What Essential Oil is good for Headaches?

Essential oils, commonly known as aromatherapy oils, are highly concentrated substances made from the leaves, flowers, roots, stems, and other parts of plants. Essential oils are known for their health benefits, such as reducing stress and improving circulation via sensory stimulation (scent).

Different oils offer different benefits. However, essential oils are not accompanied by the extended side effects of prescription headache and migraine medications. Essential oils can provide relief for people suffering from headaches or migraines. Some essential oils can relieve tension, headaches, and pain and reduce stress. Keeping these benefits in mind, after extensive research, we have put together this list to answer what essential oil is good for headaches?

Peppermint oil

Aside from being a powerful pain reliever, peppermint oil is one of the most effective essential oils for treating headaches and migraine attacks. This is because it contains menthol. Menthol is the primary ingredient in peppermint oil. It provides a cooling sensation when applied topically, which can help relax muscles and ease the pain.

Lavender oil

Despite its many uses, the lavender essential oil has several substantial health benefits. This oil has been known to relieve stress and relax you. Research has shown that lavender can also relieve headaches and migraines.

Migraine attacks can be managed more effectively by breathing in lavender essential oil’s scent. According to a study in 2013, people who inhaled lavender oil for just 15 minutes reported that their pain had significantly reduced.

Lavender is often used to help people improve their sleep and reduce stress, anxiety, or depression. Many people also believe it may help alleviate migraine headaches, which are caused by stress, and they think it will also improve their sleep.

Rosemary oil

In folk medicine for hundreds of years, rosemary oil has been used for stress reduction, pain relief, and improved circulation to treat headaches. Rosemary oil has potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that can help reduce the severity and frequency of headaches.

A 2013 study found that rosemary oil effectively reduced withdrawal symptoms, insomnia, and muscle tension. These are all good for headaches and can be reduced by using them along with other medications.

It’s also believed that breathing in the scent of rosemary oil or inhaling it in a hot bath can relieve some pain. You can apply rosemary oil to an area of pain with a few drops mixed with a carrier oil such as coconut oil.

Chamomile oil

Chamomile tea has long been believed to be beneficial to people in terms of pain relief, relaxation, and mild symptoms related to allergies and colds. It may also be helpful in terms of reducing a range of inflammations throughout the body.

The use of chamomile oil may alleviate headaches caused by anxiety or stress. Previous studies show that it may improve some anxiety and depression symptoms. Although more research is needed, chamomile may also reduce headaches due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Chamomile essential oil is not recommended for expecting women due to its risk of miscarriage.

Eucalyptus oil

There are a lot of reasons why headaches can occur, and one of them is sinus problems. Essential oils such as eucalyptus can be a lifesaver if you suffer from this issue. By using this oil, you will be able to open up your nasal passages, clear your sinuses, and help relieve the tension within your sinuses that causes headaches.

According to one study, researchers found that combining peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and ethanol as well as a combination of these three oil products provides a relaxing effect on the muscles and the mind, which is thought to alleviate headaches.

Eucalyptus oil can be applied to the chest with the help of carrier oil to help relieve sinus congestion or added to hot water as steam and breathed in to help clear the sinuses.

How to use Essential Oils for Headaches?

A headache can be treated in several ways with essential oils, including:

• Topical application: Essential oil can be applied as a topical application by diluting coconut oil before applying it to the skin. Once the essential oil has been weakened, it can be applied directly to the skin by massaging it into the temples and the forehead.
• Oil inhalation: Using tissue and a few drops of essential oil is an effective way to inhale essential oils by holding the tissue under your nose and breathing in deeply.
• Cold compress: The use of a compress is an excellent way to relieve symptoms of headaches. This can be done by soaking a towel in cold water with a few drops of essential oil. After soaking the towel, the compress can be applied to the forehead or neck of a person.
• Bath oils: A few drops of essential oil can be added to a hot bath to rejuvenate.

Risks and precautions

• Essential oils can cause skin irritation, such as stinging, burning, redness, or rash. Applying them to the skin has little risk of causing an allergic reaction.
• If you want to apply essential oils to your skin, you should dilute them with a carrier oil. Examples of carrier oils are coconut, almonds, or olive oil.
• Patch testing is crucial to preventing widespread irritation. Test a small area with diluted essential oil before applying a significant amount. If there is no reaction in 24 to 48 hours, the oil should be safe.
• Lavender and rosemary oils, in particular, can harm infants and pregnant women or breastfeeding.