Natural Knee Pain Cream Formula (You Need to Know About Formulating Skincare to Make this Cream)
The cream I made for knee pain is GORGEOUS in every sense. I LOVE the medicinal smell due to the herbs, I love the color and I love the texture. It is ABSOLUTELY PACKED with amazing ingredients and it feels like I made a miracle cream. Just thought I’d get it out of the way before the intro, which follows below : )
Due to being overweight Lynn and I are suffering from knee pain. I suppose this is a common problem that affects a lot of people so I decided to make a cream with herbs for knee/joint pain as well as essential oils for knee pain. I wanted to explore a little more around this topic so in the end I decided to write a few posts tackling the issue:
- A ‘Natural Knee Pain Cream’ formula/recipe (this article) for people who are interested in DIY/homemade skincare (warning: this is for people who can either formulate skincare or at least have the appropriate ingredients like emulsifiers, preservatives, etc)
- A ‘Herbs for Joint Pain‘ dedicated article (since I researched and added the right herbs for knee pain)
- A ‘Best Knee Pain Relief Products‘ (since we went to a herbal store and looked at the different natural creams, til I decided to make my own : ) )
- And, finally, an ‘Essential Oils for Knee Pain’ since I added the essential oils to my DIY/homemade knee pain cream.
Hope all the posts are of help.
**Please note that YOU SHOULD PAY YOUR DOCTOR A VISIT if you’re suffering from joint/knee pain and not use the information on this website (or any website!) as a replacement. I’m learning to deal with aches, ills, pains and beauty with natural/home remedies and formulations but this is more of a fun/info/hobby sort of thing! (Yes, this is my disclaimer : ) )**
Proud of my Natural Knee Pain Cream Formula and Ingredients
This formula can be used for any type of body cream. The texture is perfect for the body (runny enough for easy spreading without being too thick), which I like.
I use the formula for moisturising my skin by adding different carrier and essential oils. I’ve made it twice before, this is my third attempt.
The idea was to create a body cream that I could use on our knees. Lynn and I suffer from knee pain (due to being overweight, as explained in the intro) and I thought a cream would be a good thing to have. I like the idea of massaging the area we’re ‘treating’, and I definitely like the idea of the cream penetrating the skin and bringing the goodness of the plants we chose all the way in.
Our (My) Relationship with Plants
Having had a spiritual awakening my relationship with the rest of the world has totally changed.
Plants are not seen as separate from me. On the contrary, I see them as part of my body; my body literally extends all the way to the ‘infinite’. My body doesn’t stop ‘at the edge of the skin’, it continues with every person, every plant, every street, every situation. “I” has lost locality and has become global. No doubt there’s a body here that seems to be inhabited by a ‘personality’, but the body is part of the world, and so are the plants.
So, effectively, plants are as much part of ‘me’ as the physical body is. This is how I now understand it.
And, of course, this means that plants and the physical body not only communicate, but can help each other in diverse ways the same as every organ of the physical body is connected to the other organs and thus they help each other.
Interesting articles on plants and consciousness here, here and here.
These articles are probably not saying what we all know in our hearts: that plants secretly love humans and are eager to heal us. And that’s how we help them in return: by caring for them and nurturing them.
So simple. So beautiful. So easy!
Plants Heal Us in Many, Many Ways
I don’t want to divert from the formula and I’ll showing it to you very soon, but I couldn’t resist a section on how plants serve and love humans – unconditionally.
There are many ways in which plants heal us. The most important thing is that they want to do this (that’s their intention; and it is this intention that heals, it is in the energy of the intention).
Like our beloved pets, they thrive when they please us (pets also heal us, that’s easy to see). Plants have come up with many ways of doing this: from serving as food to forming beautiful flower bouquets to creating the most delicious scents, there are millions of ways in which plants heal us again and again.
As you wake up to your True Self, nature will speak to you in ways you’ll understand, admire and enjoy beyond conceptual understanding.
