What Is the Strongest Essential Oil for Pain? Discover the Top 15 Essential Oils for Sore Muscles
Got sore muscles? Aching joints? Swelling or inflammation?
Let the soothing and muscle-relaxing properties of these top 15 essential oils lead you to a pain-free life.
Whether you're a dedicated gym enthusiast or someone who enjoys occasional home workouts, muscle soreness and joint pain can affect us all. For some, an intense exercise routine can lead to sore muscles, while for others, everyday activities like poor sleeping positions, bad posture, or extended periods of inactivity can contribute to muscle pain and tension. While there are preventive measures that can reduce the likelihood of experiencing sore muscles, they often only mitigate the intensity of discomfort rather than eliminating it completely.
If you're wondering what is the strongest essential oil for pain relief, there are several options to consider. These oils can provide natural remedies to help alleviate muscle and joint discomfort.
That is why we recommend using essential oils for muscle pain. With a variety of benefits and pain-relieving properties, essential oils can help soothe and ease sore muscles in the blink of an eye. Discover the top 15 essential oils for sore muscles and find out which essential oil is best for you!
Top 15 Essential Oils for Sore Muscles
1. Lavender
Arguably the most popular essential oil, Lavender oil is called the Queen of all essential oils for a reason! Coupled with its ability to help treat wounds, bruises, and burns, Lavender essential oil can also help with pain relief. It is especially great in easing muscle cramps or spasms and can be incredibly soothing when topically applied. Lavender essential oil also has many anti-inflammatory benefits that can help reduce muscle pain and support muscle recovery.
Topically apply our Lavender or Lavender Roll-On to ease muscle aches, muscle pain, or muscle soreness after a workout or a long day. You can even choose to diffuse this essential oil to promote relaxation and ease any tension or stress you might be carrying in your muscles, especially those around your back or neck region.
2. Peppermint
A great essential oil for sore muscles, Peppermint essential oil is one you definitely need to have in your medicine cabinet or gym bag. With analgesic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory properties, it is often recommended to use Peppermint essential oil for muscle pain. The natural menthol and menthone found in Peppermint oil can help reduce inflammation in overworked or sore muscles. When topically applied, Peppermint can provide a cooling and muscle soothing effect. This cooling effect reduces blood flow to the affected area and therefore helps ease the effects of inflammation in the area.
Also Read - Benefits of Peppermint Essential Oil
3. Helichrysum
Both great essential oils for muscle soreness, Helichrysum italicum and Helichrysum gymnocephalum can help relieve muscle pain, cramps, or spasms when applied topically. With powerful antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties, Helichrysum oil is great at reducing inflammation in all areas of the body. There are many reports that support that statement that Helichrysum essential oil can also help promote faster healing in pulled muscles and other muscular injuries due to its ability to promote blood vessel and nerve repair. Keep Helichrysum oil in your gym first aid kit for on-the-go treatment and relief.
4. Black Pepper
While you may be familiar with the Black Pepper on your dinner table, Black Pepper essential oil is great for relieving pain. When topically applied, it provides a warming feeling that helps promote and improve blood circulation. This helps with muscle repair and recovery, and can therefore help reduce any inflammation or soreness found in the area. Improved blood circulation can also help your body get rid of toxins in your bloodstream that are causing soreness, discomfort, or pain. Its analgesic and antimicrobial properties can also help ease muscle pain and soothe muscle soreness.
5. Wintergreen
One of the best essential oils for muscle pain, Wintergreen oil is commonly found as a main ingredient in many pain-relieving or muscle-soothing creams or gels. Thanks to its natural active ingredient methyl salicylate, Wintergreen essential oil has powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Several studies have found that topically applying Wintergreen oil can help relieve leg cramps and muscle pain associated with muscle strain, joint aches, or muscle soreness. This essential oil also absorbs quickly into the skin and can help relieve swelling and relax muscles.
6. True Blue
True Blue is one of the best essential oils for muscle pain. It is a popular essential oil blend that comes in both a 15ml bottle and a 10ml roll-on. It consists of Wintergreen, Peppermint, Helichrysum gymnocephalum, Blue Tansy, and Spruce essential oils. True Blue has a minty aroma with an herbal undertone. It is great for soothing sore or achy muscles and joints, thanks to its combination of pain-relieving oils.
This essential oil blend is unique as it contains Blue Tansy, which is a natural remedy for relieving sore muscles. The Spruce in our True Blue blend can also help ease muscle soreness by increasing blood flow to the affected areas. This can help by removing metabolic byproducts that have built up in sore muscles that can cause pain or contractions.
If you are looking for a more powerful warming and cooling sensation, then True Blue is the essential oil you should go for.
