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Himalayan Salt lamps are the perfect combination of form and function. They may be made out of one large, solid chunk of salt or they may consist of multiple chunks of salt arranged in a decorative basket. This is no ordinary salt. The salt used in these lamps is excavated from the western side of the Himalayan Mountains.
The rough exterior and orange-pink color of the finished lamp adds a touch of ethereal beauty to any space. When lit, they give out a modest glow that provides a soft, calming illumination in the room they are placed in.
But Himalayan salt lamps are much more than just good-looking chunks of salt. These lamps also offer a host of unexpected physical and mental benefits. When used regularly, they decrease airborne contaminants, improve breathing and sleep quality, and increase energy levels, focus and productivity. They also reduce stress levels, boost mood, and relieve symptoms of SAD.
It may seem incredulous that a simple rock of salt could possibly offer so many benefits. A look at the properties of a Himalayan salt lamp is self-explanatory and offers interesting insight into how they work.
What Does a Himalayan Salt Lamp Do? – A Look at the Properties & Benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps
Salt has powerful hygroscopic properties. A salt lamp placed in the room attracts water molecules from the surrounding environment along with all the foreign particles trapped within the molecules.
When you switch the lamp on, the heat generated by the light bulb causes only the water to evaporate back into the air while the contaminant particles remain trapped in the salt.
Another notable property of these lamps is their ability to generate negative ions when heated.
So what does that mean for you?
At all times, there are positive and negative ions in the air.
Negative ions can help cleanse the air and make you feel better overall.
This is why you feel better when you feel the sunlight or when it’s raining. These are all natural sources of negative ions.
Do you feel refreshed when you stand out in the sun, return from the beach, get drenched in the rain, or when you are close enough to a waterfall to feel its fine spray or mist? You don’t even need to go far to feel refreshed. Just open your window and breathe in and you will feel that rush of ‘it-feels-so-good’.
So why does this happen? This is because the outdoors in general, and places such as beaches and waterfalls in particular, produce natural ions naturally and continuously. They have an average concentration of up to 10,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. Compare this with busy cities that have negative ion levels as low as 100 ions per cubic centimeter. The difference explains clearly why beaches, waterfalls, and sunshine make us feel so good.
Positive ions on the other hand can make you feel worse and even trigger your allergies. Vacuum cleaners, electronics, and electric appliances all generate positive ions, which permeate into the atmosphere and make you feel sluggish. Using something that generates negative ions helps to balance out the positive ions in the air and counteracts its effects.
When you light the salt lamp, the warmth from the light bulb helps the salt to create more negative ions in the air, reducing the allergens in the atmosphere and helping you to feel better and more refreshed.
Keep in mind it can take about a week or so of lighting the lamp on before you notice a real difference so don’t give up on it within the first few days. Keep at it and you will see the difference.
Let’s dive into the reasons why you should keep one or even more Himalayan salt lamp in your home.
10 Compelling Benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps 
1. Purifies the Air
One of the most compelling benefits of Himalayan salt lamps is their ability to purify the air by removing dust, cigarette smoke, pollen, pet dander, and other contaminants in the atmosphere. This is reason enough to keep one in your home, especially if you smoke or have pets.
2. Reduces Allergy Symptoms
Pollen season can make life miserable for anyone who suffers from allergies. By attracting water molecules with pollen particles trapped within them, these lamps can help relieve the symptoms.
While you will see the difference even with one medium-sized lamp, you may want to consider keeping one large or two medium-sized lamps if you have severe allergies.
Related Reads:
Natural Remedies For Seasonal Allergies
12 Ways To Reduce Pollen Allergy Symptoms Naturally
3. Improves Breathing
Both, the hygroscopic nature and the emission of negative ions work to improve breathing.
One of the detrimental effects of breathing in positive ions in the air is that they reduce cilial activity. Cilia are microscopic hairs that line the windpipe and act like tiny breathing filters. When they become sluggish and less active, they don’t work as efficiently to keep contaminants out of our lungs.
By attracting contaminant-laden water molecules, Himalayan salt lamps reduce indoor pollutants even when they are unlit. When lit, the heated lamp emits negative ions, which increases cilial efficiency, keeping the lungs healthier.
4. Neutralizes Electromagnetic Radiation
Computers, cell phones, televisions, and other electronic devices all give off electromagnetic radiation. It may be invisible, but over-exposure to electromagnetic radiation causes several problems, including chronic fatigue, stress, and insomnia. It also reduces the body’s immune response.
By generating negative ions, a Himalayan salt lamp neutralizes the negative effects of electromagnetic radiation and reverses or at least minimizes the resultant problems.
5. Increases Energy Levels
Positive ions deplete the body of energy. By generating negative ions when heated, Himalayan salt lamps simulate the feeling of being outdoors, which can help you feel refreshed and re-energized.
If you feel tired all the time for no apparent reason, try keeping a Himalayan salt lamp in the room where you spend the most time. You will notice the difference after a week or so of constant use.
Remember, you need to keep the lamp on to get its energy-boosting benefits. It can only generate negative ions when it is heated.
6. Boosts Focus & Productivity
Your increased energy levels also help you stay more alert and focused. Your productivity increases markedly when you are more focused.
7. Improves Mood & Relieves Stress
The soft lighting, cleaner air, and negative ions all work together to enhance your mood and help you de-stress and relax at the end of the day.
The negative ions generated by a Himalayan salt lamp help improve oxygen supply to the brain and provide a much-needed boost of serotonin. Serotonin is a ‘happy hormone’. It plays a key role in regulating our mood, anxiety, and happiness. Increased levels of serotonin in the body can help you feel happier and less anxious.
