Best Essential Oils for Headaches
[amazon table=”2088″]Headaches and migraines can get you down, and at times it feels like all you can do is suffer in pain while you wait for them to pass.
It doesn’t have to be that way though.
Essential oils, if used correctly, can help alleviate headaches or migraines. They can significantly reduce the tension and discomfort associated with both, letting you get on with your day pain-free.
However, you need to know what the best essential oils for headaches are. Some have qualities that make them especially well-suited for tackling head pain.
Here are our top picks…
👑 Our Pick for Best Overall
[amazon box=”B06Y2CLF3T” title=”Artizen Peppermint Essential Oil” description=”Artizen’s peppermint oil is a high quality option for relief from tension headaches, and even migraines too.”]⭐ Our Other Top Picks for Best Essential Oils
- Best of the Best: Artizen Peppermint Essential Oil
- Best for Migraines: Organic Head Relief Blend
- Best on a Budget: Lavender Essential Oil
Best Essential Oils Reviews
Artizen Peppermint Essential Oil (👑 Top Pick)
Artizen peppermint essential oil takes top spot when it comes to headache pain relief.
This brand has established a name for itself in the field of therapeutic grade essential oils, maintaining an impressive rating from a large number of customers on Amazon.
But what is it that people love so much about this essential oil?
For a start, it’s 100% pure and natural. This means you are getting the best of the plant in its raw form. You won’t have to worry about filler or artificial ingredients padding out the product, or diluting the purity of it. The essential oil is even housed in a special UV colored coating bottle which protects the goods from sunlight, so your essential oil retains its high quality over time.
As for headaches, this essential oil has worked like a charm for many previous customers. Due to the purity of the peppermint in this product, you’ll get plenty of menthol in just a few drops of this oil. That means all you’ll need to do is mix it in a carrier oil and apply it to your temples for great tension headache relief. Some even say that it also works well for alleviating symptoms of migraines.
If you find that you are unsatisfied with the oil for whatever reason, you can get a full refund or replacement due to Artizen’s generous lifetime guarantee.
While the peppermint oil is our top pick, it might be worth also considering their eucalyptus or lavender oils too, since they can also be very effective for dealing with headaches.
Features:
- 100% Natural
- 100% Pure
- UV protection Bottle
- Lifetime Warranty/Guarantee
Organic Head Relief Blend (🧠 Best For Migraines)
Migraines are more complicated than headaches, and tend to come with more symptoms too. That’s why we believe that a blend of ingredients is a good idea for tackling them effectively.
Healing Solutions’ Organic Head Relief Blend provides just that: a blend of different plants designed to ease the symptoms of migraines.
The main stars of this therapeutic grade essential oil are lavender, peppermint, frankincense and rosemary. All four of these ingredients are widely recognised for their headache relieving benefits, so combining them into one convenient solution should yield fantastic results. This isn’t an exhaustive list of the ingredients though, you’ll also find basil, wintergreen, sweet marjoram and sweet orange in this blend, which add both aroma and migraine relieving properties of their own.
This essential oil blend is USDA Organic certified and is regularly tested for purity, of which it boasts 100%. This should go some way to convincing you of its quality, but it’s the efficacy of this oil that’s most impressive. According to the manufacturer, you should mix this blend with a carrier oil, and then apply it to either your temples, the backs of your ears, or the base or your neck. Many happy customers rave about the relaxing aroma and pain relieving qualities, so it should definitely be worth a shot if you suffer from migraines.
In the case that it doesn’t though, not to worry. Healing Solutions will fully refund your money if you find that on the first try it isn’t up to scratch, or doesn’t help alleviate your migraine symptoms.
Features:
- Certified USDA Organic
- 100% Pure blend
- Main Ingredients: Peppermint, Lavender, Frankincense, Rosemary.
- Money-back guarantee
Lavender Essential Oil (💸 Best on a Budget)
The lavender essential oil from Healing Solutions is a perfect relaxation or sleep aid that can also help you deal with migraines.
Lavender is hands down one of the best essential oils for tackling migraines. If inhaled, it can provide great pain relief from them and help ease any discomfort you may experience. It also has an incredibly relaxing aroma, so it’s perfect for those spa-like evenings when you want nothing more than for all of your pains and worries to melt away.
