Sore Muscle Soak

When you are sore, nothing beats a good soak or a hot shower, depending on what hurts. I've spent the last 3 months getting over a horrible sprained ankle. I'm used to sprained ankles...7 years in dance, 8 years in soccer, and I am also super clumsy. Weak ankles for life! But this was the mother of all sprains; like so bad, I wish I had just broken my ankle >.<

Not that I am the most fit or active person out there, but I am so not good at taking it easy. Three days at a music festival, 10 days walking around Europe, getting a new puppy...I was not sitting still. So, needs must and I had to find ways to deal with the soreness & pain (in addition to medical attention, including 2 months in a boot and physical therapy which I am still doing). This foot soak was great, but don't think that's all it is. This soak is great for easing sore muscles anywhere in your body. Don't have or want to take a bath? Grab a handful of the salts and massage into the sore spot while in the shower. You can also sprinkle an handful onto the floor of the shower to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits for a relaxing pick-me-up.

Sore Muscle Soak

1 cup epsom salt
2 Tbsp baking soda
10-20 drops essential oils of choice*
(plus 2-4 Tbsp carrier**)
2 tsp dried chamomile
2 tsp dried lavender
1 tsp dried rosemary

Mix everything together in a large container to make sure it all gets evenly dispersed. I tend to start with the epsom salt and essential oils (diluted in carrier of choice). This gets the oils distributed a bit better as the baking soda tends to clump once hit with moisture. After you have mixed the salt & oils well, add in the baking soda and dried herbs. If dried herbs aren't your thing, you can leave them out as you are still getting the benefits from the oils themselves.

Use 1/2-1 cup for a foot bath, or 1-2 cups for a full bath. Let everything dissolve well before hopping in (I personally like to wait 10-15 minutes to give the herbs time to "steep").

The recipe as listed above is for 1 or 2 uses. I like to make a large batch in advance, typically quadrupling the amounts above (resulting in about 4.5 cups of soak). If you decide to make a large batch, make sure to store your soak in an airtight glass container.

After a good soak, I sometimes like to apply trauma oil (an infused oil blend of calendula, arnica, and st. john's wort) to the sore spots. While treating my ankle, I would dry off and apply trauma oil along my peroneal tendon. This is also a good time for any other pedicure treatment ;)

*I tend to favor lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, rosemary, and peppermint in equal parts. Chamomile reduces inflammation and pain; it also has calming & soothing properties. Lavender reduces pain & tension; it also has anti-inflammatory and sedative properties, relieving stress & anxiety. Eucalpytus is known to relive nerve pain and blocked sinuses; it also possesses anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory properties. Peppermint is an anti-spasmodic and natural decongestant; it is known to aid in stomach cramps and arthritis; it also possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties. Rosemary is great for chronic pain and inflammation; it is also known to help blood flow and relive muscle pain/spasms. You could also add tea tree if you are suffering from ringworm/athlete's foot, as it possesses anti-fungal properties and is a common treatment for this condition. Don't feel limited to my suggestions though! Use oils you want/need the benefits of, or if using the herbs feel free to use any oils you like the scent of ;)

I also tend to go heavy on the essential oils when making a big batch of this herbal salt soak, to accommodate for different dilution levels. If you are making a single batch and plan to use it immediately as a foot soak you aren't using much water, but if you are hopping into a full bath your soak will be diluted quite a bit more due to the quantity of water.

**EDIT December 4, 2017: I am not an expert on home remedies, essential oils, herbalism, etc, so I am constantly researching and improving my knowledge base. This includes learning from specialists and updating my practices based on new safety information. According to Clinical Certified Aromatherapist Lea Harris, using essential oils in bath salts can be a risk of skin irritation or worse adverse reactions. Very few essential oils are approved for neat use, and unless you are also a specialist you may not know which oils those are. Almost all essential oils should be diluted, and bath salts are no exception. Lea recommends using 1 Tbsp of carrier (carrier oil, fatty milk, castille soap, or other surfactant) per 5 drops of essential oil. The purpose is two-fold. 1) The oils will separate and float on top of your bath, putting them in direct contact with your skin. Diluting them before adding to your salts also means that the droplets floating on your water will now be diluted. 2) If you choose to use this salt as a massaging scrub, you are directly putting oils onto your skin in a stronger amount than in your bath. For this use you absolutely want diluted essential oils.