There’s no denying that giving, receiving, or even giving yourself a warm-oil massage is a real act of love and an amazing way to communicate that love and gratitude to yourself or a partner.  Especially when it’s a CBD massage & body oil!

Of course, a massage has several advantages in and of itself, but spending the time to warm the oil beforehand enhances relaxation and elevates the massage to a new level.   In Ayurveda, there is a the practice of “abhyanga,” or self-massage with heated oil.  It is seen as a wonderful gesture of love and a means of promoting good health and assisting yourself or your loved ones in maintaining their bodily, mental, and spiritual well-being and balance.  Abhyanga is thought to boost vitality, alertness, physical strength, and prevent age-related changes to the body and muscles, in addition to just simply encouraging rest and relaxation.  If you’re giving yourself a massage, it’s an opportunity to convey how much you value your body and mind.

However, one of the challenges you’ll face when utilizing hot oils is determining how to safely warm massage oil.  Well, we’re here to assist you in developing this amazing practice!

What’s the Point of Heating It?

Warming your oil has several advantages for the muscles, including helping the user relax, relieving aches and pains caused by stress or an accident, and allowing the oil to permeate the skin more effectively.

• Muscles relax and loosen as a result of the heat.  The body seeks to maintain homeostasis and control body temperature when a heat source is administered to a confined location.
  As a result, the blood vessels in the area where the heat is administered dilate and increase blood flow, allowing the heat to propagate throughout the body.
• Heat helps calm muscles and opens blood vessels, which can aid in the healing process and relieve pain when massaging tight joints or an injury.  Heat also activates the sensory receptors on your skin, which reduces pain signal transmission to the brain and relieves some suffering.
• Because of the oil’s warm temperature, it has a greater potential to diffuse into the first layer of skin, making penetration simpler.  Warmer temperatures also have an effect on the skin’s structure, increasing permeability.

Options to Warm Massage Oil

Warming massage oil is a simple, fundamental action that has big effects and improves the quality of your massage.  It’s up to you how hot you want your oil to be, but always test it on your wrist before putting it on your skin.  It should be warm to the touch but not hot enough to burn.  It’s a good idea to heat it in a glass container with a tight-fitting cover, such as the container our cbd massage and body oil already comes in!

Option #1: You Have It In Your Hands

Friction alone may be enough to warm up the oil to your desired heat level.  Rubbing your hands together for 15-20 seconds with the oil on your hands will somewhat warm the oil, but not as dramatically as if you use other heat sources.  This is a simple way if you don’t intend on massaging for very long, but if you plan on doing a full-body massage and taking your time, try one of the next options.

Option #2: Using a Mug of Hot Water

This is by far the simplest and safest way.  However, you should be aware that this procedure may result in the oil becoming excessively hot, so be sure to remove the massage oil bottle from the cup at the appropriate time.

What you’ll require:

• Oil for massaging
• Mug made of ceramic
• Water That Is Hot

1. Fill your mug halfway with boiling water.
2. If the amount of oil you need is less than the amount of oil in the bottle and you dont want to heat up the entire bottle, you may transfer only what you need into a small glass/ceramic container that will fit into your bug and leave remainder in the original bottle.
3. Place the oil into the mug
4. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the massage oil to warm up.
5. Take the container with your oil out of the hot water.
   1. Note: Take additional caution when doing this since the water inside the mug may still be hot to the touch.

Option #3: Using the Double-Boiler Strategy

One of the most effective and efficient ways to reheat your oil to the proper temperature is to use this method.

What you’ll require:

• Oil for Massage
• Two bowls made of glass or ceramic (one should be larger than the other)
• Water That Is Hot

1. Place the smaller bowl within the bigger one.
2. Fill the bigger basin halfway with boiling water.
   It should be enough for the bottom of the smaller bowl to touch the bottom of the larger bowl.  The water should not, however, overflow.
3. Into the smaller bowl, pour the oil.
4. Gently stir the oil with your fingertips.
5. Allow one to two minutes for it to warm up.  At that point, the temperature will be just ideal.
6. Your oil should be warm at this time, and you may either remove it from the water and start rubbing, or carry the warming mug/bowl/pot with you and keep the oil warm by keeping it in the hot water during the massage.

Option #4:  Using a Candle

This is a good technique to warm your massage oil if you’re willing to keep an eye on the open flame.  Warming your massage oil by candlelight is also romantic and provides a wonderful mood.

What you’ll require:

• A massage oil warmer bowl
• Tea lights/candles with a candle holder small enough to hold up the warming bowl

1. Light the candles
2. Place the warmer dish on top of the candles to keep them warm.
3. Fill the warmer bowl halfway with massage oil.
4. Keep an eye on the oil and check the temperature from time to time.

Option #5: A Massage Oil Warmer

If you are very enthusiastic about this practice and have decided you want to include self-massaging or partner massaging into your daily routine, an oil warmer is one of the few tools you should consider purchasing.  There’s not much to it when it comes to utilizing massage oil; simply plug in and use the warmer as instructed to enjoy warm massage oil whenever you need!

It’s a real joy to include this ancient Indian tradition of self-massage or couple massage with warmed oil.  While you can give yourself a simple massage, the ultimate expression of love is to warm the oil, obtain some nice equipment, and make the most of this special moment with yourself or a partner.  A warm oil massage is one of the most soothing and restorative therapies you will ever have.

However, you must ensure that the oil you will use is at the proper temperature, since it may cause more harm than good to your skin and muscles if it is not.

• A skin test is the key to achieving this.
• Apply a dime-sized dollop of warm massage oil on the inside of your forearm or the back of your hand to accomplish this.
• Allow the oil to cool down if it appears to be excessively hot.
• You should reheat it if it is not at all heated.
• Allow the oil to sit on your skin for a few minutes if the temperature is just perfect (10 minutes).  If your skin becomes itchy or shows indications of skin irritation such as redness or inflammation, remove the oil as soon as possible.

More Accoutrements to Excite Your Practice

Essential Oils for Aromatherapy

You should think about the effects aromatherapy may have on your mental and emotional health in addition to having a nice, all-natural body oil.  In the scented version of our release + connect cbd massage & body oil, we include geranium essential oil, lavender essential oil and ylang ylang essential oil, all wonderful for their mood enhancing effects.  But if you want to get creative, choose a scent that you enjoy and make the most of your relaxing time with our unscented version.

CBD

And of course, including CBD in your massage may assist to alleviate pain and inflammation.  CBD is known to promote sensations of relaxation and stress alleviation, as well as being excellent to your skin’s health.  Our release + connect cbd massage & body oil comes in 2 size options with either 300mg or 600 mg broad-spectrum organic cannabidiol (CBD).