I’ve been using vegetable oil as a moisturizer for years, finding that applying straight oil to my skin after a shower left it hydrated and healthy looking for an entire day, whereas if I used lotion I would need to reapply. I began this practice in my late teens/early twenties with a what I now imagine is a super-refined sesame oil made by Neutrogena. With age (and the Internet) comes wisdom, and over time I shifted to applying organic, unrefined coconut oil in the warmer months and organic, unrefined sesame oil in the colder months. These days I stick to sesame oil, finding that the cooling properties of coconut aggravate my joint pain, so I abstain in spite of the lure of its heavenly scent. Back when I first started, I had no idea I was participating in an age-old practice, taken by cultures across the globe.

This morning I had the pleasure of sitting down and reading Amber Magnolia Hill of Aquarian Dawn‘s ebook: Herbal Body Oiling: Ancient Sacrament, Modern Necessity. She generously provides this ebook for free on her website. I couldn’t put it down, I left the housework for later and read it start to finish.

This ebook really enhanced my knowledge of body oiling, and I’m ready to consider adding herbs into my oiling practice. I hope to find further relief of the symptoms of my chronic illness. I have a disease of my connective tissues, and through some stroke of bad luck it causes me neuropathic pain in addition to muscle and joint pain. I’ve found that on days when I skip oiling, my neuropathic pain is markedly more frequent. Over the next two months, I will be following a plan I’ve worked out with my healthcare team to phase out pharmaceuticals in favor of adopting a more holistic approach to relieving my symptoms. Basically, I’m going to continue to evolve my lifestyle to promote harmony between my internal and external ecosystems. I’ll need to do some more research before I implement the herbs into my routine, but I look forward to this new addition to my daily self care.

Amber’s ebook is a wonderful intro/primer for someone new to body oiling, definitely check it out if you’re curious. Even if you don’t read the ebook, peruse her website anyway, because she’s one rad lady!