different-types-of-salt#what-is-salt
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7965369/
6. https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/pink-himalayan-salt-vs-sea-salt/
7. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pink-himalayan-salt#section4
8. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/himalayan-salt-block-cooking#foods-to-prepare
9. https://food52.com/blog/17103-the-first-3-things-to-cook-on-a-salt-block
10. https://www.aad.org/skin-care-secrets/safely-exfoliate-at-home
11. https://wellnessmama.com/140165/himalayan-salt-scrub/
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6011066/
13. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/089198879600900203
14. https://www.rebootedmom.com/pink-himalayan-salt-bath-bombs/
15. https://helloglow.co/himalayan-salt-candle-diffusers/
16. https://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2017/10/aromatherapy-candle-diffusers-with-himalayan-pink-salt.html
