The benefits of a salt lamp. Are there any contraindications to its use. Tips on how to choose such a lamp for your home and how to use it correctly. A salt lamp is an electrical device that can be used to create conditions at home for a therapy similar to halo and speleotherapy, a type of climatotherapy that involves treatment with salt. This device helps in a natural way to effectively heal the air of the living room and contribute to the strengthening of the body.
What is a salt lamp
A salt lamp is a household appliance, in fact, an ordinary lamp, in which, instead of a plafond or a lampshade, there is a figuratively carved lump of natural salt. Thanks to her, a special atmosphere is created in the room, both literally and figuratively.
The heat of the light bulb heats the salt, and it ionizes and cleans the air in the room from pathogenic microorganisms, creating a kind of microclimate of a salt cave or the seashore. And since salt is an opaque substance, the light from the device comes out muffled, warm and soft, giving a feeling of tranquility and comfort.
Of course, the concentration of salt produced by such a lamp is low. Therefore, in order to obtain the desired prophylactic and health-improving effect, it is necessary to be close to the device and to turn it on for a long time.
That is why a salt lamp is usually used as a night light, especially often in a nursery: it heals the air, helping to strengthen the immune system with frequent colds, bronchitis, allergies or asthma, and relieves night fears and neuroses.
Wow! Feng Shui experts believe that the salt lamp attracts positive energy and cleans the home of negative energy, and they recommend installing it at the entrance or in the corners of the room.
The benefits of a salt lamp
Indications for the use of a salt lamp are a variety of respiratory ailments associated with colds or allergic diseases.
Here is a list of the benefits of a salt lamp:
- Cleansing … Salt has been used by people for a long time as a natural antiseptic. It is used to rinse the throat and nose with a solution for colds, and rinse the mouth with inflammation of the gums. Thanks to the heating from the lamp, the salt releases negative ions into the air that kill harmful microflora - microbes and bacteria, spores of fungi and mold. In the room where the salt lamp works, it is easy to breathe, unpleasant odors, including those from cigarette smoke, and harmful radiation from household electrical appliances are neutralized.
- Immunomodulatory … Regular stay in a room where the salt lamp is turned on for a long time increases resistance to infections, helping to prevent colds, and strengthens the immune system, preventing allergic and asthmatic attacks.
- Soothing … The soft light of the salt lamp creates coziness in the room and has a calming effect on the nervous system, normalizing the emotional and psychological state of a person.
It is interesting! The healing effect of staying in a salt cave was noticed in ancient Greece. And in the 80s of the twentieth century, halotherapy appeared - salt treatment, a new medical direction.
Are there any contraindications to the use of a salt lamp?
If you are thinking about whether a salt lamp can be harmful, then you can be calm, since there is no information about contraindications or negative consequences of its use. You can safely turn on the mineral lamp in the room of any family member, from babies to elderly relatives, the main thing is not to forget about the safety measures common to electrical appliances.
The generation of heat from the salt lamp is insignificant, since it uses low power bulbs (from 15 to 25 W for the largest lamps), so this appliance cannot reduce the humidity in the room, which some consumers fear.
Sometimes you can come across the opinion that the concentration of salt in a room created by such a lamp is so insignificant that one should not even hope for any beneficial effect on the human body. But even in this controversial statement about the benefits and harms of the salt lamp, there is no mention of contraindications to its use.
There are also cases of unfair anti-advertising, when lamps of any manufacturer are declared harmful because they "attract radiation" or "contain a lot of lime, so any shape can be carved out of this salt."
Always be critical of any advertising claims. Think about whether ordinary salt can attract radiation and why then in your kitchen, where they have been cooking with it for years, the Geiger counter does not go off scale. And that any salt lamp, and it doesn't matter whether it is in the form of a house, a mushroom or a shapeless lump, is a piece of salt that has been turned in some way, but at the same time not fallen apart.
Pet owners sometimes hesitate to purchase a salt lamp due to their reluctance to harm their pets. Despite the fact that the scent of animals is much sharper than a human, a working salt lamp will not give them any discomfort, as it exudes an insignificant aroma of freshness for them. It is important for the owner to ensure that the pet does not throw the lamp off the table by pulling the cord or in any other way. That is, you will have to consider the option of safely placing the salt lamp.
It is interesting! Rock salt appeared by natural crystallization in the Paleozoic, 240 million years ago, when it was dry and very hot, and the waters of the world's oceans were actively evaporating.
How to choose a salt lamp for your home
There are lamps with salt lumps of different shades. It can be white, yellow, red - your choice. It depends on it how exactly the lamp will affect the psycho-emotional state of a person. This process is called chromotherapy, that is, color treatment.
So, if you buy an orange or brown salt lamp, you will feel a sense of security and peace using it and being in a room flooded with its light.
The yellow lamp will strengthen your ingenuity and intelligence, the red one will strengthen the cardiovascular system, and the pink one will promote confidence in love affairs.
White is a neutral color, for our subconsciousness it symbolizes purity and purification, which will undoubtedly increase the immunomodulatory effect of a lamp of this color.
But for the bedroom it is better to choose a lamp of a warm saturated shade. It will diffuse dim light and will not interfere with sleep.
In addition, when buying a salt lamp, you should pay attention to a few more important points:
- Where can I buy … It is best in a store, moreover, a specialized one, so you will be confident in the quality of the goods and are protected by law as a consumer.
