Hi all,
The Mad Herbalist here. Just running down another popular question we hear often at the booth.
You’ve probably seen magnesium in several forms: tablets, powders, bath flakes, sprays sometimes called “magnesium oil,” and increasingly, magnesium creams.
But what exactly is magnesium cream? And why would someone choose a cream instead of simply taking a magnesium supplement?
Let’s take a look.
First: what is magnesium?
Magnesium is an essential mineral your body needs for hundreds of biochemical processes. Among other things, it plays an important role in normal muscle and nerve function, energy production, bone health, and the movement of other electrolytes through our cells.
We get magnesium naturally through foods such as nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables. Magnesium is also available in oral supplements in several different forms.
So magnesium itself isn’t particularly mysterious. Topical magnesium is where things get more interesting.
What is magnesium cream?
Magnesium cream is simply a topical cream formulated with a magnesium salt which is often magnesium chloride.
If you’ve ever used magnesium spray, you already know one disadvantage of applying a concentrated magnesium solution directly to your skin…It can feel a little intense.
Magnesium chloride solutions can sting or tingle, particularly on freshly shaved, irritated, or dry skin. They also tend to leave behind that unmistakable salty feeling once the water evaporates. A cream gives you another way to use magnesium chloride topically.
Instead of spraying a watery magnesium solution onto your skin, the magnesium is incorporated into an emulsion along with oils, butters, water, and the other ingredients that make up the cream.
Now don’t be fooled by people on various social media apps who tell you that you can bind magnesium into a cream without an emulsifier and a proper antimicrobial preservative. Water and oil simply don’t mix on their own, and once water is involved, you also need to think about microbial growth.
Vitamin E is not a preservative. Essential oils are not reliable broad-spectrum preservatives either. A water-containing cream that isn’t properly emulsified and preserved will most definitely go off.
Preserve and emulsify: Even if you put it in the fridge, it will still go festive. And this is one party you don’t want to attend…
The result of good preparation is something you can massage into your hands, feet, legs, shoulders, back, or wherever else you want to use it. And, importantly, it feels like skincare rather than seawater. Something that lasts.
Why do people put magnesium cream on sore muscles?
This is where I put my Mad Herbalist hat down for a moment and put the Mad Scientist’s goggles on…
Magnesium absolutely matters to muscles. It is involved in normal muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve signaling, and a great many other processes in the body.
That does not, however, automatically prove that rubbing magnesium onto your skin delivers enough magnesium through the skin to produce those same systemic effects.
Research into “transdermal magnesium” is still limited, but we do believe it can be beneficial. Our clients repeatedly come back for more. Maybe this is because it just feels good, or maybe when the science catches up it will find something that helps explain why it is so good.
Why do people keep using magnesium creams?
Because a topical cream is pleasant and convenient to massage directly into areas that feel tired, tight, or overworked, and many people simply enjoy using it as part of their evening, post-work, or post-exercise routine.
Magnesium cream vs. magnesium oil
Despite the name, magnesium oil isn’t actually an oil. It is usually magnesium chloride dissolved in water. Concentrated magnesium chloride solution feels slightly slick on the skin, which is where the name comes from.
Magnesium cream takes that magnesium-containing water phase and combines it with an oil phase to create an emulsion.
That changes the experience quite a lot.
Magnesium oil is:
- watery
- quick to apply
- prone to leaving a salty residue
- more likely to produce noticeable stinging or tingling
Magnesium cream is:
- richer and more moisturising
- easy to massage into a particular area
- less messy
- useful when you want both magnesium chloride and an actual skin cream
Neither format magically changes what magnesium is. They are simply different ways of putting it on your skin.
Does magnesium cream tingle?
It certainly can.
That characteristic magnesium tingle is one reason some people abandon magnesium sprays almost immediately.
How noticeable it is varies tremendously from person to person and can also depend on the condition of your skin. Cuts, freshly shaved skin, irritation, and very dry or damaged skin can make a magnesium product feel substantially stronger.
If you are new to topical magnesium, try a small amount on an intact area of skin first.
How do you use magnesium cream?
It really doesn’t need to be complicated.
What we tell our clients is to use a small amount and massage it into the thin skin areas. Under your forearms, your stomach, and the thicker area of the soles of your feet. You can also use it as part of a massage directly where the muscles hurt.
People commonly reach for magnesium cream after a long day, after physical work, after exercise, or as part of a bedtime routine. Feet, calves, shoulders, hands, and legs are all convenient places to use it.
As with any topical product, avoid your eyes, broken skin, and areas where you already know you are particularly sensitive.
Why did we make a magnesium cream?
Because someone asked us to! And sometimes the most useful products aren’t revolutionary. Sometimes we just need to solve an annoying little problem and to do it well.
Magnesium chloride is easy enough to put in a spray bottle.
But a client wanted something that she could actually enjoy rubbing onto her skin: a proper cream that spreads easily, massages in well, conditions the skin, and lets magnesium chloride be part of the formulation without feeling as though she just walked out of the ocean and forgot to rinse off.
That became our Mad Scientist Goods Magnesium Cream.
It isn’t magic. It isn’t going to replace a nutritious diet, medical care, or treatment for an injury.
It’s simply a thoughtfully formulated topical magnesium cream for people who like having magnesium as part of their regular body-care routine.
And sometimes useful is exactly what you need.
Ultimately, we made it… Because people are worth it.
Want to try it for yourself? You can find our Mad Scientist Goods Magnesium Cream in many sizes and bases here.