Suffering Due to Headache? Here are some essential oils for Instant relief.
Plants can be utilized for a lot of purposes. One of these purposes is Essential Oils. Highly concentrated liquids, called Essential oils, are made from the stems, bark, leaves, flowers, roots, or other parts of a plant. Aromatherapy is a form of treatment that involves Essential oils that offer health benefits such as stress reduction and improvement in circulation via scent stimuli. There are even and Migraines. Different Essential Oils can treat many conditions. Different Essential Oils offer different health benefits. Another pros about Essential oil is that it provides these benefits without the ever-accompanying list of side effects for every prescription of migraine and headaches. These help with headaches by alleviating stress and tension. Let us know about some essential oils for headache.
Generally, Essential Oils have to be diluted with a carrier oil like olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, or sweet almond oil before they can be used. Here are some
1. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint has been used as a medicine by people for thousands of years. It is one of the most commonly used and popular and treating migraine attacks.
Peppermint Oil is used as one of the essential oils for headache. Applying it to the forehead, and the temples helps in easing tension. It therefore alleviates headaches. This relaxation of muscles, easing of tension, and alleviation of a headache are possible because Peppermint Oil contains Menthol, which can help in these activities. Peppermint oil also has a very cooling, pleasant effect on your skin. This effect helps in inhibiting muscle contractions on your head and neck. It also stimulates blood flow to your head and neck area.
These are why Peppermint Oil diluted topically can be used as an Essential oil for headaches. Peppermint Oil is considered the best essential oil remedy for tension headaches.
How to Use it
Using Peppermint oil as an essential oil for headaches is simple. It has to be diluted with another carrier oil. These carrier oils can be any oil, but Coconut oil is preferred. After the final oil is prepared, it should be applied to the temples to relieve headaches and migraine attacks.
2. Rosemary Oil
The next essential oil on the list is Rosemary Oil. This oil is included on this list of oils because it has analgesic, i.e. pain-relieving properties and anti-inflammatory properties. Practitioners have used rosemary Oil to treat several ailments for hundreds of years.
Rosemary oil can relieve pain, improve circulation, and reduce stress. All of these can be useful in helping with a headache. A study in 2013 also shows that Rosemary oil, when paired with other medications, can help a lot with withdrawal symptoms. Another benefit of using Rosemary oil as an essential oil for headaches is that it can help in reducing insomnia and in relaxing muscles. These benefits go far in helping with headaches. Another study showed that Rosemary oil could also ease depression and anxiety, which are other conditions that can bring on a headache.
Rosemary oil can also be used for tension headaches.
How to Use it
When it comes to Rosemary oil as an essential oil for headaches, you can massage the affected area with some drops of rosemary oil mixed with another carrier oil. This carrier oil can be any oil like sweet almond oil or olive oil, but coconut oil is preferred. Studies show that the scent of rosemary oil can also provide pain relief. You can smell rosemary oil by breathing in the scent from your skin or a hot bath.
3. Lavender Oil
The next oil on the list of is Lavender oil. The always soothing scent of Lavender is very well known for being very relaxing. It is very commonly known as a sleep-aid.
Lavender oil is commonly used to improve the quality of sleep and reduce anxiety, stress, or depression. It is also believed to help with the acute management of migraine attacks triggered by stress. A study shows that people reported a significant reduction in the severity of the pain and other symptoms after only 15 minutes of inhaling the Lavender oil.
Lavender is so calming that when combined with some gentle pressure or a massage. It can help ease the stress, which can cause some tension in the neck and back muscles, which would end up causing a headache.
Lavender oils are great for soothing migraines as well as tension headaches.
How to Use it
Diluted Lavender oil can be applied to the skin. Add the diluted oil to a warm bath, or use an oil diffuser to avail the benefits that Lavender oil has as an Essential oil for headaches.
4. Chamomile Oil
The next oil on the list of is Chamomile Oil. This essential oil soothes your muscles and relaxes your body which makes you great help with tension headaches.
Just like a cup of Chamomile tea helps relax after a long day. Chamomile essential oil also has similar soothing properties. It is also shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which help with pain relief, especially pain caused by headaches.
Chamomile oil can be used in treating insomnia, anxiety, and depression which are the most common reasons behind headaches. One thing to note is that Pregnant women should refrain from using Chamomile oil as it can carry a risk of miscarriage.
How to Use it
When it comes to using Chamomile oil as an essential oil for headaches, it can be diluted with a carrier oil in hot water and then breathed in as steam or in a bath.
5. Eucalyptus Oil
The next oil which can be used as an essential oil for headaches is Eucalyptus oil. If the root of your headaches is sinus issues, then Eucalyptus oil might just be your best chance at helping the pain. It will help open up your nasal passages, clear up the sinuses, and therefore help in relieving the sinus tension. This will finally relieve the headache being caused by the sinus tension.
A study in 1994 showed that a mix of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and ethanol had relaxing effects on both the mind and the muscles, which helped relieve headaches.
How to Use it
A drop of Eucalyptus oil can be applied to a carrier oil, which can then be applied to your chest, which will consequently help in clearing up your sinuses. You can also add a few drops of Eucalyptus oil to hot water and then breathe it in as vapour.
Conclusion
To conclude, even though Essential oils are generally considered safe and have much fewer side effects when compared to the traditional medications for migraines and headaches, there are still the risks of irritation or allergic reaction, which can irritate in the form of burning or stinging feeling rash or redness. Diluting the oils used as is extremely important before you choose to avail the numerous benefits Essential oils have to offer.