Menopausal mood swings? Magnesium is the new wonder supplement for women

Magnesium is the new wonder supplement for women, with devotees claiming that popping it in a daily pill improves everything from sleep to anxiety and even migraines and menopausal mood swings.

Increasingly, you’ll find it in beauty products too. Magnesium sulphate flakes – better known as Epsom salts – have been used to create relaxing baths that soothe aches and pains for years. Now, in addition to bath salts, you can buy everything from massage bars to body sprays packed with the stuff.

So what’s so great about it? ‘Magnesium is involved in more than 300 biochemical processes in the body,’ says registered nutritionist and certified health coach Natalie Burrows (integralwellness.co.uk).

‘Most of us don’t get enough from our diet [it’s found in leafy greens, dark chocolate, avocados] so getting it in another way makes sense.

‘I, and many of my clients, feel the benefit — better sleep, relief from muscle pain and period pain — from using topical products that contain magnesium.’

Magnesium is the new wonder supplement for women, with devotees claiming that popping it in a daily pill improves everything from sleep to anxiety and even migraines and menopausal mood swings

Just one word of warning, if you have low blood pressure, or you’re on blood pressure medication, you might want to check with your doctor before slathering on magnesium as it is known to have an impact on blood pressure.

But if you’re keen to give it a go, we’ve road tested some of the products promising to give you the magic of magnesium…

The softening scrub

Ren Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Salt Anti-Fatigue Exfoliating Body Scrub, £34, renskincare.com

While not as heavily scented as some of the other products, this combination of salt, Epsom salts and various oils is designed to be applied to dry skin and showered off.

I’m not sure how much magnesium I got from it as you wash it all off, but the gritty scrub did a very good exfoliating job, while the oils that remained on my skin left it soft and supple. 4/5

The stress-easing spritz

The Nue Co Magnesium Ease, £20, thenueco.com

With lavender and arnica oil as well as 15mg of magnesium in every spritz, this body spray promised to help me unwind and ease stress.

I liked the spray delivery, although it’s quite watery, which means it doesn’t have the same sensory feel as a cream and isn’t as easy to apply, but there’s no denying that the night I used it before bed, I had an excellent night’s sleep! 4/5

The boosting body butter

Neom Great Day Magnesium Body Butter, £36, neomorganics.com

With wild mint and mandarin, this zingily fragranced body butter certainly pepped me up in the morning.

I followed the instructions to use the equivalent of one heaped tablespoon and to accompany it with some mindful breathing — in for seven, out for 11.

The rich cream was absorbed quickly, leaving my skin soft, and the combination of the scent and the breathing started my day in a far more civilised way than usual. My pick of the bunch. 5/5

The on-the-spot relief gel

BetterYou Magnesium Body Gel, £12.95, betteryou.com

This no-frills, unscented gel is designed to be used directly on joints and muscles to help support relaxation. (The company also does a range of scented products, including magnesium bath flakes, lotions and sprays with different essential oils to help you relax, revive or sleep.)

The gel definitely felt more medicinal than some of the other products I tried, and people with restless legs swear by it. However, I found — as others have — that it left my skin too itchy or tingly to be comfortable, which the manufacturer says is a sign of magnesium deficiency. In future I might try the spray specially formulated for sensitive skins. 2/5

The pre-exercise massage bar

Lush Before Magnesium Massage Bar, £10, lush.com

Lush has three magnesium massage bars designed for use before and after exercise, and to aid sleep. I tried the one that’s meant to be used as part of a pre-activity warm-up before doing a spin session.

I like the idea of a bar rather than an oil and it melted nicely onto my skin, even if the knobbly bits of the bar that gave good massage soon melted away.

But I didn’t love feeling greasy before a workout and I’d have liked it to have had a warming effect on my leg muscles. I don’t think it made my workout any easier either, but maybe that was asking too much! 3/5

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