A few months ago I was shoveling my walk, hacking away at a stubborn bit of ice, and I hurt my wrist. Sprained it, strained it, whatever. There was an immediate “ouch!” followed by a lingering pain that comes back whenever I go to yoga—especially when the pose requires a large amount of weight to be supported on that wrist. Aren’t I too young for this kind of stuff? Apparently not.

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Emu oil is one of the first natural ingredients I invested in—at least partly because of its Australian origins and my long-standing love of the land down under. But, love of Oz aside, emu oil is pretty darn cool. It’s been used by Australian Aboriginals for centuries to treat everything from sunburns to bug bites to wound healing.

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It’s gained popularity lately for it’s ability to help heal stubborn soft tissue injuries, to soothe arthritis, and to help skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema. It is low-scent, absorbs into the skin easily, and is a great anti-inflammatory. In short, it’s pretty darn useful (though not vegan friendly… and not really vegetarian friendly, either, though I’m ok with it as it is generally a byproduct of the emu meat industry [check your supplier]).

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So, I decided to combine all-awesome emu oil with some painkilling and circulation boosting essential oils to create a topical roller that would soothe the aching and help accelerate healing.

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The first essential oil in the blend is wintergreen, a painkilling classic thanks to its high levels of Methyl Salicylate. Up next, peppermint, for the cooling, pain-soothing blast of menthol. Helichrysum is a long-standing favourite for bruises and other wounds. Clove is another classic favourite for aches and pains, especially toothaches. Cinnamon bark essential oil stimulates circulation to encourage healing, and camphor oil is another pain killing favourite for everything from general muscular aches and pains to arthritis.

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The resulting mixture is quite strong. After it sinks in (I don’t recommend using your hands to massage it in to avoid getting the blend all over) you’ll quickly notice a warming sensation, followed by chilly, numbed sensation that really helps with aches and pains.

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Pain Killing Emu Oil Roller

One 5mL roller bottle

15 drops wintergreen essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada)
1 drop helichrysum essential oil
5 drops clove bud essential oil
3 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
6 drops camphor essential oil

Emu oil, to top off (substitute andiroba oil for a less expensive plant-based alternative)

Measure the essential oils out into the bottom of the roller bottle. Top off with the emu oil, and cap. Shake to combine.

To use, roll the mixture directly on sore muscles or joints and let absorb.

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