Warming Sore Muscle Balm Recipe – You’ll Love It!

Got sore muscles? Looking for a natural balm that can ease the pain, feel good and help you have beautiful skin?

That may feel like mission impossible and it may be if you are looking at commercial options. However, a really great option exists – making your own.

It’s important to me to only use natural products on my skin, so when I get muscle pains, I need to turn to an effective product I make. That’s when I started making this sore muscle balm, perfect for when you have some muscle aches.

Below, I give you step-by-step instructions for how to make your own warming sore muscle balm including why it’s worth making your own, the recipe and the benefits of each of the ingredients used to make this balm.

What Is A Sore Muscle Balm?

A warming sore muscle balm is basically a balm that you rub on sore muscles to help them. It should give a warming effect on the skin and both moisturise and help your skin at the same time as helping ease your sore muscles.

It is great for sore and overworked muscles, cramps, sore joints and light bruises.

This recipe here is fantastic but isn’t suitable for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 12. Its powerful nature means you should only use it on small parts of your body as well. It’s not for an all-over treatment.

Why Make An Arnica Balm Muscle Rub Recipe?

There are many reasons why I love making my own warming sore muscle balm that may work for you as well.

It Works

The number one reason why I love this best balm for muscle pain is that it works. It feels great on my skin and eases my sore muscles.

It’s All Natural And Chemical Free

The next best reason is because it is natural and chemical free. There are no nasties in this recipe where you have to wonder if the benefits really outweigh the negatives – there are only benefits!

Making your own muscle balm means that you know how great all the ingredients are for you. You also know that you’ll only have a good experience.

It’s Cost Effective

You don’t just get an all natural, effective muscle balm but it’s also cost effective.

Admittedly, if you don’t already own any of the ingredients when you first make this muscle balm, the cost will add up when buying everything. However, you don’t use much of these ingredients so you can make a lot of muscle balm (or other great skincare products as well) with just a little of these ingredients making it overall cost effective.

It’s Easy And Fun To Make

It’s surprisingly easy to make your own muscle balm and fun as well.

I love the satisfaction that comes from making something all natural, effective and that is just so nourishing.

It Makes A Great Gift

Just in case you need any more convincing, this muscle balm also makes a great gift.

Ingredients For The Best Balm For Muscle Balm

One of the best things about this warming muscle balm recipe is that it’s simple enough to make at home in your own kitchen. There are no chemicals and you can change the ingredients if there are butters or oils that work better for your skin or muscles. So you can edit the recipe below a little to suit your needs and preferences.

eBay and Amazon Australia are quick and easy places to buy ingredients and all the gear you need. Below, I direct you to the best place to buy each ingredient or you can click here to buy now on Amazon or here for eBay. This is how I buy all of these ingredients.

Beeswax

Beeswax is used in this muscle balm for multiple reasons with a big one being that it helps keep this muscle balm solid so you can rub it on your skin easily.

However, it also has other benefits. It’s good at locking in moisture and protecting the skin while also containing high levels of vitamin A. This helps with healing and cell regeneration. It’s also an anti-inflammatory and can feel soothing on the skin.

You can vary the amount of beeswax if you want to make your balm harder (add a little more) or softer. If you live in a hot climate, you may find adding a little more beeswax helps the balm stay a little more solid and be a better consistency for you.

If you want your muscle balm to be vegan, beeswax is the only problem ingredient. This is easy to fix. Simply switch to candelilla wax instead which is vegan.

Click here to buy beeswax now.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a versatile and fantastic product for those of us who love natural skincare. It’s natural and nourishing and is a great ingredient in balms including this one.

Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is an essential fatty acid that is great for your skin especially if you have itchy, sensitive skin. It also contains a good amount of proteins and vitamin E which help to heal and hydrate your skin. They are helpful in repairing damaged skin.

This oil also helps your muscle balm melt as you rub it into your skin.

Click here to buy coconut oil now.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is another ingredient which helps moisturise and nourish skin. It’s full of essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins – all of which your skin will love.

