Essential Oils for Headaches

Over the years, headaches have been butting in into people’s lives and they may range from minor pains to a raging migraine.

The known types of headaches are migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, sinus headaches, and hormonal headaches; each brings different degrees of pain to the sufferer and often established to be just indications of other illnesses.

There are many causes of headaches and they are: stress, hunger, fatigue, allergies, alcohol consumption, extreme noises, side effects of drugs, dental problems, head injury, and neurological disorders.

There are various ways through which you can relieve headaches but if you want to go the natural way, essential oils are the best choice. Some of the recommended essential oils for headaches are: 

a. Lavender. Particularly good for alleviating headaches at nighttime since it has a relaxing effect and promotes restful sleep. It is reportedly good for stress-related headaches because of its calming characteristic.

b. Eucalyptus. It is said to act as anti-inflammatory and expectorant, and effective for reducing headaches which are related to sinus headaches.

I rubbed a bit of eucalyptus oil on my temples

during a bout of severe headache due to sinusitis, did a bit of gentle massage right where by sinuses are then lay down for a bit of rest. After the nap, I woke up to a clear head and without the throbbing; this I achieved without ingesting any medicine. I think the massage and rest helped but still, I felt the aroma of eucalyptus improved my inflamed sinuses upon application.  Kudos to essential oil!

Words of caution: Essential oils are very concentrated so it is better used topically in a diluted form.      

c. Roman chamomile. It has sedative properties similar to that of Lavender.

d. Peppermint. It contains substantial quantity of menthol which is acknowledged for its capacity to relax and lighten tension headaches and muscular pains. One possible disadvantage of Peppermint oil is its stimulating ability which could impede sleep.   

e. Spearmint. Comparable to peppermint but with lesser amount of menthol; the aroma is much better than that of Peppermint though.

Headaches set off anytime so it is vital that you know what to counter it with. Essential oils can help ease the pain associated with headaches and do away with the need to take medications but if they are just symptoms to an underlying medical problem, these substances cannot be relied upon to provide permanent cure.

As with any ailments, headaches, especially recurring ones, should best be referred to a professional health practitioner for proper treatment. There are also certified essential oil therapists who are experts when it comes to essential oils. Seeking their professional advice is a prudent move since there are some cases wherein allergies have resulted from improper use of essential oils.