7. Rosemary
Rosemary essential oil is great for treating sore or fatigued muscles. The oil contains compounds such as camphor and eucalyptol that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which may help relieve muscle pain and tension. Rosemary oil is also a great essential oil for improving blood circulation. This increased blood flow helps reduce inflammation and swelling as well as rid the body of toxins. Rosemary essential oil can also help improve mobility, release tension in muscles, and reduce muscle knots.
8. Ginger Root
A great anti-inflammatory oil, ginger root essential oil can help reduce muscle tension, pain, and soreness. Ginger root essential oil contains compounds such as gingerols and shogaols that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which can help reduce pain after an exercise injury.
Ginger oil’s antispasmodic properties can also help reduce muscle cramps and spasms, which make this oil especially helpful to athletes that train rigorously. In addition to promoting relaxation, ginger root essential oil can also help improve mobility and blood flow, which can improve and quicken the healing process.
9. Sports Pro
Our Sports Pro blend is designed to provide relief to muscles after a long or tiring workout. This blend of Wintergreen, Peppermint, Nutmeg, Clove Bud, Thyme, Black Pepper, Oregano, Marjoram, and Helichrysum gymnocephalum combines a variety of soothing oils to aid in muscle recovery and repair. Athlete or not, this blend is perfect to use after your gym session, if you are struggling with sore muscles or muscle knots.
The Nutmeg, Thyme, Black Pepper, and Oregano oil combination featured in Sports Pro can help fight off inflammation or swelling that occurs in muscles or joints after exercise. When topically applied, the oils in this blend can also help ease muscle strain and stress, buy increasing blood flow and circulation to your muscles. This can also help improve your range of motion and muscle flexibility.
10. Relieve Me
The name says it all! This essential oil blend is great for relieving all kinds of pain. With a blend of Wintergreen, Helichrysum gymnocephalum, Clove Bud, Cypress, Peppermint, and Marjoram essential oils, Relieve me combines the best pain relieving and muscle soothing oils. Our Relieve Me blend is unique as it contains Clove Bud and Marjoram essential oils.
These oils can help fight inflammation, soothe overworked or tired muscles, and boost your immune and body repair systems. The Marjoram essential oil featured in this blend contains a powerful antioxidant called carvacrol. This antioxidant can help fight oxidation and inflammation that is often present in fatigued, overworked, or sore muscles.
This blend can also help with muscle spasms. The Cypress in our Relieve Me blend helps improve circulation, which can promote the release of fluid buildup like lactate. This fluid release can help ease inflammation in muscles or joints, which can then ease sore muscles.
11. Pain Ease
Just like the name suggests, our Pain Ease essential oil blend is perfect for those who are dealing with sore or painful muscles or joints. With a blend of Lemongrass, Wintergreen, and Peppermint essential oils, our Pain Ease blend is the number one pick for post-workout relief. Reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain with just a few drops of this essential oil blend after a workout or exercise injury for optimal wellness.
12. Muscle Soothe
Looking for on-the-go muscle and pain relief? Then our Musscle Soothe roll-on is what you need. Perfectly portable to throw into your gym bag, this essential oil blend is perfect for pre and post workout routines. Promote muscle recovery and increase blood flow to your muscles with just a few swipes of this amazing blend. No need to dilute or find a carrier oil, as this roll-on is ready to go at all times. With a blend of Marjoram, Tangerine, Black Pepper, Frankincense, and Lavender essential oils in a base of 98% Fractionated Coconut Oil, Muscle Soothe is what you need for the perfect workout recovery.
13. Eucalyptus
Reduce muscle pain caused by exercise injury with eucalyptus essential oil. Whether you chose eucalyptus radiata or eucalyptus citriodora, just a few drops of either of these essential oils can help reduce muscle spasms and muscle soreness. With powerful antispasmodic properties, eucalyptus essential oil can help reduce muscle fatigue, knots, and tension.
14. Sandalwood
With a powerful grounding scent, sandalwood essential oil can help reduce tension in your entire body. This essential oil can help you relax as well as reduce stress on your body that could be slowing down or inhibiting your muscle recovery. In addition to this, this essential oil can also help improve circulation and reduce inflammation caused by muscle soreness.
15. Complete Relief
Give overworked and achy muscles much-needed relief with the powerful support of our Tohi Complete Relief Muscle Rub. Perfect to use after a workout when joints and muscles need a bit of support and recovery, our Complete Relief Muscle Rub offers the cooling relief without the burning sensations that other muscle-relaxing creams often bring. Made with essential oils and other powerful natural ingredients, Complete Relief Muscle Rub offers fast-acting relief for everyday achy and sore muscles.
