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Essential Oils for Breast Care: Blends for Massage, Comfort, Self-Care

Possible benefits of using essential oils for breast care include toning the skin, improving lymphatic flow, reducing soreness and pain, and improving your relationship with your body.

Breast Anatomy

Essential Oils for Breast Massage

Breast self-massage is a nourishing way to support your body.

Caution: Do not massage your breasts if you have an undiagnosed lump or an infection. Talk to your doctor if you are under treatment for a medical condition.

Breast Health Essential Oil Blend

  • 14 drops lemon essential oil
  • 5 drops copaiba essential oil
  • 4 drops palmarosa essential oil
  • 3 drops frankincense essential oil
  • 3 drops bergamot essential oil
  • 1/4 cup carrier oil (rosehip oil and evening primrose oil are recommended in equal amounts, but any carrier oil is OK)

Blend ingredients in a small dark bottle. Apply a little of the blend to your breasts twice a day.

Source: Tisserand Institute. Also see Citrus Oils and Breast Health.

Breast Care Massage Oil

The essential oils for breast massage in this blend promote a gentle, penetrating action that may be regenerative and healing to breast tissue.

  • 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 5 drops ginger essential oil
  • 5 drops lemon essential oil
  • 8 drops rose geranium essential oil
  • 3 drops clary sage essential oil
  • 2 tablespoons carrier oil

Blend ingredients in a small dark bottle. Shake well and let it sit for eight hours before using. Massage a little of the blend onto your breasts as desired.

You can also use oil blend during or after subtle bodywork, such as acupuncture, reiki, or therapeutic touch, for additional support.

Adapted from The Essential Oils Complete Reference Guide

Breast Massage Oil

  • 2 drops geranium essential oil
  • 2 drops lavender essential oil
  • 1 drop vetiver essential oil
  • 1 drop cypress essential oil
  • 4 teaspoons carrier oil

Source: Essential Oils: Your Aromatherapy Guide to Ayurvedic Healing

Essential Oils for Sore Breasts

Use this blend if you experience soreness for no apparent medical reason or at particular times in your menstrual cycle. You can also use the blend after surgery, after checking with your doctor about how long to wait.

  • 10 drops lavender essential oil
  • 5 drops German chamomile essential oil
  • 5 drops geranium essential oil
  • 5 drops niaouli essential oil
  • 2 teaspoons calendula-infused oil
  • 2 teaspoons camellia oil

Blend essential oils. Add carrier oils and mix well. Use a small amount once a day over the entire breast area, avoiding the nipples.

Nipple Soreness Relief

This oil blend without essential oils is safe to use on your nipples.

  • 8 teaspoons sweet almond oil
  • 8 teaspoons jojoba oil
  • 4 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 4 teaspoons calendula-infused oil

Another option is to add calendula-infused oil to vitamin E cream, aloe vera gel, or a natural plant-derived ointment. Add 10 drops calendula-infused oil to each teaspoon of your chosen cream or gel.

Source: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

Essential Oils for Breast Care FAQ

Can you use essential oils for breast care while breastfeeding?

Many sources say not to apply essential oils directly to your chest or breasts while nursing. A few sources suggest you can use a highly diluted blend (no more than 1%) containing a breastfeeding-safe essential oil, as long as you remove any remaining oil before feeding your baby.

Aromatherapist Maggie Tisserand in Aromatherapy for Women recommends using only lavender or rose essential oil for sore nipples. Use 1 drop in 1 teaspoon of a nut oil. Massage onto nipples immediately after feeding. Then carefully wash the nipples and areola before feeding again.

Consult your healthcare provider or aromatherapy professional.

For a soothing nipple balm without essential oils, try this blend:

  • 2.5 ounces (5 tablespoons) shea butter
  • 2 tablespoons argan oil
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil

Using a double boiler over medium heat, melt all ingredients until blended. Pour mixture into tin containers. Let harden and use as needed. Makes about 5 ounces.

Adapted from Plant Therapy

Can essential oils affect breast size?

No compelling evidence suggests that essential oils can change breast size. However, regular breast massage with essential oils may improve the tone of the breasts and help keep them healthy and firm.

Maggie Tisserand does offer the anecdotal story of a woman increasing her bust measurement by using the following blend long-term:

  • 6 drops geranium essential oil
  • 16 drops ylang ylang essential oil
  • 50 ml (about 10 teaspoons) sweet almond oil

She used the blend morning and night to massage the breasts and surrounding chest muscles.

Is any information available about essential oils and breast cancer?

"Citral in Lemon Myrtle, Lemongrass, Litsea, and Melissa Essential Oils Suppress the Growth and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells" (2024). Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11149199/.

"New Insights Into the Cytotoxic Effects of Thymus Vulgaris Essential Oil on the Human Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-231" (2023). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887233323001546.

"Anti-Breast Cancer Activity of Essential Oil: A Systematic Review" (2022). Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/24/12738.

"Essential Oils’ Potential in Breast Cancer Treatment: An Overview" (chapter from Essential Oils - Bioactive Compounds, New Perspectives and Applications, 2019). Retrieved from https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72202.

"Frankincense, Pine Needle and Geranium Essential Oils Suppress Tumor Progression Through the Regulation of the AMPK/mTOR Pathway in Breast Cancer" (2018). Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29115548/.

About the Author

Back Massage

Carol Wiley is a retired massage therapist and freelance writer. She uses her deep interest in aromatherapy and essential oils to research their benefits and uses and bring you summaries and blends with links to more resources.

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Image: Maksim [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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