I can still remember the first time I used a magnesium spray. A friend had recommended it and told me that it could help my skin. She knew that I was going through a particularly bad eczema flareup and said that it might help. I did some quick googling and discovered how important magnesium is for the body. It is essential for literally hundreds of functions including sleep, skin health, and cellular regeneration. These are all things that I’m pretty serious about maintaining so, I thought why not? She gave me a bottle of her magnesium spray. I read the bottle and if I wasn’t sold before I was sold then.
So of course, as soon as I got home, I went for it and sprayed my entire body liberally. It took about two seconds for my body to a register the searing pain. It felt like my skin had literally been lit on fire. The burning was so intense I could feel it in my gut. I tried to wipe it off and it did little to soothe the burning. So I immediately jumped into the showing, while praying like it was my last chance to apologize for whatever I did to deserve that pain. For some reason, I felt so guilty about my reaction, I didn’t tell my friend what happened. Since I didn’t want to tell her and I didn’t want to throw the bottle away, it sat in my medicine cabinet for years. Now anytime I hear or see anything about magnesium, I flinch. Unless it’s an Epsom salt bath or a float tank (also called a sensory deprivation tank), which are two great ways to absorb magnesium, I say thanks but no thanks. To be honest, as a mom of two small children baths (for myself) are few and far in between. In addition to struggling to find time for a bath, I also struggle with "remembering" to take supplements. I know for a fact that even if I wanted to take a supplement it wouldn’t be long before I forgot about it. Undoubtedly, my magnesium intake has been low. It wasn’t until I received a custom order request from a friend to make her a magnesium lotion. Why is this important? Because I always try the products I make and sell. So the first step was to formulate a recipe.
I always formulate my own recipes when I make products but I decided to search for some inspiration. Most of the recipes I found online did not follow best manufacturing practices. None of the recipes (that I can remember) used percentages, weighed ingredients nor were they an actual lotion. I saw a lot of the same recipe recycled across the internet. So I was on my own. First I made a 50/50 magnesium brine with Magnesium Chloride Flakes and distilled water. Then, to make the lotion, I diluted the solution further. So in the final product, I ended up with a 12.5% concentration of magnesium. I planned to experiment with that usage rate and move it up or down depending on the outcome but ended up enjoying it as it was. I opted for simple ingredients for this lotion, I used shea butter, avocado oil, and glycerin. I added lavender essential oil to add a calming and soothing effect and because my friend typically used magnesium around her energy healing and mediation. I thought the lavender would be especially beneficial since it corresponds with the Crown Chakra. In addition, magnesium is commonly applied before bedtime to support sleep and manage restless leg syndrome, another reason to use lavender.
Here is the recipe I used:
Magnesi-OHM Lotion
Distilled water (with 21.3% magnesium concentration)...................................................58.3%
Shea Butter ............................................................20%
Avocado Oil........................................................ 14.7%
Emulsifying Wax ...................................................5%
Glycerin .......................................................................2%
*Preservative...............................................................1%
*Vitamin E......................................................................1%
*Essential Oil ..............................................................1%
*The last 3 ingredients are 1% of the total batch made from the top 5 ingredients.
So I tested it on my arm. Then I quickly braced and winced preemptively for the burn. Fortunately, it never happened. I was in shock. No burning? So I decided to keep testing it out for a few days just to see. If you’re not aware, I’m currently going through a topical steroid withdrawal. This happens after long-term use of topical steroids. Your body becomes so addicted to the steroids it goes into shock once you stop. Why do I mention this? Because my skin is HIGHLY sensitive. Despite everything I'm doing and using, I still have excessively dry and flaky skin, amongst other issues. Unfortunately, very little has worked for my dryness. After the first night of using this Magnesi-OHM, I woke up the next day with no flaking. I had one small dry patch on my neck but that was it. During that day, I noticed that I was a lot less itchy than I had been. When I did scratch it was usually because I was irritated emotionally, but not physically itchy. Then the following day the same thing only I woke up to no dry patches. Finally progress! All the science was proving itself in real-time. I was seeing some immediate changes in my overall skin health. Unfortunately, I can’t say that it’s done much for my sleep, at least not right now. I used to call myself borderline narcoleptic because I could sleep anywhere and anytime, as long as there was a place to sit or stand comfortably. Lately, I've trouble winding down for sleep. So maybe the sleep takes more time but right now I’m very pleased with the results in my skin. So I would tell anyone with eczema or other skin issues to try magnesium.
Whatever your issues, I would suggest finding a way to increase your magnesium intake. I would experiment to see what medium works best for you. Maybe you prefer baths and have a schedule that allows you to fit them into your life better than I can. Maybe you are great about consistency and you can take a supplement. Maybe you have a brand or company that you trust and are willing to try magnesium lotion, oil, spray, or cream. Whatever your choice I would highly recommend making sure that you implement magnesium into your daily life. It’s only been a short while for me but I’m sold.