Choosing my Herbs, Carrier Oils and Essential Oils
After doing some research I chose the following plants for the knee pain cream:
Herbs to make the infused water/tea:
2tbsp dried ARNICA (Arnica Montana) – [Aff link] If you need to use the one herb for joint pain, THIS IS THE ONE. To use for sprains, swelling and bruises. Protects against infections and relieves pain.
1tbsp dried DEVIL’S CLAW (Harpagophytum) – [Aff link]
A great anti-inflammatory; relieves swollen and inflamed joints.
1 tbsp dried ST JOHN’S WORT (Hypericum Perforatum) – [Aff link] An analgesic and anti-inflammatory herb.
1/2 tbsp dried CALENDULA (Calendula Officinalis) – [Aff link] “The main medicinal ingredient of calendula is a specific saponoside responsible for the anti-inflammatory characteristics of this herb.” (source)
1/2 tbsp dried CHAMOMILE (Matricaria Chamomilla) – [Aff link] Chamomile tea is an anti-inflammatory. Reader’s Digest recommends it for arthritis pain here.
Carrier Oils:
Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) – [Aff link] Almond oil has excellent properties to remove muscle pain. I like this video because it’s simple, it explains how to warm up and use luke warm to apply over the muscle.
Castor Oil (Ricinus Communis) – [Aff link] Castor oil is PACKED with goodness when it comes to joint and muscle pain. I’ve done a bit of research, this arthritis website recognises castor oil as a great natural remedy for treating arthritis (inflammation of joints in the body). MindBodyGreen listed 5 reasons to use this oil, the number 1 reason being that it is great for inflammation and pain. Its unique compound ricinoleic acid gives castor oil its anti-inflammatory properties also being able to mediate pain. Stylecraze published an article just on castor oil and knee pain “usually, castor oil is applied topically to joint pains, sciatica and knee pain to help ease the pain and provide relief.”. Shame about so many ads. And finally, even Huffington Post has published an article on castor oil and knee and muscle pain written by a nutritionist. It makes me wonder if I should have added more castor oil to my recipe!
Essential oils:
Tea Tree oil (Melaleuca Alternafolia [Tea Tree] Leaf Oil) – [Aff link] Tea Tree oil helps reduce pain associated with swelling of arthritis. 60 healing uses for tea tree oil here.
Clove oil (Eugenia Caryophyllus [Clove] Flower Oil) – [Aff link] Clove oil is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, used commonly for treating joint and muscle pain. “Clove oil (CO) is an essential oil from the dried flower buds, leaves and stem of the tree Syzygium aromaticum (Eastern Hemisphere) or Eugenia caryophyllata and Eugenia aromaticum (Western hemisphere). It has been used for centuries as anesthetic for toothaches, headaches and joint pain.” (Source)
Rosemary oil (Rosmarinus Officinalis [Rosemary] Leaf Oil) – [Aff link] Rosemary oil is anti-inflammatory and antibiotic. “Rosemary oil has pharmacological analgesic” and “Some studies on the effects of rosemary essence on pain relief have reported a significant reduction in pain intensity.” (Source)
Lavender oil (Lavandula Angustifolia [Lavender] Flower Oil) – [Aff link] The lynalyl acetate and linalool in lavender oil makes it effective in reducing inflammation and pain. “Aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil was found effective in relieving pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.” (Source)
Chili oil (Capsicum Annum L) – [Aff link] Chili oil comes from cayenne pepper which contains capsaicin (making the spice spicy!). It has analgesic properties which has been documented in medical research. “Capsaicin is also a powerful inhibitor of a neuropeptide that is associated with the inflammatory response; cayenne pepper has been found to fight inflammation that, in turn, will allow more pain relief, especially in the joints.” (Source). More on this here. According to the Express.co.uk (British newspaper): “[capsaicin] reduces substance P, a chemical necessary for nerves to send pain signals.” although I’m a little aware that these newspapers ‘need constant news’ and personally usually prefer to link directly to the journals or medical sites but hey.
