Frequently Asked Questions

Why we need magnesium, and product benefits and recommendations.

MAGNESIUM for optimal health and wellness.

PRODUCTS

Magnesium Creams (4 kinds, same magnesium content): Rich and skin conditioning. Ideal for daily use as an anti-ageing moisturiser and magnesium supplement combined, and is gentle enough for children (150mg per teaspoon).  Babies and those with hypersensitive skin conditions can useBaby Calm Balm(Light – 50mg per teaspoon).Magnesium Charge Lotion: Less fats than Magnesium Cream (but double the magnesium at 300mg per teaspoon). Very emollient and ideal for athletes, active people, or anyone needing quick muscle relaxation and recovery. Massage in before and after exercise. Also works well as a natural deodorant. Magnesium Oil Spritz: Perfect for targeted high‑strength magnesium application to stubborn tight areas, or simply to add extra magnesium when you need a higher dose. Can be massaged on chest and upper body to calm the heart if under stress, or feet and legs to calm spasms. It blends well on top of your application of Magnesium Cream or Charge Lotion, which are recommended first to lubricate in the case of dry skin conditions. This is a good one to loosen up the really stuck places via massage. Magnesium Flakes: Bath or foot soak to help the body detox via skin and also absorb magnesium. Very calming and promotes better sleep. Our magnesium flakes are certified food grade and lab tested to 10 parts-per-billion to ensure they are free from lead or mercury. You can even use a pinch of flakes per litre of your filtered drinking water to create your own natural spring water. Tastes great and makes the water more hydrating. Magnesium Drops for Drinking Water: Offers a convenient liquid magnesium concentrate 100mL bottle to dispense exactly the amount of drops you need for your perfect drinking water to mimic a natural spring in the mountains.
Bonus tip – Get it in deeper and faster: Combine application of products with a massage and added heat (infrared, hot water bottle, heat pack etc) to increase absorption into muscles and deeper tissues.

Accordion content

1. You need sufficient stomach acid to be able to digest lab-made tablet compounds and extract the magnesium ions. Tablets contain various fillers, binders, colourings and preservatives which can inhibit digestion.
2.  High concentrations of magnesium do not easily cross the gut wall. Optimal gut absorption is at lower concentrations such as what would be in natural mineral water and foods.
3.  Magnesium at higher concentrations in the gut attracts water, leading to loose stool and fast excretion of magnesium. When magnesium is combined with amino acids (chelated), it may be easier on the bowel due to slower transit, but it doesn't necessarily mean that all the magnesium fully transits across the gut wall to the interior so it can be taken up by tissue cells. Even the best digestive systems can't get more than 50% uptake of the magnesium in the best forms of chelated magnesium compound. At the lowest end of the spectrum is magnesium oxide, with only 4% bioavailability because it is so insoluble in water and unable to transit into cells.
5. The best use of oral magnesium tablets and powders is to treat constipation (not cramps, muscle or inflammation issues). However, that means only a very small amount makes it through to the muscles and bones of the body.
6. Magnesium chloride salt, once dissolved, is already in the right form for cellular uptake without further digestion. That’s why you can soak it up in a magnesium bath or rub it into skin via Magnesium Cream,Lotion or Oil Spritz. The skin acts as a massive reservoir able to store magnesium ions for later use by the body. This way nothing is wasted by the digestive system. It’s also an anti-ageing mineral for the skin.

Both Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) and magnesium chloride flakes are forms of magnesium salt and dissolve in water. Epsom salts have about 9% elemental magnesium, whereas magnesium chloride hexahydrate (dehydrated from salt brine), has 12-16% elemental magnesium depending on the geographical source of the magnesium salt water and how much it is processed. There will also be 1-2% mixture of other trace minerals which occur naturally in the salt water brine. There are three categories of magnesium chloride: industrial (for agriculture, making metal, and swimming pools), food grade (for oral consumption and food preparation) and pharmaceutical (for medicines). The sulphate in Epsom salts can be irritating on endothelial and mucosal linings, whereas magnesium chloride solution is gentler. More information in this article…

The concentration of calcium and sulphate ions is much lower in food grade compared to industrial grade.
Food grade is put through several mechanical filtration processes, but industrial grade doesn’t have the same quality processing controls.
Industrial grade often contains toxic metal contaminants like lead and mercury, or high levels of arsenic. These contaminants can pollute the salts if they are mined, or if the salt water source was exposed to agricultural, mining, sewage or industrial waste streams in the environment. Waste salts from desalination plants also produce
industrial grade magnesium chloride. Food grade magnesium chloride should not contain mercury nor lead.

