Essential oils can be a lifesaver for people with chronic pain. I know, because I no longer use OTC pain medication when my nerve inflammation flares.

For one, essential oils work much better. Or, at least they do for me. Apparently others are seeing similar results, judging by the many different brands of all natural pain relievers on the market. Essential oils are the active ingredients in these formulas.

It’s believed that certain essential oils contain compounds that work as natural analgesics. They also seem to contain agents to relieve inflammation. I’ve found that essential oils work very quickly. Recently, when I had an attack of TMJ, I used a special aromatic blend to get me through the worst of it. Within about five minutes, it banished the pain. Although I can’t claim or promise anyone else will see the same results, I can share my personal story of using essential oils for natural pain control.

How To Make Sore Muscle Salve

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Essential oils are incredibly strong. Peppermint essential oil is one of the most commonly used aromatics for pain. I’ve read estimates on the strength of aromatic peppermint. It’s much more potent than its herbal form. For instance, I’ve seen varying estimates. But one figure bandied about is that one drop of peppermint essential oil contains the equivalent medicinal compounds of between 15 and 70 cups of herbal tea.

Aromatic pain relief blends are not meant to be taken internally. Instead, they’re designed to be applied directly to where it hurts. Because of their potency, they need to be mixed with a carrier oil. Fractionated coconut oil is a popular carrier, because it glides so easily on your skin.

How to Make a Sore Muscle Balm

Another option is to make an essential oil pain relief salve. This has the consistency of a balm, and will substitute as a carrier oil. One thing I like about salves is that they’re very portable. So, if you want to take your pain relief blend on the road, this is a good way to do it. The salve recipe I use has a firm texture, similar to Chapstick. So it shouldn’t leak and run in warm weather.

You could make your salve in a clean glass jar, and store it away from light and heat. I like to use empty mint tins because they travel so well. (Also, I get to upcycle and help the environment.)

How to Make Pain Relief Salve

I was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it is to make salve. All you need are three ingredients – coconut oil, shea butter and natural beeswax – and a container for the salve. You can then add essential oils of your choice.

For instance, I recently made a sleep and salve with a popular essential oil blend designed for insomnia relief. I can keep this by my pillow, and use it as needed. At night, when I’m tired, this is much easier than mixing essential oils with a carrier oil.

Making salve isn’t an all-day project. You can do this in under a half hour, including cleanup. I like to spend a little extra time cleaning the pan and utensils before washing them. That’s because coconut oil has the potential to clog your sink. So I like to remove as much residue as possible with a paper towel or a tissue, before putting anything in the sink.

How to Make a Pain Salve

You can use the essential oils of your choice, when making a pain salve. Peppermint essential oil and clove essential oil are popular DIY pain remedies. Other good pain relief choices include wintergreen, cinnamon, lavender, blue tansy, juniper, chamomile, helichrysum and ginger.

Right now, my own pain seems to respond best to cooling formulas. So I use a mix called Nature’s Fusions Cooling Waters Anti-Inflammatory blend. It contains peppermint, ginger, lavender, German chamomile, Roman chamomile, blue tansy and helichrysum. You could mix and match some of these oils when making your own DIY pain blend.

I can’t say enough about how this blue-tinged essential oil mix has helped me. I was so fortunate to learn about it. Nature’s Fusions sent me a free bottle to review. I will definitely be ordering more. You probably won’t find this locally. But you can order it online, directly from the company.

Nature’s Fusions Anti-Inflammatory Blend

How to Make a Salve for Sore Muscles

I’ve found that using equal amounts of coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax makes a salve with a very firm consistency. It softens with the warmth of your skin. So here’s my sore muscle salve recipe.

1/4 cup of organic coconut oil (You can find it here)

1/4 cup of organic shea butter (You can find it here)

1/4 cup of beeswax pastilles (You can find them here)

15 drops of essential oils (You can mix and match your own, or you can use one of the ready-to-use pain blends on the market.) Another good pain blend is Plant Therapy Rapid Relief. I own this as well.)

Melt these three ingredients in a sturdy sauce pan over very low heat. Watch this mixture closely, so it doesn’t smoke. As soon as it turns to liquid, remove from heat. Add your essential oil and pour into a clean container.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.

Natural Pain Management Strategies Course

I love having DIY sore muscle salve in the house. It came in so handy last summer when I took a cross country trip, and didn’t feel like packing a lot of different essential oils and carrier oils. This was ready to use, and I needed it more than once.

But I view sore muscle salve as a stop gap measure, if it’s used alone. Actually, I only use it for breakthrough pain. That’s because I’ve tried to heal my chronic pain from the inside out. Oftentimes, people ask me what I did. I can’t answer.

Because I did so many things, over the course of more than a decade. It’s been a lot of trial and error. That’s why I created a really easy-to-follow online course. It’s designed to help you save time and money as you find your own unique healing path. Click on the image below for more information.

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DIY Sore Muscle Salve Recipe