- Salt block size … This factor determines what area the device will cover with its healing effect. A small lamp with a salt part weighing 2-3 kg is suitable for a small bedroom. But in a large room 30 m2 you need to buy a lamp weighing from 5 to 7 kg or a few small ones.
- View of the salt lump … It is important that the halite looks non-uniform when the device is turned on. Layers of uneven color are a guarantee that this is not a fake in front of you.
- Design … A lamp with a shapeless salt block (the so-called rock) has a larger surface area than a figured lump of salt, and therefore will release more useful negative ions into the atmosphere of the room. But the difference is not so great as to deprive yourself of the pleasure of choosing an unusual lamp design. And it comes in the form of a bowl, ball, heart, mushroom, drop, vase, pyramid, pagoda, fairy house - for every taste and for any interior.
- Equipment … An ordinary salt lamp consists of a wooden stand with an electric filling (a cartridge, a light bulb of low power, most often 15 W, a cord, a switch) and a mounting system for halite - a salt crystal that acts as a lampshade.
- Serviceability … The luminaire must be stable. Make sure that the lamp you bought turns on and off properly, the salt lampshade can be easily and conveniently removed (to change the light bulb) and reinstalled, and the cord is long enough and reliable, not flimsy, because this electrical appliance will have to work almost constantly, at least for nights.
- Origin … The color of the salt lump depends on the minerals and substances that the salt is saturated with. The advertisement proclaims the most useful salt lamps made from reddish-pinkish Pakistani salt from the Himalayan deposit, as American scientists have calculated that it contains 84 beneficial trace elements. This is just a marketing gimmick. There are also salt lamps on sale made of Artyomovskaya and Solotvinskaya salt, which are no worse. The main element of such a lamp is salt (NaCl), all other additives that have changed the color of the crystal are in such a small concentration that they will not affect the composition of the air in the room.
Important! The salt lamp has no expiration date. It will work as long as the electrical elements are in good working order (their service life is 5-10 years).
Features of the application of the salt lamp
No special knowledge, skills or permission from the attending physician is required to use the mineral lamp. If there is indications for a salt lamp, just turn on the device and that's it. But consider the following points.
Salt lamp location
For a salt lamp to last long, it must be in the right place.
When choosing a place for a lamp, pay attention to:
- Closeness to the body … Since the range of exposure of a salt lamp is small, the best place for it is near the head of the bed, on a computer or coffee table, near a sofa or armchair in front of the TV. That is, where you often stay in one place for a long time and where there are household electrical appliances, the electromagnetic radiation of which can be neutralized by a lamp, or where people smoke often.
- Humidity … It is important how high the humidity is there and how often you are in this part of the room. The fact is that due to high humidity, the salt crystal can crack. To prevent this from happening, do not place the device among indoor plants, in a greenhouse or conservatory, next to a device that humidifies the air, including a room fountain, not far from a kettle, near an aquarium, in a bathroom.
Salt Lamp Safety
The peculiarities of the impact of the lamp on a person imply its inclusion for a long time. Therefore, it is important to observe safety precautions when using an electrical appliance.
It is necessary to take into account the following points:
- Cord … Do not pull it out of the socket by holding on to the wire itself, but only by the plug.
- Bulb … Change it only when the power cord is unplugged. Be sure to read in the instructions what power it should be (usually 15 W), and observe this condition.
- On-off … Do not turn on the device immediately after being transported on the street, let it warm up to room temperature, otherwise condensation may form, and any moisture is harmful to both electricians and halite. If you leave for a long time, turn off the lamp and unplug the power cord.
- Sustainability … A salt lamp is a pretty heavy thing. If it falls, it may not only break, but also cause injury or damage to the floor surface. Therefore, make sure that the lamp is located in a stable place inaccessible to children and domestic animals, and its wire is hidden so that it is impossible to pull on it or hook it over it. To be sure, glue a few circles of rubber on the bottom of the stand to reduce the risk of slipping.
If the salt lamp fell into the hands of children or in the paws of pets and someone, curious, tasted halite, do not be alarmed, there is no danger to life. The salt from which the shade is made is 99% ordinary table salt, however, it has not undergone special processing, so it should not be eaten.
Salt Lamp Cleaning Rules
From time to time, for example every three days, dust should be removed from the salt lamp. This can be done with a vacuum cleaner, a duster (brush for dusting off) or a dry and smooth cloth so that the salt crystal does not get wet and the threads do not catch on its roughness.
If the lamp has been exposed to moisture, a white coating may form on the halite. It does not affect the functionality of the luminaire in any way, but spoils its aesthetics. The fix is simple. Take sandpaper with a fine abrasive and gently peel off the plaque from the lump of salt, and then wipe off the salt dust, first with a smooth damp cloth, and then immediately with the same smooth but dry cloth.
For long-term storage, hide the lamp in a box and place in a dry place. If, for any reason, your salt lamp is still exposed to moisture, immediately unplug it from the outlet. Wipe with a dry, smooth cloth and leave to dry naturally in a warm room.
By the way! In addition to salt lamps powered by electricity, there are also salt candlesticks on sale. The principle of their action is similar to an aroma lamp - a lit candle is placed in a small container, cut out in a lump of salt. How to use the salt lamp - watch the video:
The salt lamp has no contraindications for use. Users are extremely positive about it. This is a great opportunity to conduct halotherapy at home, to improve the microclimate of the home and your health, while adding a new wonderful element to the interior design.
