There are several essential oils that help with headaches, I always reach for my essential oil box when I have a headache, whether the cause is stress, dehydration, hormones, or a touch too much wine the night before.
These are four of my favourites and how they work:
Lavender – it’s the instant soother for most people, it smells like relaxation and calm, and with hundreds of clinical studies showing that it does calm you, it’s no wonder this wonder-oil is super helpful for headaches.
Basil – not one you might have heard of for headaches, but this essential oil is the absolute business! Its refreshing, cleansing and balancing. It’s great for if you are feeling exhausted and low. It’s also pain relieving. For me, this is the oils that always helps take the edge off a nasty headache.
Rosemary – oh what an oil! Every morning in the shower, i drop a couple of drops into the shower tray and let the gorgeous aromatic steam come up around me to wake me up and stimulate my brain for the day ahead. Rosemary is the most fantastic oil for mental clarity and it is proven to boost circulation, relieve pain and tension and relax muscles.
Peppermint – this refreshing and uplifting oil can be used for headaches, as it will help to relieve tension and help muscles to loosen a little. This is a good one to use if tension is causing your headache.
How to use the essential oils for headaches
I just take the lid off the bottle and sniff – you could pop the bottle on your desk/next to you and sniff intermittently, but don’t sniff continuously, approx 3 or 4 big sniffs per hour is enough.
If you don’t want to sniff directly from the bottle, you could use an oil burner – like the ones I sell here with my release blend. Just pop a tea light under the dip, pop water and 4 or 5 drops of oil in the dip, and burn in a room that you’re sitting in.
Alternatively, you can mix with a little base oil and massage around the tops of your shoulders and back of the neck. The general rule is approx 5 drops in 10mls of a base oil (such as grapeseed, sunflower or coconut etc). Essential oils (with the exception of lavender and tea tree) must always be diluted into a base or carrier oil before use, to avoid skin irritation.
If you want to use it in the bath, again, you must dilute it. You can do this in a few mls of milk, or a good cup of bath salts. Put it in the bath, just before you get in, not as you are running it, or it will have all evaporated before you get in.
Prevent the headache
It is important to think about whats caused the headache; obviously make sure you are super-hydrated, drink lots of water, room temperature is best so your body can absorb it. I always go for a cup of chamomile tea when I have a headache, it’s soothing, anti-inflammatory, and hydrating.
Hormones can cause lots of problems with headaches, if this is the case, do some research about hormone headaches or see your GP.
Stress is of course, the other big headache creator. If you know it is stress causing your headache, then you really need to take steps to reduce your stress levels.
Want essential oils ready blended? If you’d like to smell a mix of essential oils, all tailored to reduce stress and anxiety, and to help reduce pain and headaches, try my fab essential oil blend for anxiety, my release blend. With lavender, sweet orange, plus notes of chamomile, frankincense and bergamot, it not only smells incredible, but will help you feel better.
I hope you have found this brief introduction to essential oils helpful. If you’d like to know more about how to incorporate essential oils into your every day life, skincare and mental well-being, then you can download my recipe book now. It contains all the information you need for using essential oils safely in your home.
