If you’re familiar with medical cannabis, you’ve probably heard something about CBD’s anti-inflammatory ability and THC’s pain relief potential. While many patients typically use one or the other, the truth is combining these cannabinoids together makes for a great topical for muscle soreness, pains from the gym, or general muscle relaxation.
Choosing a Cannabis Oil
You have a few options when it comes to choosing a cannabis oil to use for massage oil.
Store Bought Oil:
Pros:
If you choose ready to go cannabis oil, you can dose a precise ratio of THC and CBD.
Being able to choose your ratio of cannabinoids lets you “target” different symptoms in your body. Cannabis oil that contains more CBD is great for inflammation, while THC could provide more direct pain relief.
Con’s:
Cost. Purchasing cannabis oil and turning it into a massage oil can be expensive. Cannabis oil from a licensed producer can be up to $150, for 40ML, and if you ask us, that’s expensive massage oil.
Homemade Cannabis Oil:
Pros:
You can save a bit of money by shopping for something licensed producers call “tips” or “shake”. These are usually a combination of different strains or types of cannabis, for example, it may be a collection of 4 or 5 different pants that are all indica or sativa-dominant.
You can choose to purchase regular flower as well, the amount of oil you can make with it still saves you money compared to purchasing a finished oil. You also get the benefits of all of the cannabinoids within the plant; including, other cannabinoids and terpenes beyond THC and CBD.
Con’s:
As we mentioned above, you have less control over the amount of THC and CBD there is in your oil.
Time. There are three or four extra steps required to decarboxylate your own cannabis and infuse the oil of your choice.
We recommend the DIY cannabis massage oil approach:
For making a massage oil we recommend making your own oil. Even though this involves a few more steps, we think it’s worth it. Making your own oil is more cost effective, lets you choose the carrier oil, as well as utilize the benefits of the whole plant, so it’s a win, win, win. By learning how to infuse your own oil, you can stretch your cannabis and save money in the long run.
Essential oils:
This recipe is simple, so we suggest taking your time choosing what essential oils you would like to use. You can always separate your oil into different containers and try different combinations or a variety of essential oils.
Depending on how strong you want your massage oil to be you can add more or less than the recommended amount below, but remember you are not only making the oil smell nice, essential oils also have other effects that can work wonders on your body. We suggest using around 20-30 drops. If you choose to mix a variety of oils remember to divide the total amount but ensure you keep an eye on your total drops. Here are a few of our suggestions:
Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus has a strong cooling effect on muscles while reducing pain and inflammation.
Rosemary. Rosemary has a great ability to ease pain and inflammation.
Frankincense. Improves inflammation and increases moisture retention in your skin.
Black Pepper. Unlike eucalyptus’s cooling properties black pepper oil warms the body and relieves pain and swelling.
Now that we know what we’re working with let’s get mixing!
What you will need:
¼ cup of CBD infused olive oil (we chose olive oil because it remains liquid and doesn’t have much of a scent, but you can infuse whatever carrier oil you’d like).
20-30 drops of essential oils
Jar or bottle for storage
Instructions:
Mix your cannabis oil with your choice of essential oils (20-30 drops) in a bottle or container and shake well.
Label, it may seem silly but once you get good at creating your own topical locations and potions they tend to collect, so we suggest you label your bottle.
That’s it, all done and ready to take away your aches and pains!
How to store your CBD massage oil:
Oils can and will go rancid over time, and because this massage oil is all natural and doesn’t contain any preservatives you have roughly 3 months before it’s expiration. To extend this oils shelf life, we have a few tricks.
Use a dark bottle or container to store your massage oil. Oils are light sensitive so it is not recommended storing them in see-through glass containers.
Keep it in the fridge, we know this doesn’t sound ideal because the oil will be cold on your skin, but it will definitely extend the shelf life.
We hope you enjoy this massage oil recipe and have a chance to get creative in mixing your essential oils. Because everyone’s skin is different, we want to make sure you know that if you experience any discomfort from the essential oils you’ve chosen its best to discontinue use right away and seek medical attention if discomfort or pain continues.
