UKC

I love giving myself a good forearm massage the day after a hard sesh. It's my little ritual where those finger muscles that felt like car tyres the night before are kneaded back into soft supple appendages. 

I usually use an amazing Muscle Rub from CBD Bristol but I'd like to add a bit of variety to my self-care shelf.

I trust the discerning and ever-eccentric climbing community to know of some quality lotions and potions. Can you recommend any fantastic smelling muscle rubs that you swear by? 

Have you tried snake oil? 

Lard.

Deep heat? 

Hydrofluoric acid. Goes right down to the bone.

CB

LOL. Classic UKC replies so far. :-D 

Tiger balm.

Al

Neal's Yard Ginger and Juniper Warming Oil smells pretty great, and is ginger-y enough that you get a mild warming sensation but not so much you can't use it over a large area of skin.

No magic healing properties that I'm aware of, but it's very pleasant to use. Also it comes in a blue glass bottle which gives it a nice apothecary vibe.

Natures Best : Comfrey Cream is really good for arthritic fingers and any other joint problems. Trust me I'm a joiner.

UKC allows Emojis in thread titles now? How the world has fallen...

Oh yeah, I break out the comfrey oil for anything I've actually tweaked!

I need a shower, urgh!!

The ClimbOn! Ridiculous Paste is ace for fingers. I've used it loads.

Try some Ridiculous Paste from Climb On!

Vegetable oil from the supermarket - cheap, scent free and provides all the lubrication you need. If you need nice smells to make you feel like it's "working", add a drop or two of your favourite essential oil.

I would support this idea except, if my experience is anything to go by, it leads to owning a collection of favourite essential oils and thus I'm not sure it necessarily ends up cheaper in the end. But that may just be my problem ...

(Also, learn the proper ratios for diluting your essential oils in the base oil, because some of them can be skin irritants if you use too much.)

Plus side, get nerdy enough about this and you can do stuff like making your own climbing hand balm.

(and McKEuan)

Thanks, I did not know Climb On did a muscle rub. I certainly rate their balm for replenishing tired finger skin. 

Tiger Balm, China Gel, or good old deep heat!

Perskindol Activ

What Ciro said....throw some rosemary or lavender twigs into some rapeseed oil.

See, I'd put Tiger Balm on something I'd strained or a really knotted-up muscle, but personally I wouldn't coat both forearms in it -- I'd go for something milder for maintenance-type massage over a large area.

Your mileage may vary, though!

Just before posting this 9 days ago I took a chance ordering a tin of Oomeo Outback Rub from t'interweb. The tin lists the ingredients as "Emu Oil, Menthol, Arnica, Blend of 7 Essential Oils".

It smells amazing, a warm menthol scent, quite similar to tiger balm but not as eye-wateringly powerful. It's also much more oily than Tiger Balm which makes it easier to use straight out the pot, which is a 50ml tin compared to Tiger Balm's sparing 19g jar. So like slab_happy says, a sort of every day maintenance rub rather than occasional small application.

I've done 3 indoor climbs in my local gym this week and I'm off again tonight. Used this new stuff to massage those agitated muscle fibres to get that healing blood flowing in. I recommend. 

Thanks all for your other tips. I'll work my way through your recommendations [ maybe not the snake oil though ].