Rub It Good: 3 Alternatives To Professional Massage Oil

Whether you're giving one or getting one, a home massage can be one of the most relaxing activities you can do in your spare time and can leave you feeling loose, less stressed, and somewhat accomplished. But when you're working with home massage, it can be hard to get up the motivation (or the funds) to splurge for high-quality, professional-grade massage oil – even though you know you need massage oil for a truly successful massage. So if you're looking for a few slightly cheaper alternatives to use in your next home massage session, then here's what you need to know.

Cooking Oil

If you want a massage to happen right now and don't want to go out and shop first, consider trying a type of cooking oil such as olive, peanut (so long as you don't have a peanut allergy), or even canola oil. These oils do the most important job of any massage oil – making the skin soft and easier to massage – just as well as any professional oil on the market and have the benefit of probably being right at your fingertips (or, rather, in your pantry) at any moment. Use cooking oil just like any other massage oil – just be prepared to smell slightly like…well, cooking oil after you've finished.

Beeswax Cream

If you're not really up to smelling like a stir-fry, you may want to consider the substance referred to as cera alba – no, it's not the name of Jessica Alba's sister – and more commonly known as beeswax. Beeswax is fantastic for your skin for multiple reasons; it's antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hypoallergenic, filled with skin-cell-bolstering Vitamin A, and acts as an amazingly powerful moisturizer without clogging your pores. You should be able to find a beeswax lotion or cream at your local supermarket or (very easily) online, or you can always whip up your own.

Make Your Own

If neither plain cooking oil nor beeswax sound quite right to you, you can always just make your own massage oil. Not only is this cheaper than buying massage oil, but you also get to pick whatever combination of smells you want, tailoring the mix to fit your (or your subject's) specific problems. First, find a glass bottle where the glass is dark and/or tinted; this will protect the oil from going bad. Second, choose an oil to make up the majority of your massage oil; coconut oil is a good choice for its cheap cost and hydrating qualities, but sunflower, grape seed (for oily skin), and olive oils (for dry skin) will work just as well. Finally, choose three different essential oils to add aromatherapy to your massage oil – the most common are lavender, peppermint, lemon, rose, and eucalyptus, but a quick look at any aromatherapy handbook will give you not only a mostly comprehensive list, but also tell you what each oil can do for the body. Mix these together with the main oil you chose previously, making sure to add about 21 drops of essential oil (7 of each type) to about a fourth of a cup of your main oil, and let the oils blend together for an hour before use.

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