DIY Muscle Rub Recipe with Herbs + Essential Oils
The first muscle rub product I ever blended was for a friend who wanted a post-workout product to help relax her sore muscles and help her to feel uplifted after her intense workouts. Since then, I have further experimented with different recipes to test their effectiveness and this one has turned out to be my favorite. It is great for post-workout care, but it is also incredible when you are just feeling sore, are experiencing muscles aches and pains, have some pesky knots in your back (or neck), or when you are just carrying a bit more tension than normal in your muscles and want to relax.
Ingredients:
3 parts St. John’s wort-infused carrier oil (I usually use olive or sunflower oil)
2 parts rosemary-infused carrier oil
1 part arnica-infused carrier oil
1 part beeswax
Organic essential oils of:
lavender (angustifolia) (8 drops per ounce of carrier)
rosemary (6 drops per ounce of carrier)
ginger (2 drop per ounce of carrier)
peppermint (2 drop per ounce of carrier)
Instructions
Melt your beeswax in a double boiler over low heat. Once it has thoroughly melted, stir in your carrier oils until they are mixed well with the beeswax.
Remove the blend from the heat and stir in your essential oils. This formula uses a 3% dilution of essential oils. If the product is not going to be for daily use and is going to be used for more acute muscle pain, you can increase the amount of essential oils to a 5% dilution.
Tip: Spray Douglas fir hydrosol onto the skin prior to applying the ointment. The product will spread better and feel less greasy, you will be sealing a little extra moisture into your skin, and you will receive the added benefits the hydrosol brings as well!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.