Magnesium Bath Flakes: Fad or Miracle Fix?

Hey you lot! As the nights draw in and the rain beats down, winter is definately on it's way here in Edinburgh. I saw my first robin red-breast of the year, so have fished out all my wooly jumpers and fleece lined boots ready for the onslaught of snow and rain that is winter in Scotland! During such chilly times, I love nothing more than warm porridge in the morning, and an even warmer bath at night. When I'm not relying on my old faithful Lush products, I'm always on the lookout for new soaks to try. When in Whole foods the other week I saw these Magnesium Flakes for the bath:

I know a bath is good for the mind, relaxes you and can ease tired muscles, but I was intrigued by the "remineralisation" claim. Can a bath really provide your body with missing minerals and cure all manner of ailments? This sounds a little middle ages to me. This is what they say:

I may be the only one in this position, but I wasn't aware my magnesium levels were so dangerously low that they needed replenishing in any way, let alone through a bath! So, as I tend to do, I did a little research. If you type "magnesium" into Google, you will be met with a plethora of websites offering supplements and advice. It turns out magnesium is a vital mineral for our health, and our diet nowadays is containing less and less magnesium due to our foods being processed differently. There have been plenty of studies showing that magnesium supplements can relieve the symptoms of diseases such as depression, and lower the risk of coronary heart diseases and diabetes. Worth a try, no?

This whole packet is meant to be for one bath, which seems a little excessive, so I have spread it out over a couple of baths so far and may buy some more to add in with other bath products. The flakes are brittle and don't seem to have any sort of scent, and dissolve immediately. It could be a placebo effect, but I do feel a little more nourished as a result. Then again, I always feel better after a bath so it's hard to tell if it's a result of the magnesium or not.

There certainly seems to be some scientific evidence to support the beneficial effects of these supplements, and you apparently cannot overdose on magnesium. However the cynic in me will always ask is this just scare-mongering or do we really need all these so called "necessary" nutrients? I'm not sure but it makes me feel a bit safer, and it certainly can't hurt.

For a bag this size it was £2.75 and you can get these on Amazon and Ebay as well as through various supplement and health stores

Decleor Aroma Night Purifying Balm

By now, you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm a sucker for anything with essential oils in, and to an extent you're right! When I was a little girl my grandmother was an aromatherapist, and she worked from a room in her home, which also doubled up as my room when I went to stay. If I was ever tired, sore or stressed, she would give me a massage in the room (I had very tickly legs so tended to giggle alot), then I'd go to sleep on an old fold-down bed with springs that creaked. Despite the noisy bed and the anatomical pictures on the wall, I always got the best nights sleep in that room, soothed by the scents of lavender and ylang ylang.

Perhaps it isn't so surprising that these are the scents I'm drawn to and that make me happy, and why brands like Decleor, ESPA, Lush, Tropic Skincare are so good because their products ACTUALLY SMELL LIKE WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF! Not synthetic crappy perfumes thrown together to create a cheap replica of the real deal. You can't beat a good strong essential oil. Rant over, sorry got a bit excited there!

I love Decleor's products, but don't tend to review them as they are fairly expensive and most people already suppose they are effective. I have been talking to various people recently, however who have never even tried anything by the brand because it is fairly high end and they don't want to chance it not working, so I've decided to do a couple of reviews of my favourite products starting with this: one of their Aroma Night Balms.

 

 Basically you use this instead of a night cream, just before you go to bed you scoop out a tiny amount, warm it in the palms of your hands then smooth it onto your skin, working in circular movements. It helps to regenerate the skin overnight, moisturise and even out skin tone. Depending on which balm you buy, it will also combat specific skin concerns, this one helps regulate sebum for oily skin but there are also versions for mature skin, dry skin and other issues. 

The great thing about this balm is it is dry touch, so you don't feel as though you're slathering oil all over your face. It smells divine, and it really does make a visible difference to your skin when you wake up the next morning. I wouldn't say it completely solves my oiliness, but my skin feels very smooth, plumped and nourished. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who doesn't like thick creams before bed.

If you're unsure which of the products to go for, their bestselling is the Iris range, you can get the balm for night time and a serum which you apply in the morning. Neither are cheap, but they last for such a long time they work out fairly well over the long run. If you don't want to shell out without trying these first, your local Decleor counter will usually give you generously-sized samples to try (which is how I ended up getting obsessed with this product). Most John Lewis stores have a counter, so pop along and sweet-talk the staff for some freebies!

10/10 :)