Home Remedies: DIY Pain lotion

A lot of my life is spent with sore muscles. Pain relievers only help so much, and depending on the pill & the person they can rip your digestive tract to shreds.

It was Jillee's Pain Cream recipe that started this. I decided to go ahead and make my own version, to see how it works. Of course, I did a little research myself, and I wanted this cream to do a few different things. One thing I saw was about having some essential oils that cover the smell of the eucalyptus, so it's not so overpowering. Well, I'm here to tell you, that's hogwash--covering the scent also decreases the efficacy a bit. However, if the ones you add to it have purpose, it might be worth a little dilution.

Without further ado, my pain lotion recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 three-ounce travel bottle of your preferred lotion. I use a coconut-oil-based lotion. 
  • 10 drops peppermint EO
  • 10 drops eucalyptus EO
  • 10 drops lavender EO
  • 5 drops clary sage EO
  • 3-5 drops cinnamon EO
  • 5 drops rosemary EO
Okay but before we go any further, let me explain some of these:
  • Peppermint & Eucalyptus: These are supposed to help relax muscles, and create a kind of icy-hot sensation. 
  • Lavender: For calming, in general, because I often have tense muscles due to panic attacks.
  • Clary Sage: It says it's especially good for uterine muscle relaxing, which contributes to many of my lower back spasms. 
  • Cinnamon EO: For warming. I've only made 1 batch with 5 drops of cinnamon in it, and it made my back VERY red but comfortably warm. I would start with 3 and work your way up, especially if your skin is at all sensitive. 
  • Rosemary: Is supposed to boost the efficacy of other Eos, besides being a bit cooling-yet-warm by itself. 


Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, put ~2.5 oz lotion (I did 20 pumps, it was perfect).
  2. Add your essential oils to the lotion.
  3. Whisk or stir until well-combined.
  4. Pour the lotion into the bottle. You probably need a funnel and a spatula to get the stuff that sticks to the bowl. 
  5. If there's extra, rub it on. If the bottle isn't full, fill it up and mix it around. 
Voila! Rub it on wherever it hurts. Very helpful. With the cinnamon, I'd be a little concerned about covering the area until the warmth dies down. I had a bad experience with capsaicin cream + neck brace once. It was awful and I cried on the floor of my shower with a squirt bottle full of milk after running away from a dinner party. Don't be me. 




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