Salt Water Flush for Colon Cleansing
Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt
A Salt Water Flush is an effective tool to help keep your colon healthy and clean!! What’s even better is that it acts as a mop for your entire GI tract, sopping up everything from your mouth to your derrière! This is why I believe a Salt Water Flush is sometimes superior to enemas or colonics. Not to say that enemas or colonics are not effective methods for colon cleansing, it’s just that a Salt Water Flush can bring much needed relief that the other two cannot.
Enemas and colonics only remove waste from the colon. A Salt Water Flush on the other hand, removes waste, including gas, from the small intestine. Also, the high quality salt used in a Salt Water flush can act as a healing agent as it works to normalize the pH throughout your entire GI tract. A healthy intestinal pH reduces the amount of bad bacteria, pathogens, viruses, and fungi that create all kinds of digestive issues.
Salt Water Flushes can provide tremendous relief from digestive irritability, gas, bloating, cramping, etc. This is especially true when you do a Salt Water Flush regularly, or in scheduled sequences. Besides, it’s cheap, quick, and easy which makes it practical and doable for the average person.
Is a Salt Water Flush Routine Right for You?
- You would like to regularly cleanse your colon, but you’re on a budget.
- You have 1 bowel movement or less each day.
- You have never cleansed your colon before.
- You bloat after you eat.
- You are gassy.
- You have IBS symptoms.
- You have digestive issues.
- You have respiratory issues.
- You have allergies.
- You have a history of eating refined foods, meat, and dairy.
- You have health issues.
- You have skin problems, including acne, psoriasis, etc.
- You want to maintain optimal health.
**Note: Unfortunately, Salt Water Flushes are not right for everyone. Please make sure you refer to the bottom section of this post to determine if it is an appropriate method of colon cleansing for you.
How Does a Salt Flush Work?
A Salt Water Flush is a salt solution that you drink first thing in the morning. It requires a heaping dose of high quality, untreated salt in a large volume of water. The salt solution has the same specific gravity as your blood so your kidneys don’t have to process it, and it’s not absorbed into the blood. The solution simply makes its way through your GI tract causing a “tidal wave” effect, pushing everything along until it comes out the other end.
High Quality Salt
saltwater lagoon on the WA coast image by mjdundee
It is imperative that you use a high quality, natural sea salt such as Premier Pink Salt, Sun Fire Salt or a high quality Himalayan Salt from your local health food store. Highly heated, chemically treated table salt or other conventional salts should never be used in a Salt Water Flush. These types of salts are highly toxic and can be very damaging to your body.
Salt Water Flush Instructions
- First thing in the morning before food and drink.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the sea salt to 1 Quart of room-temperature, purified water.
- You can slightly warm the water to increase maximum results.
- Hold your nose if you like, and take it down.
- Try to drink the entire salt solution within a few minutes, then drink another quart of purified water within a half an hour.
- Do not eat for at least 2 hours and avoid coffee, tea, or anything that may be dehydrating. It is best just to drink water.
What Can I Expect?
Most people experience several bowel eliminations within 1 to 2 hours. You will need to visit the bathroom frequently, so plan accordingly. You are generally safe to leave the house within a few hours. If the last bowel movement was mainly clear fluid, this is an indication that you have completely flushed your GI tract. For some individuals this may not happen at first; they may have several eliminations but not a complete GI flush. This is okay. It may take a few Salt Water Flushes to accomplish this.
You Didn’t Flush- Is the Salt Flush Right for You?
Unfortunately, a small percentage of people will not flush. I’m not exactly sure why, but I speculate it may be a result of sodium deficiency, internal damage to the lining of the GI tract and/or lack of specific beneficial bacteria in both the small and large intestine. I have also found that individuals who tend to retain water (especially women close to their menstrual cycle) do not fair well with salt water flushing. They generally do not flush and retain the salt solution instead. This may cause uncomfortable bloating, water retention and mucho disappointment!
If you have a tendency to retain water, I would venture to guess that your Flush won’t be very successful. However, everyone’s different and you never know. I’ve had many consecutive flushes that went very well, and a few flushes that didn’t go anywhere!! Therefore, it’s worth a shot to give it a try–no major damage will occur if you retain water. For those of you that have tried numerous times to no avail, then a Salt Flush simply isn’t for you. I know this is frustrating, but there are other alternatives.
