Epsom Salt Substitute Finder: What to Use Instead, and How Much
Tick what is in your cupboard and get the substitute and the exact per-tub amount — sea salt, baking soda, Dead Sea salt, oats, magnesium flakes or table salt.
If you have run out of Epsom salt, the two best swaps are 1 cup of Dead Sea salt or ½ cup of baking soda in a standard 40-gallon tub. Ground oats, coarse sea salt, magnesium flakes and plain table salt all work as well, at different amounts — tick what is actually in your cupboard and this gives you the number.
Last updated 2026-10-31.
Use
Epsom salt substitution chart
Amounts are per bath, added under the running tap. A standard tub holds about 40 gallons (150 litres); a small or half-filled tub about 25 gallons; a deep soaking tub about 60 gallons.
| What you have | Small tub | Standard tub | Deep tub | Best for | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Sea salt | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | Everything — the closest all-round swap | Costs more per soak; coarse grain |
| Magnesium chloride flakes | 1 cup | 1½ cups | 2¼ cups | Sore muscles | Priciest option per bath |
| Baking soda + sea salt (1:3) | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | A homemade bath salt from staples | Needs mixing dry first |
| Baking soda alone | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup | Dry or itchy skin | No magnesium, no salt feel |
| Coarse sea salt | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | The salty-water feel | Sodium chloride, not magnesium sulfate |
| Himalayan pink salt | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | Same as sea salt | Trace minerals are negligible at bath dilution |
| Ground oats (colloidal oatmeal) | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | Itchy, dry or irritated skin | Nothing for muscles; leaves a film |
| Plain table salt | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup | When it is all you have | Harsh above half a cup |
| Whole milk powder | 1 cup | 1½ cups | 2¼ cups | A silky, indulgent soak | No minerals at all |
| Apple cider vinegar | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | Post-workout, if you like it | Smells; does none of the Epsom job |
Why the amounts differ
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate and the standard dose is 2 cups in a 40-gallon tub — the number we land on in how much bath salt to use per bath. Dead Sea salt and sea salt are dosed at half that, because the grain is heavier and the mineral content is stronger per cup. Baking soda is not a salt at all, and half a cup is enough to change how the water feels; past three quarters of a cup it gets slippery. Table salt dissolves fastest and is the easiest to overdo. Every amount above scales by 0.6× for a small tub and 1.5× for a deep one.
The honest part
None of these — including Epsom salt itself — detoxifies anything, and the evidence that magnesium crosses the skin in a bath is thin. What all of them reliably do is make hot water feel better and give you a reason to stay in it for twenty minutes, which is most of the effect. If your skin is dry or itchy, ground oats are the one option on this list with a recognised skin-protectant monograph behind it. If you are pregnant, have a heart condition or have broken skin, ask a doctor before changing what goes in the bath.
Longer write-up of the alternatives: what to use instead of Epsom salt. Still have Epsom salt and just want the dose? Use the bath salt calculator. Wondering whether table salt and Epsom are the same thing: Epsom salt vs. regular salt.
Mami says: Half a cup of baking soda is in your kitchen right now. That is a bath. Go.
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