On top of the daily things that make you anxious (work! the commute to work!), you’re now also fretting over whether your cousin will like her gift and what to wear to your end-of-year office party. Yep, holiday-related stress is real and everyone seems to be experiencing it.
That’s why one of the most important tools in your self-care arsenal—especially this time of year—should be the buzzy mineral wellness pros are currently obsessed with: Magnesium.
“It’s essential for many of our major organs to function and it’s hard to overstate its importance,” says green beauty expert Sonia Keuroghlian, who’s conducted countless research into the ingredients we use in personal care products. She praises the miracle mineral for its many benefits, including its potential to calm the nervous system—AKA the part of your body which could be keeping you up at night.
“Magnesium is essential for many of our major organs to function and it’s hard to overstate its importance.”
“But most of us are deficient in this critical mineral, so we should be supplementing with magnesium in one form or another,” Keuroghlian adds, citing a World Health Organization report that up to 75 percent of Americans don’t meet the daily recommended intake. And while many might take a pill and call it a day, holistic brands like Ancient Minerals are offering another option for getting your dose: Topical applications made for soothing self-care rituals.
“The skin is the body’s largest organ, and approximately 60 percent of the products applied to it are absorbed into the bloodstream,” Keuroghlian notes. Translation: Your anxiety over having to do that last-minute shopping in a crowded mall could actually be mitigated with a bath or your moisturizing routine.
Keep reading for three magnesium body-care essentials that could help turn your holiday stress into seasonal bliss.
1. Magnesium bath flakes
Ending a hectic day with a de-stressing soak? It’s a no-brainer. But adding Ancient Minerals Magnesium Bath Flakes could take that vibe to the next level. “A magnesium soak will help to relax the mind and body and also help you fall asleep more easily,” Keuroghlian says.
“A magnesium soak will help to relax the mind and body and also help you fall asleep more easily.”
As you run the bath, pour a couple of scoops of the flakes into the warm water, and let them dissolve. After soaking for around 30 minutes, your skin should start to absorb the magnesium chloride. In addition to the soothing sensation you’ll likely experience, experts say soaking in the salts could potentially improve skin hydration, promote healing, and decrease inflammation. In other words, you should start to feel like a new you by the time you towel off.
2. Magnesium lotion
“[Absorbing it through the skin] is beneficial not only as an addition to oral supplementation with magnesium, but as a primary means of magnesium supplementation for people who have trouble absorbing minerals through the digestive system,” says Keuroghlian, adding that it helps support optimal sleep, too. In that case, it’s time to add another step to your bedtime routine: Slathering on Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion Goodnight.
The moisturizer is packed with magnesium (calming powers included), plus a small amount of melatonin to help you catch some zzz’s.
Yes, the fragrance- and paraben-free hydrator is packed with the mineral (calming powers included), but it also contains a small amount of melatonin (about 3 mg per pump), which means a solid eight hours can actually be a reality even when gift-hunting crunch-time hits.
3. Magnesium oil
Want to break out the big guns? Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil has rave reviews, and is buzzed about for containing an extra concentrated amount of the mineral. Spritz a couple sprays onto your hands and then rub it anywhere you’re feeling tense. Keuroghlian says that magnesium can “help post-exercise recovery by relaxing and relieving sore fascia and muscles,” whether you’re achey from marathon shopping or spin class.
“[Magnesium can] help post-exercise recovery by relaxing and relieving sore fascia and muscles.”
PS: Keeping an emergency bottle in your purse could be the secret weapon that’ll help you get through your friend-of-a-friend’s ugly sweater party. (Couldn’t hurt.)
In partnership with Enviromedica
Top photo: Stocksy/Lumina
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