How To Make Magnesium Oil (In 5 Minutes Or Less)

I’ve been making magnesium oil for nearly a decade, so you could definitely say I’m more than a little late in posting this recipe. But here’s why I think now is actually the perfect time to share it:

With new wellness trends popping up constantly, it’s easy to lose track of simple practices that quietly support our health in big ways. Magnesium supplementation is one of those practices—especially if:

#1 – You have a body.
#2 – You have stress.

Maybe your stress is the good kind—the kind that comes from cold plunges or sauna therapy. Or maybe it’s the “too many things on your plate” kind. Either way, magnesium plays a key role in helping your body adapt. It supports your stress response, helps regulate nervous system activity, and promotes more restful sleep – all things that can get thrown off by stress.

Magnesium acts like a spark plug for your body, helping to fire up over 300 essential processes, including energy production, muscle function, blood sugar control, blood pressure regulation, bone density, and more. (1)(2)

When levels run low, it can become harder to keep up with the pace of everyday life.

Unfortunately, studies published by the National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization estimate that up to 68% of people in the United States are magnesium deficient, so there are a lot of us running around with what feels like a sputtering engine. (3)

In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of topical vs. oral magnesium, plus how to make your own magnesium oil.

As always, none of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA. This article is not medical advice and isn’t meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Please chat with your healthcare provider about any supplements you’re considering.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive in.

Why aren’t we getting enough magnesium?

If magnesium is so essential – and found in so many whole foods – why are so many of us deficient? There’s no single reason, but depleted soils, modern stress, and other factors are all playing a role. Here’s why:

🌱 Our Soil Isn’t What It Used To Be

Magnesium is a structural component of chlorophyll, so plants rely on it just as much as we do. But over the last several decades, the amount of magnesium in our soil has dropped significantly — and so has the amount in our food. (4)

Much of this decline is due to the way modern agriculture focuses almost exclusively on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) to boost yield. That approach leaves essential nutrients like magnesium as an afterthought. (5)

In short: Magnesium depletion in the soil results in lower concentrations in plants, leading to deficiency in humans. (6)

⚡️ Stress Burns Through Magnesium

Magnesium is sometimes called the chill mineral because of the way it supports a healthy stress response. But ironically, the more stressed we are, the more magnesium we burn through.

Yep, stress ramps up your body’s magnesium “burn rate,” which can deplete your reserves over time. And once levels start to dip, our bodies become even more sensitive to stress – making recovery feel like an uphill climb. (7)

So if you’re wondering why a stressful week leaves you feeling fried, foggy, and maybe even twitchy, an increased magnesium burn rate could be playing a role.

☕ Lifestyle Factors

I love my high CGA coffee and am not giving it up, but caffeine intake can have a diuretic effect that increases our need for minerals like magnesium. (8)

Other factors like alcohol intake and certain medications can increase magnesium loss or interfere with absorption. (9)(10)

Topical Magnesium Vs. Oral Supplements

When it comes to supporting healthy magnesium levels, there are two basic approaches:

• Oral magnesium via magnesium-rich foods and/or magnesium supplements
• Topical magnesium via magnesium oil, magnesium lotion, epsom salt bath soaks, etc.

Here’s why I take a both/and approach:

Magnesium-rich foods and oral supplements can be beneficial, especially because they come in a wide range of forms that have different benefits.

However, the effectiveness of oral magnesium can be limited.

Oral magnesium can be poorly absorbed due to several factors, including impaired gastrointestinal absorption, certain medical conditions affecting the digestive or renal systems, and the use of specific medications. While typically only 30-40% of dietary magnesium is absorbed, these factors can further hinder the absorption of oral supplements, potentially leading to magnesium deficiency.“ (11)

Transdermal (topical) magnesium bypasses this issue, delivering magnesium directly through the skin and into the bloodstream.

In a 2017 study published in PLOS One , participants applied a topical magnesium chloride spray daily for 12 weeks and had their serum and urinary magnesium levels tested before and after the intervention.

The study found a statistically significant increase in serum magnesium levels—but only after excluding four participants who engaged in high-intensity exercise during the study, despite being instructed not to. The researchers noted that intense physical activity may have increased magnesium loss through sweat and other metabolic processes, which likely skewed the results.

When the data from those participants was removed, the remaining subjects showed a 7.4% average increase in serum magnesium levels, which the authors point out is more than what’s typically observed with oral supplementation over the same period. (12)

Also, a small pilot study over 12 weeks showed an average 59.7% increase in cellular magnesium, with a 25.2% improvement in the calcium-to-magnesium ratio after using a high-concentration magnesium chloride spray and foot soaks twice weekly. The pace of change seen was notably faster than what is usually achieved through oral supplementation over several months. (13)

Why I Love This Recipe

• Ready in under five minutes
• Affordable
• Absorbs quickly

How To Use Magnesium Oil

Current guidelines for transdermal magnesium usage recommend starting slowly to gauge your skin’s reaction:

• Patch Test: Perform a patch test initially, especially if you have sensitive skin. Mild tingling or itching is normal initially and often subsides after regular use.
• Amount: Some people start with 5 sprays daily and stay at that level. Others gradually increasing over a few days to 10-20 sprays per day.
• A Note On Irritation: If irritation occurs, applying aloe vera gel or coconut oil approximately 20 minutes after magnesium oil application can help soothe your skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add essential oils to magnesium oil?

I don’t recommend it. Essential oils don’t effectively mix into water-based solutions without dispersing agents like Natrasorb (modified tapioca starch). Using such agents would negatively impact the shelf life and stability of your magnesium oil.

What’s the difference between magnesium chloride and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)

Both deliver magnesium, but magnesium chloride is more bioavailable when applied topically. It also retains moisture better and is less drying than Epsom salt solutions.

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Sources

1. Office of Dietary Supplements. (n.d.). Magnesium—Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. National Institutes of Health.
2. Magnesium in diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2023, January 19). U.S. National Library of Medicine.
3. Rosanoff A, Weaver CM, Rude RK. Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: are the health consequences underestimated? Nutr Rev. 2012 Mar;70(3):153-64.
4. Guo, W. (2016). Magnesium deficiency in plants: An urgent problem. Plant and Soil.
5. ST Biologicals. (n.d.). Magnesium—the forgotten element.
6. Cazzola, R. (2020). Going to the roots of reduced magnesium dietary intake. Frontiers in Plant Science.
7. Pickering, G., & Cuciureanu, M. (2020). Magnesium status and stress: The stress‑magnesium feedback loop hypothesis. Magnesium Research.
8. Kass, L., Rosanoff, A., Tanner, A., et. al. (2017). Effect of transdermal magnesium cream on serum and urinary magnesium levels in humans: A pilot study. PLoS ONE.
9. Rivlin, R. S. (1994). Magnesium deficiency and alcohol intake: mechanisms, clinical significance and possible relation to cancer development (a review). Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
10. Gröber, U. (2019). Magnesium and drugs: Important interactions with medications that can deplete magnesium or impair absorption. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
11. Al Alawi, A., & Majoni, S. W. (2018). Magnesium and human health: Perspectives and research directions. International Journal of Endocrinology.
12. Kass, L., Rosanoff, A., Tanner, A., et. al. (2017). Effect of transdermal magnesium cream on serum and urinary magnesium levels in humans: A pilot study. PLoS ONE.
13. Watkins, K., & Josling, P. D. (2010). A pilot study to determine the impact of transdermal magnesium treatment on serum levels and whole body Ca:Mg ratios. European Journal for Nutraceutical Research.
14. Essential Wholesale. (2017, December 18). Magnesium oil for skincare. Essential Wholesale.