Sore muscles can make you tired as anything. Fortunately, you can use essential oils to bring quick relief and reduce soreness fast. Listed below are 15 essential oils for sore muscles and a few recipes showing how to use them.
Doing workouts, being stressed, having a poor posture or even hitting yourself somewhere can leave you with a sore muscle or two that feels tender, swollen and hurt. Sore muscles may even be brought about by chronic health conditions that affect the muscular system of the body such as arthritis.
In this article, we shall look at how to holistically treat sore muscles with essential oils through topical application of effective blends. Before we look at the top 15 essential oils for sore muscles, let’s first see how exactly essential oils help sore muscles:
How Do Essential Oils Help Sore Muscles?
Essential oils are concentrated and pure plant material extracted in liquid form through two special processes: steam distillation and cold pressing. They are obtained from various aromatic plant material including tree barks, leaves, fruit rinds, flowers and roots, among others. What makes them so special is their therapeutic properties that offer a wide range of healing benefits for many health conditions including sore muscles.
Essential oils help sore muscles by:
- Relieving pain through their analgesic properties
- Reducing inflammation
- Soothing soreness
- Relaxing tight and tensed muscles
- Speeding up healing of wounded muscles
- Improving blood circulation
- Reduces physical and mental fatigue
Top 15 Essential Oils for Sore Muscles
1. Peppermint (where to get it)
2. Marjoram (where to get it)
3. Ginger (where to get it)
4. Lavender (where to get it)
5. Black pepper (where to get it)
6. Eucalyptus (where to get it)
7. Thyme (where to get it)
8. Wintergreen (where to get it)
9. Rosemary (where to get it)
10. Vetiver (where to get it)
11. Bay Laurel (where to get it)
12. Juniper Berry (where to get it)
13. Cypress (where to get it)
14. Basil (where to get it)
15. Spearmint (where to get it)
3 Essential Oil Recipes for Sore Muscles
Below, find 3 effective essential oil recipes for sore muscles! Note: Give yourself a lot of rest (at least get 6 solid hours of night time sleep), drink enough water and nourish yourself with wholesome foods in addition to using the recipes below. The massage oil is best done right after a warm shower when your muscles are in a relaxed state.
1. Instant Soothing Massage Oil
What you need
- 10 drops eucalyptus
- 10 drops marjoram
- 5 drops wintergreen
- 5 drops thyme
- 2 drops black pepper
- 2 tbsp fractionated coconut oil (where to get it)
- 1 oz amber glass dropper bottle (where to get it)
Method
- Add the essential oils to the glass dropper bottle.
- Top with fractionated coconut oil and shake well to mix.
- Place about 5 – 7 drops of this blend on your palm, rub both palms together and deeply massage and knead your sore muscles for relief. Repeat 2 – 3 times a day.
2. Sore Muscles Soak
What you need
- 2 cups Epsom salts (where to get it)
- 10 drops lavender
- 5 drops rosemary
- 5 drops peppermint
Method
- Mix the essential oils in the Epsom salts in a measuring cup and let it sit for some time to get combined.
- Meanwhile, rub a hot or warm bath then add the Epsom salts and let it disperse.
- When the bath is drawn, soak in for 15 minutes to relax and relieve your muscles.
3. Hot Compress for Sweet Relief
What you need
- 3 drops wintergreen
- 3 drops thyme
- 2 drops marjoram
- 1 tsp coconut oil (where to get it)
- A bowl of hot water
- A soft microfiber cloth (where to get it)
Method
- Mix the essential oils in the coconut oil and rub it deeply into the sore muscles.
- Now soak and wring out a microfiber washcloth in hot water, fold it into a rectangle and place it on the sore area. Leave it there for about 30 seconds then repeat the compress.
- Repeat 3 – 4 times until relief is felt.
Using essential oils for sore muscles can give instant relief especially when used in a bath or hot compress!
