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Unlock the Healing Power of Magnesium for a Healthier You

  • Writer: Janelle Cooper
    Janelle Cooper
  • Nov 14, 2024
  • 6 min read

Updated: Apr 4

Are you struggling with muscle cramps, migraines or headaches, or sleep quailty? Magnesium is a vital mineral that plays a crucial role in various bodily functions. From promoting relaxation and better sleep to supporting muscle recovery and reducing stress, magnesium offers a plethora of health benefits.

One way to easily incorporate magnesium into your wellness routine is through topical magnesium products. Magnesium sprays, roll-ons, and flakes (instead of Epsom salts) are convenient and effective ways to replenish your magnesium levels. These products will typically leave a slightly salty feeling on your skin, just like after you've been at the beach.

  • Magnesium Spray: This easy-to-use spray allows for quick absorption of magnesium



    through the skin, providing fast relief for muscle cramps, tension, and promoting relaxation.

  • Magnesium Roll-On: The roll-on application makes it convenient to target specific areas of the body that may benefit from magnesium, such as sore muscles or joints.

  • Magnesium Flakes: Adding magnesium flakes to your bath creates a soothing and relaxing experience, perfect for winding down after a long day and promoting overall well-being. Magnesium flakes are preferred over Epsom salt because they dissolve better in water, absorb into the skin better, and are never made with synthetic ingredients.

    bathtub filled with water and bath salts
    relaxing magnesium bath

By incorporating these topical magnesium products into your daily routine, you can experience the numerous benefits that magnesium offers. Enhance your well-being and support your body's natural healing processes with these convenient and effective solutions.

Ready to experience the benefits of topical magnesium for yourself? Check out the following products on Amazon:

Before you reach for an OTC or prescription medicine, try seeing if more magnesium helps you feel better. Your body will thank you!


2026 Update: Common Questions We Get Asked

Can you mix magnesium flakes and epsom salts together?

Yes, and it's a combination many people enjoy for baths. There's no chemical conflict between the two. Magnesium flakes are magnesium chloride; epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. When both dissolve in warm water, you end up with magnesium from two different sources in the same bath.


Both compounds release the same magnesium ion once dissolved in water. The chloride and sulfate components dissolve at different rates — magnesium chloride dissolves more readily and makes its ions available faster, while magnesium sulfate takes a little longer but contributes its own soothing properties that have a long history of use.


A simple starting ratio: one cup of epsom salt and half a cup of magnesium flakes in a full bath. The water should feel silky. If your skin feels dry afterward, dial back one or both.

A note on this answer: No peer-reviewed study has specifically tested mixing these two compounds in bath water. The above is based on the established chemistry of each compound separately. If you have kidney disease or take medications affecting magnesium levels, check with your doctor before regular use of either.

Source: The role of magnesium in dermatology — JAAD Reviews, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (peer-reviewed, October 2025) https://www.jaadreviews.org/article/S2950-1989(25)00096-0/fulltext

How to make magnesium spray with epsom salts (step-by-step)

Before the recipe, one honest note: magnesium flakes (magnesium chloride) dissolve more readily in water and their ions become available at the skin surface more efficiently than magnesium sulfate. Research published in JAAD Reviews (2025) confirms magnesium chloride "dissociates more readily, increasing availability of free Mg²⁺ ions for potential absorption." So if you're specifically targeting muscle recovery, flakes are the better choice. But if epsom salts are what you have, here's how to do it properly.


What you need:

  • ½ cup epsom salt

  • ½ cup distilled or filtered water (tap works, distilled lasts longer)

  • A small spray bottle

  • A saucepan


Steps:

  1. Bring the water to a full boil in the saucepan. High heat matters — the salt needs it to dissolve fully and stay dissolved.

  2. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the epsom salt. Keep stirring for about two minutes until no grains remain at the bottom.

  3. Let it cool completely to room temperature before pouring into the spray bottle. Hot liquid can warp plastic.

  4. Label it with the date. It keeps for about a month at room temperature, longer in the fridge.

  5. Spray onto sore muscles — calves, lower back, shoulders — and let it absorb. No need to rinse.

A note on this answer: Current research on how much magnesium actually crosses the skin barrier is genuinely mixed. A peer-reviewed review in the journal Nutrients (NIH) found that "widespread claims about transdermal magnesium are not scientifically supported at this time." The warmth, the massage motion of applying it, and the ritual itself all likely contribute to how good it feels. We think you deserve to know what's proven and what isn't.

