Achy Body Spray

My family went on vacation last week!  Woohoo! (one reason I recruited some blogging help!) Well, it was more of a staycation, really, but involved a hotel room, nonetheless. And a hotel bed. And a hotel pillow. After riding in the car... Do you see where I'm going with this??? Stiff neck, achy back... Those pesky vacation ruiners weren't going to put a damper on my relaxation! I made sure to bring my Magnesium Spray. It is just the trick for those kind of everyday, ain't-as-young-as-I-used-to-be, tight and angry muscles. And the best part is it is easy to make and it works fast! With one of the peak travelling seasons nearly upon us, I felt obligated to share!

I got inspired by my old friend and DIY guru, Sherri, at Overthrow Martha. She has a wonderfully simple and economical recipe there to make your own magnesium oil, which is the base for this recipe. She also tells you all about why you need it and how you probably aren't getting enough of it in your life. Magnesium is great stuff! It's the active ingredient in epsom salts that make your bath so relaxing. It's so soothing on tired muscles! It does all kinds of amazing things for your body. I used a magnesium supplement when I was pregnant a lot! My doctor recommended it to help manage some normal pregnancy symptoms and it worked very nicely. It was a powder that dissolves in water. You drink it like a tea. But it can have some of those relaxing effects on your digestive system, which is actually helpful when you're pregnant! But a lot of people don't like to use it orally on a regular basis for that reason. A topical spray is a good alternative to get the benefits to your body while bypassing your tummy.

To make your own magnesium oil that you can spray topically, all you need is magnesium chloride flakes and water (equal parts). Once saw this, and knowing how to make a basic essential oil spray, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to inject some essential oils for some extra power! My top choices are PanAway and Copaiba. 

PanAway is an exclusive blend from Young Living of wintergreen, helichrysum, clove, and peppermint. It is specifically designed to support your musculoskeletal system with naturally occurring compounds like methyl salicylate and menthol. Copaiba is a single oil that comes from resin of trees native to the Amazon. It's known for supporting the body's natural response to an irritant and is very soothing! It is also a magnifier for other oils, supporting their natural effects. 

Put all those things together, and you've got a winning combination! Like throwing the kitchen sink at your shoulders!

So, here's how you do it!

Cover the bottom of a 1 oz spray bottle with magnesium flakes (1-2 pinches) 

Add 15-25 drops of PanAway + 8-15 drops Copaiba (I use this spray more as-needed than everyday, so I go on the stronger side)

Swirl to combine

Fill about half way with warm water, cover with your finger, and shake to combine

Top off with Sherri's Magnesium Oil, put the top on, and again, give it a little shake to combine everything

Then, all you have to do is spray it on what ails ya! My neck and shoulders get a lot of this spray! As does my lower back area. I do about 50/50 water to Mg oil here for 2 reasons: one is that I use more magnesium flakes to start with. I don't want to overdo it with the magnesium. But also, when the spray dries, it leaves some of the salt (as in chemical salt, not table salt), residue on your skin and it can feel sticky or even cause some mild skin irritation. I don't love that, especially using it around my hair. So, I dilute it more. You could certainly flex that ratio in either direction. 

Now, if you don't have PanAway and Copaiba (which I highly recommend, and happen to both come in Young Living's Premium Starter Kit), there are many choices to use in this recipe! Anything you like to use on sore or tired muscles would fit the bill: lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen, pine... there are lots and lots 'o choices! 

Stay loose and feelin fine! 

(forgive me, I'm still recovering from vacation ;) )