Sole, The Magic of Water and Salt
In my last post, I shared my discovery, or should I say rediscovery of salt. There is a vast difference between table salt (refined salt) and unrefined salt. Himalayan Pink Salt Crystals are unrefined salt that is mined from the Himalayan mountains. In its unrefined state, it contains 84 minerals and trace element. Table salt contains only one (two if Iodine is added). It is the high content of Sodium Chloride that causes the ill effects of “salt”.
For the most part, I have replaced my table salt with natural salt, but just a month and half ago, I’ve replaced my sea salt for pink salt. I do not use pink salt any more than I have used table salt in the past. It should be noted that more is not better. Excessive use of pink salt is not going to give you the health benefits you want, but rather, replacing pink salt with table salt is the key. Everything in life should be about balance.
Sole
Because pink salt has the highest mineral content of any salt, refined or not, you can create a wonderful solution called SOLE (pronounced solay) when combining it with water. Sole is a detoxifying solution for a variety of health benefits. There are so many websites capitalizing on the pink salt trend, I have to take the information I get with a grain of salt…no pun intended :) As a matter of fact, some of the references of information listed at the end of the post are from those selling pink salt, which I have to say I do not necessarily endorse.From Livestrong.com -
My Personal Experience
I have been using sole every day for a month. The results I am experiencing are tremendous, to say the least. Hands down, this has been my healthiest pregnancy ever. What I have experienced…
- More energy
- Hair growth
- Thighs slimming down (!!) My love handles have always increased in size during pregnancy and slimmed down afterward. Being 7 months pregnant and watching my thighs slim while, I’m still gaining the baby weight, is astounding!
- Little or no craving for chocolate or refined sugary products (!!!) Another amazing and unexpected result. I have always been the chocoholic for as long as I could remember and was one prior to taking sole. No craving for the M& Ms and ice cream with hot fudge! AMAZING. I recognize this as my body’s need for certain minerals are being met through the sole so my cravings have been cut down tremendously.
- Cuts/Bruises – I’ve used sole on cuts and bruises on my family and self. As well on my scalp…the results are quick healing, faster than I’ve seen with other products.
- Dental improvement – I had a little cavity starting to form on one tooth….using sole to brush and gargle…I don’t want to say it because it sounds a little crazy, but my cavity is closing…sounds far fetched, but it is true for me. It’s also helped the bleeding gums associated with pregnancy.
My husband and my mother in law noticed the “adjustment of weight” (to clarify, I haven’t lost any weight) about two weeks after I started taking sole. It was then I started to notice myself. I find myself looking forward to a tall, cold glass of sole each morning the way one does coffee. The taste needed getting used to, but once I got over it, it was easy sailing, and of course, the results are truly motivating. I have to put in a disclaimer. These are results that I have personally experienced based on the needs of my body. Everybody has different needs to be met and sole may meet the needs of your body in a way it doesn’t with mine. Additionally, I cannot tell you what sort of effect sole will have if you are on multiple or heavy medications. You will need to consult with a qualified healthcare professional.
Where to Find Himalayan Pink Salt
As I mentioned previously are a LOT of sites capitalizing on the health benefits of pink salt. You don’t have to spend tons of money. I've bought my pink salt from my local Trader Joe’s store. A 4.5-ounce bottle grinder will run you $1.99. I’ve used 2 to 3 pink salt bottles in a 26 to 32-ounce jar. That’s about $4.00 to $6.00 that will last you a month or more, depending on usage of course. In my home, my teenage daughter and I use sole daily. The whole family uses it as dental hygiene 2x a day. There are 8 of us, and we still have about a fourth of a 32 oz jar of the sole left. (Oh, and I also use it for cuts, scrapes, etc.) So if your family is smaller than mine, which is most likely the case :), $4.00 to $6.00 will last you over a month. While other sites are set up to sell only Pink Salt Crystals.