Industrial grade is used mainly for agricultural fertilizers, processing magnesium metals, swimming pool salt, de-icing of roads and removal of dust from the air in mining environments.

Food grade is used mainly by tofu manufacturers and by pharmaceutical companies who further refine the salt to remove all other trace minerals, and make pharmaceutical grade for intravenous use.

We are an Australian family owned company.  Our magnesium products are all manufactured in Australia, except we get the raw material food grade certified magnesium chloride salt from the Tibetan Plateau, a pristine salt water lake 3,000m above sea level, because Australia does not produce food grade certified magnesium chloride. 
We would get magnesium chloride from Australia if we could.
The reason we import magnesium chloride salt is that we must have it food grade certified. Australia does not produce food grade certified magnesium chloride.  It only produces industrial grade because the source salt water is mostly from desert lakes (which can have agricultural runoff or mining contamination), from desalination plant waste salts, or from river dredging operations.  Only 15% of the world’s magnesium chloride production is certified food grade, and it usually comes from open salt water lakes thousands of metres high in pristine mountainous regions.  We also lab test our imported salts in Australia at 10ppb to make sure there is no mercury nor lead contamination (as is common in industrial grades).

DIET AND ORAL TABLETS-POWDERS:  You can’t get too much magnesium from natural foods and spring waters because the gut wall is not able to have high concentrations pass through to the interior. High concentrations are expelled quickly by the digestive system because magnesium attracts water, and this can lead to runny stool (diarrhea). In this way oral supplements only make it through the gut wall in small quantity, and most is wasted.
TOPICAL (VIA SKIN): The skin offers another way to absorb magnesium, and it can cope with higher concentrations compared to the gut lining. Use as much natural magnesium chloride via skin as you like without fear of overdose, as the body absorbs from the epidermis only what it needs at any one time. The epidermis in this way acts as a reservoir for nutrients and is able to take up more magnesium better if sufficient lipids (fats) are available. In dry skin conditions there is more limited (or slower) access. It helps to have a well lubricated and conditioned skin which can be done easily with Magnesium Cream and Magnesium Lotion. Studies re Transdermal Magnesium here…

Magnesium via skin is highly recommended for pregnant women because magnesium needs are always much higher during pregnancy, and skin absorption is very gentle. The body is in control of uptake and can well manage its magnesium homeostasis this way.  It’s also an excellent way to help skin resilience, collagen structure and elastin production for flexibility and recovery from stretching!  Here is an article with a case study to explain more:  https://www.elektramagnesium.com.au/important-mineral-pregnant-breastfeeding/

We recognised the need for a product that would be used daily as functional skin care as well as magnesium nutrition. It's not a medicine that is used only occasionally, and then left in the cupboard like aspirin. Magnesium Cream is a food your body can absorb via skin, thereby avoiding any issues with digestion.
There are no toxic chemicals, but only natural and organic food nutrients. Pure magnesium oil at strong concentration leaves a sticky, itchy and uncomfortable residue on the skin. This is because the skin needs fats for optimal absorption, but magnesium oil is water-based. The equisite blend of quality plant butters and extracts are the key to optimal magnesium absorption via skin using Elektra Magnesium Cream.
People with sensitive skin complain about a stinging sensation when applying pure magnesium oil directly. We’ve worked our magic and designed products that are effective and provide a great feel and aroma due to our proprietary formulas which enhance absorption and protect the skin barrier with conditioning and antiageing benefits.
Magnesium Creams come in four varieties with different aromas and textures and provide 150mg of magnesium per teaspoon of ccream. Great for face and body as skin care, as well as for relaxing muscle massage. The Baby Calm Balm is designed to be ultra light with 50mg of magnesium per teaspoon, and can be used for very sensitive skin conditions, for face and for baby's relaxation massage.

Yes, indeed they can. Magnesium Cream conditions, hydrates and protects the skin barrier with nutritious plant butters, extracts and oils. Magnesium attracts moisture, and also helps to keep the collagen, elastin and muscles of the face in good condition, via gentle massage to promote blood circulation and delivery of nutrients to cells for regeneration. Use gentle circular movements for the face, neck and décolletage. More information about the different Magnesium Creams is here

Elektra Magnesium Oil Spritz is a formula containing high concentration (60%) food grade magnesium chloride hexahydrate (natural magnesium salt) together with a synergistic blend of plant extracts and lipids to enhance skin absorption and comfort.  It glides on smoothly and absorbs well. Every six sprays delivers 300mg of elemental magnesium.
Pure magnesium oils on the market are usually made from industrial grade magnesium chloride, which can feel sharper and more bitey, or they may sacrifice strength via dilution in order to avoid skin irritation, but then don't deliver sufficient amounts of magnesium.
In any case, without the help of lipids, the magnesium takes longer to aborb, leaving the skin with a sticky residue, which people often rinse off before they can absorb the full benefit of the magnesium. If this residue is left frequently for long periods of time on areas of the body like soles of the feet, the salt can cause skin peeling.

