Carrying your worries on your shoulders or overdoing it when weeding the garden can bring on occasional back pain. For those everyday aches, a little TLC can go a long way. Adding essential oils to your daily self-care may lift the weight and provide some effective relief from back pain.
Alone or combined, some suggested essential oils for back pain are:
• Cedarwood
• Chamomile
• Helichrysum
• Peppermint
• Sandalwood
Safety First
While natural remedies are great for everyday aches, back pain can have serious complications. Talk to a healthcare professional if your back pain gets worse or is the result of an accident.
Help your back recover by adding aromatherapy to the following pain-relief techniques.
• Relaxing massage. Dilute a few drops of your favorite oils in olive oil and massage the mixture onto tight, sore muscles or knots.
• Soothing soak. At the end of a long day of hard work, reward your aching body with a hot, oil-infused bath. Cedarwood and German or Roman chamomile make a very relaxing combination.
• Hot compress. Add a few drops of pain relieving oils to a warm or hot compress and apply it directly to the areas that need relief most.
Natural Partners for Aromatherapy
For maximum results, combine your essential oils with these other natural remedies:
• Exercise your core. Strengthening your abdomen can help support your back.
• Try acupuncture. Acupuncture may help the body release natural pain relievers.
• Stretch your muscles. When directed by a knowledgeable instructor, a regular yoga routine can help relieve aches and pains.
Try one of these quick and easy recipes for effective relief of back strain and pain.
Take the time for a relaxing bath infused with Epsom salts and essential oils to soothe an aching back.
12 drops cedarwood oil
10 drops rosemary oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Epsom salts
½ cup coarse sea salt
½ cup baking soda
1 dark-glass pint jar
In a large glass bowl, combine the oils. Add in the Epsom salts, sea salt, and baking soda and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into your jar. Add ¼ to ½ cup of the blend to a hot bath.
This hot compress should offer some relief from lower-back trouble after a hard day’s work or loosen little knots of tension in your shoulders.
2 drops helichrysum oil
2 drops rosemary oil
2 drops peppermint oil
1 tablespoon carrier oil
1 cup warm or hot water
1 clean washcloth
Combine the oils in a large glass bowl, then stir in the water. Soak the washcloth in the water, wring it out, and apply it to the affected area. Hold it there until the washcloth comes to room temperature. Repeat the process up to three times a day with a fresh cloth, as needed.
Massage this simple but powerful anti-inflammatory mixture onto areas that ache.
2 ounces olive oil
10 drops sandalwood oil
5 drops lavender oil
5 drops German chamomile oil
1 2-ounce dark-glass bottle
Add all of the oils to the glass bottle and shake to blend.