Epsom salt baths can help with psoriasis, though they’re a supportive remedy rather than a treatment for the underlying disease. The National Psoriasis Foundation lists Epsom salts among bath solutions that some people find effective for removing scales and soothing itch. The benefits are real but modest: softer plaques, less flaking, and temporary relief from irritation.
How Epsom Salt Helps Psoriatic Skin
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, and magnesium plays a role in several skin processes. It influences how skin cells grow and divide, supports the skin’s barrier function, and may help lower inflammation. For psoriasis specifically, where skin cells multiply far too quickly and pile up into thick, scaly plaques, a salt soak helps soften those scales so they loosen and fall away more easily. The mineral content also helps skin absorb water, which temporarily plumps and hydrates plaques that tend to be dry and cracked.
That said, the clinical evidence is limited. Studies on magnesium’s dermatological benefits exist, and early findings suggest potential benefits for psoriasis, but they tend to involve small groups of participants and inconsistent formulations. Epsom salt baths are not a replacement for prescribed psoriasis therapies. They work best as one piece of a broader routine.
Epsom Salt vs. Dead Sea Salt
Dead Sea salt is the other popular bath salt for psoriasis, and you’ll often see them mentioned together. Both can reduce scaling and itchiness. The key difference is mineral composition: Epsom salt is pure magnesium sulfate, while Dead Sea salt contains a broader mix of minerals including magnesium, potassium, calcium, and bromide. Dead Sea salt has a longer track record in psoriasis research, partly because of studies conducted at Dead Sea clinics in Israel where patients combine salt-water bathing with sun exposure. For a home bath, either option is reasonable. Some people prefer Dead Sea salt for its richer mineral profile; others prefer Epsom salt because it’s inexpensive and widely available at any pharmacy.
How to Take an Epsom Salt Bath for Psoriasis
Getting the details right matters more than you might expect. A bath that’s too hot or too long can actually dry out your skin and trigger a flare rather than calm one down.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends keeping baths to 15 minutes or less, and no more than one bath per day. Water temperature should be warm, not hot. A good test: dip your wrist or inner elbow into the water. It should feel comfortably warm without making you flinch or pull back. Hot water strips oils from the skin and can worsen the dryness and cracking that already come with psoriasis.
For the salt itself, most people add about two cups of Epsom salt to a standard bathtub of warm water. Stir it until the crystals dissolve before getting in. You don’t need to scrub at plaques during the soak. The salt does the softening work on its own. If you have areas of cracked or broken skin, be aware that the salt may sting initially, though this usually fades within a minute or two.
What You Do After the Bath Matters Most
The single most important step happens the moment you step out of the tub. Pat your skin gently with a towel (don’t rub, which can irritate plaques) and apply a moisturizer or oil immediately while your skin is still slightly damp. This locks in the hydration your skin just absorbed during the soak. Skipping this step, or waiting even 10 to 15 minutes, lets that moisture evaporate and can leave your skin drier than before the bath.
Thick, fragrance-free moisturizers or petroleum-based ointments tend to work best. Lighter lotions evaporate too quickly to do much good on psoriatic skin. If you use any prescribed topical treatments, applying them right after a bath can also improve absorption since the softened skin lets active ingredients penetrate more effectively.
What Epsom Salt Won’t Do
Epsom salt baths won’t clear psoriasis, slow the overactive immune response driving it, or prevent new plaques from forming. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition where the immune system sends faulty signals that speed up skin cell production. Bath salts address surface symptoms only. They can make plaques more manageable, reduce the visible flaking that many people find distressing, and provide temporary itch relief, but the disease process continues underneath.
For mild psoriasis limited to a few small patches, Epsom salt baths combined with over-the-counter moisturizers and topical treatments may be enough to keep symptoms tolerable. For moderate to severe psoriasis covering larger areas of the body, baths are a comfort measure alongside prescription therapies, not a substitute for them. The value is in making daily life with psoriasis a little more comfortable, one soak at a time.