Massage is a great way to relax and de-stress, and adding essential oils can make the experience even more enjoyable.
Aromatherapy massage has been shown to have many benefits, including relief from tension headaches, reduced stress levels, improved circulation, and relief from muscle pain. With so many benefits, it’s no wonder that massage is one of the most popular forms of relaxation and self-care.
If you’re looking for an added boost to your massage sessions, using essential oils can be a great way to do that. In this article, I will outline five of the best essential oils for massage, all of which have relaxing and therapeutic properties. Experiment with different combinations to find the perfect blend for you!
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Why Use Massage Therapy?
Massage treats ailments such as physical discomfort, body tensions and stress. Not only that, it also helps with our overall feeling of well-being and health. It’s a therapy that’s been in use for centuries.
Today, it is a popular treatment for correcting long-term health problems and illnesses.
A home use massage table can make your life a whole lot more enjoyable! This model here is available for a little over $100.
Usually, people like to have their backs massaged. However, if you’ve never had a hand or foot massage, don’t dismiss its benefits! Your hand and feet are full of reflexology pressure points that benefit from the soothing touch of an aromatherapy massage. To begin, ask a licensed massage therapist to include those areas of your body. Then, you’ll be more equipped to know what to do when you get home and want to practice a hand massage for your partner.
Check with your health care provider if you are suffering from any specific aches, pains or disease.
How Do I Use Essential Oils For Massage?
With some basic massage tactics, you can learn how to provide a wonderful massage to your loved ones.
In a massage setting, blend your essential oils together with essential oil carrier oils to create your own custom massage oil blend. The carrier oil helps the essential oils get absorbed by your skin without the risk of being too strong. Essential oils are highly concentrated on their own, and you want to make sure to use proper dilution rates at all times.
Essential oils are well known for their various health benefits. Any massage experience is a hundred times better if you use a good massage carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil), combined with an appropriate essential oil. The health benefits will stack up many times over.
The 5 Best Essential Oils for Aromatherapy Massage
Many different oils can be used as the base for an aromatherapy massage.
What is the perfect accessory for a good massage? Good massage oil, of course! As explained above, this consists of a carrier oil massage oil base, plus adding a few drops of the essential oil of your choice.
The following essential oils are some of the best aromatherapy massage oils (due to their inherent relaxing and soothing properties):
1. Hinoki Essential Oil
Hinoki Leaf Essential Oil
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Coming from the Japanese Cypress tree (Chamaecyparis obtusa), considered of the Five Sacred Trees of Kiso. This high quality timber is used to build castles, temples, and traditional Japanese structures. As for the oil, Hinoki essential oil features a spicy yet lemony aroma. It is a light, pinkish brown color. Hinoki essential oil relaxes the body when applied, calming the nerves and even relieving periods of brief agitation.
2. Angelica Essential Oil
Angelica Root Essential Oil
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Looking for something to soothe and relax both your nerves and muscles? Angelica essential oil is the perfect addition to a good massage.
Back in Germany, Angelica oil was said to be the “Oil of Angels”. It is able to help calm nerves, promote happiness, and help bring on a peaceful sleep for those suffering from insomnia. Today, Angelica essential oil is best known for its soothing effects. This property makes it perfect for relieving pain and stress during an aromatherapy massage.
3. Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium oil
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Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium graveolens) is known for its relaxing and uplifting effects. The flowery fragrance adds a beautiful note to the overall relaxing effect, making it a great oil to use for massage therapy. Its aroma is also an excellent match when it comes to spas. Further, Geranium essential oil is good for balancing the skin, which is a bonus when applying it topically through massage.
In traditional medicine, geranium was also used to promote better circulation, improve the nervous system, and revitalize the body tissues.
4. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender oil from Plant Therapy
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Lavender is one of the most popular anti inflammatory essential oils out in the market and for good reason, too. This oil has a fresh and sweet aroma that brings about a refreshing scent and soothing atmosphere. Considered the most versatile essential oil for everyday life, I always keep a supply of Lavender essential oil on hand.
Lavender provides big help when it comes to helping the body to adapt to stress, making it great for essential oil massage therapy. It can help in relaxation and promote sleep, boosting stamina and energy levels as well. It poses generally few risks and can be used in prenatal massage as well as for children and babies.
5. Coriander Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil from Plant Therapy
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Coming from the Cilantro plant, Coriander Essential Oil is sweet and warm, bringing a relaxing and soothing atmosphere when used. This just makes the Coriander Essential Oil perfect to be used during massaging. Aside from its relaxing scent, Coriander essential oil is also known for promoting a healthy digestive system and circulatory system, even going as far as supporting a healthier pancreas. If you want a relaxing essential oil that also has benefits for your digestive system, the Coriander Essential Oil might just be for you.
If you’re looking for essential oils for your home massage practice, choosing from these scents should be a great start! Craft your own oil blend for relaxation and soothing effects on the body.
How To Start With Essential Oils Massage At Home
- First off, I recommend that you convince your partner, friend, or family member to give YOU the massage – not the other way around! ;)
- Make sure you use a surface that’s at a comfortable height for the one giving the massage. Most commonly a bed is used, but if you can, invest in a massage table. My husband and I did that and it’s incredible how much easier it is on the masseur/masseuse and his/her back when the table can be adjusted to the right height. Find some Here is an amazing massage table model for just a little over $100.
- Set the mood: dim the lights, light a candle, put on some soft music. A professional massage therapist does this at their spa for a reason!
- Mix up your carrier oil and essential oils in a bottle – or directly in the palms of your hands if you’re just trying out some new scents.
- Always put the massage oil mixture into your palms first and rub your hands together so that the oil gets warmed up. Please NEVER drizzle oil directly out of the bottle onto your unsuspecting subject. Warm oils are a lot more comfortable than cold ones.
