Wouldn’t it be great if you found out something as pleasurable as a nice, long soak in the tub could also be healthy? Well have I got news for you: it absolutely is with a relaxing detox bath. Not only is relaxing and releasing tension healthy (the best excuse to prop your feet up and marathon-watch a series on Netflix I’ve ever heard), but detox baths effectively help eliminate toxins from your body. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and it plays a critical role in detoxification. Your skin is responsible for eliminating 25% of the toxins in your body. It also absorbs up to 60% whatever is applied to it (this is why it is so SO important to use natural, non-toxic skincare products). The ingredients in detox baths both pull toxins from the skin and are also absorbed by the skin, providing minerals that support the body’s natural detox systems and overall health. This ain’t your typical bubble bath. Raspberry bubble bath scented with hormone-disrupting phthalates?
Relaxing detox bath recipe: ½ cup bentonite clay: This healing clay magnetically pulls toxins and heavy metals from the body. ½ cup himalayan sea salt: Himalayan sea salt contains 84 essential minerals that are efficiently detox the entire body. A strong himalayan salt bath (1-2 full pounds of salt per bath… that’s a lot of salt) is claimed to be the equivalent of a 3-day fast in terms of detoxification. 1 cup epsom salts: Magnesium sulfate flushes toxins and also promotes relaxation, improves oxygen use, helps muscles and nerves function properly, and improves the absorption of nutrients. 1 teaspoon vitamin C (sodium ascorbate crystals): Helps neutralize the chlorine and chloramine (chlorine and ammonia; used in water treatment and can be more dangerous than just chlorine). 1 cup baking soda: Baking soda helps neutralize the body’s pH. It also helps neutralize the chlorine in the water. 20 drops lavender essential oil: Lavender essential oil promotes relaxation and eases tension.
Taking your detox bath: Shower and wash thoroughly beforehand. I also dry body brush before showering to stimulate my body’s detox processes and shed dead skin cells so the detox bath can more easily penetrate my skin (I’m honestly not 100% sure if exfoliating actually assists the process, but it sounds logical to me!). Fill your tub with hot water. The heat of the water opens your pores and allows for maximum absorption. It will also make you sweat, a natural detoxification process in itself. Dump all of the ingredients into the tub as it is filling. The clay will likely clump — this is no problem. When you get into the tub, simply try to break the clumps up (or I spread them across my skin). Stay in the tub for at least 30 minutes, relaxing and deep breathing, enjoying the scent of the lavender. When you are done, drain the tub and rinse off. Then apply a natural moisturizer like grapeseed oil to complete the process! As always, you should never detox in any capacity while pregnant or breastfeeding.
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These chemicals are more toxic in your shower than in your drinking water. Chlorine is re-vaporized in the shower, inhaled into the lungs, and transferred directly into the bloodstream. In fact, the chlorine exposure from one shower is equal to the chlorine you would ingest from drinking a day’s worth of tap water. The heat in your shower opens your skin’s pores. This allows your skin to absorb chlorine and other harmful chemicals in the water. This can cause skin damage and make existing skin problems worse. You’ll breathe easier when you’re not inhaling concentrated chlorine in every shower. You’ll see improved skin and respiratory health and possibly more overall energy. You’ll have smoother skin and softer hair within a week of installing a shower filter. Chlorine dries skin and hair by stripping it of its natural oils. After installing your shower filter, your skin and hair will take about a week to replenish their natural oils. My youngest son Hugo suffered from excema patches – until we installed shower and bath filters and then all his eczema cleared up within 3 weeks.
Although he can now swim in a salt water pool without any irritation, a chlorinated pool (or bath or shower) instantly brings out all the itchy patches again. Here’s our video where we test all of the filters in our house and choose the best one: What to Look For in a Shower Filter To effectively filter your shower water, choose a filter that contains both KDF and a complementary filter media, such as high quality carbon or Chlorgon. Most water filters contain carbon filtration. However, carbon alone is not enough for a shower water filter and a small carbon filter cannot handle the volume of water that passes through a shower water filter. For carbon alone to work, the filter would need to be so big it couldn’t be attached to your shower head. Thus, KDF is the key to effective shower filtration. KDF is a finely granulated alloy of copper and zinc, which removes or neutralizes chlorine, iron, dust, sediment, balances the water pH and softens it. KDF-55 (used in Sprite shower filters) reduces surface tension while removing damaging minerals, giving you softer water.
This means you’ll rinse cleaner – and so will your shower. Soft shower water will help your shower stay clean longer, so you’ll also spend less time cleaning. Also, don’t buy a filter that puts a carbon cartridge before a KDF-55 cartridge. Activated carbon takes oxygen out of the water, but the KDF needs oxygen to work properly. Choosing Your Shower Filtration Media Here are 4 types of filtration media commonly used in shower filters: KDF is a mixture of copper and zinc. When water flows through KDF, a tiny electrical charge is created. This electrical charge forces free chlorine to combine with minerals in the water (usually calcium or another alkaline mineral). The combination of chlorine and these minerals is a harmless chloride. KDF is most efficient at warmer water temperatures typically used in the shower. Carbon removes impurities from water because it has a sticky surface. Carbon media comes in many grades but a high grade must be used in the shower because of the warm water temperatures.
Carbon is primarily a cold water filter. It is most effective at temperature ranges of 50-80 degrees (F). So at higher temperatures, carbon needs to be used as a second-stage filter. Chlorgon converts free chlorine and some combined chlorines into harmless chlorides. Chlorgon is very efficient at a wide range of water temperatures, so it’s a great combination with KDF. Crystals, Magnets & Mineral Balls are used to soften water by reducing the size of the clusters of water molecules. This makes the water feel softer and makes soaps and shampoos sudsier. Let’s have a look at shower filters that use each of the above filtration mechanisms. Aquasana shower filters have a unique two-stage filter process for the healthiest shower possible. Stage 1 removes chlorine and enhances pH balance with a natural copper/zinc mineral media called KDF-55D. The second filtration stage uses a carbonized coconut shell medium for the removal of synthetic chemicals, THMs and VOCs that vaporize from tap water and are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, potentially causing adverse health and cosmetic effects.
If you’re sensitive to chemicals, or have a respiratory illness, activated carbon can make a noticeable difference by filtering volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) and trihalomethanes (THC’s) from your shower – as well as chlorine. Sprite shower filters use KDF and then Chlorgon as a second stage filter. They remove chlorine, iron, dust, sediment, balance water pH and soften water. The main difference between the various Sprite shower filter models is how long the filters last and the design features of the shower head. All Sprite shower filters are certified to NSF Standard 177. Removing these elements from your shower will not only result in healthier skin, hair and lungs, your shower will also be easier to clean since these filters soften the water and balance the pH. Sprite Bath Ball filter uses KDF and mineral balls to remove chlorine, iron, dust, sediment, soften your water, and neutralize pH. In my house, we have the Aquasana shower filter on one shower, the other two showers have Sprite filters – the Royale is my favorite – and we have a Sprite Bath Ball for the bath.