I can’t remember exactly how I came across this, but I was looking at a natural health site somewhere and saw these cute little candlelit salt lamps. The whole lamp is made entirely of Himalayan rock salt and when you place a tealight inside, it lights up with a nice orange glow.

Now I adore mood lighting, so this really caught my eye and I decided to investigate further. That’s when I discovered that these lamps come not only in “candle-powered” form, but mains-powered as well utilising a small 15w lightbulb. I was also excited to find that they come in many different shapes, sizes and colours. The most common variety is a classic slab shape, but I fell in love with the firebowl – a gorgeous salt bowl full of salt rocks. The photo here is just like mine.

I bought mine from this eBay shop, but Googling for Himalayan Salt Lamps will bring up a whole variety of online stores. I chose eBay because the lamps are much cheaper than elsewhere, but be aware of delivery costs as they are heavy items – mine weighs about 5Kgs!

Anyway, what is it about these lamps that makes them worthy of mention in this blog? Well, it wasn’t just the attractiveness of the lamps that appealed to me. Apparantly, the salt gives off negative ions when heated by either the candle or the bulb, which negate the effects of positive ions emitted from household appliances. Why does this matter? Well, positive ions are actually very bad for us and can cause us to feel stressed, tired, and even compromise our immune system causing a higher susceptibility to illness and a slower recovery time. Many users of salt lamps have revealed that they feel more alert, happier and healthier after being around them – these benefits include healthier skin!

Himalayan Salt can also be used in the bath as a detoxifier, pulling toxins out of the skin and into the water. I have a few rocks bought for this very purpose, but you do have to soak in the bath for a good half an hour so that they can do their magic. Akamuti sums up the beneficial properties quite nicely:

Salt baths can reduce fever and promote healing of soft tissue injuries and joint problems. The cleansing effects of a 30-minute salt bath are believed to equal that of a 3-day detox. The toxins are released into the bath water through osmosis, while the minerals from the salt are absorbed through the skin. This reduces the acidity in our body and balances the pH factor of our skin.

There is a very detailed article here on the various benefits of Himalayan Salt and how it works. Also, do check out the incredible photos and learn about the history of the Khewra salt mines in this article – the mines are even open to the public if you wish to visit someday.

As there is currently no scientific proof available, it’s possible that the perceived benefits of salt lamps may in fact be our own minds telling us that it’s doing something good. I have definitely noticed that I’m feeling a lot less stressed lately, but whether it’s my mind playing tricks or the lamp making a difference doesn’t really matter to me. Something has happened and I’m grateful for it. If nothing else, the lamp is a beautiful feature-piece in my home and I fully intend to buy a few more in the near future.