I Tried The Salt Water Cleanse, Here's What It Did For Me

Here's what I love about my mum: she finds absolutely everything from Google. From new recipes that she never actually follows to a T, to new brands or fashion pieces to all sorts of health and fitness things. 

A while ago, she found the "salt water cleanse". Now the two of us are always looking for things to improve our health that can go hand-in-hand with our 5 -6 days a week gyming. I deal with some heavy bloating - I mean I get super bloated, it's awful and something I'm trying to sort out naturally before I ever turn to meds. 

So with that, Mum and I look for things to help me de-bloat. The salt water cleanse seemed to be like a good idea to try. So on a random Thursday morning, we decided to spend out gym rest day by trying out this very simple concoction...

All it took was some sea-salt and water. And spending the morning near a bathroom. (Yeah don't make plans when you do this.) 

The good thing about this right now is that we’re all pretty much stuck at home anyway due to lockdowns, quarantine and social distancing. Plus, we may not have mastered the art of social distancing from our fridge or the junk food cupboard, so it might be an ideal time to do a cleanse.

The saltwater cleanse is aimed at clearing the colon, detoxing the body and treating chronic constipation. With non-iodised sea salt and warm water, this drink is said to work within 30 minutes of drinking it on an empty stomach. According to healthline, sea salt and warm water drank together works as a laxative effect and does help with removing toxins from the body. 

After conducting some research on my own, I thought it would be a good idea to try as an easy and simple detox for my body and hopefully toward my bloating. I went searching for non-iodised salt here in Sri Lanka the day before, however I had no luck. So I decided to use the sea salt I had at home as my Mum insisted it would work just as well. (She was right, as always). 

What You Need & How To Do The Salt Water Cleanse:

- 2 Teaspoons of sea salt (preferably non-iodised, like Pink Himalayan, but normal iodised sea salt works too, it's what I used)

- 4 cups of warm water

Mix together completely and drink as quickly as you can

Taking 4 cups of warm water and two teaspoons of sea salt, I mixed it all together and drank that sucker in 1 minute, 29 seconds. Yes, we timed it. They say the faster you drink it, the better. And yes, I felt that my mouth and throat was being absorbed by the sea. Yet in minutes, I felt the effects on my tum-tum. 

No lie, I immediately felt nauseous and a little lightheaded. I mean, this was at 9:30 in the morning on an empty stomach - nothing in there, so it's bound to happen. So I was laying in bed, watching Netflix and then around 15 minutes afterwards, it began - the run to the bathroom. 

Too much info, I know but hey, it's a cleanse - what do you expect? 

Basically to sum it up without giving too much away; for 2-3 hours after drinking "the sea", you're going to be living in your bathroom as your system gets flushed. 

It actually worked to be honest and it was surprisingly easy! I felt my stomach be drained of bloating and toxins, which was so good to be honest. It was time for me to do a detox and I truly recommend this one. 

But there are risks of course: 

- Consuming too much salt, and on an empty stomach, can lead to dehydration. So be sure to keep water handy near by to sip on when you need, this really helped me. 

- You may feel nauseous and lightheaded, so it's best to be at home to do this one. 

- As well as going to the loo, you may experience vomiting. My body likes to avoid vomiting as much as possible (thank God), but it can definitely happen. My Mum had to deal with that end of the bargain. 

If you have any serious medical issues, such as high blood pressure, digestive issues, kidney or heart disease and so on, please avoid doing the saltwater cleanse. And if you are not sure, consult your doctor first. 

My experience of this cleanse was actually really positive. It totally worked for me and I would definitely do it again. Maybe make it a once-a-month thing! I'm all about finding ways to naturally cleanse my body and whilst I'm yet to do a juice cleanse, I will definitely do this one again. Even if it made me queasy. What kind of cleanses are you into? Would you try the salt water cleanse? 

I'd love to know what cleanses everyone's interested in, since I'm looking to try more! Let me know in the comments below. 

Sending you lots of love and hoping you’re staying safe!

Emily xx