The Himalayan salt, in general, is harvested by hand from the pristine and secluded foothills of the Himalayan mountain range where an ancient sea that gradually turned to a stone-ground is located. Because of its taste and appealing color, it was even used as currency in ancient times. It is basically a fossilized sea salt that comes out in a reddish or pink color, with some off-white to transparent crystals and with the full potency of its minerals being retained. These minerals were found essential to one’s health and well-being.
But what’s with the color distinction in pink Himalayan salt? The reason for that extraordinary color has something to with the number of minerals present in the salt. Aside from sodium and potassium, it has iron, magnesium, calcium and copper additions in trace amounts. These other minerals transmit color to the salt with mostly iron creating the pretty pink.
The pink Himalayan salt is in line with the growing awareness and popularity of organic and natural beauty products. Scented with organically grown lavender and mixed with Dead Sea salts to form a bath salt, it is well used in health spas around the world for its effectiveness in the relief of muscle aches and signs of skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema. This salt product is also used in aromatherapy while dipping in a long and warm detoxifying bath. Himalayan salt alone can, in fact, deliver these beneficial results, but this product makes it even more intense.
These Himalayan pink crystals are among the fancy salts, not your ordinary table variety. Gourmet chefs and distinguished cooks are now discovering such salts with slight flavor variations in relation to their constant culinary challenge of bringing something new to the table. But flavoring is not the only quality which defines these special natural salts. Its coarse, medium and fine grain textures also influence the taste buds. One of these specialty salts is the dramatically colored Himalayan pink which is usually served as a pinch of garnish on top of potato and pasta dishes. The pink Himalayan salt is indeed part of the gourmet market now.
With other natural salt products making its way in health stores, pink Himalayan salt lamps and Persian salt lamps should not be confused as one another. Himalayan salt lamps have their orange and reddish hues, while Persian salt lamps are the new purple ones. These equally beautiful lamps from Iran are carved out of rock salt and mined in only a few places in Central Asia. Each lamp consists of an incandescent bulb placed in a carved hollow within the rock.
When it is on, a light that reveals the color of the lamp shines through. Much like the pink Himalayan salt lamp, it acts as a natural air purifier reducing allergens and irritants. But still, it could not surpass the many amazing health benefits of the pink Himalayan salt lamp. After all, the Himalayan salt is nothing but the purest salt on earth.