Source 1: Myth or Reality — Transdermal Magnesium? — Nutrients journal, published via NIH/PubMed (peer-reviewed) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5579607/

Source 2: The role of magnesium in dermatology — JAAD Reviews (peer-reviewed, October 2025) https://www.jaadreviews.org/article/S2950-1989(25)00096-0/fulltext


Is magnesium chloride the same as epsom salt? (key difference explained)

No, and this is the one that trips most people up. Both contain magnesium, but they're different compounds paired with different partners, and those partners matter.


Epsom salt is magnesium paired with sulfate — its full scientific name is magnesium sulfate. It's been used in baths for centuries, it's inexpensive, and it's widely available. It has a long tradition of use for sore muscles and relaxation.


Magnesium chloride flakes are magnesium paired with chloride. A peer-reviewed 2025 review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology confirms that magnesium chloride "is more soluble than magnesium sulfate and dissociates more readily, increasing availability of free Mg²⁺ ions." In plain terms: it dissolves faster and gets the magnesium available more efficiently. People with sensitive skin who find epsom salt drying also tend to tolerate magnesium chloride flakes better.


One thing worth being clear about: both release the same magnesium ion once dissolved in water. The difference is in how efficiently each compound makes that ion available, and how your skin responds to the accompanying element (chloride vs. sulfate).


The practical version: epsom salt is your budget-friendly, widely available bath staple. Magnesium chloride flakes are the upgrade, especially for topical use or if you have sensitive skin.


A note on this answer: The overall evidence on whether meaningful amounts of magnesium cross the skin barrier from either compound is still being actively debated in scientific literature. Both are generally safe for healthy adults in bath or topical use. Neither replaces oral magnesium if you have a confirmed deficiency.

Source: The role of magnesium in dermatology — JAAD Reviews, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (peer-reviewed, October 2025) https://www.jaadreviews.org/article/S2950-1989(25)00096-0/fulltext


Which one should athletes use for muscle recovery?

The honest answer depends on how you're using it and it's worth being clear about what the research actually shows.


What is well established: magnesium matters for muscle recovery. A 2024 systematic review published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, which screened over 1,200 studies, found that magnesium supplementation "reduced muscle soreness, improved performance, recovery and induced a protective effect on muscle damage." Athletes engaged in intense exercise may need 10–20% more magnesium than sedentary people. The important detail: this research is based primarily on oral supplementation capsules, food, and drinks not topical sprays or baths.


What is less established: topical magnesium for exercise recovery. A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in PubMed specifically tested a commercial magnesium gel on muscle soreness after exercise and found it "did not reduce muscle soreness or muscle damage markers" compared to placebo. That's one study, not the final word but it's a reason to be honest about what we know.


So what should athletes actually do?

For a full bath soak, either compound works. The warm water itself increases circulation, relaxes the nervous system, and helps reduce the low-grade inflammation that builds after training. Stay in at least 20 minutes. This is where a long tradition of use and some supportive if limited research overlap most comfortably.


For a topical spray between sessions, magnesium chloride flakes are the better-supported choice. They dissolve more readily and their ions are more available at the skin surface. If it helps you feel better, that's useful just don't rely on a spray alone as your primary magnesium strategy.


For genuine deficiency or serious recovery support, oral magnesium is where the strong evidence is. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian.


And the thing that doesn't get said enough: no bath soak replaces hands-on work for deeper muscle recovery. Magnesium is a useful addition to a recovery routine — not a substitute for it. If you're dealing with recurring tightness or pain that a soak doesn't touch, that's usually a sign the tissue needs direct therapeutic attention.

A note on this answer: The claims above about oral magnesium and muscle soreness are well-supported by multiple peer-reviewed studies. The claims about topical magnesium are presented cautiously because the evidence is genuinely limited and partly contradictory — which is exactly what we'd tell you in person.

Source 1: Effects of magnesium supplementation on muscle soreness — systematic review (2024) — Journal of Translational Medicine / PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38970118/

Source 2: No Effect of Topical Application of a Commercial Magnesium Gel on Exercise Recovery (2025) — PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40537122/

Source 3: The role of magnesium in dermatology — JAAD Reviews (peer-reviewed, October 2025) https://www.jaadreviews.org/article/S2950-1989(25)00096-0/fulltext


 
 
 

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