How to Make Sole
1. In a 26 to 32 ounce jar, add 9 to 10 ounces of Himalayan Pink Salt crystals. I use the jar grinders from Trader Joe’s. Many sites and companies tout their special pink salt crystals work better over another. I say, go with what works best for you. I’ve been using the ones from Trader Joe’s for a month now with all the results I spoke about earlier. Pink salt is pink salt, if they come from the same source, one should not necessarily work better than the other. Capitalizing on these vital health benefits by various companies is disturbing at best because sole truly is a good, natural way to detoxify and cleanse the body of various toxins. So please do your research on a company when purchasing pink salt online.
2. Fill the jar with spring water, any clean water will do. I used filtered water. You can filter water and then boil it for good measure.
3. Let the jar sit overnight - 8 to 24 hours - until all the salt has dissolved. If all the salt has dissolved at that point add more salt. Salt should be added until it is no longer dissolving. Then you will have what I call “salt sediment” at the bottom of the jar. Then you know your sole is ready for use. It is at this point the water becomes saturated, meaning it cannot absorb any more of the salt. If there is a lot of salt sediment at the bottom, you can add more water as your sole solution gets lower.
4. The recommended amount to take is 1/2 to 3 teaspoons per glass of water. It varies with each individual. Take the sole with a glass of water, every morning on an empty stomach, 15 minutes before you eat. Follow it up with 8 glasses of water throughout the day.
More About Sole:
Is Table Salt Giving Salt a Bad Name?
Jeena's Kitchen - http://jeenaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/benefits-of-himalayan-pink-salt.html
Salt of Life: What is Sole? - http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=35889628735
Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor, nor do I know your body personally. All information on this site should be taken with research and consultation with a healthcare professional. The results of my own DIY sole use listed in this post is mine alone, independent of any monetary influence.
I have been taking 1/2 tsp of pink Himalayan salt in a big glass of water for a few weeks now ever since I heard it helps with energy levels throughout the day. Making sole is new to me and seems very interesting. I will likely try it.
ReplyDeleteI use Trader Joe's Pink Himalayan salt too and notice there is red sediment at the bottom of the glass after all the salt has dissolved. Like teeny red rocks. Do you know what this is? Does it point to the salt being of poor quality, or is it a natural byproduct of the salt? I can't seem to find any info on it. Do you find you get a pile of red sand at the bottom of your sole jar?
Last question is about prices. I did the math and the TJs salt works out to be about $7/lb, which actually seems to be better than buying it in bulk. Is this your experience as well? Thanks a lot for your interesting and informative article!
Hi Kim!
ReplyDeleteYou're making a wise choice using Pink salt. It's truly a full-spectrum salt with all of it's minerals intact. In stating this, Himalayan Pink salt is mined from the Himalayan mountains, unprocessed and raw which makes it a far more superior quality than processed table salt devoid of at least 80 minerals. I haven't done any research on which business sells a "better" pink salt, but in my reasoning, if they all mined from the same place, unprocessed and raw, then the quality of one should be equal to the quality of another. This is just my opinion. It all comes down the the price for me.
I still purchase my pink salt from Trader Joe's. In all of my years of purchasing it, the price has stayed the same and I still stock up and use it in all the ways mentioned in the post. Your math is correct. I came up with $7.98 per lb with 4.5 oz of salt at $1.99 for 4 jars of salt. Technically, 3.5 jars would give you $7.07 per pound :). However, it's been some time since I did a price comparison and two sites that I went to were both selling their salt at approximately $3.80 per pound, which is less expensive than Trader Joe's. I couldn't give you a personal recommendation since I haven't purchased salt with another company. I'm pretty loyal to Trader Joe's quite honestly and they are very conveniently located...about a 5 minute drive from me. If you do go on a price and company hunt, let me know what you find. I'm considering contacting a good company for a review.
Finally, the sediment is absolutely a good thing and is definitely a natural byproduct of the salt! You'll want to stir it back in your water and make sure you get all that stuff in you. :) Before taking my daily teaspoon, I shake the jar up to make sure it's evenly distributed. When you make your sole, make sure you shake the jar before using it for anything. Try it on scrapes, bruises and infected sores, You'll be amazed at how quickly it heals. It's also a great way to get your minerals directly from the source and avoid all of the inferior and synthetic vitamins in the marketplace.
