Essential Oils for Over-Exercised Muscles

With the New Year comes new motivation, often involving resolutions to get our bodies moving, improve flexibility, and build strength and muscle. While all of these things are fantastic for our health, the downside can be muscle soreness from either just starting out on our exercise journey or being a bit too overzealous in our current workout routine. Sometimes, it’s both!

When the onset of discomfort sets in, we’ll do just about anything to help ease the tightness and soothe the pain. Thankfully, essential oils are perfect for supporting over-exercised muscles so that you can stay on the wellness wagon.

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The Best Essential Oils for Achy and Sore Muscles Caused by Exercise

Muscles cramps, overextension, soreness from overexertion, you name it, essential oils can help take the edge off and assist the body in the healing and recovery process.

However, some of the best ways to prevent muscle soreness, to begin with, include a few simple things you can do before you even start a workout.

These are:

Drinking plenty of water
Consuming an amino acid supplement before your workout
Warming up and then stretching thoroughly
Not biting off more than you can chew, especially if you’re starting a new routine. Go slowly and work your way up!
Stretching again after your routine is over
Soak in an Epsom salt bath

Doing these things can help negate muscle cramping and soreness substantially!

Now, in case you do experience some muscle soreness, there are a few essential oils of note that can help alleviate your discomfort.

The Best Essential Oils for Muscle Soreness Include:

Birch (use 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil only) – fantastically pain-relieving, one of my favorite essential oils for pain and muscle soreness
Eucalyptus radiata – sinks deep into muscles, cooling, and soothing
Ginger – warming to the muscles, alleviates soreness and tightness
Helichrysum – great for muscle cramping, tightness, swelling, and soreness
Lavender – an emotionally and physically soothing essential oil
Peppermint – cooling on contact, peppermint helps bring down heat and swelling
Roman chamomile – one of the best essential oils for pain
Sweet marjoram – warming and pain-relieving
Wintergreen (use 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil only) – very cooling, sinks deep into the muscles

How to Use Essential Oils for Sore Muscles

How to Make a Sore Muscle Massage Oil

One of the most direct ways to use essential oils for over-exercised muscles that are tight, sore, and painful is to make a massage oil.

This way, you can actively massage the area while infusing it with the soothing properties of the essential oils.

To make an effective recovery massage oil, you will need:

One 1 oz (30ml) dropper bottle
Carrier oil of choice (I like to use grapeseed oil or almond oil)
5 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil
4 drops ginger essential oil
4 drops sweet marjoram essential oil
3 drops birch or roman chamomile essential oil

Add each essential oil to the dropper bottle, then fill it to the shoulder with carrier oil. Cap closed and roll the bottle between your palms to mix thoroughly.

When needed, apply 1-2 dropperfuls of massage oil to the affected area and massage it into the muscles for a few minutes. Really focus on gently working out the tension and soreness. Do this 1-2 times daily and be sure to drink water afterward to help flush away the lactic acid trapped in the muscles.

How to Make Infused Epsom Salts Sore Muscles

Additionally, you can also soak in the bath after your routine to help sooth overexerted muscles. The heat from that bathwater paired with some infused Epsom salt is a great way to alleviate discomfort and help flush away built-up lactic acid.

To make infused Epsom salts, you will need: