I Love LMNT. LMNT is a Scam.

I love LMNT. It’s my go-to for hydration, especially after a tough workout or a long day in the sun. But let me tell you -- LMNT is also a scam. Or at least, it's overpriced. Let me explain why.

LMNT is an electrolyte drink mix. The benefits of staying hydrated with electrolytes are well-documented: you need more than just water to replenish what you sweat out. Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium help your body stay balanced. You feel better, perform better, and recover faster. It's why people reach for sports drinks or coconut water. It's also why LMNT caught my attention in the first place. The packaging is nice, the flavors are bold, and it's effective. It ticks all the boxes.

But what is LMNT, really? It’s salty water. It’s fancy salt in a nice packet. And it’s $1.50 per serving -- which is kind of ridiculous if you think about it. The more I drank it, the more I loved it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being swindled. How did we get here, paying a premium for what’s essentially sodium chloride and a little potassium and magnesium?

There’s a bit of history. People have been chasing hydration hacks for a long time. Remember Pedialyte? It started as a baby product but found a cult following among athletes and hungover adults. Then came other contenders: Electrolit, Cure, Liquid I.V. -- all with the same promise. Hydration, but better. LMNT is just the latest in a very competitive space. But despite its simplicity, I really do think LMNT is the best.

A TikTok video finally pushed me over the edge. In the video, someone breaks down LMNT for what it is: dressed-up mineral salt. And mineral salt isn’t new. Humans have been consuming it forever. Fleur de sel, Himalayan pink salt -- they sound fancy, but they’re all just salt with a few added minerals. Still, they don’t contain the concentration of electrolytes you find in LMNT.

That’s when I got an idea. If LMNT is just simple ingredients -- salt, potassium, magnesium -- why couldn’t I make it myself? So I set out on a journey to DIY my own electrolyte mix. I bought everything on Amazon. Bags of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium citrate. After some trial and error, I finally got the mix right. It was a small eureka moment -- a cheaper, homemade LMNT.

The next challenge was flavoring it. I wanted something more than just salty water. My first thought was freeze-dried and powdered fruit. I tried it, but it was a disaster. The fruit didn’t dissolve well, and the texture was off. Then I discovered citric acid. It’s the same compound that makes citrus fruits taste tangy, and it turns out it’s perfect for electrolyte drinks. After some experimentation with proportions, I got it just right. A simple, citrusy electrolyte drink that tastes… pretty close to LMNT.

I’m not done experimenting. LMNT’s chocolate salt flavor intrigues me, and I think that’ll be my next project. But as much as I love LMNT, I know it's a scam -- at least in the sense that I'm paying a premium for something so simple. The convenience, the branding, the perfectly balanced mix -- it’s all great, but I’ve proven to myself that I can do it at home for a fraction of the cost.

And who knows? Maybe in a few months, I'll have my own lineup of flavors to rival LMNT. For now, I'll keep enjoying my salty water -- both the fancy packets and my own DIY version.