How salt can clear your skin, calm your cough and soothe away stress

You may be more familiar with the variety you shake on chips, but salt is at the heart of some of the newest trends in health and beauty. The healing properties of salt infusion have been lauded since Roman times and despite the bad rap it’s received in the media in recent years, salt can actually improve your health if ingested in the right quantities. The key is in the type of salt you use. While table salt is best avoided entirely (bleaching and water pollution have effectively removed any benefits it may once have had) natural salts contain up to 84 trace minerals known to nourish and hydrate the body. Here are three cleansing, detoxifying ways to use more salt: Bathe in it Himalayan Pink Salt popped up everywhere from the boutique gourmet shop to the Lidl check-out counter last year but if you’re bored of rubbing it on steak, you could use it in a sole (pronounced so-lay) bath. Fans of the sole bath say it detoxes, soothes tired muscles and softens the skin (particularly if taken on a Full Moon, when the body’s healing energy is at its peak, apparently) and it’s also recommended for helping calm acne and psoriasis. Here's the science bit: toxins stored in the body are released into the bath water through osmosis, while the minerals contained in the salt are absorbed through the skin, reducing the acidity in the body and balancing the pH factor of the skin. Stock up here. Breathe it in When one of the top spa resorts in the world dedicates an entire section of their thermal suite to a new technology, you know it’s more than a passing trend. Monart, the adults-only destination spa located just outside Enniscorthy in County Wexford, has done just that; installing a brand new custom built and designed Natural Alpine Salt Grotto, which features a newly developed innovative micro-particle aerosol salt system. Monart’s specially developed process produces tiny salt particles that can penetrate the entire respiratory tract from nose to sinuses, the throat area and on into the deepest recesses of the lungs; exerting the full salt infusion benefit throughout. The Grotto will benefit anyone who steps into it, but it’s particularly effective in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, cardiovascular problems, hypertension, skin inflammation, along with stress and exhaustion. The new Salt Grotto is available to all Monart guests as part of their Thermal Suite experience without any additional charges – look out for celebs and sports people like Gordon D’Arcy (pictured), a regular. Smaller wellness centres such as Salt Therapy Spa Malahide, Salt Spa Therapy at the Radisson, Blu, Galway and Salt Life Therapy Cork offer dry salt therapy, which is helpful in relieving various illnesses and is gentle enough for use in children. Drink it Many converts swear by ingesting Himalayan Pink Salt in liquid form. Sole as a daily drink is said to stimulate the digestive system, help balance PH levels in the body and balance energy. The mineral and electrolyte-rich briny mixture can also help defend against colds and flu and it makes a super effective gargle if you’re suffering from a sore throat. To make a batch: spoon one inch of Original Himalayan Crystal Salt into a plastic container or glass jar (don’t use a metal lid). Cover the salt with three inches of still mineral water and allow to sit overnight. If all the salt has dissolved, add in another spoon or two and continue until the water no longer dissolves the salt – this means that the water is completely saturated. To use, add a teaspoon of the mixture to a glass of mineral water and drink it before breakfast first thing every morning.