Are you constantly around the television, computer, and other electronic devices? If so, you may have a higher level of stress from the abundance of positive ions in the air. This could be even worse during winter when you keep your windows closed.
If you are struggling to manage your high stress levels, try using a lamp regularly and give it about a week before you notice a difference in your mood and stress levels.
8. Relieves Symptoms of SAD
In addition to generating negative ions, the soft, natural light that these lamps give off is close enough to the warm glow of natural sunshine. During the dark winter days when sunshine is lacking, this light can help relieve the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
9. Helps You Sleep Better
Read any authority article on improving sleep quality and you will see that experts strongly advise keeping all electronic gadgets out of the bedroom. This is because over-exposure to the positive ions generated by these devices results in irregular sleep patterns, which rob you of quality sleep.
As they emit negative ions, Himalayan salt lamps suppress the negative effects and reverse the problem. Keeping one large or two medium-sized lamps in your bedroom can help you sleep better at night.
You do need to keep the lamp on to get the benefits of better sleep. If the light disturbs you either keep it in a way that you don’t get the direct light or buy a grey lamp. The light in these lamps is much more muted so it won’t disturb you.
12 Natural Sleep Aids That Work
10. Decreases Static Electricity in the Air
This is not a health benefit in the strictest terms. However, those unexpected, constant zaps triggered by static electricity can be a source of immense frustration. From causing frizzy hair to experiencing annoying micro-shocks, static electricity can be embarrassing, stressful, and even painful.
Static electricity is caused by airborne ionized particles. Himalayan salt lamps reduce static electricity in the air by neutralizing these particles.
The fact that they look gorgeous adds to the long list of reasons why you should keep one in your home.
Himalayan salt lamps can make a considerable difference to our quality of life. And with so many different styles available, they make a versatile décor accessory.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel the effects the first day itself or even within the first few days. It will take time for the benefits to be noticeable but keep using your lamp and you will feel the improvement.
Why So Well is My #1 Recommended Brand of Salt Lamps
In my search for the best Himalayan salt lamp, I came across the So Well brand. I read reviews about their products and paid special attention to the feedback from users who had bought their lamps.
Several factors set So Well apart from the other brands.
They are one of the only salt lamp retailers dedicated to fair trade and sustainability. The So Well Story makes for an interesting read.
They offer superior quality lamps that look absolutely stunning, and more importantly, are made from genuine Himalayan salt.
So Well offers the widest range of salt lamps in unique shapes and rare colors, including Rare White and Rare Grey.
The brand offers a broad catalog of salt therapy items, so you can shop for bath & body, skincare, gourmet, and other items, all in one place.
Which Is The Best Himalayan Salt Lamp For You?
When shopping for the best Himalayan Salt Lamp you will find a wide variety available, each with its own unique shape, size, and coloration.
While they all work, to get the maximum benefits it’s important to know how to choose the best Himalayan salt lamp for you.
The first thing to consider is size. Yes, size does matter when it comes to these lights. The larger the chunk of salt, the more powerful its benefits. The right size for you will depend on where you will be using the device.
A small lamp is good enough for your study or an average-sized bedroom but you will need a larger style to get the effects in a large living, dining, or family room.
If you find a large lamp too cumbersome or if it just does not go with the rest of the décor, you can still get the benefits by buying 2 or 3 smaller lamps and keeping them in different areas of the room.
Buying multiple smaller lamps works out cheaper and also allows you to move your lamps around if you like to change your décor often. There’s really no such thing as having too many lamps in one room, whether it’s for their stunning looks or for their health benefits.
These are my top picks in the different sizes:
Top 3 Small-Sized So Well Salt Lamps 6-8 lbs: Amber Moroccan Flame, Rare White Pyramid, Rare White Globe,
Top 3 Medium-Sized So Well Salt Lamps 15-20 lbs: Raw Crystal Amber, Raw Crystal White, Raw Crystal Grey
Top 3 Large-Sized So Well Salt Lamps 35-40 lbs: Amber Rectangle, Rare White Rectangle, Rare Grey Rectangle
Prefer to use one large lamp for stunning effect in a large conference room or office space? Check out the So Well Amber Salt Lamp Extreme. This impressive jumbo-sized chunk of salt comes in two weights 35-50 lbs & 80-100 lbs.
Grey Lamps are Best for the Bedroom
If you want to use your lamp to help with insomnia, the best place to keep your unit is in the bedroom. One of the downsides is that turning the device on is the only way to get the benefits and that flickering light can actually disturb your sleep if you’re a light sleeper.
One way to overcome this drawback is by buying a Grey Himalayan Salt Lamp. The grey color of these lamps mute the light of the bulb significantly so it won’t disturb you.
Using the Right Bulb is Important
The air-purifying benefits of Himalayan salt lamps are due to the action of heat on the salt component of the lamp. This means the bulb that you use in the lamp must be the type that generates heat when it is lit. LED bulbs do not generate heat and are ineffective.
I use these bulbs in my lamp. They work really well to heat the salt and are great value for money especially when you consider that they last longer than most other brands.
You will also need to buy a cord to connect the bulb to the socket. Choose from any of these bulbs and cords depending on the size and type of lamp you are planning on buying. You will need a higher-wattage bulb for a larger lamp.
You may also be interested in:
Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits – covers more details about how they work, the different types available, the best brand, and tips and tricks to maximize the benefits.
Himalayan Glow 1002 Pink Crystal Salt Lamp Review – a highly-rated lamp on Amazon with over 28,000 reviews
Have you used a salt lamp? Which one do you have and what is your experience with keeping one in your home? Let us know in the comments below.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to serve as medical advice. Please consult your doctor before using any natural medication or if you experience any unusual symptoms. See Full Disclaimer here.
