Have you ever tried spraying your skin with magnesium oil spray only to end up super itchy? Or maybe your skin feels like it burns…
Magnesium is a pretty popular supplement suggestion. And so is this topical route!
But there can be a downside to it.
So the question is… is it normal to experience this type of reaction?
And does it mean that you’re sensitive to something in the spray?
In today’s episode, I wanted to explore why you might want to avoid magnesium oil spray on rashed skin.
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In this episode:
- Quick overview about the importance of magnesium for health
- Why magnesium oil may not be the best option
- What does magnesium oil mean if it burns?
- Alternative options to magnesium oil that won’t flare your skin
Quotes:
Magnesium is critical to the proper functioning of your body and is necessary for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. It can help you relax and fall asleep while certain forms can have the exact opposite action during the day by waking you up.
If magnesium oil triggers what feels like a rash or a flare, you may want to stop it. Nobody really knows why magnesium oil causes itching or burning. Some people say that this reaction means you're deficient in magnesium, but there is literally no science to support that claim.
Can Magnesium Give You A Rash? (FULL TRANSCRIPT)
Welcome to Episode #83 of the Healthy Skin Show!
In today’s episode, I want to talk about magnesium.
Here's the thing with magnesium…
Anytime you've got a health issue, it's one of the first suggestions people will make. When it comes to your skin, magnesium is very important.
But here's the thing – the form of magnesium that you take matters. It should be specific to your symptoms and issues going on.
Because this is a little bit complicated, I’m going to break this topic into two parts. Within this article, I’m going to solely focused on topical magnesium.
I’m asking the questions like “which is the best option for you?” Or “what may be a better form than another more commonly recommended option?”
First, it’s worth mentioning a few of the benefits.
Magnesium is critical to the proper functioning of your body, especially on a biochemical level.
In fact, it's necessary for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body.
It can help you relax and wind down at night and fall asleep.
Surprisingly, certain forms can have the exact opposite action during the day by waking you up.
It can reduce muscle cramps and restless leg syndrome.
And it can also help you poop.
Can Magnesium Oil Help Your Skin?
One of the first suggestions that people will commonly make, especially if you're in like a Facebook group online, is to try magnesium oil.
The reason is that there can be gastrointestinal side effects with certain forms of magnesium when taken orally.
Magnesium oil seems like a much less risky version of magnesium that can be absorbed through your skin.
Sounds great, right?
Well, there's a couple of problems that I have with magnesium oil.
The first issue has to do with the quantity of magnesium that you’re actually absorbing. If you are truly deficient in magnesium, which I often find in clients, you have no idea how much magnesium your body is actually absorbing through your skin.
There’s no clear way to tell which makes it difficult to know if you’re truly putting a dent into a deficiency.
The second issue has to do with this side effect of using magnesium oil. If you haven’t tried it yet, know that it can cause your skin to become either itchy or feel like its burning.
I don't know about you, but the idea of making my skin itchier or to cause it to burn is really not ideal. It’s not a great idea to trigger yourself to start scratching because once you start to scratch, it can be difficult to stop.
If magnesium oil seems to trigger what feels like a rash or a flare, you may want to stop it.
Nobody really knows why magnesium oil causes itching or burning. Some people say that your skin will have this reaction if you're deficient in magnesium. But there is literally no science to support that claim.
A second idea, which seems slightly more plausible, has to do with the differences between the pH of the type of magnesium used in magnesium oil and your skin.
These magnesium oil products use Magnesium Chloride.
As you might remember, your skin's pH should be at around 4.5.
Well, dysbiosis happens on the skin when there is an imbalance of the microbiome and you can end up with leaky skin.
One factor triggering all of this is a change in your skin's pH.
According to some articles I've found, they state that the pH of Magnesium Chloride is around a 7.5 pH whereas others put it closer to a pH of 6. Either way, that’s a pretty sizable pH jump from 4.5 and could be disruptive.
But again, there’s no research on this so this might not be the reason that magnesium oil causes your skin to get itchy or burn.
What About Epsom Salt For Your Skin?
All is not lost if you’ve still like to get magnesium through your skin!
Epson salt which contains Magnesium Sulfate is a little bit closer to the natural skin pH — around 5.5 to maybe 6.5.
Maybe that partially explains why Epson salt baths do not seem to trigger the same type of reaction as magnesium oil.
My suggestion?
Ditch the magnesium oil, especially if it causes itching and burning.
And definitely don't spray it directly onto rashes if you end up finding that the area just becomes more irritated.
Instead try is a magnesium bath using Epson salt in warm water.
You can also add some colloidal oats. Click here for the directions on how to make your own colloidal oats.
And you can even add some of your favorite oil to the water. You can use a little drizzle on top of the water’s surface before getting into the bath to help support your skin.
Good options could include avocado oil, hemp seed oil or maybe even jojoba. For wintertime, sesame seed oil could also work.
The magnesium that dissolves into the water will absolutely be absorbed.
So if you know for sure that your magnesium stores are low, the ideal situation is to use a combo of magnesium baths and supplementation.
