Salt Crystals - Recipe

Minerals are formed of tiny particles known as atoms. These atoms in most minerals have recurring pattern and follow a three-dimensional pattern. Due to this, a mineral has the ability to form in to a normal crystal with flat sides. Certain crystals have the ability to develop into cubes, while others develop into crystals with more than two sides. The latter is known as a prism.

Crystals can be easily grown at home using basic ingredients. Salt, sugar and alum crystals are often made at home. The basics for all of these materials remains same, where in you need to let the chemical dissolve in water and let the water evaporate or cool the solution which will automatically crystallize the substance.

Salt Crystal Information

Salt crystal have numerous modern-day uses and benefits. The most common use of salt is as a preservative. It is included in various beauty products and soaps as well. Salt is known to have excellent cleansing properties and hence is included in our diet and salt crystal lamps are produced to cleanse the air. In ancient times, salt crystals were also use to preserve dead bodies in tombs. Some civilizations are known to have been trading salts in ancient days.

Salt crystals are formed in ocean, lakes and gulf beds all across the world. It is also obtained through mining rock deposits in certain countries. The ones used in lamps and candle-holders are obtained from the Himalayan mountain ranges in India.

The mineral content in the salt crystal determines its color. That is the reason unrefined salt crystals can be of any color. But once they are refined, these crystals are broken down and are always white in color. They are classified depending upon the place where they are collected and process of refinement.

Salt Crystal Recipe Using Common Salt

• Pour 1 cup of water in a vessel and allow it to boil.
• After it has boiled, pour it into a glass container or jar.
• Add a teaspoon of salt to this jar of water. Stir it carefully and slowly, one teaspoon at a time. Avoid hurrying in this step.
• Keep repeating the above step till you notice the salt ceases to dissolve any further, but rather starts getting accumulated at the bottom of the jar.
• You can now select a color to give to the crystals. Add about two drops of food coloring of the desired color to the mixture.
• Take a pencil and around one of its ends tie a string. At the other end, attach a paper clip.
• Keep the pencil on the jar in such a manner that the paper clip touches the bottom of the jar, while the string hangs down from the top.
• Let the jar remain as it is at a place where no one will touch it.
• After 24 hours, check the jar and you will find cubical shaped crystals forming on the paper clip.

Salt Crystal Recipe Using Epsom Salt

• Boil 1 cup of water and pour it in an empty glass bowl. Keep adding one teaspoon of epsom salt at a time and stirring the mixture slowly. Do this till the salt dissolves no further and starts collecting at the bottom of the jar.
• Add a few drops of the food color of your choice which you would like to give the crystals on a couple of charcoal briquettes.
• Let these two charcoal briquettes remain at the bottom of the jar.
• Keep the glass bowl at a place where no one will disturb it.
• After 5 days, you will notice prism shaped crystals forming in the bowl.

You can improvise the recipes by substituting the paper clip with any other substance. Also, you can use rock salt instead of table salt. Remember to cover the glass jar or bowl with a paper towel to prevent any dust from entering into the crystals.

After learning how to make salt crystals using any of the salt crystal recipes form above, try it yourself at home. With its numerous cleansing and toxic removal properties, salt crystals will definitely purify the air in your house.