Getting to the Root of Massage Oil Ingredients

By Nyssa Hanger, MA, LMT, RYT
February 8, 2017

Getting to the Root of Massage Oil Ingredients

By Nyssa Hanger, MA, LMT, RYT
February 8, 2017

In my last article, I wrote about why it is important to dilute your essential oils and how you can easily do so for the safety of yourself and your clients. The wide range of safe essential oils offers us an incredible variety of single notes and combinations to creatively blend to our heart's content. Hopefully the vast selection of different essential oils that massage and aromatherapists have to choose from is not too many for you, because there is another factor I would like to introduce you to that can be customized in your practice: blending your carrier.

Carrier Oil

Your carrier oil (wholly different than what we call essential oils) is the fatty base substance comprising the bulk volume of what is used for massage. In aromatherapy specifically, it is what we use to apply our essential oils to the skin in trans-dermal or topical application of essential oils. Since most massage therapists are using a base oil on the skin as part of the massage treatment, it makes the integration of aromatherapy into the session almost effortless. In the November 2016 issue of Massage Today, I suggested three essential oils that can be safely added to your massage blend and increase the value and effectiveness of the session. Just like we want to make sure that the essential oils that we are putting on our clients are safe for both them and us, we want to take the same precautions with the product we are using the most. So, do you know what is in your massage oil?

Ingredients

Many years ago, before I switched to oil for all my massages, I began to pay attention to the ingredients in the massage creams and lotions that were available. Most of them had a bunch of ingredients in them I could not understand or pronounce. I recently read about the things we put in products for skin care and make-up, and how they are potentially toxic and carcinogenic. Thinking about how often I'd be applying these substances to my hands and my clients, I wanted to find something that made me a little more confident.

I realized then that I needed to give oil a try because I would know exactly what is in it, seeing as it is made of a single ingredient. I realized that if I adapted to use oil instead of cream or lotion, I would no longer have to worry about what was in my massage oil.

Base oils

Coconut & Almond

For many years I have used Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO) almost exclusively as my carrier oil for all my massage sessions. FCO, or as it is sometimes labeled, medium-chain triglycerides, is similar to the coconut oil that is used for cooking but has been processed in a way that the solid parts are removed creating a thin, clear, scentless oil.

It is very easily absorbed in the skin and many of my clients have commented on how they don't feel "oily all over" like they do with massages from other therapists using different products. I think this is one reason it works well for both the gliding strokes of Swedish massage as well as the slow myofacial unwinding strokes characteristic of deep structural work.

I've found that I prefer oil to lotion even for the deep work as long as I only use a little bit. Since FCO gets absorbed quickly, I can still get a decent drag on the upper layers of the skin while the client does not experience as much of the unpleasant sensation that can come with using no lubrication. To add to its benefits, FCO does not go rancid nor does it stain sheets like many of the other popular carriers do. However, I found that it is not the oil for everyone.

Though it took over a decade of practicing massage for me to have a client that could not use the coconut oil, they are out there. Just like we need to always have an unscented lotion or oil for clients sensitive to aromas, we also want to have several base oils around for those who need something different.

A few months ago I had a new client come in and let me know that she is allergic to coconut. I had never met someone with a coconut allergy and I knew my perspective of "FCO for all" had to be corrected. Luckily, I was already stocking almond oil even though it had yet to make it into my collection of oils for treatments. I found the almond oil to be thicker and a little more sticky. It was still absorbing into the skin, though just a little slower and reapplication was needed less frequently. The glide and slide was pretty similar, but it was easier to use too much and I had to readjust the amount of oil I pumped out.

Jojoba

There is a third oil I've decided to add to my massage room tool box for the reason that I find FCO to be too thin for working on feet. Not every therapist has this issue, but when I go to use FCO on feet, it is not happening for me. There is something about the thickness of the bottom layer of the feet and the thinness of the oil that just doesn't work.

Once in a session I was struggling with this issue and thought, "Let me try a different oil." I had recently gotten in some jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is slightly different from almond and coconut because it is actually a plant wax and can mimic our sebum, sometimes causing pores to clog. This is why I usually stay away from jojoba as base for skin care or in a face treatment. But this slightly thicker consistency seems to work well for the rough edges of heels, calloused soles and tired toes. It also has a very-long shelf life with a low risk of rancidity. Since it can be problematic for some skin types and is a little thicker than I like for my general massage oil, I use this oil only on touch skin like the feet or particularly hairy areas.

Lately I've switched my usual massage oil (for clients with no allergies, of course) to a 50/50 blend of FCO and almond oil with 15 drops of my essential oil blend of lavender, frankincense, and myrrh per ounce. The aroma is relaxing to the client, the oils are soothing to the muscles, and my hands are happy as they do their work. Before I move to my clients' feet, I'll grab the bottle of jojoba and if they need some extra TLC on their toes, I warm a little bit of shea butter in my hands.

Coconut, almond, and jojoba are only three of many base oils available to use from all kinds of nuts and seeds. They can each be used separately or together in different quantities to achieve the best feel and function. Experiment and find what combination of oils work best for you and your clients so you can be confident in what you put on your hands and your client's bodies. For more information on the different carrier oils available, check out Power of the Seed by Susan M. Parker.