Massage is both useful and pleasant. Nowadays, there is hardly a person who doubts his health-improving properties. After all, the healing power of massage has been tested for thousands of years and is currently available to everyone. One way to emphasize or significantly expand the effect of massage is to use massage oils in practice. From time immemorial, oils have been used by man for a variety of needs. For example, in Greece, massage oil was needed for Olympians.
Basic and active
All oils have a certain effect on the body: warming, relaxing, anti-cellulite, softening, cooling, etc. All massage oils are divided into two large groups: basic and active (they are also called essential). Base massage oil should ensure good sliding of the masseur's palms. Such oils can be either multicomponent or unicomponent in composition. In addition, base oils soften, moisturize and rejuvenate the skin. Examples of such oils: olive, peach, sunflower, apricot.
The base little can be mineral, natural, or a mixture thereof. Mineral oil provides excellent glide, practically not absorbed into the skin. But with its excessive application, a not very pleasant film sensation appears on the skin. Highly refined baby mineral oils are now common. Such an oil is not viscous, rather liquid, perfectly retains moisture and makes the code velvet. Natural (vegetable) oil is very well absorbed, which is necessary when kneading. These oils are saturated with fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic) and complexes of essential vitamins and antioxidants. Now the most common vegetable massage oils are sesame, olive, grape, apricot, jojoba and cocoa.
Active oils carry a functional load and have a certain effect on the body. Their use in massage and aromatherapy is a real science and ancient art. Each essential massage oil has many different aspects of its impact on both the mind and the human body. Sometimes this or that combination allows you to achieve impressive and amazing reactions. According to the Ayurvedic classification, all oils are divided into cold (chamomile, peppermint), hot (thyme), drying (pine, citrus), moisturizing (pink). Almost all essential oils have been studied in detail and a lot of knowledge has been accumulated for their accurate description and application. However, massage therapists should not forget about the possibility of allergic reactions, which will nullify all the benefits of massage.
Where to buy massage oil and what to look for?
Massage oil can be bought both in ordinary stores and on the Internet. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the expiration date, the packaging and the consistency of the oil. It should be transparent, not cloudy and should not contain any impurities (some oils are an exception, but this is usually written on the label).
How to make massage oil?
In the base oil (for example, unrefined olive oil), you need to add active, based on thirty milliliters, fifteen drops. This amount should be enough for a general massage of the whole body. The finished massage oil must then be poured into a dark glass container. And during the massage it is better to use a bottle made of plastic with a convenient lid.
As you can see, one of the most important components for massage is massage oil. Where to buy it, you already know. It remains only to learn how to do massage. It is worth noting that oil is not used in all methods. For example, with connective tissue massage it is not used.