Written by Kate Tietje
As I’ve shared before, in my first trimester, I used magnesium chloride flakes as part of my plan to combat morning sickness. Magnesium is a mineral that’s needed for many functions in the body, including:
- Healthy blood pressure levels
- Normal muscle and nerve function
- Strong immune system
- Normal heart rhythm
- Normal blood sugar levels
- and more!
Only 1% of the body’s magnesium use is in the blood, so a blood test likely will not tell you if you are deficient.
If you read our blog, Everything You Need to Know About Magnesium, you know the signs of a magnesium deficiency include:
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue and weakness
- Shaking
- Pins and needles
- Muscle spasms
- Hyperexcitability
- Sleepiness
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Stiffness
- Personality changes
- Seizures
In the first trimester, when your body is rapidly building every organ system in your baby’s body, you go through nutrients quickly. Magnesium is one of the major ones and one that most of us are deficient in any way. Plus, the early signs of magnesium deficiency are the same as morning sickness! (I experienced those in my first trimester when I knew my magnesium levels were getting low, and supplementing via a bath typically improved this.)
Magnesium also isn’t easily absorbed orally. Most of it passes through, which causes diarrhea for many (it’s an effective laxative, though!). The best way to absorb magnesium is through your skin.
Doing a foot bath or tub bath, preferably with magnesium chloride flakes (better absorbed than Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate), can help. However, it’s expensive, as you pour up to 2 cups of flakes into a tub and wash them away when you’re done.
A more cost-effective way is to make this magnesium oil spray and use it on thinner-skinned areas (inside of thighs, upper arms, stomach, etc.) as needed.
Magnesium oil can be irritating to some people’s skin. If you find that, you can make a nourishing homemade magnesium lotion instead. Love this idea of lotion, but know you aren’t ready to make it yourself? Try Earthley’s Good Night Lotion.
![]()
Magnesium Oil
Ingredients & Materials:
- 1 cup magnesium chloride flakes
- 1 cup filtered water
- A spray bottle or glass jar
Directions:
Step 1: Pour magnesium flakes into a small jar.
Step 2: Pour warm, filtered water over the magnesium flakes.
Step 3: Stir or shake well until the magnesium is dissolved.
Step 4: Pour the finished oil into a spray bottle.
The entire bottle has around 20 grams of magnesium in it. I can only estimate how much is in a spray, but I think around 100 mg or so. Pregnant women need about 350 mg per day (ages 19 – 30 — older and younger women need a bit more). Use as needed on the thinner areas of the skin.
Where do you get the magnesium flakes from?
Thank you so much for this! I just made some! I’ve been having a very strange combination of symptoms. I think a magnesium deficiency may be part of the problem…
Hey sounds great, although this is a salt solution, not an oil.
What do you make of the premixed Ancient Minerals Ultra Pure Magnesium Oil? Is it just as good, or should I buy the flakes and make my own? Thanks so much for posting all of this!
I love this recipe! This is a considerable savings compared with the AM 8oz. spray I just bought for $20! Would you put this on your pregnant belly? Or anywhere else in particular with thin skin? Do you wash it off after twenty minutes and why or why not? Also, do you spread out your dosage during the day or just do it once a day? I started using about 24 squirts (12 in the morning/12 at night) a day since 8/17 and my nighttime leg cramps have diminished and I am getting a more fitful nighttime sleep.
We have been doing Epsom salt baths on my daughter who has eczema, I think I will try the spray or at least putting the flakes in her bathwater instead of the salts.
THANK YOU!
Hi –
I just made this at home. The only magnesium I could find was granular. I made it on the stovetop and it did break down the crystals and melted them. However, once the mixture cooled enough to put into a spray bottle, half of it had re-crystalized. Darn! I still bottled the liquid and use it. but I think it is still crystalizing within the opaque bottle. Could you contact me and give me suggestions on what to do? I know it has helped by sleeping at night. I have been a perpetual once-a-night-wake-up-and-pea girl for forever!
Please help,
Paula
[…] I just purchased Magesium bath flakes from Ancient Minerals to use in a bath and make my own oil […]
Can you put to much on? and how would you know if you over did it? =)
I am curious about the dosing. I was looking at some of the spray magnesium oil on Amazon and they say “ultra saturated” but the dose is about 30 sprays! So I am wondering if 3-4 sprays of this is really enough… I made some of this. I don’t have a spray bottle so I am just dipping my fingers in it and rubbing onto my arms. I have been using quite a liberal amount and not had the GI *ahem* upset that is a sign of too much. Just thought I would point out that I am thinking that the estimation off 100mg per spray could be very much on the small side…
Oh and I was reading all the reviews on oils and people said the itching/sensitivity goes away once your body gets used to it. They suggest applying it, letting It sit for 15 minutes, then wiping it off.
[…] the easiest, quickest, and most cost-effective way to get magnesium into your body.
MAM, is it okay to use epsom salt to make magnesium oil? I cannot find magnesium chloride, only magnesium sulfate. (I’m in Canada).
[…] number of articles (Wellness Mama, Mommypotamus, Modern Alternative Mama) suggest that morning sickness may be (among other things) the consequence of a magnesium deficit. […]
[…] your magnesium oil, if you haven’t already.
