The Top 9 Massage Oils to Support Breast Wellness

By Isa Herrera, MSPT

After two close friends of mine were diagnosed with breast cancer, I’ve come to realize that we talk about breast wellness even less than we talk about the pelvic floor. All of the pink ribbons and cries of “save the tatas!” cover up the fact that we don’t tell women how to properly care for their breasts before they develop breast cancer.

And that’s something that needs to change. With breast cancer surpassing lung cancer for the dubious distinction of becoming the most common cancer in the world — it’s time to start focusing on prevention. (1)

Why You Should Massage Your Breasts Daily

One of the most important things you can do for your breast wellness is to prioritize a daily breast massage.

If you’re asking, “What’s a breast massage?” That’s fair. It’s not something that we’ve been taught.

Luckily, breast massage is simple, enjoyable, and something you can accomplish in just a few minutes each day.

Here’s the basic technique:

1- Do a visual check of your breasts in the mirror. Here, you’re looking for any abnormalities or differences between your two breasts. Any redness, pain, or irritated skin is an immediate cause for concern.

2- Rub a nice, light oil on your hands and place one arm behind your head. Use the other hand to massage your breast in a circular motion. Use varying degrees of pressure, and be sure to change up the size of the circles you’re using to perform the massage. Take note of any lumps or bumps your fingers detect while you’re performing the massage — and bring them up to your doctor right away.

3- Rub your fingers under your armpit, too. Your breast tissue and lymph nodes are technically in your armpit, so be sure to thoroughly massage that area too.

4- Switch arms and perform the same routine on your other breast.

Here’s the thing about self-breast massage — a large percentage of breast cancers are detected by women performing self-exams. (2) So, keeping yourself intimately familiar with the terrain of your breast tissue could save your life.

My Favorite Oils For Breast Massage

I’m a big believer in making your healthcare products perform double duty whenever you can.

Which is why I love to perform my daily breast massage with oils that are fabulous for the skin and also have a reputation for supporting breast wellness, too.

Here are my favorites.

1. Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is loaded with good stuff — from Vitamin E to antioxidants. (3) Researchers have even studied it as a potential anticancer agent. (4)

One study even showed that when used topically, grapeseed oil can help speed up wound healing. (5)

2. Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil has been known for centuries as a “woman’s herb.” It’s also chock full of fatty acids that are amazing for your skin. (6-8)

3. Rosehip Oil

Rosehip oil is considered a dry, non-greasy oil. This makes it ideal for use as a topical moisturizer. It’s also widely regarded as an antioxidant-containing oil, which makes it an attractive potential anti-aging friend. (9)

One animal study even showed it reduced inflammation in mice with atopic dermatitis. (10)

4. Vitamin E Oil

Vitamin E is a known antioxidant. That means it’s great for your skin. (11,12) But what’s really interesting about vitamin E oil is that researchers are looking at it as a potential treatment for women going through radiation treatment for skin cancer.

These women often have skin irritation that researchers hope could be soothed with vitamin E oil. (13)

5. Rose Essential Oil

When you smell a rose, you instantly smile. And that’s exactly what will happen when you inhale rose essential oil too.

Like a potent bouquet of a thousand roses, this essential oil has a scent like no other, and it’s a powerful natural supporter of healthy inflammation.

Rose oil is full of vitamins and minerals. In a test tube, it can kill E. coli and Staph. (14) And it’s so powerful that it can even kill cancer cells in-vitro, too. (15)

6. Yuzu Essential Oil

Yuzu is a type of Japanese citrus fruit kind of like a lemon. And we all know that citrus is a great source of vitamin C, which is a potent antioxidant. (16,17)

Yuzu, in particular, is popular for its potential aromatherapeutic benefits. One study even showed it reduced the “emotional” symptoms associated with PMS when inhaled. (18)

And in another study, women reported enjoying a daily breast massage with citrus oil! (19)

7. Frankincense Essential Oil

Many essential oils kill cancer cells in the test tube. (20) But perhaps none is as well-regarded as frankincense, which was part of an essential oil blend that demonstrated some pretty impressive breast cancer-fighting properties in an animal study. (21)

Frankincense is full of boswellic acids, compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

What’s really cool about frankincense is when applied topically, researchers observed a marked decrease in pain in study participants with arthritis in their knees. (22)

And it also appears frankincense has a special ability to modulate skin inflammation. (23)

8. Pine Needle Essential Oil

Pine essential oil has been used in traditional medicine for centuries.

Which is something we all need to work on every day!

Pine essential oil has a fresh, woodsy scent and has been used as a gentle cleanser for ages.

There’s nothing the like smell of fresh pine needles. And pine needle essential oil is positively brimming with antioxidants — which are kind of like your skin’s best friend. (24)

9. Geranium Oil

You may be familiar with the beautiful geranium flower. But did you know that when you use steam to distill the stem, leaves, and flowers of the geranium plant, you’re left with an oil that can actually kill cancer cells in a test tube. (25)

What’s more, geranium oil smells delightful. And that amazing smell has properties that can lift your mood and even possibly lower your heart rate. (26,27) Geranium oil is the total package when it comes to supporting your health. That’s probably why it’s been prized since the time of the ancient Egyptians.

Experience The Benefits Of Daily Breast Massage

Daily breast massage is an important daily ritual that you need to start making a part of your routine. Something as simple as performing your breast massage when you get out of the shower makes it easy to remember.

