Ever Heard of Salt Lamps? Let Us Fill You In
Perhaps you’ve heard about salt lamps before. You might have heard about how pretty they are, or how great they are for hippy or bohemian environments.
However, these lamps aren’t just decorative pieces. It’s been proven that they clean and purify spaces. What’s more, they purify air naturally and boast great health benefits.
In today’s post, we’ll tell you all about these lamps: how they work, where to place them and the benefits they have. We’re sure that you’ll fall for them!
Origin
Salt lamps are handcrafted by salt crystals, most often from the Himalayas. A light is placed in the interior and the salt’s mineral optical properties give off a glowing effect.
Salt lamps are completely natural. Each one is unique in its color and shape. The most common types of salts found in these lamps are lithium, selenite, and halite, and white, red and yellow salts as well.
How salt lamps work
There’s something mysterious about these lamps.
Salt can attract surrounding water molecules. These molecules float around our house alongside dust, pollen, fungi and even bacteria or viruses. The latter are harmful for our health and can lead to certain illnesses.
These lamps work to absorb these water molecules and clean out pollutants from our homes. The lamps eliminate them through the heat that they give off by releasing moisture and leaving the area clean.
But, how can they do that? Well, salt lamps release negative ions. If you’re someone who’s forgotten their physics and chemistry lessons, don’t worry, we’ll jog your memory. They’re oxygen atoms that have an extra electron and have similar effects to the ones that are found in nature.
These ions can be beneficial for headaches, allergies, asthma and improve lung capacity, among other things. With their help, we can reduce the amount of harmful ions that come from the electronic devices that we use at home.
We need emit these ions for a cleaner and healthier environment.
Salt lamp benefits
Salt lamps reduce air pollutants by ionizing the air. This translates into a cleaner space wherever the lamp is, bringing about a serious of benefits that we’ll explain below.
Air purification
Without doubt, this is the most well-known health benefit of salt lamps. As we’ve mentioned, they clean out air pollutants such as dust, tobacco smoke and pollen, thus allowing you to breathe cleaner air.
The heat that comes from the light-source evaporates the air, trapping the pollutants in the salt.
Color therapy
The colors of the salt lamps themselves can also be used in what’s known as “color therapy”.
Color therapy uses the qualities that colors have to achieve a sense of emotional wellness and balance. An orange glow strengthens creativity and possesses revitalizing and relaxing effects. On the other hand, a white glow improves the ability to concentrate and helps clarify ideas.
The ambiance that results from these lamps are delicate and peaceful. It has a direct effect on our physical and emotional state, improving and refreshing them.
Improvement for allergy symptoms
By eliminating air pollutants, salt lamps can reduce allergy symptoms when placed in the spaces where we spent most of our time.
It’s been proven that Himalayan salt is so effective for breathing that you can even find Himalayan salt inhalers.
Energy boost
According to experts, negative ions increase oxygen flow to the brain. The effect is similar to that of going for a stroll in the mountains, going to the beach or breathing clean air in the countryside. It leaves us feeling more awake and gives us mental energy.
Positive ions, however, drain our batteries, making us feel tired and drowsy.
Negative ions also help us release more serotonin, which is the substance that makes us feel “happy”. It directly effects our mood, helping us relax and allowing us to rest more efficiently and improve our concentration.
Care and maintenance
The first thing we’ll need to remember is to not place the salt lamp near areas where there’s often steam such as next to a dishwasher, stove-top, washing machine or in a bathroom. Doing so could risk melting the salt because of the high temperatures, thus, ruining it.
Cleaning your salt lamp is very important. You should clean it every two or three days. A damp cloth will suffice to clean off the dust.
You can leave your lamp lit for as long as you want. Doing so will release more negative ions that’ll banish humidity and harmful particles.
As you’ve read in today’s post, these lamps boast numerous properties. If you still don’t have one of your own, you can try looking in a store that sells natural products.