DIY LMNT: the same 1g-sodium formula for a tenth the price

Yes. 1000mg is a high-sodium label compared with many electrolyte drinks. If you have hypertension, kidney disease, sodium restrictions, medications that affect electrolytes, or uncertainty about sodium intake, use clinician guidance rather than a DIY formula. The DIY version inherits the same sodium amount.

Some. LMNT uses magnesium malate, which is generally well-tolerated and has reasonable bioavailability. Magnesium oxide (cheaper, what most multivitamins use) is poorly absorbed and laxative at higher doses. Magnesium glycinate is gentler on the gut. Citrate is somewhere in between. At 60mg per serving, the form differences are real but small — well-absorbed forms matter much more once you are dosing magnesium in the 200–400mg range.

Yes, for a non-label-matched variant. LMNT itself is mostly NaCl. The DIY recipe blends in sodium citrate to model a smoother sodium source mix, but pure table salt can hit the same sodium number. Changing the sodium source changes the formula model.

Use a kitchen scale that reads to 0.1g. Eyeballing teaspoons compounds errors quickly across a multi-mineral mix. The exact recipe assumes 393mg sodium per gram of table salt, 524mg potassium per gram of KCl, and similar textbook conversion values; bulk product purity can vary slightly.

Worse, unflavored. LMNT spends real R&D on its flavor system; bulk minerals dissolved in water taste like mineral water with a salt edge. Two cheap improvements: (1) add 200–400mg of citric acid per serving for tang and to mask the salt slightly, and (2) add a few drops of stevia + a citrus extract (lemon, orange) or a no-sugar electrolyte flavoring like True Lemon. With those two additions, the DIY version is in the same flavor neighborhood as a stripped-down LMNT citrus.

Robb Wolf and the LMNT team have been clear that they are selling the formula and the convenience, not the secret. The bulk-mineral recipe is well-documented in keto and athletic literature; pretending otherwise would damage the brand's credibility with their core audience (informed athletes and biohackers). Publishing the DIY guide is also a hedge: people who want to DIY were never going to pay $1.50, and people who pay $1.50 are buying convenience and flavor — different markets, no real overlap.

Yes, but mix dry. Sodium chloride and potassium chloride are both stable indefinitely as dry powders. Pre-portion {servingSizeGrams}g into small bags or a labeled dispenser, and add water and any flavoring at use time. Pre-dissolved batches are also fine for 24–48 hours refrigerated, but flavor (especially citrus extract) degrades faster than the minerals.