Frequently Asked Questions

We’re all flooded with information. So many things are said to be important that it’s hard to know what really matters, which is why a lot of people go through periods of simply stopping all their supplements. It’s just too much. Sometimes we need to pause and think about what is actually natural and what our ancestors used to do.

Our ancestors bathed in, drank and washed in natural waters. Think of this as an ancestral diet for your supplements. I always ask clients to consider what they’re taking, how it’s made and what chemical processes are used to create the concoctions they’re putting into their bodies.

Magnesium is like the lifeblood of the Earth. It’s in all natural springs and waters, just as it should be in the water your own body is made of. We are a metaphysical manifestation of the Earth, with our own biome, just like hers. To survive, we first need oxygen, then hydrogen with that oxygen to make water, and water is what carries vital nutrients through the body. That’s where magnesium comes in. (Zinc comes right after that.)

But because I like to challenge myself, I’d say what we really need is love and energy. With love and energy, everything is possible. That’s what this little store is: a small company creating energy, love and abundance in all of our lives, so we can take on anything and, most importantly, come together in unity.

So ask as many questions as you like. We want our shop to welcome you with open arms and an open mind to what’s possible. We only make products from what the Earth has provided.

Magnesium is one of the busiest minerals in the body. It’s involved in more than 300 enzyme reactions, and you find it everywhere in nature, from seawater and hot springs to leafy greens, nuts and seeds. People have always bathed in mineral-rich water, oceans and springs, and I love bringing that ritual back into daily life with a bath or a body butter. New to magnesium? Start with Magnesium 101.

Only your doctor or health practitioner can tell you that, so please ask them if you’re concerned. Our products are body care, made for your skin and your daily rituals, not a treatment for a deficiency. If you’d like to read more about magnesium in general, see Am I Magnesium Deficient?

Topical magnesium chloride is how people traditionally got their magnesium: by swimming in the ocean and soaking in hot springs. Applying it to the skin skips the digestive system, so it doesn’t cause the stomach upset some people get from pills. See Magnesium Chloride vs Supplements.

For many years, we used magnesium chloride from the Netherlands’ Zechstein deposits. As ingredient costs and our business grew, we broadened our sourcing. Today we choose our magnesium chloride for quality, consistency and value. We use food-grade magnesium chloride hexahydrate flakes, bought directly from the manufacturer, and we are requesting detailed test results so we can share them with you. Origin tells you where magnesium came from. Testing tells you what is actually in it. Changing sources also helps us keep our products affordable, instead of asking you to pay much more for a famous place name. If you’d like to know more, just ask me.

A tingle is very common, and it’s not an allergic reaction. In my 20 years of making magnesium, I’ve found it’s strongest when people first start. For most people it fades within 30 to 40 days of daily use. Some people notice it now and then in the areas where they hold tension, like the neck and shoulders. I see that as a gentle nudge to breathe, slow down and relax. Tip: skip freshly shaved or broken skin, and if you ever get a rash that doesn’t settle, rinse it off and take a break.

Almost everyone. If you can swim in the ocean or sit in a hot spring, you can use magnesium chloride, since it’s the same mineral. Patch-test if you have a known allergy to an ingredient like shea butter. If you’re pregnant or nursing, have kidney disease, or have a specific medical condition, it’s good practice to check with your doctor first.

Use it daily like a vitamin: about 14 to 20 sprays all over your body from the neck down. It’s great before bed and before or after exercise. Shop Magnesium Oil.

Keep a jar by your bed and massage it into the soles of your feet, knees, hips and anywhere that feels dry. It absorbs slowly, which makes it lovely at night. Shop Body Butter.

The ritual Katerina uses herself: Magnesium Oil in the morning, Body Butter at night, and a Magnesium Bath Flakes soak once a week or more.

Use them in a warm bath or a foot soak: 1 cup per bath is a great start, and 1 to 3 cups depending on how you like it. On the days when you’re at the end of your rope, don’t be shy, use more than one cup! Soak for at least 20 minutes. For years I used an inflatable hot tub filled with magnesium flakes, and now that we have a proper hot tub I still add plain flakes to it. Some of our clients soak in magnesium every single day. After many thousands of conversations over 20 years, what I hear again and again is that a regular magnesium bath has become one of the most comforting parts of their routine. Shop Bath Flakes.

Most of our customers start with the Magnesium Oil in the morning and the Magnesium Body Butter at night. It’s the combination people come back for again and again, and a regular magnesium bath is a lovely addition.