Thanks so much for stopping past Kim!
I've got my sole ready and waiting for me to try first thing tomorrow morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering, how do you brush your teeth with it? Just pour the water onto your toothbrush?
Yay!
DeleteOnce you shake up the mixture, you can take a tablespoon or two and brush with the solution in your mouth. You can drizzle the solution on your toothbrush and brush that way, but I've found having a mouthful of sole and brushing to be much more effective. When you do this, brush gently and swish the sole around your mouth for a bit.
Let me know how this works for you!
If you are willing to buy in bulk, you can find himalayan salt on Amazon for $2.50 lb - http://www.amazon.com/The-Spice-Lab-Finely-Himalayan/dp/B005MER0RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372874110&sr=8-1&keywords=himalayan+salt - check the 20lb price.
ReplyDeleteIn a consultation with an herbalist, she advised taking any good natural salt in water first thing in the morning, so I've been doing that. A half tsp.. Real Salt in a cup or so of water. Is this as effective as sole as long as the salt crystals are dissolved? I put the salt in warm water for that reason (warm enough to dissolve).
ReplyDeleteI often rinse my mouth with salt water, I keep a container handy for just that reason. I agree the dental benefits are great.
Hi Jen!
DeleteLet me preface this by saying I'm not expert in any capacity, nor am I very familiar with Real Salt. I did a preliminary search for Real Salt. Apparently Real Salt has 60 trace minerals. Pink Himalayan Salt has 80+, the highest amount found. Both apparently come from an Ancient sea. I am a bit confused by one thing, I'm surprised that Real Salt, which is apparently, a natural product sourced from the Redmond mines, is branded and trademarked. From my extremely basic understanding of patent law, you cannot patent a natural product without altering it somehow. I'm not understanding how Real Salt from the Redmond mines is branded this way and haven't been able to find an answer online. This is really the only thing that stands out to me. That said, Pink salt has a higher mineral content and is considered one of the most complete & nutritious salts there are in existence. It contains at least "84 minerals, electrolytes & elements", amazing considering there are 118 elements known to science! http://www.naturalnews.com/043692_himalayan_salt_detoxify_mineral_deficiency.html#
My personal opinion, sprinkling pink salt in your water is just as good as sprinkling it on your food, however, sole (saturating the water with Pink salt) is simply a concentrated solution. I like having a jar of sole to use for a variety of purposes. Add a teaspoon to water, take it straight for gargling or use it on a cotton ball to clean cuts. Its a wonderful resource that's ready for use!
Best of blessings for your good health!
Hi. I was wondering if it's safe to fill a jar of dead sea water being that the water is already saturated. Or are the bacteria or other things I should avoid?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Hi Moriel - If your sole has un-dissolved pink salt crystals, yes, you can add more clean, filtered water to a jar that you already using. In the same stead, you can add more pink salt crystals to your sole, if all of the crystals have dissolved and alternate as you see fit without having to use another jar. Salt is naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal. Bacteria and other pathogens simply cannot survive in sole, so you can use a single jar freely without concern. I've used a single glass jar with a plastic top (no metal - it will corrode) for years now. :)
DeleteI'm excited to find your post on this as today is my due date and my mother in law gave me a jar of this. I had wondered if I could find any other pregnant woman who had tried this!
ReplyDeleteCongrats and best wishes! Let me know what you've experienced. :)
DeleteI have a jar of sole sitting on my counter that I did up a couple of months ago. I couldn't get used to the taste, but I've found that I can take a teaspoon or so of it straight, then wash it down with a large glass of water. Any thoughts on whether this makes any difference?
ReplyDeleteHello Hailey!
DeleteMy apologies for the belated response. I've actually done what you are doing with no problems. I did that until I got used to the taste. Just make sure you're drinking plenty of fluids/water throughout the day. :)