Essential oil for headaches

If you’re looking for a natural way to treat tension headaches, cluster headaches and migraines, essential oils are a great place to start. These powerful plant extracts have promising research behind them for their ability to relieve pain and tension in your head.

Some studies show that inhaling essential oils can treat a headache nearly as well as traditional pain medicine. However, you do need to be careful about which oils you choose and how you use them.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is one of the most powerful and most popular essential oils used for treating headaches, including migraines and tension headaches. Peppermint essential oil contains menthol, which can relax muscles and ease tension in your neck and shoulders, which often leads to headaches. Studies have also found that peppermint oil can be inhaled as an aromatherapy treatment for migraine headaches.

You can choose to sniff the oil directly from the bottle, place a few drops of oil on a cotton ball or diffuse the oil in a scent diffuser like the Asakuki essential oil diffuser or the Amazon Basics ultrasonic essential oil diffuser. Some other research suggests that you can use peppermint oil topically to treat headaches by diluting the oil in a carrier oil like organic jojoba oil or coconut oil and massaging it into your temples.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus essential oil, which is derived from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, can be used to treat sinus headaches caused by congestion or other sinus issues. This is because eucalyptus has a strong aroma and chemical compounds powerfully open up your nasal passages. If you’re feeling stuffed up and have pain around your sinuses (around your nose, near your temples and under and above your eyes), you may benefit from diffusing eucalyptus oil or adding a few drops of the oil to a hot bath or steam.

One way to use eucalyptus oil is to add 20-30 drops to a small pot of hot water, close your eyes and inhale the steam. You may also try dipping a clean washcloth into the warm water and press it against your face. As eucalyptus can irritate your eyes, make sure to keep your eyes closed. Eucalyptus oil also has relaxing effects and may be able to reduce stress and anxiety.

Lavender oil

Lavender essential oil is commonly used for relaxation and sleep. But research shows that the same chemical compounds that induce sleep can ease the pain and tension associated with headaches, including migraine headaches. One study found that when lavender oil is inhaled for 15 minutes, it can reduce the severity of a migraine. Lavender can also be diluted in a carrier oil and massaged into the neck, back and shoulders to ease symptoms of tension headaches.

Rosemary oil

Rosemary essential oil has shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects that may help relieve headaches when inhaled. Rosemary oil has also been studied to reduce stress and anxiety, further eliminating potential headaches.

Frankincense oil

Frankincense essential oil is derived from the resin of the Boswellia tree, which is native to the Middle East and parts of Europe and Asia. This powerful essential oil has a sweet and woody aroma and contains many aromatic compounds that can be beneficial in treating and preventing headaches. Frankincense essential oil has been studied for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, making it especially useful for treating cluster and tension headaches that often originate in your neck and shoulders. Other studies show that frankincense oil can reduce stress and anxiety, which can prevent stress-related headaches. This homeopathic frankincense rubbing oil can be applied directly onto the neck and temples to treat headaches.

Geranium oil

This beautifully fragrant essential oil is often used in perfumes and sprays but can also be used to treat hormonal issues associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause, which can lead to headaches. Geranium essential oil can be diluted in a carrier oil and applied onto the neck, temples or abdomen to relieve pain.

Essential oil blends for headaches

There are many essential oil blends on the market that are specially formulated to treat headaches, relieve pain and ease tension. A blend can give you great bang for your buck, as it gives you the benefits of many different oils at once without requiring you to purchase each oil separately.

The head relief essential oil blend from Healing Solutions is a unique blend of eight different essential oils and has a soothing and relaxing scent. The head ease synergy blend from Edens Garden likewise contains nine different essential oils that work powerfully against both migraine and cluster headaches. The Plant Therapy essential oils Tension relief blend is especially beneficial for tension headaches when diluted and applied directly onto the neck and shoulders.

How to choose the right essential oil

Research the brand

Essential oils are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and there are hundreds — if not thousands — of brands on the market, so it’s important that you pay careful attention and purchase your oils from reputable brands. High-quality essential oils are harvested responsibly and tested for purity and safety to ensure they don’t contain any contaminants or harsh ingredients.

Research the company online before purchasing to ensure that they’re a reputable brand with good reviews and transparent information about their harvesting, sourcing and purity. You’ll also want to pay close attention to the label and ingredient list to ensure that the product does not contain any additives.

Look for the botanical name

Another way to check for quality is to ensure that the label has both the common name and the botanical name of the plant. The most reputable brands will have information about the plant’s origins in addition to the distillation process and expiration date.

Choose dark glass bottles

In general, high-quality essential oil is sold in dark glass containers, as this helps preserve their beneficial aromatic compounds. A clear bottle is a sign that it’s not a quality product.

Avoid fragrance oils

Avoid oils that are labeled as fragrance oils or synthetic oils, as these oils do not contain the same benefits of pure essential oils.

Pay attention to the price point

Essential oils have varying price points depending on which plants are used in the extraction. Some plants are more expensive or difficult to source, and thus, their essential oils are naturally more expensive.

In general, you get what you pay for. If an essential oil feels much less expensive than a competitor, it may be of inferior quality. However, you also want to avoid paying too much for any particular essential oil, as some companies may use marketing tactics to gouge the price.

Katy Severson is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

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