- Massage to your heart’s content. Use light pressure to start, and keep checking in with your person to see if they are comfortable.
- Bonus tip: Diffusing essential oils at the same time as massaging with your favorite essential oils will put your massage session over the top on the scale of aromatherapy awesomeness!
Always drizzle the massage oil into your hands first to warm it up.
My 3 Favorite Carrier Oils For Partner Massages At Home
I talk a lot about carrier oils, and there is certainly a wide range of options available out there for purchase. We use massage a lot in our home for relaxation and pampering each other, so I have compiled a list of the best carrier oils that I like to use for aromatherapy massage times in our home.
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- Sweet Almond Oil (by Eden’s Garden): I like this massage oil because it’s basically scent-less, and comes in a handy bottle with a squeezer at the top so you can always disperse the right amount of oil that you need. You can also add your preferred essential oil for massage right into the bottle, hence always having your massage blend ready at your fingertips. This oil also doesn’t break the bank, available on Amazon just under $15 for 4 fl. oz.
Eden’s Garden’s Sweet Almond Oil is a Favorite Oil for Massage
Get it here - Near Perfection Carrier Oil Blend (by Plant Therapy): I tend to use the Near Perfection carrier oil when my hubby complains about an itchy and irritated back. I have found that tired muscles plus dry skin are a bad combination! So an essential oil massage session always helps us out in this situation. The Near Perfection blend is a mix of 5 carrier oils to best work together against blemished, reddened, or rough skin. Last I checked it cost $14.95 on PlantTherapy.com for 4 fl. oz. (Same quantity as the Eden’s Garden oil above).
Carrier Oil Blend from Plant Therapy
Get it here - Jojoba Carrier Oil (by Aura Cacia): I like the balancing Jojoba oil for massage because it contains proteins, unique fatty acids and liquid waxes which naturally aid your skin’s restoring function. The Aura Cacia Jojoba oil is cold pressed and great quality, so it’s a no-brainer to buy on Amazon, also at the same comparable ~$15 for 4 fl. oz.
Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil closely resembles the skin’s own natural properties.
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- Sweet Almond Oil (by Eden’s Garden): I like this massage oil because it’s basically scent-less, and comes in a handy bottle with a squeezer at the top so you can always disperse the right amount of oil that you need. You can also add your preferred essential oil for massage right into the bottle, hence always having your massage blend ready at your fingertips. This oil also doesn’t break the bank, available on Amazon just under $15 for 4 fl. oz.
Massage Oil Blends
If you’re looking for a way to improve your massage experience, consider using massage oil blends. By mixing different oils together, you can create a unique scent that will help you relax and enjoy your massage even more. There are lots of different recipes you can try, so why not experiment a little and see what works best for you?
In the meantime, here are a few of our favorite blends to get you started.
Massage Therapy blend from Edens Garden
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If you like Deep Blue® from doTerra, you’ll love this blend named Massage Therapy from Eden’s Garden. It is a beautiful mix of Peppermint, Wintergreen, Ylang Ylang, Camphor, Helichrysum, Blue Tansy, Chamomile and Osmanthus essential oils. Use this essential oils for massage with pain and pain recovery purposes.
Soothing Massage from REVIVE
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Massage oils don’t have to be complicated. This Soothing Massage oil from REVIVE essential oils contains Cypress, Peppermint, Marjoram Leaf, Basil Leaf, Grapefruit Peel, and Lavender Flower essential oils. That is just 6 ingredients, many of which are on the list of best essential oils to use in a DIY massage lotion.
Massage Benefits
Folks who receive massage regularly feel they’re more active, breathe well, in addition to significantly enhance their posture.
Although it has been considered an alternative type of medicine in the past, massage is becoming increasingly popular among professionals for relieving many conditions and various ailments. Combining massage with regular stretching can greatly enhance your physical performance when exercising.
Further, massages can also help release stuck emotions that can be the cause of chronic pain and other physical problems.
Massage is an ancient art with several variations based on the nation of origin. It is an important therapy that can lead to long term outcomes. Finally and most of all, the very best massage
Massage can be done by several forms of medical care professionals, like a physical therapist, occupational therapist or massage therapist. It has a lot of benefits that can indirectly and possibly even directly aid you in achieving your weight loss goals. In case you haven’t tried a complete massage of the human body, it’s strongly recommended that you do.
Further Reading
Recommended Essential Oil Brands
You may already have a favorite essential oil brand that you shop with.
But if you don’t, I can highly recommend the following brands of essential oils. Please check out the links below for full brand reviews and an in-depth look at each company.
- Plant Therapy Essential Oils Brand Review
- Rocky Mountain Oils Essential Oils Brand Review
- REVIVE Essential Oils Brand Review
- Eden’s Garden Essential Oils Brand Review
- Simply Earth Essential Oils Brand Review
Can I mix Frankincense, Lavender and Eucalyptus essential oils together for a good pain and swelling massage for rheumatoid arthritis. If so what would mixture recipe would you recommend please. Thank you for help.
Yes oils are important in massage therapy. based on massage type it varies
Of these 5 oils you’ve recommended, would you blend any of them? Geranium and lavender combined with a carrier oil, or do you recommend using one oil at a time, and why?
Can you recommend any oils for hand massage in a residential home,
For the oap’s, I be using Jojoba base oil, but I’m not sure about oil and I
Don’t want to over power them
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on essential oils in massage! I love the scents and smells during a massage session with clients. It does help put them in a seeker state of relaxation for sure! ❤
whats your last name for works cited purposes
Hi Laura :) It’s Emma Carter, thanks for including my website in your research paper!
Can you recommend an oil blend for carpel tunnel pain?