It’s easy to apply and helps soften, soothes and lubricates the skin. It helps reduce dryness and is great for skin flexibility. It also protects the skin and has anti-inflammatory properties.

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll extra love cocoa butter as it adds a chocolate scent to this muscle balm.

It is important to only use unrefined cocoa butter to ensure you are getting all the benefits. Refined cocoa butter goes through high heat or chemical processes which strips most of the nutrients (and thus benefits) from the cocoa butter so isn’t recommended.

Cocoa butter is best with dry, sensitive and normal skin types. If you don’t want to use cocoa butter, you could use more shea butter or mango butter instead.

Click here to buy cocoa butter now.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is packed full of minerals, vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants that can deeply moisturise the skin. It also helps soothe and protect your skin while revitalising skin cells.

Shea butter has anti-inflammatory qualities which is extra great if you have skin redness and rashes and is perfect for dry skin. It melts easily on the skin and works well in this muscle balm.

Like cocoa butter, make sure you buy unrefined shea butter. Refined shea butter just does not have the same amount of benefits with most nutrients and goodness lost in the processes that make it.

Again, if necessary, you could add more cocoa butter if you don’t want to use shea butter or use mango butter instead.

Click here to buy shea butter now.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is rich in fatty acids and is a very slow absorbing carrier oil which gives a thick, protective layer. It also has lubricant properties which help this sore muscle balm easier to apply.

In addition, it has antiviral and antimicrobial properties making it a popular skincare choice for those with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne, mature, dry, etc. Castor oil helps skin feel soft and smooth.

Click here to buy castor oil now.

Menthol Crystals

Menthol crystals are an optional item in this sore muscle warming balm. They are actually just peppermint essential oil in solid form that looks like crystals. It’s a common ingredient in toothpastes, muscle rubs, soaps and more.

They can help reduce headaches, coughs, muscle pain, cramps, burning and more. They can also help the healing process.

While it is optional, as it’ll cost a little more to buy them and you can still have a great muscle balm without them, they do help elevate this balm to the next level.

Click here to buy menthol crystals now.

Dried Arnica

Dried arnica comes from the flower heads of the Arnica Montana plant. It has been used since the 1500s for medicinal purposes and is perfect for any DIY natural skincare recipe that is for sore muscles.

This is because of its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and anti-rheumatic properties and it’s widely believed to help pain from sports injuries and arthritis. It’s also thought to reduce bruising, healing time and help with tissue regeneration.

It’s a must have ingredient to give your warming sore muscle balm some kick.

Click here to buy dried arnica on eBay now.

Peppermint Essential Oil

While you don’t have to have peppermint essential oil in your muscle balm, especially if you add menthol crystals, it has lots of benefits to add to your muscle balm

It can increase blood flow to the skin, relieve pain and reduce inflammation. It’s also hydrating and soothing with a smell that can invigorate and focus the mind.

Click here to buy peppermint essential oil on eBay now.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Eucalyptus essential oil has many properties that make it great in this muscle balm.

It’s great at penetrating the skin and helping enhance the properties of other items in this list. It’s also great for inflammation, aches, pains and rheumatic conditions.

Click here to buy eucalyptus essential oil on eBay now.

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is not just a great scent, but has many great properties for the body.

For a start, it can relieve stress and tension, perfect in a sore muscle balm. It also has pain-relieving properties for joint aches and muscle pains, is an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and much more. It promotes the growth of skin cells, soothe allergies and can help unclog pores.

You can switch any of these essential oils for any that you prefer or you could skip essential oils all together, although they do help take it to another level.

Click here to buy lavender essential oil on eBay now.

Vitamin E Oil

In this muscle balm, vitamin E oil is primarily being used to extend the shelf life of your muscle balm. However, it is an antioxidant that is great for your skin. Its benefits include helping repair problem skin, softening and smoothing the skin.

The best part about vitamin E oil in this recipe is that it helps with cell regeneration.

Click here to buy vitamin E oil.