Yes, gently. For dry skin, magnesium baths and the unscented Body Butter are what I reach for at home. Magnesium can sting on cracked or broken skin, so patch-test first and go slowly. If you have a skin condition, please check with your health practitioner.

Absolutely! We make a special Magnesium Spray for Children at 25% of our regular strength, and our Body Butters and Bath Flakes are lovely for little ones too. For babies, choose the unscented Body Butter and use just a small handful of flakes in the bath, and check with your doctor for babies under one. One of my favourite parenting hacks when my kids were little was to take a magnesium bath with them. The babies would sit on me, we’d all soak in the magnesium, and then everyone went to bed happy and content. It became the heart of our family’s bedtime routine, and parents tell us it helps them relax too.

Katerina wrote about her own approach in Magnesium Chloride, Maca and NMN: The Midlife Hormone Trinity. Magnesium Oil in the morning, Body Butter at night and at least one magnesium soak a week is her starting point.

We always recommend the Trinity: Magnesium Oil, Body Butter and regular magnesium baths. If you only do one thing, make it the baths, because they’re our favourite ritual. For tight spots like the neck and shoulders, customers love Neck Candy and the Ohhh Shit… That Works Release Roll-On. Magnesium isn’t a treatment for any condition, so for ongoing pain, please keep working with your health practitioner.

Hands down, my routine for the last 20 years has been Age Defy. I used to call the key ingredient lipids, but the terminology has changed. It’s Matrixyl, a very well-known peptide. I use it on my face, around my eyes, and on my neck and décolletage. The three products I can’t live without are Age Defy, the Copper Renew Serum (copper peptides, SNAP-8, Matrixyl and hyaluronic acid) and the Super Hydra Spray (collagen, CoQ10, rosewater and rosehip oil).

Because I’ve tried many, many natural deodorants and I think most of them are bunk, so I came up with this formula, and it works swimmingly. Take a small amount, rub it between your hands to warm it up, and apply it under your arms. Because it comes in a pot, it’s a little messier than a stick, but you can also use it on your feet and other sweaty spots, and the whole family can share it. That’s why we make so many scents, and we can’t keep it in stock. You’ll find plenty of similar formulas online now, but we’ve been making our Magnesium Deodorant for over 20 years, and with good reason.

We use real, fresh ingredients without synthetic preservatives, so our products are made in small batches and meant to be used, not stored for years. Read Fresh Matters.

Yes: free shipping within Canada on orders over $200. The 20-cup (Big Bertha) and 50-cup (Giant) bath flake bags are excluded because of their weight. We ship across Canada, and you can read all the details on our Shipping Across Canada page.

Yes. Pay by Interac e-Transfer online, or choose “Pay cash at pickup” when you pick up at a market or on the North Shore, and you save 4% on your products. At our market table, just pay with cash and we’ll take 4% off. Card payments are always welcome too, with no extra fees. The cash discount can be combined with your 10% subscriber discount.

We ship with ClickShip at very affordable rates, calculated at checkout. Big order? No need to split it up: we’ll simply ship it in two boxes.

Yes, but not through online checkout. Email in**@*******th.com with what you’d like, and Katerina will arrange your order and shipping personally.

Yes, to the UK and Europe, with real-time carrier rates shown at checkout.

Yes. You can pick up at our West Vancouver location by calling ahead, or collect at one of our markets. We also deliver free on the North Shore (houses only, not apartments).

Because our products are handmade body care, we do not offer refunds or exchanges. If you’re unsure what to choose, Ask Kat or email us before you order, and we’ll help you pick the right product.

Sound baths (including our Infrared Sound Bath with magnesium), hands-on workshops like Magnesium Soap, Magnesium Bath and Chestnut & Ivy Laundry Soap, and seasonal evenings like Shop Till You Drop. See the events calendar.

Event tickets are non-refundable and can’t be moved to another date, like a concert ticket, because our spaces are small and seats are limited.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Once a sound bath has begun, we can’t seat latecomers, as it disturbs the other guests.

Yes. Our Private Sound Bath & Magnesium Hot Tub experience is for your own group, with the gazebo, hot tub, wine and light snacks.

Yes. Anyone at an in-person Mila Earth event gets 10% off products that day, and paying cash saves you a little more.

At farmers markets across BC, including UBC Farm, Port Moody, Squamish and Langley through the winter, and always in stock at Makers at the Shipyards (North Vancouver), The Storehouse (Main Street, Vancouver), Makers at Bower Place (Red Deer) and Next General Mercantile (Williams Lake). See all market dates.

Yes, for stores, spas and practitioners. See our wholesale page or email in**@*******th.com.