Surprising New Ways to Use Salt

Skin Softener
Got winter-weary skin? Make this simple body scrub, courtesy of Miiamo, a destination spa in Sedona, Arizona. Blend 1/2 cup sea salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, and 4–5 drops of lavender oil. Apply with
smooth strokes and rinse.

Sinus remedy
Stuffy? Mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon noniodized salt, says Diane Heatley, MD, of the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Using a neti pot, pour the mixture into one nostril; it’ll flow out he other. Repeat on other side.

Stain Buster
To remove coffee-mug stains and shine dingy wooden cutting boards, sprinkle them with kosher salt (a natural abrasive) and scrub with a sponge, says Bruce Mattel, associate dean for culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America.

Drink Cooler
Mattel’s suggestion for chilling champagne in a flash: Place bottles in an ice bucket with a layer of ice at the base, followed by a layer of coarse or table salt. Repeat layers until full, then add cold
water. Salt speeds the drop in water temperature.