Growing up as a ballerina, I always knew when a fellow dancer was in pain because the room would fill with the minty scent of Tiger Balm or BENGAY muscle rubs. Thankfully in my younger years I never had a need for the stuff, but I often wondered how something you rub on your skin could ease muscle pain. “Does that stuff even work?” I would ask. The reply was always “Yeah, sometimes.”

Now that I am (much) older and still dancing, muscle pain is something I experience on a weekly basis. I usually just grin and bear it, but I have recently been working on new techniques, accompanied by a new and rigorous workout routine. The “bearing” it part is a little harder to do with a grin these days.

Working at WFMed and being surrounded by essential oils, it seemed like going to the store to buy the smelly stuff from my ballerina days would be silly. Our production team had been working on some new synergy blends, and among them was a massage oil called Pain and Strain. “Does that stuff even work?” I asked, no longer out of childish curiosity, but because if it really works then I really need it!

I was given a sample size to try out at home. First impression - I love the smell. It still has similar notes of menthol, but the aroma that took me by surprise is cinnamon cassia. It has a warm, deep scent that makes it smell less medicinal and much more pleasant than other muscle rubs. I massaged it on my own shoulders and upper arms, and after a few minutes I could feel the hot/cool sensation wherever I felt sore. At the same time, my sinuses were opening up and I felt calm and relaxed. After about 10 minutes the oil fully absorbed (no greasy residue) and after about an hour I felt the tension in my back relax completely.

I’ve also tried it on my feet after a long day of dancing, which eases the throbbing sensation and makes my feet feel soft. I started to make this a nightly regimen until my boyfriend stole the bottle from me to use for his injured knee. He recently asked “Hey, babe, you think you can bring home more of that magic stuff?”

Needless to say, I’m a believer in the power of essential oils. I am now becoming a fan of our synergy blends that are specifically blended to yield more powerful results than any oil on its own. No more need to fumble around mixing and measuring and diluting, when I feel the aches and pains I just reach for my Pain and Strain ready-to-use massage oil.