My recommendation for you is to zero in on your gut flora. What I’ve learned over the past few years is that if your gut flora is severely imbalanced you’re never going to poop well, and you’ll have persistent issues with digestion. The best resource I’ve found for healing all kinds of gut issues is Listen to Your Gut. Jeni is extremely knowledgeable and her books have helped me tremendously!
Salt Water Flush Routine
If you’ve determined that Salt Water Flushes are appropriate, you can take them as a scheduled routine to heal persisting digestive issues, skin issues, etc. A routine can be anywhere from a few times a week, to 7 days in a row, to weekly. The idea is to do it enough that the high quality salt has time to heal your GI tract.
If you have severe bowel deficiencies, you may want to do a Salt Water Flush once a day for one week. Then reduce the number of Salt Flushes each following week. This will promote rapid clearance of the GI tract, improve digestion, clear persistent skin issues and restore proper bowel function. Below is a recommended sequence:
- Salt Flush once a day for the first week.
- The second week, flush 3 times.
- Third week, flush 2 times.
- Fourth week, flush one time.
- Then once a week indefinitely.
Don’t fret over following this exact sequence. There is no real science behind Salt Water Flushing, other than that it has proved beneficial for purging the colon, and reducing symptoms of digestive irritability. Do as much as you can, and keep practicing!! You’ll receive benefits no matter what.
Are you excited about starting your first salt water flush? I would love to hear your thoughts! Or if you have any questions, please make a comment below. And as always, if you’d like updates with more info like this, please join me at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Here’s to happy flushing and a happy GI tract!
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About Me
Hiya! Glad you landed here. My name is Kim, and I am a yogi with a smoldering passion for nutrition and healthy living. This passion is so hot, that it’s literally the only thing I want to do, besides yoga, that is. I spend most of my days in spandex, and when I’m not on my mat or soaking up vitamin D at the beach, I’m either in the kitchen, behind my computer, or on the phone with clients—all so I can change lives one bite (or coffee enema) at a time.
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I like this article. I am going to try one day flushing. The only thing I need to know what to eat the day before flushing and when to start eating (and what) after flushing.
Thanks,
Gregory
Good question! I recommend you eat light the day before and avoid heavy foods such as meat and dairy. You can start eating the same day as you flush, generally an hour or two after you have completely flushed (stopped going to the bathroom). I recommend eating light for a few days after, again, avoiding animal protein and dairy. This will allow your GI tract to continue with the healing process.
Hi Kim: I have just begun the lemon detox diet, had my salt water flush first thing this morning , and am now on the lemon drinks! With the salt water flush, as I have to do this every morning, I am using Maldon salt, as this is all that is available to me. I was told this was fine, is it? Thank you. Emma
Hi Emma. Congratulations on starting your detox. Premier Pink Salt or Sun Fire Salt are the only sea salts I recommend. Both companies are very rigorous when it comes to testing for contaminants often found in sea salt. Do you have access to a Himalayan Salt? If not, using the Maldon Salt, should be okay as long as it’s not for a long period of time. Good luck!
I cannot get Premier Pink Salt or Sun Fire Salt :/
Buy it at Amazon, it is cheap and easy to get.
Natalia, which salt can you get on Amazon? Premier Pink Salt, Himalayan?
My questions is pertaining to the good bacteria in your colon. Does the salt water flush wash all of this good bacteria away? I don’t see why it wouldn’t. When would you being the process of taking probiotics to get the good bacteria back into your colon? This would get expensive, taking probiotics over and over again just to have it washed away every time you cleansed your colon! Please explain
THANK YOU !!!
When it comes to any type of colon cleansing, there is a risk of losing some beneficial flora. However, having a congested colon and/or constipation causes the bad bacteria to breed and outnumber the good. I’ll take a cleaner colon over a congested colon any day. Good news is that over time, cleansing the colon creates an environment for healthy flora to breed. Eventually you will not have to do as much cleansing, just maintenance.
When it comes to taking probiotics, I recommend to take them regularly. We have many things in our environment that deplete healthy flora, chlorinated water is one of them. If probiotics are too expensive, eating fermented foods regularly will help to balance the beneficial flora.
I hope I’ve helped clarify!
Hey! so I actually just did my first salt water cleanse this morning about ten minutes ago. It was hard to get down especially first thing in the morning and the thing with salt is even if you block your nose you can still taste it, HOWEVER it does get easier as you drink it
. I have started a 20 day body cleanse, no junk food, no smoking, and NO COFFEE. I know I will feel awful but I am looking forward to the results 
.
Congratulations on your first salt flush Celestina. They do get easier with time. You may feel awful in the beginning of the cleanse, but if you stick with it you should feel pretty fantastic after the half way mark. Good luck with everything, and keep me posted on your results, especially with the salt flushes.
how much salt should I use per day?
Hi Pauline. Good question. In between 1-2 tsp. is a good amount. Adding high quality salt to your food is an option too. Just don’t cook with it. The heat destroys its beneficial nutrients.
Is there something wrong if there is no bowel movement following the drinking of the water with 2tsp salt?
Hi Rita. Technically there is nothing “wrong” if you don’t flush the first time. For starters, 2 tsp. of salt generally isn’t enough to get most people flushing. This is why I recommend 1 tbsp. of salt. Most likely you are sodium deficient, and your body retained the salt. That’s okay. Sometimes it takes individuals a few tries before they flush. I recommend adding high quality, untreated salt (Himalayan) to your drinking water and food (after it’s been cooked). After a few weeks, your sodium reserves should be increased, and flushing will be easier.
Hi! I am really interested in trying a salt cleanse, I have been researching it for a while. My main reason is to try to aleviate some of the product which I am sure is in there due to an unhealthy lifestyle from this last little while, but I also have psoriasis and wonder if you have any further info on how this can help – I understand that it will hopefully make me all round healthier and hopefully help my immune system, but how often would I do the cleanse to see psoriasis benefits? Thanks in advance!
Nikki, one of the first steps to healing psoriasis is to cleanse the colon. Regular Salt Flushes will certainly do that. I recommend you scroll to the bottom of this post and follow the “Salt Water Flush Routine.” The second thing I recommend is removing allergens from your diet: Gluten, sugar and dairy are at the top!! if you stay consistent you should begin to see results very quickly!!
I have done the salt water flush three times this week. The first two times were good, today not as much. Also over the week I have gained 5 pounds and feel very bloated. Is this normal? Will it go away? I am currently trying to lose weight and the added pounds have made me very upset and cranky.
Hi Jessica. Yes, this can happen from time to time, especially if you’re sodium deficient. My recommendation is to back off the salt flushes, and add a high quality Himalayan salt to your drinking water and food (don’t cook with it) for a couple of weeks. Then try a salt flush again. Also, it appears you were doing the flushes during the full moon. Our bodies tend to retain water during this time. You may want to avoid salt flushes right before and during the full moon phase.
Hi Kim, I just started my cleanse today about 3 hours ago and I have had to go to the washroom about 5 times now.. Is this normal? Also what food can I eat since I have not eaten since morning..
Glad to see you doing the flush Jewel. Yep, you should be spending quite a bit of time in the bathroom a few hours after you take the drink. I recommend to not eat until you have completely flushed. I’d stick to simple, clean foods for a few days. Skip meat, dairy, sugar and refined foods as they will quickly clog you up.
do you have to do the flush in the morning?
Yes, Renee. The flush must be done when the intestines are empty, otherwise it will not work.
Kim, thanks for this informative post. Yours is the only one I have yet found that explained I may not flush right away. It’s a good thing you did, as I am just beginning to flush now on the third day. I have had severe constipation with the anti-candida diet for the past few months and know toxins have been building. As I’ve been nursing a baby, I’ve held off on big detox methods, but now that the baby is almost done and I was really getting concerned about my intestines, this is the route I’ve taken. Planning to do seven days in a row unless you suggest otherwise
I also had my daughter (3 yrs old) take a pint with 1/5 tsp. salt. It worked on her right away. That was two days ago and she has not defecated since. Do you discourage using this method with such little children? We are generally a gluten free and refined-foods/sugar free family, but use raw milk kefir regularly. My daughter has had chronic constipation since she was 100% breastfed! I think she also struggles a little with candida from me.