I’ve been using magnesium spray for awhile now, and I must say: the stuff is amazing. Hubby is on Coumadin in preparation for a heart procedure, and if he has a banana a day and daily doses of the magnesium oil, he doesn’t wake up screaming in the night with leg cramps (THAT was not a fun night).
Also, when I’ve been out pounding the pavement (all-day and upside-down housecleaning/getting ready for Christmas/etc), my feet are in terrible pain. I sat down one night on the edge of the tub, and sprayed a few sprays on the bottoms of my aching feet–and they were not quite like new, but felt better immediately, even before I massaged the feet, and they didn’t feel “broken” the next morning. I have all sorts of foot problems from hammer toes to bunion to high and strained arches that cause my feet to be really painful in the morning, but no longer with magnesium oil, and I have found that it absorbs through the hands and feet QUITE effectively, and with less sting unless there’s an open scratch or cut.
I am looking into this as a natural remedy/treatment for our son’s “ADHD”…we have avoided medicating him but are at a point where we need to do something…We had been using a magnesium oral supplement with little effect. About how long would a bottle of the oil last at 2-3 sprays a day? Trying to see how cost effective this is 🙂
there are a few other brands on amazon with the magnesium chloride flakes now. is there a way to know if one is better than the other or should they be about the same?
[…] the early morning….I forgot how much those things hurt! Time to remember to slather on some magnesium oil or lotion every night. The nights I use this, I have no leg cramps! Still having minimal back pain […]
[…] How to Make Magnesium Oil
[…] important mineral in our water supply. To combat this, simply follow Kate’s advice on how to make your own magnesium oil or lotion and massage into your skin generously! It might leave a little tingle – but […]
[…] through their small intestines and should perhaps supplement their magnesium with something like an oil or […]
I made some magnesium oil and your lotion in my quest to battle my chronic lower back pain
Hi! I have a couple questions. Just got blood results back and my magnesium level is 1.8. From what I understand this is borderline or almost borderline deficient. I do understand a blood test isn’t accurate, but I already purchased magnesium capsules to take. They contain Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Citrate and Magnesium Aspartate. So, do you think taking this orally would suffice in my situation? I have adequate B-12, B-6 and I’m assuming Vitamin D levels since I am in the sun a lot. Second question: can I hypothetically make a magnesium solution to apply topically with the capsules I already purchased? Or does it need to be the flakes? In the recent year or so I have had a really healthy diet; raw milk, bone broth, green leafy veggies, pink Himalayan sea salt, pastured eggs. Really trying to avoid MS! Thank you so much.
First, I LOVE reading your posts! Second, do you know if it matters what type of magnesium you use? I started taking Natural Calm which is a magnesium citrate you mix with water. Any idea if that would work for making the spray?
[…] I just purchased Ancient Minerals Magnesium Bath Flakes from Ancient Minerals to use in a bath and make my own oil […]
[…] How can you get more magnesium into your body? Unfortunately, the body is not well-equipped to absorb the majority of its magnesium through food sources. Although there are foods rich in magnesium, such as raw cacao, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and halibut, it’s wise to consider supplemental sources that aren’t taken orally. Pure Magnesium Oil is very inexpensive and easy to find. An even cheaper route is to
[…] using it. First, through baths (Epsom salts, initially, and later magnesium chloride), then magnesium oil, and finally magnesium […]
[…] How To Make Magnesium Oil at Modern Alternative Pregnancy […]
[…] fatigue and sleep difficulties. The best way to ensure you get enough magnesium is to either use
Hi there! I have a quick question. I don’t have magnesium chloride right now but I have tons of magnesium citrate pills and wondering if I can dissolve the contents of those to use topically? Thanks!!
Why the non-reactive spoon? What am I missing?
[…] the easiest, quickest, and most cost-effective way to get magnesium into your body.
[…] your magnesium oil, if you haven’t already. Find the directions here. You will not use all of it for this recipe, so save the rest for another […]
[…] began using it.
Is it ok to add essential oils to this?
[…] in bone broth, beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and raw milk (Check out this post on how to make your own magnesium oil. It’s easier than you’d […]
I used magnesium oil in my first trimester of pregnancy in an attempt to combat morning sickness. While I’m sure it did help, it did not prevent me from being sick like clockwork every morning. Now in my third trimester I’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. There are a number of great foods to source your magnesium from, but unfortunately I’m not fond of many of them. As I’ve been researching natural ways to improve your blood glucose, I’ve come back around to magnesium. I tried it just yesterday, and had the best blood sugar I’ve had in days. I’m also pairing it with adding cinnamon to my diet. Perhaps it’s a fluke, perhaps it’s just what I needed to control my blood sugar on my own. Either way, wanted to share my use with others!
I find when I lack magnesium when I get migraines. My friend makes a spray that I use.
Magnesium deficiencies can be so frustrating from migraines to painful cramping! That is awesome that your friend makes you a spray to use! Upping your regular intake of magnesium may help reduce the migraines also. Epsom salt baths and turning the left over spray into a lotion would help! Here are some recipes to try: https://modernalternativemama.com/2015/03/20/good-night-lotion/