Massage Therapy Oils Guide

Alternate Medicine

Chelation Therapy

Cognitive Therapy

Gene Therapy

Heat Therapy

Homeopathy

Hypnotherapy

Laser Therapy

Massage Therapy

Music Therapy

Pet Therapy

Physiotherapy

Play Therapy

Relaxation Therapy

Siddha

Other Therapy

Naturopathy

Herbal Remedies

Free Newsletter

Stay updated, sign up for our free newsletter to receive useful tips

Full Name
Email Id

Massage Therapy - It Is Surely Easier With Aromatic Oils

The art of massage has been around for a very long time. The first book on it written in Chinese, dates back to 3,000 BC. Since that time different groups have added little twists and turn to it, and developed it over time.

Although oil has been used for millennia in massage, the use of massage therapy oils were first applied around 1937, by a French chemist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse.

He had burned himself in a lab and then immersed his hand into lavender oil. Later, he had noticed how quickly his hand healed, and then he wrote a book dealing with the anti-microbial effects that the oils had. He coined the word aromatherapy, and the idea of aromatherapy massage oils was born.

Where Do Massage Oils Come From?

In spite of the word "oil" being used in the name, it is really incorrect to call them oils. They do, however, really come from the plant that they are named after. The desired liquid is basically distilled from the various plant parts by using steam or water. The "oil" actually has no oily feeling to it. Essential oils are strong and highly concentrated liquids obtained from the plant. They differ from perfumes in that a perfume scent contains artificial ingredients, and has no real therapeutic benefit. These oils should never be applied directly to the skin.

In order to get the full effect of a massage therapy, the essential oils need to be added to carrier oil. While there are many kinds, this allows the active ingredients to be absorbed rapidly into the skin and more easily utilized by the body, thus increasing the effect. Essential oils only need to be added by the drops, and should be mixed just prior to use.

Why Use Massage Oils For Massage Therapy?

Massage has the basic purpose of bringing about a relaxation of muscles, stimulating natural healing processes, giving some relief from pain, and generally increasing the psychological and sense of well-being in the individual. The oil simply allows the easier movement of the hands over the body parts. The use of natural massage oils, however, adds to the therapeutic effect by bringing about an even greater sense of well-being, comfort, and relaxation - and allows that feeling to last even longer, and to enhance the effect. For instance, most of the oils may have both vitamins E added, which is helpful for the skin. Before use, warming massage oils may be a good idea.

Factors That May Affect Your Choice of Oils

Since these essential oils are produced from various plants, there is always the possibility that it may not fully agree with your skin type. Here are some things that you need to know about your choice of oil.

Possible Allergic Reaction

Because essential oils are not artificial, but really made from plant parts, there is a definite possibility that you may be allergic to it. So, before you let the massage giver put it all over your body, you need to conduct a little test. This simply involves putting just a little bit of it on the back of your hand, and watching for a reaction.

Check The Odor

These oils can have a rather strong odor to them. If you do not like the smell, then excessive amounts on your body may make you sick, and when it is put on the body in quantities, though only using small quantities, the smell will only get stronger.

Another thing about the odor is that the carrier oil could have become rancid by sitting around too long. Your nose will tell you if you should throw it away. By adding about 300 IU of Vitamin E once a month, this should prevent it from going bad.

Buy Expellier Pressed Oils

Your carrier oil should say that it was expellier pressed. This simply means that less heating was used in the processing, and that it is less refined. This is what you want. Companies are not required to declare how the product was processed, so you may have to look at several brands before you find one with these words.