What Is a Salt Lamp?
Salt isn't just a seasoning.
Salt lamps are everywhere these days, and for good reason. Not only are they stunning accent light fixtures, but many believe they have homeopathic benefits. In this guide, you'll learn all about what a salt lamp is, how it works, and what the supposed benefits are to having one (or multiple in your home).
What Is a Salt Lamp?
Salt Lamp Mounting Options
Purported Benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps
Decorating With Salt Lamps
What Is a Salt Lamp?
A salt lamp is a decorative, tabletop light fixture made from a hollowed-out block of real Himalayan salt, which lights up via electricity to produce a beautiful pink/gold glow. Learn more below:
How Do Salt Lamps Work?
The hollowed-out block of Himalayan salt is secured over a lightbulb and a simple base with a cord/plug-in attachment that plugs into standard household outlets. Some are simply that – a salt crystal with a light inside – while others can be designed to have multiple light modes for ambient lighting or the appearance of several smaller salt crystals held in a bowl/carved in novelty shapes.
What Gives Himalayan Salt Crystals Their Color?
While the typical salt crystals you use to season your food are transparent or white in color, Himalayan salt crystals are a lovely shade of pink. This is thanks to a blend of some additional trace minerals and iron oxide. Because of the hallmark rosy hues of Himalayan pink salt, most Himalayan salt lamps radiate a gorgeous reddish-pink glow. Other Himalayan salt lamp variations range in color from white to dark gray. Traditionally mined in the Punjab region of Pakistan, Himalayan pink salt gets its name from the mountain range that spans the borders of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.
How Are Himalayan Salt Crystals Used?
Himalayan salt crystals are indeed used as seasoning just like table salt, though many claim it provides health benefits that table salt does not. Himalayan salt crystals are also used as bath salts and food preservatives. Blocks of Himalayan salt are also used as cutting boards. And of course, Himalayan salt crystals are also transformed into beautiful salt lamps!
Salt Lamp Mounting Options
Salt lamps come in a variety of configurations to make it easy for you to incorporate them into your home. Most salt lamps take on a classic table lamp configuration with a solid base and a cord that plugs into a standard household outlet. However, you can also find salt lamps in wall-mounted (nightlights) or hanging (string lights/light bulb) designs so you can achieve a calming glow while adhering to your space requirements.
Now that you have a better understanding of what a salt lamp is, let's discuss their potential benefits. Besides the fact that they are stunning to look at, one of the reasons Himalayan salt lamps are so popular is their supposed homeopathic health benefits. Proponents of naturopathy – a faction of alternative medicine that believes in healing without drugs – claim that installing a salt lamp in your home can improve air quality, increase your energy, improve your mood, and even neutralize the electromagnetic radiation emanating from modern electronic devices. Check out the below sections for a more in-depth look at the potential benefits of incorporating salt lamps in the home:
Air-Cleansing Properties
So, what do salt lamps do that make them air-purifying? When the salt lamp naturally absorbs water molecules from the air, air pollutants such as dust and pollen are also absorbed and subsequently trapped in the salt crystal. The supposed filtration of these particles can help reduce air odor and may even relieve asthma and allergy symptoms.
Introduction of Negative Ions
It's also believed that salt lamps generate negative ions, which combat positive ions that are already in the atmosphere. Positive ions can reduce blood and oxygen flow to the brain, which can drain your energy, cause loss of sleep, concentration, and productivity, and can increase your chances of being in a bad mood. Those negative ions purportedly also neutralize electromagnetic radiation produced by radios, televisions, telephones, and other electronic devices.
Important Note:
While none of these purported benefits of salt lamps are scientifically supported, the Zen beauty of a Himalayan salt lamp can certainly serve as a calming element in any home. They can provide relaxing natural beauty to your decor, and the gentle light they produce is much easier on the eyes than the output of a standard lightbulb.
Whether you believe in the wellness properties of salt lamps or not, they make for excellent functional home decor. Himalayan salt lamps fit right in with eclectic- or bohemian-decor styles, but they can complement modern or minimal styles as well. Small, pretty, and portable, salt lamps can be situated almost anywhere in the home. Place a salt lamp in your home office as a gentle, decorative desk lamp or reading light or use it as a beautiful piece of shelf decor. Put one in your kids' bedroom – kids and teenagers love their fantastic crystalline look.
However you want to use it, a salt lamp is a gorgeous accent piece that is sure to light up your home.
Now that you know what a salt lamp is, get browsing.
