How to Warm Massage Oil

How to Warm Massage Oil: 4 Easy Way

The hot oil massage has been around for a while and it can feel incredibly relaxing. According to the ancient Indian Ayurveda tradition, abhyanga or self-massage is referred to as a tenet of health and an act of love. In Ayurveda, it is a crucial practice.

Its benefits include balancing your doshas, grounding your nervous system, calming the body, and steadying the mind.

Anointing your body with warm oils lubricates your joints, strengthens muscles, counters dry skin, reduces inflammation, and nourishes your nerves. The massage, coupled with warm oil, increases the oil’s penetrating capability. When done with consistency, abhyanga improves elimination, digestion, and circulation.

I. Choose Your Oil

You do not necessarily need a beauty oil. The best oils to use for a massage are high-quality food-grade oils. For dry skin, use warm and heavy oils such as almond, sesame, and avocado.

For overheated or sensitive skin, use a neutral and cooling oil such as sunflower, olive, ghee, or clarified butter, castor, and coconut. For very oily skin, use a stimulating oil such as mustard or a light oil such as canola, flaxseed, safflower, or corn.

Here are four ways of warming your oil to guarantee a warm, not extra hot, oil massage that you can make part of your daily routine.

Choose your oil

II. How to Warm Massage Oil with a Massage Oil Warmer

If you love massages, you might have a massage oil warmer. One of these is probably the most straightforward and most efficient technique.

What you need

Massage oil
Massage oil warmer

Instructions

Transfer your oil to the oil warmer container. Plug the oil warmer into an electric socket. You do not have to regulate the oil temperature as the warmer automatically regulates it for you.

Once the oil is warm enough, or after a few hours, unplug the warmer. You can leave the oil to warm overnight if you intend to have your massage in the morning. Ensure you check the oil’s warmth before proceeding to use it.

III. How to Warm Massage Oil with a Candle Holder

If you do not own an oil massager, get yourself a massage oil warmer bowl and use tea lights to warm your oil. This technique makes use of an open flame, so you must be super careful.

What you need

Massage oil warmer bowl
Massage oil
Tea lights
Candle holder

Instructions

Light the candles and put them in a container under the warmer bowl. Place the warmer bowl on top of the container and pour the oil into the bowl. Monitor this process by occasionally checking the temperature of the oil.

How to warm massage oil with a candle holder

IV. How to Warm Massage Oil with the Double Boiler Technique

If you do not have a massage oil warmer or warmer bowl, worry not. You can always use the double boiler technique, which is effective and efficient and warms the oil to the desired temperature.

What you need

Massage oil
Two ceramic or glass bowls of different sizes (that can nest one into the other)
Hot water

Instructions

Put the smaller of the two bowls inside the larger one. Pour enough boiling water into the larger bowl to allow the smaller bowl to touch the bottom of the larger bowl.

Make sure the water does not overflow. Pour the oil into the small bowl and let the oil warm for a couple of minutes, swirling it with your finger, after which it should be ready for use.

V. How to Warm Massage Oil with a Mug of Hot Water

This is the safest and most straightforward technique of all. You need to remember that this method might overheat the oil, so you need to ensure you remove the bottle of oil from the mug in time.

How to warm massage oil with a mug of hot water

What you need

Massage oil
Hot water
Ceramic mug

Instructions

Fill the ceramic mug with hot water and submerge the massage oil bottle into the water. Leave the massage oil in the hot water for about five to ten minutes, then remove the bottle. Be careful as sometimes the water inside the mug can still be scalding hot.

VI. Benefits of a Warm Oil Massage

The best way to improve your well-being and health is to take charge of your body. There is no better way to loosen up yourself than a warm body massage.

Massage is the process of pressing, rubbing, and giving the right pressure over muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Different types of massages help you feel relaxed and energized. They also help in overcoming muscle damage caused by injuries.

One person, such as a professional masseur or partner, usually does the massage. One can even try Abhyanga or self-massage. It is an important Ayurvedic practice that calms the body and mind and also helps in steadying the mind and nervous system.

The core of self-massage is the use of warm body oil. Let us understand how a warm body oil massage will benefit your body.

Benefits of a Warm Oil Massage

VII. Effects of Warm Body Oil Massage on Mind and Body

Massage is a self-care ritual to heal the mind and body, and it strengthens muscles and joints. The rhythmic movement of fingers and palms on the body helps reduce daily stress. Let us take a more detailed look at the benefits of warm oil massage.

Improves skin health. The warm body oil can penetrate the skin better. Warm oil reduces skin dryness by creating a barrier in the skin, preventing moisture loss from the epidermis. Some oils also contain essential fatty acids like linoleic acid, which makes the skin supple and smooth.

Relaxation of muscles. The daily stress, injury, and overuse tend to tighten the muscles leading to inflammation, pain, and discomfort. The warm body oil massage helps stretch the muscles and release tension, and the systemic muscle massage helps loosen the joints and ligaments.

Draining of lymphatic nodes. The lymph nodes are present in the neck, armpits, and groin. The lymphatic system is important as it helps properly function the immune system. The warm body oil massage helps flush blood through the muscles and tissues. It also helps drain the lymph nodes of the dead cells, waste products, and pathogens, if any.

Effects of Warm Body Oil Massage on Mind and Body

VIII. Safety Tips for Warm Oil Massages

Now that your warm oil is ready to use, you need to use the oil safely. You test the oil by doing a skin test. Apply a tiny amount of oil, the size of a dime, inside the forearm or back of your hand.

If the oil proves to be too hot, allow it to cool down before using it. If it is not warm enough, reheat it. If the temperature is okay, let the oil sit on your skin for at least ten minutes.

If your skin shows signs of irritation such as inflammation or redness or feels itchy, wipe the oil off immediately. Because these are symptoms of an allergic reaction, you should look for a different massage oil.