Our salt crystal lamps are natural pieces of salt crystal that have been hand excavated from ancient primordial salt rock that has crystallized at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains.

So, How Do So Well® Salt Lamps Work?

Since 2004, we have been importing these beautiful salt crystal lamps and the number one question we get is how do salt lamps work? 

Salt crystal comes from many places in the world. Many resources online will have you believe that only Himalayan salt is “real” and “authentic” but this is false information and most of the “sources” don’t actually own salt lamps or sell them. We have imported salt lamps from Poland (the birth place of salt lamps) and even Iran, and have tested them with countless devices all proven to work the way salt lamps work.

So Well® Himalayan Salt lamps do not generate negative ions themselves. They are “hygroscopic,” which means that they attract moisture, humidity, and airborne water molecules. 

Hygroscopy is a natural property of sodium chloride. Since they do not generate the negative ions, they need a heat source (in this case, heat from an incandescent bulb) to accelerate evaporation, which does produce negative ions.

In more humid regions, an unlit salt lamp will eventually “cry,” even creating puddles of water at its base. It is this evaporation that generates the negative ions, which are beneficial to our health. Additionally, the heat from the small light bulb keeps these beautiful crystals dry and in turn releases negative ions (the healthy ones found in abundance in places like oceans, waterfalls, and even your shower) into the air. 

So Well Aromatherapy Lamp

What Is An Ion?

Very simply, an ion is an atom or molecule that has gained or lost an electron.

Both positive and negative ions exist in the air: positive air ions are generally molecules of carbon dioxide that have lost an electron, whereas a negative air ion is generally a molecule of oxygen that has gained an electron. Negative ions in the air attract particles of pollution and give them a negative charge, making them seek an electrical “ground,” and causing them to fall harmlessly to the floor. It stands to reason that we want to be surrounded by negative ions as a way of protecting our health.

Ions cannot be produced without an energy source. An “energy source” means heat or flame, radioactivity, frictional rubbing, electricity, evaporation, etc. Ions can also be produced by high-energy events, such as an open flame or a glowing hot object. Evaporating water will produce negative ions in the air and, as a consequence, leave the damaging positive charges behind in the water that hasn’t yet evaporated.

So Well® Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps are naturally hygroscopic (absorbing moisture molecules) and are heated gently by a 15-watt bulb. 

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Do Negative Ions Really Work?

Nature is constantly producing negative ions to combat the pollution in the air.

This is why the air feels so refreshing after a storm: lightening produces a high concentration of negative ions, which purifies the air and makes it so invigorating.

Water from a cascading waterfall also produces negative ions as the water thunders against the pool below, causing both friction and evaporation (both energy sources). For the same reason, the enormous amounts of negative ions in the pure air at the seashore is caused by the constant rise and fall of the tides.

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