Plus — when you use oils on your skin after bathing, it helps keep your skin feeling moisturized and silky smooth.

Also, don’t be surprised if you notice an increase in your libido after you start massaging your breasts every day.

Once you get into the habit of breast massage, you become more aware of your touch and how it stimulates and arouses you too. It can also be enjoyable to have your partner help you perform your breast massage as well.

Breast massage, when done properly, should stimulate the release of oxytocin, the love hormone. Oxytocin makes you feel happy and content.

Seriously, once you start doing this every day, you’ll find a smile crosses your face easily and it’s harder to lose your temper! Oh, and you’ll probably feel younger, too. Oxytocin for the win!

Meet B-Healthy Breast Defense Serum^TM… with All 9 Ingredients Listed Above

After incorporating breast massage into my daily life, I knew I had to share this amazing experience with you, too.

But I had a hard time finding the right blend of oils that wouldn’t compromise my breast wellness…after all, breast tissue has a reputation for absorbing topical ingredients — and I didn’t want to take a chance with anything that wasn’t 100% clean and free of parabens and phthalates.

And that’s how B-Healthy Breast Defense Serum^TM was born.

Yep, I had to create my own proprietary blend of organically grown oils to find something that met all my requirements. And so, I’ve developed a luxurious, silky-smooth oil blend incorporating all of my favorite breast-supportive oils that’s sure to leave your skin happy and your breasts even happier.

B-healthy is a blend of top-quality, all organically grown ingredients — so it’s free from any potentially harmful chemicals that could compromise your wellness.

Breast massage is a habit that encourages self-love and breast wellness. Plus, it’s a ritual that might just save your life!

B-Healthy Breast Defense Serum^TM is the partner you can trust on this journey.

Check out the B-Healthy Breast Defense Serum^TM in all of its organically grown goodness here.

References

1. “Breast Cancer Statistics And Resources.” https://www.bcrf.org/breast-cancer-statistics-and-resources/

2. “Self-Detection Remains a Key Method of Breast Cancer … – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3153870/

3. “Grape Seed Oil Compounds: Biological and Chemical Actions for ….” 16 Aug. 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988453/.

4. “Grape Seed Procyanidins Inhibit the Growth of Breast Cancer MCF ….” 5 Feb. 2021, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1934578X21991691.

5. “The Topical Effect of Grape Seed Extract 2% Cream on Surgery ….” 28 Oct. 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802053/.

6. “Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Oil in Management of … – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6718646/.

7. “Effect of topically applied evening primrose oil on epidermal barrier ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10442214/.

8. “Systemic evening primrose oil improves the biophysical skin ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18492193/.

9. “Therapeutic Applications of Rose Hips from Different Rosa Species.” 25 May. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5485961/.

10. “Topical application of Rosa multiflora root extract improves atopic ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24389494/.

11. “Vitamin E in dermatology – PMC – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976416/.

12. “The role of vitamin E in normal and damaged skin – PubMed.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7633944/.

13. “Topical cream containing nanoparticles with vitamin E to prevent ….” 1 Jan. 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33249985/.

14. “Pharmacological Effects of Rosa Damascena – PMC – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3586833/.

15. “Cytotoxic and genotoxic studies of essential oil from Rosa … – PubMed.” 1 Aug. 2017, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28644429/.

16. “Vitamins C and E: Beneficial effects from a mechanistic perspective.” 25 May. 2011, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156342/.

17. “Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Crude … – PubMed.” 31 Dec. 2018, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30675463/.

18. “Does Japanese Citrus Fruit Yuzu (Citrus junos Sieb. ex Tanaka ….” 8 May. 2017, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28481623/.

19. “Safety and Feasibility of Topical Application of Limonene as a ….” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824622/.

20. “Essential oils as anticancer agents: Potential role in malignancies ….” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332221013019.

21. “Frankincense, pine needle and geranium essential oils suppress ….” 1 Nov. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783593/.

22. “Evaluation of the effectiveness of topical oily solution containing ….” 4 Mar. 2023, https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-023-06291-5.

23. “Biological activities of frankincense essential oil in human dermal ….” 3 Feb. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5801908/.

24. “Antioxidant Potential of Pine Needles: A Systematic Study on … – NCBI.” 12 Jan. 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7827367/.

25. “Frankincense, pine needle and geranium essential oils suppress ….” 1 Nov. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783593/.

26. “Effect of Inhalation of Aroma of Geranium Essence on Anxiety and ….” 1 Jun. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4484988/.

27. “Effects of Inhalation of Geranium Essential Oil on Blood Pressure ….” 9 Oct. 2019, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1934578X19881534.

About ISA HERRERA, MSPT, CSCS

Isa Herrera, MSPT, CSCS is a New York City-based holistic women’s pelvic floor specialist and author of 5 books on pelvic health, including the international best seller Female Pelvic Alchemy and the ground-breaking grassroots pelvic floor self-help book Ending Female Pain, A Woman’s Manual, which has sold over 30,000 copies. She has dedicated her career to advancing awareness of pelvic floor conditions so that more people can find relief from this silent epidemic that affects over 30 million people in the US alone. Ms. Herrera holds a BA in Psychology and Biology from Fordham University and also a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Hunter College, where she was also an adjunct professor for several years. Click here for a complete bio.

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