When you do skin brushing you take off the outside dead skin cells and any excreted waste products.  It can also remove some protective oils, leaving your skin barrier more sensitive. 
After sauna, excessive perspiration, hot bath or skin brushing, the effect on the skin barrier is similar, being less protected.  If you put a high concentration magnesium oil on sensitive skin it can feel prickly.  This is because the fats act like an insulator of the sensory nerves.
When you have removed some of that protective barrier via sauna, bathing, perspiration, skin brushing, shaving, etc, you need to put the protection back.  Magnesium Cream is recommended to restock the skin barrier with natural fats, as well as the magnesium chloride salts, which are then much more tolerable.
You can also combine our products.  For example, lubricate and protect the skin barrier by massaging in Magnesium Cream first.  Then you can add some extra sprays of Magnesium Oil Spritz where you need higher concentrations – such as high wearing (friction) joint areas and exercised muscles.
Magnesium remains inside the skin barrier wrapped up with the fat molecules protecting the skin barrier from moisture loss.  From that reservoir the body absorbs magnesium ions as needed.  So, using the Magnesium Cream gives you a more sustained release over time due to the capacity of the fats to store magnesium in the skin barrier. 
Magnesium Oil Spritzprovides a high intensity application fast (via massage) to target a particular location that needs release and relaxation.
To store more inside the skin for sustained release and uptake by the body over time, you need the help of fats, which are also insulating and make the application of magnesium salts more pleasant.
The combination of natural plant oils and butters together with magnesium provides premium skin care benefits, including softening of fines lines and wrinkles and a more youthful appearance.

PURE ESSENTIAL OILS CONTENT MAGNESIUM CREAMS:  The total amount of essential oil content used in Magnesium Cream for fragrance (not therapeutic concentration) are not more than: 0.3 of one percent (Zest-Citrus); 0.35 (Sensory Gold); 0.4 (Island Spice);  0.6 (Herbal).

The strong alcohols of major concern to skin health and that dry out the skin are as follows: “alcohol includes, but is not limited to, ethyl alcohol (ethanol), isopropyl alcohol and alcohol denat.” (Definition and regulation of alcohols in cosmetics: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L01469 )
All skin care creams will have some types of weak alcohols for emulsification and binding of all the ingredients. These are called “fatty alcohols”.  However these are very mild and do not have any adverse effects on skin health. The ones we use are very beneficial to the whole skin care product. For example:
Cetyl alcoholhttps://thedermreview.com/cetyl-alcohol/Ceteryl alcohol:  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cetearyl-alcohol

YES you can.  Elektra Magnesium products have been used for years after the Best Before date with the same efficacy if unopened and stored appropriately. 
EXPIRY, USE-BY AND BEST-BEFORE DATE SYSTEM IN AUSTRALIA TARGETS MAINLY FOOD STANDARDS.
1)  With foods that have ‘expiry’ or ‘use by’ dates,  you can’t sell it after this date because the risk is that the spoiled food can make people sick.
2) When it comes to skin care products it’s a more arbitrary system whereby manufacturers just apply as common practice a ‘best before’ date 3 years from manufacture, without individual product testing to work out exactly what the shelf life is of that product.
3)  It is not illegal to sell products after the ‘best before’ date:  https://lawpath.com.au/blog/whats-the-difference-between-an-expiry-date-and-a-best-before-date
4)  Some products, like salt products or tinned products that have a much longer established shelf life do not need a best before or expiry date at all, but just the batch to identify the date of production.
5)  Elektra Magnesium products have been used for years after the Best Before date with the same efficacy if unopened and stored appropriately.  There may be a difference in fragrance as the essential oils weaken over time.
6)  Sometimes we may have products at discount that are after the Best Before dates, or they mabe be used in promotions and gift giveaways, however they can still be sold by retailers and clinicians, and used by people long after the best before date. After three years the essential oil fragrance may dissipate somewhat, but the magnesum maintains effectiveness

Elektra Magnesium products used certified Fair Trade shea butter.

