I love finding natural remedies for everyday ouchies. There are several essential oils that are great for sore muscles and I like having options that don’t make me smell like Ben-Gay.
My husband and my niece, who’s a high school gymnast, both request bath salts on a regular basis. These are great to have on hand for winter colds, too. Not only do they help with the achy feeling that goes with a cold, the peppermint and eucalyptus oils help clear stuffed-up heads, too.
I use the same basic recipe for all kinds of bath salts:
- 3/4 cup coarse sea salt
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup powdered milk
- 1/4 cup Epsom salts
Mix the dry ingredients together in a glass or metal bowl. (Don’t use plastic – it will absorb the essential oils.)
Add in 15 drops each of lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus oil. Spread the drops out so the salts will absorb them, and mix until all the oils are incorporated. Store in a glass container. Wide-mouth pint mason jars with plastic lids work great. I can usually find both in the kitchen section at Wal-Mart.
To use, add about 1/8 cup of salts to a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes or so. You can try your own combinations with other oils, just keep the total amount of oil the same. Other essential oils that are good for relieving muscle pain include chamomile, sweet marjoram, rosemary, thyme, clary sage, sandalwood, juniper, ginger, frankincense, yarrow, wintergreen and vetiver.