Sensitive skin can get irritated easily especially when rubbed during a massage. While massage oil can help, you need to be careful about what it has in it.
It might actually be easier to make your own. Why don’t you try this Chamomile massage oil recipe for sensitive skin?!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information.
Why Use a Massage Oil?
Massage oil allows hands to glide over the skin and get deep into the muscle tissue without undue friction. The oil can also soften your skin. I generally has a longer glide than either a lotion or cream as it takes longer to dissolve into the skin.
You can also add essential oils to get even more benefits like relieving pain, reducing stress, improving sleep, etc. If you want to learn more, check out these books about essential oils.
RELATED: The Best Essential Oils for Back Pain
Benefits of Chamomile Massage Oil
When you put Chamomile in tea, it is soothing and helps you relax, but what can it do for your skin when you use it in massage oil?
When you use chamomile topically it also has a soothing affect on your skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties calm your skin. Redness and irritation can be reduced in a matter of seconds.
In addition to its anti-inflammatory effects, it also has antiseptic properties. (1) This helps fade spots, eliminate acne scars, and protect against breakouts. It can also treat skin conditions like psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.
Chamomile is packed with antioxidants which helps boost your skin health. This helps protect the skin from free-radical damage, accelerate cell and tissue regeneration, tighten pores, and slow down the aging process.
German vs Roman Chamomile
There are actually several types of chamomile, the most common being German (also sometimes called Blue) and Roman. Which one is should you use when you make massage oil?
Both varieties are pain relieving, antibiotic, anti-bacterial, and sedative. They have similar uses including:
- Soothing skin
- Relieving inflammation
- Calming the nervous and digestive systems
- Flushing out toxins and allergens.
If you can it’s best to use German chamomile. It contains chamazulene, which gives the oil its deep blue color and makes it more effective treating irritated or damaged skin.
Allergies, Drug Interactions, And Other Safety Considerations
Most people use chamomile without any issues, but there are circumstances where you need to be cautious. If you have any concerns, it’s best to speak with your doctor.
Some people (especially those allergic to pollens like ragweed) are allergic to chamomile. Additionally, chamomile can also worsen those pollen allergies.
Chamomile also has the potential to cause adverse interactions or reduce the effectiveness of some herbal products and prescription drugs like:
- Anticoagulant agents and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Sleep-enhancing herbal products and vitamins
- Aspirin or non-salicylate NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
- Hormonal birth control pills
Don’t use chamomile if you have had cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids. Roman chamomile also shouldn’t be used if you are pregnant because it has been known to cause uterine contractions that can lead to miscarriage. It is not known whether chamomile passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby, so avoid using it if you are breast-feeding.
Read more about the risks here.
Chamomile Massage Oil Recipe
You won’t believe how simple it is to make chamomile massage oil. You only need two main ingredients – a carrier oil and chamomile essential oil. It’s best to keep your massage oil in a dark bottle like this so it lasts as long as possible (about a year). Read on to discover this recipe and be sure to check out some other recipes and resources here.
Put 8 drops of chamomile essential oil (German is preferrable) in the bottle. You can also add a few (2-4) drops of lavender if want to enhance the scent. Lavender can also help with relieve stress and anxiety.
Note: You can add other essential oils based on your preferences. Read more about the best essential oils for massage here.
Next, you need to add the carrier oil, a 1/4 cup. You can use any carrier oil that you like (or a combination of carrier oils) but for sensitive skin I think jojoba is best. It is the carrier oil most chemically similar to our own natural oils and the least likely to irritate sensitive skin.
Close the lid of the bottle and gently shake to mix it. Label the bottle with the ingredients and date. Now, the massage oil is complete!
If you prefer, you could use an infusion technique to make the oil like we did for the Chamomile face oil, but it is a bit more time and effort.
How to Use Chamomile Massage Oil
The first time you make the chamomile massage oil for the skin it’s best to do a test to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction. Simply pat a couple drops on your wrist and wait 24 hours to make sure it doesn’t bother your skin. You should do this test anytime you alter the recipe, just to be safe.
Before you start your massage, I recommend that you warm the massage oil. Warm massage oil feels better on the skin than if it is at room temperature. The heat helps muscles relax and the oil penetrate the skin.
You don’t need to use much of the massage oil. How much you need depends on the size of the area you are massaging and your personal preferences. Start out will small amount, you can always add more.
Massage the oil into the skin. Add more as desired.
You might also want to read our tips for massage for beginners.
Other Homemade Beauty Treatments for Sensitive Skin
We love to use Chamomile in beauty treatments for sensitive skin. If you enjoyed this Chamomile massage oil, you might also want to try:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Massage Gear Guru is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
