When you visit your local home goods store or supermarket, you're bound to see salt lamps or pink salt, more commonly known as Himalayan salt. If you haven't already jumped on the pink salt bandwagon, you may find yourself wondering why it has become so popular. People have claimed that the salt lamps and edible pink salt have detoxifying properties, along with a bunch of other holistic health benefits—but what is pink salt and does it really have health benefits? Let's find out.
Origins of Pink Salt
So-called Himalayan salt is not in fact from the Himalayas. It actually comes from the Punjab region of Pakistan. The salt contains trace minerals or impurities like calcium, magnesium, and iron. The mineral that actually gives it the famous pink color is iron oxide, which is more commonly known as rust. That's right, RUST. Pink salt has to be purified because of these compounds.
Does Pink Salt Provide Health Benefits?
There's no scientific evidence or research that backs any claims of the salt's healing properties. In the end, salt is salt. Even if the lamps have no real health benefits, the aesthetic appeal alone is a pretty good reason to buy one.