This essential oil is 100% pure therapeutic grade, GMP, and Kosher certified. Healing Solutions even go as far as to publish the quality test results so you can see exactly what you’re signing up for when you invest in one of their oils.
Features:
- 100% pure therapeutic grade
- Quality tested
- Kosher Certified
Which Essential Oils Are Best For Headaches?
If you’re looking to invest in an essential oil that will help with your headaches or migraines, then you need to make sure you get the right one.
A pleasant aroma isn’t enough to alleviate pain or discomfort. It might help you to relax, which is good, but there are some essential oils that do a much greater job of tackling head pain.
We’ve narrowed it down to five of the very best essential oils for headaches, all of which we believe have a lot to offer in the way of pain relief.
While this isn’t an exhaustive list, we believe that these essential oils sit at the top of the pile when it comes to dealing with nasty headaches or migraines.
1. Peppermint
Peppermint isn’t just a popular choice of flavouring for chewing gum, but rather a highly versatile type of mint plant which offers a whole host of soothing benefits.
What makes peppermint so effective in addressing head pain is the magical ingredient menthol.
Menthol is most commonly used in decongestant products.
Why?
Because it can relieve tension and regulate the blood flow to your head. Vasoconstriction is the technical name for this process, and by limiting blood flow, it works wonders for tension headaches.
The cooling substance will ease the muscles in your head, and do a great job of reducing the tension which can be the root cause of many headaches.
Best Ways To Use It
If you really want the pain of a tension headache to melt away, then you should create an atmosphere conducive to relaxation. Then it’s simply a case of using the peppermint oil however you prefer.
To get the most out of peppermint essential oil, you should dilute it with a massage oil like coconut oil, and then rub it into your temples.
You could also try adding a few drops to an aroma diffuser, or pouring a couple into a relaxing warm bath.
Best For: Tension Headaches
2. Rosemary
Rosemary has strong anti-inflammatory properties which make it a great choice for dealing with the pain brought on by headaches.
Since it’s naturally pain-relieving, rosemary is often used for restorative purposes. If you feel wiped out and you have a horrible headache gnawing away at you, a rosemary essential oil could be just what you need to melt away the pain.
Rosemary is also reported to contain stress-relieving properties, which makes it a great aid for relaxation. If you really want to wind down for the night while dealing with a pesky headache, then there are few better essential oils.
It can even help with insomnia, so if you have trouble sleeping at night, a few drops of rosemary essential oil can go a long way.
Best Ways To Use It
Since rosemary is known for its stress-relieving and muscle-relaxing properties, you’ll want to use it when you’re in a place you can fully unwind.
One of the best ways to maximise the pain-relieving effects of rosemary oil is to add a few drops to a warm bath. That way, you can sink into the water and watch as your pain melts away with your stress.
You can also mix it with a carrier oil and apply it to your head if you want a more direct, straightforward method.
Best For: Tension Headaches
3. Lavender
Lavender is one of the most popular aromas, and is often praised for its relaxation properties. While it is often used for better sleep, it can also be used for pain relief.
What lavender oil does well is it goes straight to the root of the issue: the tension.
One of the most common causes of headaches is muscle tension held in the head. Lavender oil deals with this by relaxing the muscles, and easing the tension.
It’s so effective in fact, that it is touted to help with migraines as well as standard tension headaches.This is great news for anyone who regularly suffers with migraines, since at times it can feel like nothing will help.
Best Ways To Use It
Since lavender is such a powerful relaxing oil, your best bet for dealing with a standard tension headache is to use it either for a head massage or in a warm bath.
However, if you have a migraine, it’s actually more beneficial for you to breathe in the oil. This requires the use of an aroma diffuser, which will spread the scent around the room with just a few drops.
Best For: Migraines
4. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus might sound familiar to you, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s most commonly found in decongestant products, due to its ability to clear the sinuses and relieve tension caused by them.
This makes eucalyptus the best type of oil to use if you suffer from sinus headaches.
If the conditions are very hot and dry, and you constantly feel like you have a headache due to being so congested, you could stand to benefit a lot from using eucalyptus oil.
It will open up your nasal passages, and get to work on the unbearable tension you may be feeling as a result of your sinuses.
