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Sore Muscle Blends for Athletes

Filed Under: Soaks & Scrubs

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about our Bramble Berry Athletic Club. We’re psyched to be able to donate to different charities around the country and support the athletic events of the BBAC! If you don’t know what the BBAC is, check out the team here! We’ve already made a handful of donations so far and we’re excited to make the rest of the donations this week! We’re putting the goody bags together as we speak (ahem…the team shirts are so cute) and we’re sending an essential oil blend for each member of the team to try out before, during and after their athletic event. Don’t worry, we’re going to share the EO blends with our Soap Queen readers too (we would hate to leave anyone out)!

BBAC Sore Muscle Essential Oils

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) Essential Oil is distilled from the leaf of the Eucalyptus plant. Most people are familiar with its scent for the antiseptic uses. But what you may not know is that this very strong essential oil that is great for massaging into those sore muscles for nearly instant relief. It’s an anti-inflammatory that you’ll find in many creams and rubs.

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) Essential Oil is distilled from the berries of the Black Pepper flowering vine. It gives a warm and soothing effect making it great for treating pains, strains and muscle aches when applied topically.

Lavender 40/42 (Lavandula angustifolia) Essential Oil is a natural lavender essential oil blend that like red table wine and is blended from a variety of batches every season to ensure stability in odor and strength. This oil is commonly used as a relaxant in oils, salts and rubs. This EO will be great for after the race. It’s even known as a healing agent is reputed to treat bites, stings, cuts and inflammation.

Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) Essential Oil causes a cooling effect on the skin which is good for circulatory stimulation. The essential oil can stimulate and energize you for your big event!

Just a reminder: with essential oils, you MUST dilute them before using them on the skin. Never, ever use them straight.

Recipe #1: Pre-Race Blend Massage Oil

Loosen up  up before the big race with a combination of Lavender 40/42, Peppermint and Eucalyptus Essential Oils mixed with Avocado and Vitamin E Oils. The lavender will help reduce stress so you can get focused on your event while the other other two oils stimulate your circulatory system. Get those muscles ready to win!

Ingredients:

2.5 grams Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil  

1 gram Peppermint Essential Oil

1 gram Eucalyptus Essential Oil

7 oz. Avocado Oil

1 oz. Vitamin E Oil

(1) 8 oz. bottle

ONE: Blend essentials oils of Lavender, Peppermint and Eucalyptus at a 2.5:1:1 ratio.

TWO: Combine 7 oz of Avocado Oil  and  1 oz of Vitamin E Oil in a mixing bowl and combine.

THREE: After thoroughly mixing the oils, add in the 4.5 grams of the essential oil blend and mix thoroughly.

FOUR: Pour into the 8 oz. bottle!

To Use: Apply massage oil to sore muscles (hopefully with an actual massage!)

Recipe #2: Sore Muscle Blend Massage Stick

This massage stick is great to use right before the big race or keep in your pack during a long marathon. We designed this EO blend with more Eucalyptus so you might feel faster relief when you apply this to your pained muscles during your event. 

Ingredients:

6 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil

3 drops Black Pepper Essential Oil

3 drops Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil  

1 oz. Solid Perfume Base

(1) Push Tube

ONE: Blend essential oils of Eucalyptus, Black Pepper and Lavender at a 2:1:1 ratio. This equals roughly 6 drops Eucalyptus, 3 drops Black Pepper and 3 drops Lavender 40/42.

TWO: Scoop 1 oz. of Solid Perfume Base out into a small, heat safe, measuring glass and microwave until melted (at 15-second bursts).

THREE: Add 12 drops of the essential oil blend to the melted perfume base and mix thoroughly.

FOUR: Pour the mixture into the push tube and let cool.

To Use: Apply lotion bar to your sore muscles.

Recipe #3: Post Race Foot Soak

This recipe is similar to the one above but the has a little more Black Pepper to help prevent stiffness and encourage circulatory stimulation. Pssst – Black Pepper also has anti-bacterial properties. Your feet might need it after a long run!

Ingredients:

4 grams Black Pepper Essential Oil

2 grams Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil  

2.4 grams Eucalyptus Essential Oil

2.5 cups of Epsom Salt, Extra Fine

(1) Dropper

Step 1: Blend essential oils of Black Pepper, Lavender and Eucalyptus at a 2:1:1 ratio. This equal approximately 4 grams of Black Pepper, 2 grams of Lavender 40/42 and 2.4 grams Eucalyptus essential oil.

Step 2: Pour 2.5 cups of Epsom Salt into a large mixing bowl and stir salts until all clumps are gone.

Step 3: Slowly mix 8.4 grams of the essential oil blend into the Epsom salts and mix well.

To Use: Add 4 tablespoons of the salt soap per 2 quarts of warm water. Feel free to add more if you want a stronger scent or a more ‘zingy!’ foot bath.

 

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

BBAC Athletes – look for your goody packages, including your t-shirts, next week. And, for the rest of you, there’s an athlete in us all! Go work your muscles extra hard, try our blends or create some of your own. I want to hear what your go-to blends are. After all, the sun is starting to shine in Bellingham and I’m looking forward to getting out and pounding the pavement myself.