All Elektra Magnesium tubes are fully recyclable LDPE plastic.  The new 150g and 15g tubes made from 2022 onwards also contain 30% recycled plastic as part of the Circular Economy. The jars are made of fully recyclable PET food grade plastic and can be re-used as storage jars. The Magnesium Oil bottles (180mL and 1L) are recyclable PET food grade plastic, and the one litre REFILL bottles are designed for saving both money and environment, as you can refill your 180mL sprayer bottles instead of throwing them out. See Elektra Magnesium Cream JARS and One Litre Elektra Magnesium Oil Spritz REFILL bottle
Magnesium Flakes ziplock bags, and Charge Lotion 2L refill bags must have a laminate wall in order to be fully waterproof and air tight so the packaging can protect the product. They are therefore not recyclable.

“Whilst Elektra Magnesium is not a significant user of either palm oil or palm oil derivatives, we recognise the concerns regarding the ecological impacts of palm oil production. The issue has been raised that rainforest habitats of endangered wildlife, including orangutans, are being cleared to accommodate for new oil palm plantations. The geographical areas of particular concern are Borneo and Sumatra in South East Asia. Therefore we only source suppliers who procure palm oil from outside Borneo or Sumatra using well-established plantations, many of which would have been converted from existing rubber plantations over two decades ago. As such, there are no implications of present or planned rainforest destruction in these areas. We ensure our suppliers are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a not-for-profit global association formally established under Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code. By taking a multi-stakeholder approach, the Round table provides a unique forum for the pragmatic co-operation, consideration and promotion of sustainable production and use of palm oil.”

Elektra Magnesium Oil Spritz is more than just straight magnesium oil. It is a unique skin-friendly formula with plant extracts to improve absorption, and to provide a pleasant essential oil aroma to enhance your experience. Because it absorbs more easily than straight magnesium oil you can't properly compare it for potency purely based on magnesium concentration. The presence of the other plant ingredients means you can get more out of your magnesium because the magnesium is leveraged:
Mg Oil Spritz – elemental magnesium content
Per 180mL bottle = 98mg/mL elemental Mg (9,800 per 100mL)
Average 50mg per spray = 6 sprays approx. 300mg (ie. 3mL)
Therefore, 180mL @ 3mL per day = 2 months worth approx, or at twice the rate per day (ie. 600mg a day), 1 month worth.

Why we need magnesium

There are many elements that can block magnesium.  Fluoride, glyphosate and other pesticides, oxalates and toxic metals like lead and mercury can all block the activity of magnesium by binding with it. 
So it’s important to try to avoid any sources that may have these elements (like tap water without proper filtration, or products made using tap water, or other processed foods). 
Calcium supplements also bind up magnesium, as they are antagonists to magnesium, and we are exposed to a lot of calcium in foods too.  We don’t generally lose calcium via stress the same way or amount that we lose the magnesium, so it’s easy to get that Ca:Mg ratio out of balance with too much calcium.

Several studies have confirmed that magnesium is excessively lost under stress, and that we need a greater amount for recovery.  To make matters worse, low magnesium makes us more sensitive to stress, less resilient, and more likely to have heart arrhythmia, metabolic syndrome (sugar sensitivity), inflammatory issues and hypercalcemia (ie. excessive calcium deposits which cause stiffening of soft tissue and joints).

  • Cramps and Restless Legs
  • Skin Problems: Acne / Dermatitis / Eczema/ Psoriasis
  • Constipation / Leaky Gut / Digestive Issues
  • Chronic Fatigue & Brain Fog
  • Irritability / Headaches
  • Inflammation / Pain
  • PMT / Hormone Issues
  • Endometriosis
  • Anxiety / Depression / Stress Sensitivity
  • Disturbed Sleep
  • Metabolic Syndrome & Diabetes
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Electrolyte Imbalance / Dehydration at Cellular Level
  • Heart Arrhythmia
  • Hypertension / Heart Disease
  • Stiff joints / Arthritis / Osteoporosis
  • Auto Immune Disorders / Allergies
  • Acidosis / Candida Overgrowth / Cancer
  • Cell Toxicity and Immune Suppression
    SEE VIDEO: Magnesium Deficiency

Children need a lot of magnesium to support growth, development and healthy bones. If they have magnesium deficiency they can suffer more from growing pains, sleep problems, anxiety and restlessness such as in ADHD symptoms, as well as allergies and weaker immune system or gut microbiome imbalance.

