If you have been following me for a while you know that before I was an “essential oil lady,” I was an Occupational Therapist. To put it simply, I helped people optimize their body’s ability to perform daily living tasks. A common complaint that people came to me with was tension in their neck and shoulders.
There is a name for this tension and discomfort, it is now referred to as “tech-neck.” Tech-Neck occurs when there is repetitive strain to the muscles in the cervical spine.
The culprit of this problem?
You probably already guess it - our screen technology that has us constantly looking down and straining our neck muscles.
The average weight of an adult head is 10-12 pounds. However, when you tilt your head forward to look down, the common stance when we are texting or watching our screens, you are actually placing 50-60pounds of force on the neck. The neck has a bony structure that is not built to withstand that amount of force for a prolonged period.
Common symptoms of tech-neck include:
- Discomfort in the neck and shoulders
- Tension in the neck and shoulders
- Decrease in mobility of the neck
- Stiffness in the upper back and shoulders
- Headaches
- Jaw discomfort or tension
I compiled this list with a few of my favorite ways to prevent tech-neck and a few of my favorite oils to use when discomfort and tension arise from tech-neck.
Tips to prevent tech-neck:
- Practice good posture
- Use a seat with a head rest
- Keep your computer monitor, tablets, and phones at eye level
- Spread out your screen time
I recently found this awesome tool that I use to keep my phone and tablets at eye level. It is called a Pocket Jack. Pocket Jack is a sleek, beautifully designed phone holder that can hold both your phone and your tablets in a way that will keep your electronics at eye level. This is the perfect solution for minimizing the strain placed on your neck from constantly bending your neck down.
The Pocket Jack is unique from others with similar designs because it folds up easily and its lightweight, making it incredibly portable.
I am linking the YouTube video of me demonstrating the Pocket Jack, as well as the link to purchase the Pocket Jack.
5 Essential Oils for Occasional Neck and Shoulder Tension:
- Past Tense (a doTERRA proprietary blend)
- Deep Blue Oil or Deep Blue Rub (a doTERRA proprietary blend)
- AromaTouch (a doTERRA proprietary blend)
- Lemongrass
- Copaiba
Bonus Oil: Lavender Essential Oil
Past Tense
Past Tense is a proprietary blend of Wintergreen, Lavender, Peppermint, Frankincense, Cilantro, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Basil, and Rosemary. This oil is tension relieving and has a calming aroma. You can rub it directly on tense muscle spots or rub it on the back of your neck. It can also be used around the hairline for occasional head tension.
Benefits of Past Tense
- Calming and comforting aroma
- Soothing to the skin
Check out these DIY and Diffuser Blend Recipes below.
Deep Blue
Deep Blue Essential Oil is another proprietary blend of Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Ylang Ylang, Helichrysum, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, and Osmanthus. Deep Blue products are the among doTERRA's top selling products. You can rub Deep Blue on to the back of your neck after a long day of sitting at your computer or looking at your phone. Deep Blue will soothe and cool those tense muscles in the neck and shoulders.
Deep Blue Rub is a cream that can be rubbed into the skin like lotion. This cream is infused with the Deep Blue Essential Oil. This is a great product to purchase and keep on hand for when you experience neck and shoulder tension.
If you like making your own DIY blends check out the ones below using Deep Blue Essential Oil.
Benefits of Deep Blue
- Soothing and cooling to the skin
- eases occasional muscle fatigue and discomfort
Aroma Touch
AromaTouch Essential Oil is another doTERRA proprietary blend of Cypress Leaf, Peppermint Plant, Marjoram Leaf, Basil Leaf, Grapefruit Peel, Lavender Flower essential oils. This oil is coined as doTERRA's massage blend. AromaTouch can be used during a massage for a whole body wellness experience. It is also great for soothing those tense muscles in your neck and shoulders. You can apply the oil directly to your neck and shoulders or you can make a blend of AromaTouch and Lemongrass, check out the recipe below.
Benefits of AromaTouch
- Comforting and relaxing
- Helps to lessen tension
- Adds an aromatic experience to a soothing massage
AromaTouch and Lemongrass Blend Recipe
- 20 Drops AromaTouch Essential Oil
- 20 Drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Fill up the rest of a 10mL roller bottle with fractionated coconut oil
Trust me when I say you will love the way these two oils work together in this blend and will use this blend all the time. This is my favorite combination of essential oils for supporting muscle tension, and it smells amazing.
Check out these DIY Essential Oil Blends using AromaTouch below.
If you need any of these products you can shop the essential oils and fractionated coconut oil at my doTERRA shop link below.
If you need to purchase some roller bottles, check out the ones I have listed in my Amazon store front.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass essential oil is incredible for supporting occasional muscle tension. You can add this oil to your bath, add a squirt of fractionated coconut oil and apply it directly to your tense muscles, or use it in the recipe blend I mentioned above.
Benefits of Lemongrass
- Supports healthy digestion when taken in a capsule*
- Combine with a carrier oil for soothing massage
- Apply diluted after a long run for a refreshing feeling
All the blends I have mentioned so far contain Peppermint essential oil and not everyone's body likes Peppermint Oil, so I wanted to share another blend with you that does not contain Peppermint.
You will not experience the same cooling effect as you will with the blends listed above, because this blend does not contain Peppermint, Wintergreen, or menthol, but this blend still works really well for relieving occasional tension in the neck and shoulders.
Copaiba and Lavender Essential Oil Blend Recipe
20 Drops of Copaiba Essential Oil
20 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Fill up the rest of a 10mL roller bottle with fractionated coconut oil
Read about the benefits and uses of Copaiba and Lavender below.
Copaiba
Benefits of Copaiba
- Supports the health of the cardiovascular, immune, and digestive systems when ingested*
- Powerful antioxidant benefits when taken internally*
- Internal use helps calm, soothe, and support the nervous system*
- Promotes clear, smooth skin and reduces the appearance of blemishes
Lavender
Lavender is soothing and relaxing both to the brain and to the body. You can also add this oil to your bath to soothe occasional achy, tense muscles.
Benefits of Lavender
- Soothes occasional skin irritations
- Taken internally, Lavender oil reduces anxious feelings and promotes peaceful sleep*
- Helps ease feelings of tension when used internally*
Miracle Salve
Are you a DIY-er? If so, you should make up a batch of my highly requested Miracle Salve. The base of this salve contains beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil, and vitamin E.
This salve is great for skin irritations and occasional muscle tension.
I recently shared my recipe for making this Miracle Salve, you can make the exact recipe linked in the article below or you can make the base of the salve and add the tension relieving oils mentioned above to it.
If you need essential oils you can shop doTERRA Essential Oils at the link below.
If you want to learn more about doTERRA Essential Oils or you want to learn how to purchase oils for 25% off at wholesale price check out the link below.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out, I truly love helping people discover the world of essential oils. If you are brand new to essential oils check out the articles linked at the bottom of this page for more information on where to buy doTERRA Essential Oils and how to get the best price.
Are you interested in learning how to continue to live a toxin and chemical free life?
If so you can register for my free mini essential oils ecourse
here.
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