Customize this easy homemade massage oil recipe (just 2 ingredients) with your favorite essential oils to address your body's needs!
As many of you are probably aware, essential oils are big news these days. And with good reason -- their natural healing properties can be a powerful alternative to traditional medicine.
If you've been curious about this movement, I'd like to introduce you to a new line of essential oils available at Walmart: Nature's Bounty Earthly Elements. Located in the vitamin aisle, Lavender and Peppermint essential oils and the Sweet Almond Oil skin care oil are all sold in stores. You can also find Nature's Bounty Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Lemongrass, Patchouli, and Rosemary online.
Nature's Bounty Earthly Elements are 100% pure essential oils, suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. However, I should note that they are not considered therapeutic grade and, therefore, are not recommended for internal use.
I chose to try out the following three essential oils, plus the Sweet Almond Oil as a carrier oil for topical use:
Grapefruit -- I love grapefruit for its uplifting, citrusy scent. One of my favorite uses is as a natural room refresher. I simply mix several drops, along with a pinch of epsom salts, with distilled water in a small glass spray bottle. The bright fresh smell is so invigorating, and you can also spray it on your skin as a pick-me-up.
Lavender -- Lavender has long been touted for its soothing properties. It can be used to relive stress and tension and also to calm skin irritations. I've used lavender topically for relief when I burned my hand on a hot pan, and I also like to sprinkle it on my pillow at night to help me sleep well.
Peppermint -- Peppermint is known for its cooling and refreshing properties. It's such a mood booster, and I'll often take some on long car trips to help me wake up when the monotony is starting to wear on me. It's also what I use in my favorite massage oil for sore muscles, which I'll share below.
All of the Nature's Bounty Earthly Elements Essential Oils can be used topically or aromatically (by inhalation or with an oil diffuser), with the exception of the Sweet Almond Oil, which is intended as a carrier oil to dilute the essential oils for topical use.
Homemade Massage Oil for Sore Muscles
I recently started the Couch25K program again, and boy, was I sore for those first few days. This easy homemade massage oil really provided some much needed relief to my tired and sore muscles. I also will sometimes apply it to my legs before my run, just to give me a little extra pep, especially recently as the program has become progressively more challenging.
Homemade Massage Oil for Sore Muscles
Customize this easy homemade massage oil recipe (just 2 ingredients!!!) with your favorite essential oils to address your body’s needs.
Materials
- 2 teaspoons sweet almond oil
- 5-6 drops peppermint essential oil
Tools
- small glass bowl
- amber glass bottle (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, blend the peppermint essential oil into the sweet almond oil.
- Use immediately to relieve sore, stiff, tired muscles.
- Optional: store in an amber glass bottle for future use. I like these amber glass bottles because the set come with labels and a funnel.
This is a very basic homemade massage oil recipe, so you can easily customize it with other essential oils or even blend various essential oils together, depending on your needs.
Add lavender instead of peppermint to relieve tension and promote relaxation, or blend peppermint and grapefruit to invigorate and uplift.
Have you dabbled in essential oils, yet? What's your favorite blend?
Susan says
Just so you are aware, essential oils are NEVER safe to ingest. Even if the bottle says it is "theraputic". It's a good way to destroy your organs.