Hi Theresa! I most definitely think you should continue the salt flush for seven days, especially since you’ve had chronic constipation. Afterwards, continue with the recommended schedule listed in this post. You may also want to try adding coffee enemas to your routine (1-2 weeks) http://www.yogitrition.com/coffee-enema/. As far as your daughter, I think it is fine to give her the flush every few days if she’s constipated, and it’s most likely true that she’s dealing with candida issues as well. I would take her off the kefir for a week or so to see if that may be contributing. Although, the dairy is fermented she may not have efficient enzyme production to break down the milk protein.
I recommend you check out these 2 supplements from Enzymedica, both for you and your daughter. These 2 enzymes are very effective in managing candida overgrowth, and help the bowels to move.
http://www.enzymedica.com/store/Candidase
http://www.enzymedica.com/store/ViraStop?filter_name=virastop
I would give your daughter half the dosage recommended for both of these products.
Good luck!!
I want to start this cleanse tomorrow and my questions are, when I start in the morning and go 2 or 3 times will that be enough to then go ahead and eat some vegetables or fruit? Or are we supposed to fast and just dring the water? Also after the colon cleanse I will be starting a 3 day lemon detox along with the colon cleanse. Does,this all sound ok to do?
Cassandra, I suggest you wait until a few hours after the flush drink before you eat anything. You still may be flushing at this time, but it will be okay to eat something light. If you’re referring to the master cleanse, a salt flush is recommended in conjunction, so yes I would say it would be okay.
i have high blood pressure will it bloat me
Tonya, the salt flush may initially cause you to bloat if you do not use high quality, untreated Himalayan Salt or Pink Sea Salt. If this is the case, I recommend adding 1-2 tsp. daily to your water and food (after cooking). After a few weeks, you can try the salt flush.
i have a question. im a college student and lately iv been having abdominal pains and rectum pains. i know for a fact its because of fast foods and little to no bowel moments. ever. i have even came to the conclusion that i might have IBS
. i was suffering the web, and found out about the rapid salt treatment. will this aid me in regular digestive movements? and be a good source to help me start a healthy diet? also which salt do i use? Himalayan pink salt? or preimer pink salt?
thank you kim!
-Adihs
Adihs, the Salt Flushing will certainly help to restore your colon for healthy bowel movements. However, a change in diet is a must. I also recommend using high quality digestive enzymes with each meal. The Himalayan or Premier Pink Salt are both awesome sources of high quality salt!
Completed my first salt water flush this morning and I am very happy! After reading extensively on the subject for a while now, I finally took the plunge! I was really nervous that I would do it and not eliminate; however after about 20 minutes I began to feel myself wanting to go! Thank you for all your guidance on this site- it is my favourite yet!
Fantastic Sarah!
Hi Kim I did my first flush yesterday and after two hours i had my first bowel movement but for some reason I wound up vacating my bowels for five hours! Eek! I’m using high quality pink himalayan salt, didn’t eat anything during this time, just drank lemon water after the first movement occurred. Do you have any idea why my eliminations lasted so long? Do you think this will happen again today? Five hours is a long time to hang around a toilet!
Cheers!
Flynn, it’s hard to tell how long it will take to completely eliminate after the Flush drink. I do know that the more frequently you do them, the less time it begins to take to completely eliminate.
I did a flush this morning but only moved things a little bit…. there was gurgling but in the end I only went twice and there was not watery substace maybe just a bit loose… is it ok for me to reflush in the same day as long as I havent eaten?
I wouldn’t flush again the same day. Chances are, you’d just retain more of the enema. Did you use 1 T of salt? Sometimes people do not use enough.
Hi Kim. I am planning to start a 5 day salt water flush starting tomorrow morning. I am familiar with flushing because I used to do the Master Cleanse and the was part of the routine. However, I used regular sea salt and it did the job. I’m not familiar with the salts you are referring to. Where can these be found besides online? Also, I’m scheduled to have a colonic 7 days from now, should I do the salt water flushes now, or wait until after the colonic? Will it be too much on my system to do both? I’m extremely constipated and bloating after everything I eat, so I feel the urgency to do something now. What are your suggestions?
Hi Denita! The salts I recommend have a link that take you directly to the website where you can purchase them. If you are going to have a colonic soon, I wouldn’t do 5 salt flushes prior to that. I recommend 1-2, because you don’t want to irritate your colon. In conjunction with the colon cleansing you may want to get to the root of the bloating and constipation by supplementing with high quality probiotics. This is an excellent website that teaches you about using the correct probiotics to heal intestinal issues. http://www.listentoyourgut.com/ The brand of probiotics recommended are Natren, found here: http://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/health-supplements/?sort=alphaasc&page=4.
