The Best Magnesium Oil for Sleep, Sore Muscles and More, Ranked

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We’ve established that magnesium oil is the one-and-donepre-bedtime ritualthat’s helping women sleep. But what’s the best magnesium oil for your sleep needs, as well as a host of other wellness goals ranging from muscle recovery to mood stabilization? We investigated and ranked top brands to determine which is best for your purposes.

What is Magnesium Oil?

Magnesium oil is magnesium chloride (that’s magnesium plus chlorine naturally bound together to form a salt) mixed with water. Magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body (as in, take your vitamins and minerals daily), important because it’s a part of moremore 300 enzyme systemsthat support protein synthesis, healthy muscles and nerves, your blood sugar regulation and the synthesis of DNA, RNA and glutathione. It’s also key to heart health. To make magnesium oil, you simple dissolve magnesium flakes into water. That’s right—there’s actually no oil in simple magnesium oil, but it’s known as oil because the salts dissolved in water have a slippery, oily feel.

Is Magnesium Oil Spray Effective?

If you’re asking TikTok, the answer to this query would be a resounding yes. #WellnessTok has scores of posts about not only how to DIY your own magnesium oil (just dissolve Epsom salts in water, then decant into a mini spray bottle), but also the many ailments that magnesium oil spray is handy to fight. If you ask the National Institutes of Health, the answer is “Reply hazy, ask again.” In an analysis of various studies oftransdermal magnesium(i.e., magnesium that’s applied to the skin instead of taken in vitamin form), the NIH acknowledged that while “specialist and lay press as well as on the internet, there are increasing numbers of articles claiming the effectiveness and superiority of transdermal magnesium over an oral application,” their assessment is “transdermal magnesium is scientifically unsupported.” Anecdotal evidence in people’s wellness practices is piling up, however, and if a couple of squirts of magnesium oil help ease your shoulder pain, soothe your period cramps or lessen a headache, who are we to quibble?

Can You Use Too Much Magnesium Oil?

Whileexcessive magnesiumcan cause diarrhea, cramping and bloating, that’s a rare side effect of ingesting too many oral supplements, not topical ones. (And usually extra magnesium is removed from the bloodstream by the kidneys.) So other than knocking back your magnesium oil as a cocktail, you’re fine to rub it generously on your skin.

RELATED The Best Wellness Products of 2022


Top 10 Magnesium Oils at a Glance

Best Magnesium Oil Overall:The Nue Co Magnesium Ease

Best Magnesium Oil for Relaxation:Alo Magnesium Reset Spray

Best Magnesium Oil for Sleep:Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

best magnesium oil thenue
The Nue Co.

1. the Nue Co. Magnesium Ease

Best Overall

Magnesium chloride is mixed with arnica (a botanical used to speed healing of bruises and strained muscles) and lavender (ahh, relaxing) in thismulti-use formula. “I purchased 3 of these, one for me, my mom who gets leg cramps and one for my father in law who has nerve damage in his back,” says one reviewer. “All three of us LOVE this product. It has an immediate relaxing effect and is great to use before bed.”

best magnesium oil alo
Alo

2. alo Magnesium Reset Spray

Best Magnesium Oil for Relaxation

“Ever since I had a masseuse put this on my tight muscles during a massage, I’ve used it to relax my spasming tech neck situation,” says one user, who also loves thisMandarin orange-scented golden fluid. There’s also valerian and antioxidant superberry amla for added soothing.

best magnesium oil ancient
Amazon

3. ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

Best Magnesium Oil for Sleep

Users rave about this highly concentrated magnesium chloride-and-water spray, using it for everything from headaches to anxiety. It’s highly recommended, too, as a sleep aid, since both relaxes muscles and eases symptoms of involuntary muscle movement: “I sprayed my legs from calves to toes before bedtime the last three nights and slept through until morning all three nights ,” one user says. “No leg or foot cramps or even muscle twitches. “

best magnesium oil nocturne
Verishop

4. nocturne Magnesium Sleep Oil

Best Skin Soothing

The soothing properties of aloe vera is the key to this non-sticky andhydrating formula. And the faint scent of lavender and sweet oil linger after it is gone. “A few spritzes before bed really help me find a place of calm and Zen, but my favorite use is when my shoulders and neck are tense from working at a computer all day,” says one happy user.

best magnesium oil health and wisdom
iHerb

5.health And Wisdom Magnesum Oil

Best Value

Highly sensitive users will appreciate that you get a full16-ounce bottleof magnesium chloride and distilled water, no fancy stuff. “I bought this to help with body aches/muscle cramps because I work out a lot and get sore quite easily,” says one reviewer who also treats her eczema with it.

best magnesium oil asutra
Target

6. Asutra Spray Pain Away Natural Pain Relief

Best for Cramps

TikTokloves this for menstrual cramps—just rub a few pumps into your hurting midsection, and wait for the penetrating action to begin. Bonus: thisclean formula不含甲醛、苯甲酸脂类、邻苯二甲酸盐synthetic colors.

best magnesium oil sunfood
iHerb

7. Sunfood Magnesium Oil

Best Lightweight

“I am using it for better sleep and to help for magnesium intake in my body,” says one reviewer about thisquick-absorbing spray. “There is no smell and it feels like an ordinary water.”

best magnesium oil life flo
Thrive Market

8. Life-flo Pure Magnesium Oil For Joint And Muscle Health

Best Foot Soak

The maker recommends adding two ounces of thisdye-free oil, crafted using magnesium harvested in the North Seabed of the Netherlands, to a hot footbath. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes, and those fallen arches witll thank you.

best magnesium oil headache
Amazon

9. Seven Minerals Natural Migraine Relief Spray

Best for Migraines

One decades-long migraine sufferer describes his first application ofthis formula: “I started getting a headache this morning, by 10 it started to turn into a migraine. I then received an email that my oil was delivered, I ran down and grabbed the package, I put the oil on my forehead, temples and back of my head, seriously within half an hour my head felt so much better.” Essential oils (lavender, sweet marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, and basil) are also in this headache-battling spray.

best magnesium oil deodorant
Verishop

10. Violets Are Blue Magnesium Deodorant

Best Deodorant

We learned of magnesium (here, magnesium hydroxide) as a natural odor-resisting element thanks toTikTok, where natural self-care is always trending. This maker, a breast cancer survivor, developed thisclean formulawithout baking soda, essential oils arrowroot or soy, so that there’s less to interact negatively with users’ natural body chemistry.