lubricant for swedish massage

[tottie]

Hi All

Any advice on what cream or oil to use in swedish massage that is safe for all. I have no knowledge of aromatherapy oils. During my practise session I used baby oil??

Please

[jazzyjuniper]

Hi
I tend to use either coconut oil or mustard seed oil. Both are good to work with. I always am wary about using almond oil in case of a nut allergy!

[tottie]

Hi

Thanks a lot. I agree about the almond oil because some people might not even know they are allergic. I am just busy checking my Insurance to see what they have to say regarding the use of oils.

Thaks again
Fran

[chickenlicken]

What course are you doing???
When i did my course we were taught what base massage oils to use and which ones were best to use for different skin types.It was also supplied for us. I would never want to use Baby oil as it is a mineral oil and doesn't penetrate the skin. Personally i use baby oil to clean up my stainless steel at home.
One of the safest and best all rounders is Grapeseed oil. It has no known contra-indications and is non-toxic. It is very moisturising and light and tones and tightens the skin too. It is reasonably priced too.

I would speak to your tutor though because i would have thought that they should tell you what to use.

Good luck

C.L x

[cate]

Grapeseed oil leaves horrible stains on towels - you can't beat sweet almond oil.

[cate]

PS I am an aromatherapist and have never had a reaction to almond oil even from those who say they have a nut allergy.

[Essence99]

Originally Posted by cate

PS I am an aromatherapist and have never had a reaction to almond oil even from those who say they have a nut allergy.

I personally wouldn't take a chance with clients that say they have a nut allergy. A therapist I know didn't realise she was allergic to almond oil until she started learning massage.

I use either grapeseed or sunflower oil. For a deep tissue massage I sometimes use a massage wax.

[happygoddess]

love jojoba - expensive, but worth it. it goes on oily but dries and moisturises. cannot cure my addiction with it in fact.

was recommended to borage for beign a great anti-ageing oil - but it smells like fish

however on a recent course being taught by complementary health guru - he swears by grapeseed - organic only - for use people with cancer as the previous posters says it's got no known CIs.

[Pinky1976]

I use Biotone Advanced Therapy Massage Gel. You can order it online from several websites.

It is hypo-allergenic, not too greasy at all so clients happily put their clothes back on after the massage, it doesn't stain and doesn't have a strong smell.

I love it. We used it on our massage course and I have stuck with it, because it is suitable for all clients, including those with nut allergies, exzema, sensitive skin, etc. I use it for both deep tissue and gentle massage.

A description from one of the sites selling it:

ADVANCED THERAPY FORMULAS
Feel confident that you are using only the safest, proven products with Advanced Therapy massage formulas. Each hypoallergenic blend is sensitivity tested to help prevent potential skin reactions. They contain no drying alcohol, mineral or nut oils, or harsh fragrance. Great news for anyone with allergies, dermatological conditions or in tolerance to nut oils. Use advanced therapy formulas as often as you like. They won't dry or irritate your hands, and your clients will trust you are only using the gentlest products on their skin. Based with apricot grapeseed and sesame oils, in a complete range of high glide to light friction textures for a variety of massage techniques.

[Star_dust]

tottie, I'm surprised you did not learn about oils on your massage course ... I would have thought that would be an essential part of any massage course.
My massage teacher told us that baby oil is actually quite drying. We were taught using grapeseed oil because it is the cheapest to buy but now I use Almond oil, like many of the others who posted here, and I much prefer it to grapeseed oil - I agree with you cate about grapeseed leaving a smell on towels!!

[Star_dust]

Originally Posted by Pinky1976

I use Biotone Advanced Therapy Massage Gel. You can order it online from several websites.

Hi Pinky, any particular sites you would recommend?

[Pinky1976]

Originally Posted by Star_dust

Hi Pinky, any particular sites you would recommend?

So far I have ordered it from the Massage Table Store: http://massagetablestore.com/browse_96, who are usually very prompt with delivery etc. I get it by the gallon (large pump bottle) with which I top up my small pump bottle, also from Biotone.

The other day I spoke to one of the course teachers again and he said he gets it from Bodycraft. He said they are cheaper than massagetablestore, but he added Bodycraft have been quite unreliable lately (delayed deliveries etc).

You could always do a quick google search to find any other websites and compare prices?

[LuckyG]

Heres a little tip.

Give massage warehouse (www.massagewarehouse.co.uk) a ring or drop them an email and ask them to send you free samples. Last time i got free samples of all the below sent to me

Unscented Jojoba lotion
Lavender lotion
Balancing cream
Calming cream
Muscle confort cream
fragrance free massage oil
lite massage oil
lavender massage oil

Then you can choose which one suits you best and save some money in these hard times!