How To Make Your Own Muscle Warming Cream

This muscle warming balm is more complicated than some of my other recipes, but only because you need to soak the dried arnica in the mixture for a couple of hours. Otherwise, it’s quite straightforward.

Follow the recipe below exactly. I recommend you melt and heat your ingredients using a double boiler like pictured here. These are cheap and easy to buy if you don’t have one, and they make it so much easier to make natural products.

Click here to buy a double boiler on eBay now.

As part of this recipe, you need to place the dried arnica in a tea bag that you can soak in the muscle balm mixture. This helps transfer all the benefits of the arnica into your balm while you can still remove the dried parts of the flower heads and end up with a nice balm that is easy to apply.

To do this, you need to soak the arnica tea bag in the mixture for a couple of hours. This needs to be with heat applied or it solidifies. It can be tricky to get the mixture at the right temperature so it’s as low as possible but it doesn’t solidify. If it does solidify, you can turn up the heat to melt it again.

You want to keep the temperature as low as you can, though, so you don’t lose any of the nutrients in the ingredients.

After you have soaked the arnica for two hours, you can remove it and melt and mix in the final ingredients. The menthol crystals are optional but help give extra warmth when you apply the muscle balm. I recommend them.

You can choose where to store this muscle balm. However, I highly recommend a cardboard push up tube. This make it super easy to apply.

Warming Sore Muscle Balm Recipe

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

This muscle warming balm is perfect for sore muscles. It only contains natural ingredients which feel great and work together for a fabulous experience. You'll love it!

Print

Ingredients

• 15g Beeswax
• 15g Coconut Oil
• 12g Cocoa Butter
• 12g Shea Butter
• 3g Castor Oil
• 3g Menthol Crystals (optional)
• 1.2g Dried Arnica
• 10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
• 10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
• 4 drops Lavender Essential Oil
• 2 drops Vitamin E Oil
• Reusable Tea Bag
• Double Boiler
• 50mL Brown Cardboard Push-up Tube

Instructions

1. Weigh the arnica, beeswax, cocoa butter and coconut oil and have them ready to go
2. Place the arnica in the tea bag and close tightly
3. Set up your double boiler or pan and heat-safe bowl with water on a low heat
4. Add the beeswax and stir until melted
5. Add the cocoa butter and stir until melted
6. Add the coconut oil and stir until melted
7. Add the arnica tea bag to the double boiler mixture
8. With the saucepan on its lowest setting so it just keeps the mixture liquid, heat for two hours to infuse the arnica into the mixture
9. Remove from heat
10. Remove the tea bag with tongs. Hold it above and let any of the mixture drip back into the double boiler
11. Give it a quick stir
12. (Optional Step) Wear safety glasses and add menthol crystals. Stir until dissolved
13. Add the shea butter and stir until melted. If it doesn't melt, you can return the double boiler to a low heat until it melts
14. Stir in the castor oil and vitamin E oil
15. Add essential oils and stir
16. Pour into your push up tube (or other container)
17. Leave until set. You can place it in the refrigerator if you want to speed it up

Notes

I have found some small bits of the dried arnica tend to make their way into the muscle balm even with using a tea bag. However, I never notice them when using the end product so don't worry about this.

How To Use Your Warming Sore Muscle Balm

When you muscles need some love, simply apply this warming sore muscle balm by rubbing it directly on your skin to the area of concern.

If you use your hands, make sure you wash them thoroughly as the balm may irritate eyes. Don’t use this muscle balm on broken skin.

Store your muscle balm in a cool cupboard away from direct sunlight.

Final Words

I hope you find this warming muscle balm useful and your sore muscles love it!

It’s a beautiful product to have on hand for when you work out a little too much or have aches and pains. It’s easy to make as well as easy to use and apply. It’s great for your skin as well as your muscles and it’s an all-round winner!

Want to learn how to make DIY skincare? Find all my recipes here including a great body balm here, some great tinted lip balm here and some awesome under eye balm here.

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