I'll discuss oral supplementation of magnesium in Part 2 of this series!
Magnesium can be a wonderful thing, but you've got to make sure that you're taking the right form for you. That way, you don’t end up with GI problems like diarrhea, bloating, and gas.
If you've had any experience with applying magnesium oil, I would love to hear about it. Share with us all what you think and if it has helped you in the comments below.
As always, one of the things I ask is that you share this information with someone you know, whether it's a person or a community of people seeking out other options to try.
Sharing is a critical piece to us expanding this movement of demanding better for our skin.
I deeply appreciate you tuning in and I look forward to seeing you in the next episode!
REFERENCES
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-looks/why-does-magnesium-spray-make-me-itchy/
https://sciencing.com/physical-chemical-properties-epsom-salt-7217842.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25252874
https://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/period3/chlorides.html
I appreciate that you also provide a transcript of your audio each time you post. Thank you.
Hi I tried magnesium oil and I could not believe how awful my fave looked the next day. I got the worst rash ever on my face. I will never use this again. It felt itchy and burning sensation. Please be careful if you have sensitive skin.
Great information, thank you. Magnesium spray does burn my skin. Looking forward to magnesium supplement suggestions.
Question, any recommendations for a skin lotion for eczema that contain magnesium in a smaller percentage?
Thank you,
Lisa
Not that I’m aware of. Zinc would probably be a better option to have in a lotion than magnesium in my personal experience having dealt with dyshidrotic eczema. It would help my skin calm down much faster.
I use magnesium oil spray on my legs every night for restless legs. Every time I get in my saltwater pool for several hours, I start intensely itching only on the legs where I spray magnesium. It lasts for several days. Is this a reaction between the pool water and magnesium? What can I do? The magnesium really calms my restless legs but I can’t really use my pool now! Please advise if you can. Thank you.
I really don’t know, Cindy. But why not try getting your magnesium from an oral form and see if that allows you to then use the pool again comfortably. Many people have issues with magnesium oil unfortunately and some really don’t like the “dry feel” that it also creates on the skin.
Omg!! YES it so is drying out my feet very badly to where I am having to slab on tons of moisturizer to help it. I was wondering if it was the spray now I know it is
I have the same issue with a magnesium butter that I apply to my feet and legs at night. It helps me sleep and it absorbs into the skin rally nicely, unlike the oil. However after a few weeks I noticed my palms were going abnormally wrinkly when having washed my hands, my right hand was worse (I am right handed). I use my right hand to apply the magnesium butter so I stared to apply it wearing gloves but after a week my feet are now really wrinkly after a bath and the skin is very itchy with the skin peeling in places. It’s such a shame as I loved it but my skin does not! I’ve switched to oral magnesium instead earlier this week and I’m hoping it will suit me.
I make liquid mineral supplements for over 10 years, one of them was magnesium as a chloride, this is what mag oil is, a very high concentrate of magnesium salts as a brine. I have used it topically when my leg(s) cramp up. Sometimes it burns sometimes it doesn’t. I personally contribute this to whether or not my skin is naturally oily. some times I also use it preventative if I will be driving a long time. this is in addition to taking orally various forms of Magnesium, as well as a diluted mag oil drink.
You are right about spray magnesium causing itching. My FuncMed practitioner prescribed it for use on legs because of recurring muscle camps, particularly at night. She also recommended epsom salt baths but they are a nuisance (lazy, lazy). The first time I used the spray, my right leg, which had eczema rashes from recent scratching, burned like crazy. My left did not itch probably because I had not had any recent rash or breakout. I was worried that I was doing some damage to my right leg. Hearing your discussion has been extremely informative. Wish I could continue using the spray because it is so convenient. Don’t want to go to another supplement as am taking many now. Incidentally, I have had the big E all my life but only in the last several years has it become more pronounced. Also have GERD/LPR, leaky gut, SIBO, suboptimal thyroid, brain fog. What a mess. Hope to get some good advice/observations from your outreach efforts. Keep up the good work.
The magnesium oil burns when it goes on, but then it keeps it from itching for several days. The little bit of burn is worth the lack of itching
Me too it burns going on which is a weird nice kind of burn and it takes out the itch for days..which gives it time to heal from raw to a scab
Thanks for adding the transcript. I think I have given myself a rash using topical magnesium without wiping it off when the crystals form. I’m going to give myself a break on areas where it’s been itchy and try to wipe off after!
Hi,
What do you suggest if there has been a reaction after using a mag spray besides stopping it? For burning pain and rash and dryness. Is there something to soothe and heal the tissues? Thank you.
Unfortunately I can’t say. It may just be too irritating and you’ll need to use oral forms (or in a bath) to get your magnesium intake.
I used magnesium spray on my feet and hands (Dupytrines contracture and a rheumatoid nodule on my ankle) with no problem. However, I sprayed it onto my calves (because of rheumatoid pain) directly after shaving in the shower. What a terrible idea!! It burned for a while, but I’ve had a rash for a week so far.
Hi Tamara, yes that’s why I don’t generally recommend it on skin — especially after shaving can be very irritating. Hopefully it’s since cleared up.