Ginger oil (Zingiber Officinale [Ginger] Root Oil) – [Aff link] Well, Ginger essential oil is the number 1 choice on Draxe’s top essential oils for arthritis and being a joint disease arthritis causes pain as well as swelling around the joints. “The oil is known to produce a burning sensation, which might directly target the pain pathways and reduce inflammation. Ginger essential oil is also believed to be a good substitute for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as it can lower the pain and the stiffness in knee joints.” Source – it also tells you how to use and mixes.
I used all of the above at different stages of the formulation (see preparation below).
Preparing the Base
(Here’s the final texture):
(A) Water Phase:
82.8% | 414g Infused tea with the above mentioned herbs (made with distilled water)
2% | 10g Glycerin
(B) Oil Phase:
4% | 20g Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride
2% | 10g Glyceryl Stearate & Peg 100
2% | 10g Stearic Acid
1.5% | 7.5g Cetyl Alcohol
1.7% | 8.5g Glyceril Stearate
3% | 15g Shea Butter
(C) Cooling Phase:
> Sodium Bicarbonate to adjust PH (add to some distilled water and adjust accordingly between 4.5 and 5PH)
> Vitamin E/Tocopherol: 0.5 to 2.5% of final concentration FOR SKIN EFFECTS. Also to help against oil rancidity.
> Carrier oils total of 25gr. I added 15gr Castor Oil and 10gr Sweet Almond Oil.
> Essential Oils no more than 3% of the total: I added tea tree EO, clove EO, rosemary EO, lavender EO, chili EO and ginger EO
> Preservative Cosgard (formulation lasts up to 3 months), anything from 0.6 – 0.8 % for lotions
Preparation
**Celsius to Farenheit convertor here!
1. Heat all of Phase B (oil phase) ingredients to 80 degrees Celsius
2. Heat Phase A (water phase) to 80 degrees
**aim to have both phases ready around the same tme
***Oil phase takes longer so I would get that one going first while you prepare everything else
****I sanitise surfaces using 96degree alcohol but do research other methods if you don’t feel comfortable with this. It works for me as the alcohol evaporates almost instantly and I feel good about rubbing surfaces using a piece of paper kitchen towel. I actually love the process of sanitising all the tools!
Applying the Cream
We’ve been applying the cream on our knees in the morning and in the afternoon for the first week or so. At the moment we’re applying it once every two/three days (after 2 weeks of daily applying it). We will continue until we finish the batch.
You can also apply at night without rubbing much and leave on to ‘soak’ overnight. The skin will soak in the cream nicely as you sleep. This will also make you feel really good! As if you were treating yourself as your own child if that makes sense. A bit of parent-pampering for wellness before going to sleep. Ahhh, love it xx
A Couple of Ideas if You Don’t Want to Formulate (The Easy Way!)
That’s it! I know this formula is a little advanced for those of you who don’t formulate/have the products at home. Emulsifying all the ingredients together is what makes it more complicated (although if you already know how to emulsify you can just make your own cream using the ingredients listed above) but you can also use the 2 phases separately:
USING THE OILS
Use a mix of the carrier oils and rub against your knee (or painful joint). Oily but these oils are very powerful. Buy cold pressed oils, organic if possible.
Add drops of essential oils (as listed above, whatever you can from the list) to your carrier oils to enhance the power of the mix.
USING THE HERBS
You can also make compresses by decocting the roots and making tea infusions with the herbs. For decoctions click here, for herbal infusions click here, for making a compress click here, here or here.
My Amazon Picks if You’re Not Into DIY’ing
If you just want to use a cream already made, here are my picks from Amazon. I checked all the ingredients and I would not have a problem using any of them.
[amazon box=”B0026HDURA”]
[amazon box=”B00L5G82D0″]
[amazon box=”B00DEYEREY”]
[amazon box=”B01GKOKC4I”]
[amazon box=”B01CGQYTB6″]
[amazon box=”B078TS33VX”]
That’s it! Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the article as much as I did writing it. I didn’t intend in making it so long but in the end I can’t resist all the research and getting right into it : )