A person with diabetes needs very high amounts of magnesium for replenishment.  Dr Mildred Seelig, the scientist who wrote The Magnesium Factor and did many studies in the nineties, found that chronic magnesium deficiency over time actually leads to diabetes.  The reason is that magnesium is essential for mitochondria to make ATP – our electrical energy currency. As magnesium reserves drop lower, the production of energy by mitochondria slows down and the cell membrane becomes more resistant to insulin because the cell doesn’t want more metabolism which produces more waste products that it can’t get rid off due to drop in electrical energy. The resulting low oxygen environment then makes the mitochondria switch to anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism – because it’s better than nothing at all. This causes sugar sensitivity, driving more acidosis and associated less oxygen capacity.  It also means we don’t get the energy value from all the carbohydrates consumed, which get stored as extra fat around the middle, and still not enough energy (ie. excessive fatigue). We get hungrier for more carbs, but can’t use them enough.  However, as cell reservoirs start to replenish with more magnesium, the sugar sensitivity diminishes and you get more efficiency from metabolism, but it is still advisable to avoid sugars (and processed carbohydrates) because it takes 28 magnesium molecules to metabolise one sucrose molecule into energy, so sugars use up a huge amount of magnesium and deplete reserves faster. They also produce more acidic byproducts which invite pathogens, inflammation and pain.
Unfortunately we don’t get enough magnesium out of our food supply anymore, and excessive stress causes the body to excrete more magnesium.

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the fibrous tissue connecting arch and ball of the foot becomes irritated and inflamed.  The inflammation causes pressure and pain on the nerves.  The reason for the inflammation is usually because of some kind of prior injury or irritation putting extra stresses on that area (eg. the way someone is walking etc). 
Any site of injury in the body can attract more calcium to deposit in the fibrous tissue, making it stiffer and less flexible.  This obstruction inhibits proper detox and flow of lymphatics, which accumulates metabolic wastes in that tissue, which then attracts the immune system, bringing on swelling and pain as it tries to remove the obstacles.
To recover from plantar fasciitis one needs to drink more mineral water to help the lymphatic system flush wastes better.
Recommended strategies are Magnesium Supplement for drinking water, as well as to soak feet in magnesium footsoaks (for detox) for half an hour every night using Magnesium Chloride flakes), followed by a massage of the feet (for gentle movement of the blocked tubules) using Magnesium CreamCharge Lotion and/or Oil Spritz.  Then rest and try not to aggravate the inflammation until it subsides.  More about magnesium foot care is in this blog article.

Hypertension and rheumatoid conditions are both related to inflammation in the body.  Magnesium is a natural anti-inflammatory and known to help normalise blood pressure.  It is an adaptogenic nutrient, so, unlike a drug, it does not artificially push blood pressure up or down.  Instead, it provides the electrolyte charge and resources necessary for the body to rebalance itself. 
Once these symptoms become more obvious it is a sign that magnesium stores in the tissue cells are very low. This means that metabolism is slowed, the immune system is weaker, and healing is slower.  So the body keeps revving and revving to get over the line to get the job of healing done, but can’t summon quite enough energy to resolve the issues, and so there remains a chronic level of inflammation in the body.
This shows up as wastes accumulating in joints, reducing pH, and causing irritation and stiffening.  Not only can this happen in the joints as arthritis, but the metabolic wastes not being cleared can also scour and scrape the lining of the blood vessels, causing inflammation there. This brings in excessive calcium into the linings for protection, but the side effects are stiffening of the vessels, which produces more cardiovascular pressure and hypertension.
To support your body requires a number of strategies; including natural/organic (chem-free) low-carb diet, sunshine exposure (for vitamin D) and moderate exercise (for oxygen delivery and moving the circulation to eliminate wastes).  We need large amounts of magnesium to support mitochondria to make more electrical energy, and we need to maintain good hydration to help cells flush out wastes and for the body to clean itself. 
You can also dump extra wastes via skin when you perspire or when you bathe or foot soak with Magnesium Chloride Flakes a few times a week.  You can add extra magnesium skin and muscle care products that are stored in the epidermis of the skin and absorbed over a number of hours, as the body draws in the nutrients from this reservoir as needed. This is a way to ensure optimal supply of magnesium for metabolism without being dependent on digestion.
Adding magnesium to your filtered drinking water restores electrolyte charge which helps the water work better in the body, as it becomes more hydrating for cells (and tastes better too!). This amount just mimics what would be in natural mountain spring water, and is not a large dose. Magnesium in drinking water performs a different function – namely to help hydration.  You can make up your mineral water for drinking straight at room temperature, and also use it to make cups of tea or use it in cooking, as heat does not affect magnesium.  So even in the colder winter months you can still keep your hydration levels up with warm or hot beverages.
To get a larger dose of magnesium for relaxation of muscles and joints, transdermal absorption is always more efficient and effective.  You can’t overdose this way. Just keep using a bit more, or a combination of magnesium products to get your absorption up to high-end levels, until you feel better.  That’s the way you work with your body to find your own daily routine that works for you. Refer to our Magnesium Dose Guide on this page for more information.