Learn how to make your own soothing magnesium balm at home! This DIY recipe helps relieve sore muscles, relax restless legs, soothe legs cramps at night and improve your sleep naturally.

Below is the recipe to make your own balm or visit our shop to purchase our ready made Here We Grow Magnesium Balm

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HOMEMADE MAGNESIUM BALM
Recipe for magnesium balm
natural muscle relief
magnesium for sleep
diy magnesium lotion

Are you looking for a natural way to relax, sleep better, and soothe sore muscles? This homemade magnesium balm might really help you. Magnesium is a vital mineral that supports hundreds of bodily functions, yet many people are deficient in it. Our soils have become depleted in magnesium. Food grown in these depleted soils can be low magnesium.

Sometimes supplementing with magnesium can cause loose stools or intestinal discomfort. Transdermal application—through your skin—is one of the most effective ways to boost magnesium levels, without having to process the magnesium through your digestive system. This magnesium balm makes topical application of magnesium simple and enjoyable.

In this post, we offer an easy magnesium balm recipe and the benefits of using topical magnesium

What Is Magnesium Balm?

Magnesium balm is a topical cream or salve infused with magnesium, usually in the form of magnesium chloride. Unlike magnesium oil (which can sometimes feel itchy or sting), a balm is soothing and hydrating—perfect for sensitive skin. I find the balm is easier to use because it is not runny and does not over spray onto my bedding or rugs by my bed at night time. This recipe also contains other helpful ingredients for reducing inflammation and relaxing muscles.

Why Magnesium Balm?

We need magnesium in our bodies in order for us to function and feel well. Magnesium deficiency can manifest with a variety of symptoms, including muscle cramps, spasms, tremors, fatigue, nausea and weakness. In some cases, more severe symptoms like irregular heartbeats, seizures, and personality changes may occur. Our soils have become depleted in magnesium, so it is common for our bodies to be depleted. For years I struggled with an irregular heart beat, heart arrhythmia. I found that supplementing with magnesium and other minerals helped me so much. I found that if I kept up on keeping my electrolyte levels high I had less arrhythmia episodes. Sometimes I could pull myself out of an arrhythmia episode just by drinking a coconut water.

Benefits of Magnesium Balm

Before we dive into the recipe, here are some of the benefits of using magnesium topically:

Muscle relaxation and cramp relief
Improved sleep and deeper rest
Reduced stress and anxiety
Support for PMS and headaches
Boosted energy levels
A steady heart beat

How I use this Balm for restless legs and night time leg cramps

I started making magnesium balm for myself because I had horrible leg twitching when I would go to bed at night. I would also sometimes wake up in the night to the pain of leg cramps. I was taking a diuretic medication which depleted my body of minerals more than the average person not taking diuretics. I took a magnesium supplement which helped, but If i took too much magnesium I would get loose stools. I tried magnesium spray but it made my skin burn and tingle. It wasn’t til I made this balm and started rubbing it onto my feet and legs at bedtime that my restless legs finally quieted down.

How I use this Magnesium balm for Natural Muscle Relief

When I over do it in the garden or injure myself I reach for my magnesium balm. The magnesium relaxes my sore muscles. I am working on a new recipe specifically for pain that combines Pedicularis (Indian Warrior), St. John’s Wort, Arnica oil and essential oils.

How I use this Magnesium Balm for Sleep

Sometimes I turn out the lights and I can’t fall asleep. This is usually becasue I forgot to apply my magnesium balm. I turn on the light and get out my magnesium balm. I rub 1/2 to 1 tsp of magnesium balm on each foot and that usually does the trick.

This balm also helps my children fall asleep. I would rub it into thier feet as they were falling asleep. Children get growing pains and leg cramps, which i suspect is because their growing bodies are using up a lot of minerals each day.

If you would rather purchase a ready made balm, Here We Grow Magnesium Balm is available in our store. Available in 2 sizes with free shipping. Click Here to purchase.

Tips for making your own Magnesium Balm

Tools:

Double boiler or heat-safe bowl over pot. Glass pyrex measuring cup or small glass mixing bowl that fits inside the pot.
Glass jar or tin for storage
Whisk or immersion blender. This is a game changer in terms of reducing mess and minimizing waste

It has been tricky to get the magnesium balm to remain stable in a container over time. My first batches would split into a gooey liquid at the bottom of the container after about a week. The magnesium “oil” is water based. The other ingredients are mostly oil based. Oil and water do not combine well. I tried using beeswax to hold the balm together, but it wasn’t until I added a bit of emulsifying wax to the recipe that I was able to create a product that was stable for months.

Finding the right balance between enough magnesium and creating a smooth product. I find this recipe makes a pretty smooth balm that does not sting like straight magnesium oil, but it is a bit sticky. This recipe contains approximately 320 mg of magnesium per 1 tsp of balm. Which to me is not a lot of magnesium. I am trying to provide the most amount of magnesium in the balm without adding so much liquid that the emulsion splits or breaks. Feel free to experiment with your own versions of this and please let me know in the comments what you come up with.

I do find that the balm often has these little bubble marks on the surface when the mixture cools that I can only remedy by reducing the amount of magnesium oil I use. Hopefully my customers that buy the balm prefer the magnesium content in the balm over a perfect surface when the open the tins.

How to Use Magnesium Balm

Apply a small amount (about a dime-size) to areas like:

Soles of feet (great for sleep)
Lower back and shoulders (muscle relief)
Abdomen (for PMS support)
Neck and temples (for tension)

Use nightly or as needed. A slight tingling is normal for first-time users.

Final Thoughts

This DIY magnesium balm is a powerful and natural way to restore your body, calm your mind, and enhance your self-care routine. Whether you’re easing sore muscles or trying to get a better night’s sleep, this balm might become your new bedtime favorite.

Have you tried making magnesium balm at home? Let us know in the comments below!

DIY Magnesium Balm Recipe for Better Sleep, Less Stress & Muscle Relief

Recipe by Kimberly Brown

Ingredients

Magnesium Oil
1/2 cup distilled water
3/4 cup Magnesium Flakes
Balm ingredients
1/2 magnesium Oil
3/8 cup Oilve Oil or Avocado Oil infused with dandelion flowers ( Calendula or St. John’s Wort works well too)
1 Tbsp Shea butter
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp Emulsifying wax
3 Tbsp Beeswax
1 Tbsp Aloe Gel
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
20 drops of vitamin E oil

Directions

Make magnesium oil. This is also called magnesium brine. This step can be done ahead of time at sit unrefrigerated. Heat the distilled water in a saucepan, add the magnesium flakes, stir until dissolved. Set aside.
Melt Oils and waxes Olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, turmeric, beeswax and emulsifying wax into a glass measuring cup. Place the measuring cup into a saucepan with a few inches of water to create a double boiler. Heat the water in the sauce pan, which will begin to heat the ingredient and melt the wax. stir to combine well. Be sure that the emulsifying wax is melted as it requires higher temperatures for melting than the other ingredients. Remove from heat
Cool 5 min Add magnesium oil, aloe gel, vitamin E, lavender oil. Stir well. As the mixture begins to cool continue stirring every few minutes.
Whizzing step. This is done a few times during the cooling process. The goal is to make sure the ingredients stay well blended as the mixture cools. I use a hand held immersion blender with a wisk tip to wizz the mixture together. I wizz right into the cooling mixture in the glass measuring cup. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Pouring the balm into containers – I pour the mixture when it is thickened enough to be stable but still pourable. Because of the magnesium oil ingredient, I often have little bubbles that make the surface have divets. i have not been able to make the recipe with the concentration of magnesium oil that I would like and also have the smooth surface finished product I would like.