More and more we’re seeing magnesium included in beauty routines and wellness products. Magnesium isn’t a newbie to the health and beauty scene – indeed it was used in ancient times as a key wellbeing ingredient, but many of us are only just waking up to the powerful benefits it naturally brings.

Magnesium benefits for the skin and body

Magnesium is a highly important and highly abundant mineral in the human body. Most of it is found in our bones, but it’s in our soft tissues, including skin and muscles, and our blood. Every single cell in your body needs magnesium. As such, it’s one of the most plentiful minerals we have. It’s responsible for over 600 different reactions in our body, from converting food into energy to regulating our nervous system and muscular movements.Yet despite how important magnesium is for us and how most people have ample amounts, some of us aren’t taking in enough. Lower levels of magnesium can be associated with various reasons, including chronic stress, poor digestion and hormonal fluctuation.

How to boost your magnesium intake

It’s possible to increase your magnesium levels through your diet. Green leafy vegetables and sea vegetables (such as kelp) as well as other unprocessed foods, like nuts, seeds and wholegrains, are excellent sources of magnesium. At the same time, you can boost magnesium absorption by cutting down on how much caffeine and alcohol you consume whilst bolstering your gut health. You will excrete less magnesium if you keep your sugar levels low. You can of course take a magnesium supplement.However, leaving it to diet alone overlooks an extremely efficient means of magnesium absorption: can magnesium be absorbed through the skin? Our great-grandparents were enjoying the benefits of magnesium when they prioritised their Epsom salt baths because it turns out that magnesium does absorb through the skin. And that’s why it’s becoming an increasingly popular element of our skincare routine.

The benefits of magnesium 

There are many benefits of magnesium, here are some of our favourites:

1. Reduces skin inflammation

Many skin conditions can cause dryness and itchy skin. It’s important to note that it isn’t strictly true that magnesium does help itchy skin or that a magnesium deficiency causes dry skin. However, one of the many skincare benefits of magnesium is that it can help reduce the inflammation caused by conditions which lead to dry and itchy skin, such as eczema. 

2. Alleviates muscle cramps

Magnesium for muscle cramps is becoming increasingly better known. Many include a magnesium cream or spray in their evening beauty routine, rubbing it into calves to prevent nighttime muscle cramps and spasms. Similarly, magnesium oil is often used in deep tissue massage, to help alleviate knots and aches and pains.

3. Reduces low mood

Magnesium is really important for brain function. Lower levels are associated with higher rates of depression. Having a diet rich in magnesium can help to reduce low mood.

4. Helps PMS symptoms

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and managing the cyclical issues brought about by your menstrual cycle often feature highly in women’s chosen beauty and wellness routines. Magnesium could be an important part of this. Not only does magnesium improve your mood, it has been shown to help with water retention and abdominal cramps. 

5. Protects your skin

Magnesium helps to ensure your skin is armoured against external damage as it regulates cellular regeneration and repair. Everyday your skin is under attack from free radicals. This is one of the most important magnesium benefits for skin and hair because it actively helps your skin in terms of protection and recovery. 

6. It’s calming

As well as easing low mood, magnesium is sometimes known as the sleep mineral. This is because it helps to alleviate muscle tension and daily stress, and can help to lull you into a good sense of bodily wellbeing for sleep. 

7. Offers pain relief

Magnesium is a natural pain reliever. Partly because of its anti-inflammatory powers, it helps to alleviate pain systemically. Beyond this, it helps muscle recovery from overuse, particularly from sports injuries and exercise fatigue. Magnesium is so important in your soft tissues. Indeed, during exercise, you need more magnesium. So having enough in supply is important. As such, many athletes will supplement magnesium and see this improve their performance.

8. Prevents and supports Type II Diabetes

Around half of people with Type II Diabetes have low levels of magnesium. Taking magnesium daily can help prevent problems, but can also help to reduce impairment to insulin’s ability to control blood sugar levels. 

9. Lowers blood pressure

Research shows that magnesium supplementation can lower blood pressure. This tends to only be beneficial in those who have high blood pressure.

10. Migraine prevention

More evidence needs to be gathered here, but there’s good emerging data to support anecdotal evidence that magnesium could be useful for easing migraines, and that those who are deficient are more likely to struggle with painful symptoms. With all of these wonderful benefits, it’s easy to see why more and more people are including magnesium in their skincare routine! 

How to include magnesium in skincare

As we’ve seen, magnesium is absorbed very well by the skin, making topical application one of the best ways of supplementing your diet. So how can you include magnesium in your skincare routines?

Inside and outside

First, you should recognise the best methods of magnesium supplementation for you. If you have acne, for example, magnesium can help – but applying it topically may not, so you may want to increase your dietary intake of nuts and seeds. However, if you want to use magnesium to help you sleep because you suffer with leg cramps, then applying spray oil at night may be helpful. 

Magnesium baths

Soaking in a tub with bath salts rich in magnesium will help you to get magnesium into your skin.

Creams and oils

Neat magnesium oil can feel quite stringent, especially if you’re not used to using it. You may prefer to use a body lotion that feels more soothing. More and more beauty brands are incorporating magnesium into their skincare, making adding magnesium into your daily routine easier than ever. We love Glossier’s Super Glow Vitamin C & Magnesium Serum, Drunk Elephant’s Sili Body Lotion, Ren’s Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash and Neom’s incredible Perfect Night's Sleep Overnight Facial Cream. 

Massages and facials

Discuss magnesium with your beautician when you have facials and massages and see what they recommend for your skin type and needs.Magnesium can make us feel better in so many ways; we should all give some consideration to how we use this trending skincare ingredient. As magnesium is absorbed so well by the skin, we especially love topical application of magnesium. This is great for your wellbeing and can be incredibly relaxing. To complement this, book a mobile massage with Secret Spa for the ultimate relaxation.