Best Ways To Use It
To get the most out of eucalyptus oil, you can treat it like the most popular decongestant products. Pour a couple of drops into some hot water and lean over it so that the vapour can go up your nose and clear out your sinuses.
You can do something similar with a bath, or even get creative and apply a couple of drops to your bathroom wall as you take a shower, so you breathe it in while you get clean.
Best For: Sinus Headaches
5. Chamomile
Chamomile is the last of our top five essential oils for dealing with headaches, but no less effective as the others.
When you think of chamomile, you probably think of the tea, and how most people drink it to wind down.
Well, this is partially what makes this ingredient so useful for headache pain relief. It can help your head muscles and body in general to relax, which in turn can relieve pain from tension headaches.
If you suffer from anxiety too, this can be a great oil to try to ease your symptoms and help you get to a peaceful state of mind.
Best Ways To Use It
One of the best ways to use chamomile oil is to add it to a relaxing warm bath so you can tackle both stress and head pain simultaneously.
You can also treat it like eucalyptus and breathe it in after combining it with hot water.
Best For: Tension Headaches
Frequently Asked Questions About Essential Oils and Headaches
How do you use peppermint oil for headaches?
To relieve some of the pain associated with a headache, you can use peppermint oil in a variety of ways.
One of the most popular ways is to add some drops into a bath. This works so well because the oil will infuse with the water and create a pleasant aroma which can help alleviate stress Since a lot of headaches, like tension headaches, are stress-related, this can be very effective.
Another way to use peppermint oil for a headache is to dilute it and then apply it to the skin. It’s best to combine peppermint oil with an oil you are already familiar with and is safe for use on the skin, such as coconut oil.
Apply to the temples for the best results, although depending on where you’re feeling the pain you can rub it into your forehead, neck, or other areas you feel tension.
If you have an aroma diffuser, then you can add a few drops of your oil to the mix so you can inhale it in a safe way. This can be quite relaxing, and used in combination with massage for example is perfect for making stress melt away.
What gets rid of a headache fast?
A few drops of an essential oil like peppermint or lavender can work wonders if you don’t mind the scents. Simply dilute them and apply them to your temples, add a drop or two to a warm relaxing bath, or pour a small amount into an aroma diffuser for the best results.
Heat therapy can be very effective too. If you’re looking for temporary relief from a throbbing tension headache, your best bet is to use some kind of hot compress on your forehead or the back of your head. You can lay down and rest your head on a heated cushion, that way tackling the cause (stress) and the pain from the headache.
If heat doesn’t work, or you feel far too hot to attempt it, then you can try using something cold instead. Equally as effective, an ice pack or cold shower can provide almost instant relief from a headache.
It’s also possible in some cases that your headache has been caused by caffeine withdrawal. If you regularly drink coffee, but for whatever reason you haven’t done so already today, having tea or coffee can potentially soothe your headache.
Other ways to get rid of a headache fast centre around relaxation, such as having a massage, dimming the lights around you, or sipping some tea – preferably peppermint or ginger.
Where do you rub lavender oil for headaches?
To get the most relief from your headache, it’s best to apply lavender oil to the back of your neck, or your temples.
This is true of other essential oils too, like peppermint, which have soothing properties to help combat stress-based headaches.
If you have a good carrier or massage oil like coconut oil, you could also use it to dilute the lavender oil. That way, you can apply the mixture to your body directly in the form of a massage. This can help lower the level of cortisol in your body, reducing stress.
How do you use lavender oil for migraines?
There are many ways you can get the migraine-relieving effects of lavender oil. Whether through direct contact with the skin, inhalation, or via an aroma diffuser, you have a lot of options.
If you have an aroma diffuser, then you can add a couple of drops to water and breathe in the calming aroma as you try to relax in a dimly lit room.
If what you’re looking for is a deeply relaxing experience, then you might enjoy taking a warm bath and adding a few drops of lavender oil to the water.
Or if you are in too much pain to move around much, you can simply take a few drops and rub them into your temples to soothe your migraine.
Related: Best Neti Pot
A Final Word from Wellness Nova
Knowing the healing properties of different essential oils can be a real game changer.
The next time you get hit with an awful migraine or a bad headache that just won’t go away, you can turn to your essential oil for some almost instant relief.