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37 Comments

  1. Hi I heard that essential oils eat at plastics, is that true? Would it be better to use recipes that include essential oils in glass containers?

    • Hi Marleny!

      It’s true that fragrance oils and essential oils will start to eat at plastic containers, so as a rule of thumb, store your essential oils and fragrance oils in glass containers. If your fragrances are diluted with other ingredients (this recipe for example has lots of Avocado Oil) then they will be fine in a plastic container.

      Hope this helps!

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  2. Hi BB folks! I was a part of BBAC this year and would love to hear how the other members are doing and if they’ve done their events yet? I really enjoyed representing Bramble Berry at the Warrior Dash! 🙂

    • Hi Jodi!

      We are planning to get blog posts up about this years 2013 BBAC team soon. Thanks for the reminder! Be sure to check out the blog in the coming months for pictures and stories. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  3. Could a lotion base be substituted for the solid perfume base in the massage stick? I have plenty of lotion base and bottles but do not have any solid perfume base or push tubes. Or would there be a better recipe for a lotion? Thanks!

    • Good morning, Beth!

      In the massage stick recipe, you could actually substitute a lotion (like our Beeswax or Aloe Lotion Base) in place of the solid base found in this tutorial. We made the solid lotion bar for those athletes that are on the run and need something easy to carry during their events. Let us know how it turns out, we’d love to hear your feedback. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      Aloe Lotion Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/Aloe-Lotion-Base-P5584.aspx

      Beeswax Lotion Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beeswax-Lotion-Base-P3717.aspx

      • The massage stick works great in lotion form!! 🙂 I have another question… I am wanting to make the pre-race massage oil but am having difficulty weighing in grams. Can you tell me what the measurements would be in ounces or milliliters? Sorry, I am a newbie. Is there a conversion chart somewhere? Thanks for all your help!

        • Hi Beth!

          Converting measurements can be a bit tricky at first, but once you’ve got the hang of it, you can do it in a flash! How I typically convert my measurements is by typing what kind of conversion I want into Google and finding a conversion calculator that I am comfortable using. For this particular recipe, I’ve converted into milliliters for you since the amounts are so small. The recipe now reads:

          2.5 milliliters Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
          1 milliliter Peppermint Essential Oil
          1 milliliter Eucalyptus Essential Oil
          207 milliliters Avocado Oil
          30 milliliters Vitamin E Oil.

          I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions and we would be happy to help you out. =)

          -Becky with Bramble Berry

  4. Black pepper oil seems to be quite pricey. Is there anything else I can use instead? What is your thoughts on Cinnamon leaf oil as a replacement?

  5. I made the sore muscle oil for my family.Today and youngest daughter called all excited. She said they all loved the sore muscle oil,it works out great for the whole family.My grandson rub it on after football practice,She said after he put it on not one compliant. Thanks for sharing your recipe..

    Louise

  7. Is there anything I can put in body oil to make it less greasy? I use my own infused oil for my face and right after a shower but it can get a little messy. Also, do you prefer avocado oil over olive oil when making body oils? Is it possible to use the word “oil” more frequently in a short paragraph?
    ~Evie

  9. Thanks for putting this together and sharing. I am so inspired! In August I am doing a mud run with some colleagues. I am planning to make some goody bags for us and the lotion bar is genius!

    I wonder about using Arnica in a lotion bar like this. I have read it shouldn’t be used on broken skin. Any other reason not to put it in?

    You all are such an inspiration!

    • Hi Elizabeth!

      That sounds so exciting for you and your colleagues, can’t wait to hear how it goes for you. While we’ve never used Arnica in our recipes before, it should work fabulously in a lotion bar. I would just be careful in the usage amount and test it out in a small batch before you make a bunch. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  10. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipies.

    I was wondering if one can use sweet almond oil instead of avocado oil. The massage oil in your photo seems a lot clearer to me than the avocado oil that I have right now (which is kind of murky)

    Anna

  11. I am using the massage oil on my mother who is terminal with leukemia. She is bed ridden, now. This particular type of leukemia is causing great pain in all different areas – one at a time. She is getting more relief from the massages than the morphine Hospice has prescribed for her.

    Thank you for your recipe.

    • Wow – that is wonderful to read that she’s getting some relief from the massage. Hugs to you and your family as you continue to deal with this illness. We’re sending lots of love and positive thoughts your way.

  12. I can’t wait to make the massage stick!!! originally I was going to make it for my son who is pushing his leg muscles to the limit. Then I realized I can use it on my neck and shoulder vs. paying ALOT of money on a certain ointment my physical therapist has used on me–wha-laa!!! I’m a happy girl!!!

  13. Thank you for sharing! I am seriously sore ALL OF THE TIME! I am going to make the Massage Stick today and I just got my most recent Bramble Berry which included a big bottle of Eucalyptus EO! yay!

  14. Oooh! I’m so excited about our event, the cute BBAC shirts, and now these awesome goodies to try out! Thanks again for the amazing opportunity to be a part of this! Your donation was soooo appreciated!

  15. I can’t wait to try them out. Thank you so much again for allowing us to participate on the BBAC