I love this site and think it’s an extremely valuable tool for those with chronic intestinal issues!!
What are appropriate foods to eat after the flush. I started the flush this morning and so far have only consumed the flush and a second quart of regular water. I will have to eat something later and I’m wondering what you might suggest?
Gina, I would keep it light for the rest of the day and avoid heavy proteins. Eat steamed veggies, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
I am going to begin flushing tmw morning to deal with my first psoriasis episode in nearly a decade. It is just starting so I hope to nip it in the bud. Do you have any other suggestions on how to get this under control? I am also shifting to an alkaline diet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Lat time it was a 5-month painful battle. Thank you.
Angela, the root cause of psoriasis as well as many other skin conditions, is a severe imbalance of beneficial flora in the gut. I have found that therapeutic doses using the correct probiotics can permanently cure the psoriasis. I recommend following recommendations from Listen to Your Gut http://www.listentoyourgut.com/. In my experience, this is the most effective approach to take.
Will any sea salt work for the sea salt flush I have San Francisco Bay
Does not supply iodide
It’s says derived from Pacific Ocean waters
Yes Pam, that salt will work– however, it’s not the highest quality sea salt (as most of them are contaminated). Eventually I recommend you find a source of Himalayan Sea Salt or a high quality Pink Salt. I have the link to my two favorite salts in this post.
Thank you Kim
Have a blessed day
Hello,
I’ve been reading up on Salt Water Flushes, and this website seems to be the most informative, which I really appreciate! I have always had intestinal troubles, and I’m sick of depending on laxatives to have bowel movements. I want to get started with the Salt Water Flush Routine ASAP, but I am wary about one thing – I go to yoga at 5:30a most mornings. I definitely don’t want to wake up at 3 to do my salt water flush, but is it okay to do the flush after yoga if I still haven’t consumed any food/drink since the night before?
Thank you!
Shelby, although I’ve never waited too long after waking to do the flush, I can’t tell you if it will work. I say definitely try it as long as you eat no food. Drink plenty of water, however.
Help! I’m super healthy, have a good level of sodium in my diet, and I tried to do a SWF this morning with pink salt. My stomach gurgled and swelled up then – NOTHING! After a couple of hours I was like, this is ridiculous, so did another with more salt. Again – gurgling but nothing! My pee is practically clear so hopefully my kidneys are OK, but for real?! I’m so disappointed, what should I do?
Charlotte, this is very common for some people the first time they flush. I know it’s frustrating, but don’t be alarmed. Like I stated in the post, if you have a lot of toxicity and/or any damage to the gut lining, you may not flush right away. Water retention arises to accelerate removing toxins from tissue. When a body with stored toxins registers the availability of high quality sodium and water, it will retain both. The water is held in contact with tissue to leech out toxins. When the water saturates, toxins begin to precipitate out and the water will be expelled. Also, what kind of salt and water did you use? This may be a factor. Another thing I have found with women, is that if they flush near the time their period starts, they will retain the salt solution.
Hi
I have been on the master cleanse detox for 6 days. How come the SWF causes me bloating in my stomach. No where else. I am trying to heal an ulce and major digestive issues including IBS. I am down 5 pounds but still feel really bloated.
Lori, I’m not sure why your stomach is bloating. It may be that the salt is irritating the ulcer, or healing it. If it persists or becomes too uncomfortable, you may want to try a different method for cleansing the colon. Coffee enemas may help. http://www.yogitrition.com/coffee-enema/
Hello!
I am in the process of salt water flushing.
I couldnt finish more than 3 big mugs of salt water before wanting to hurl. I had 2 big glasses of plain water after that, I sucked on a lemon to kill the salt taste but still felt extremely queezy so i allowed myself to have a small mango- i used normal sea salt that came in my herb and spice kit and purified water. I have been to the bathroom many times now and think i have almost flushed all the water out. My goodness it’s amazing how the body works
Chantell, I feel you on that one. For the longest time, the salt water was very difficult for me to get down. I find it’s easiest to hold my nose and swig it down. Glad you had a successful flush.