• 10/15/2023

How to Use Essential Oils for Headaches

The picture depicts a woman holding her head, brown hair covering her face, blocking out the sunlight. In learning how to use essential oil for headaches, you may not need to experience this same pain as often or intensely.

Revivalist is a reader-supported endeavor and our posts may contain affiliate links. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Everyone has experienced the throbbing pain of a headache that just won’t seem to go away, no matter what. Knowing how to use essential oils for headaches might help you feel better in an all-natural way that other treatments can’t. While essential oils can work wonders, you should also take care in using them. Here are the basics of how essential oils can help you.

What Are Essential Oils, Exactly?

Go through your cabinets — you might have items with essential oils as listed ingredients. Often smelling nice, essential oils are frequently used as a supplement or in place of certain modern medical treatments. However, though essential oils can work miracles like relieving stress and fighting against inflammation, they can still be dangerous. You must use oils responsibly when you use them and always research a type before you use it.

Pure essential oils shouldn’t go directly on your skin. Instead, you can dilute it with a carrier oil to hopefully get the same benefits without harming yourself.

Some good carrier oils include:

  • Argan Oil
  • Jojoba Oil
  • Rosehip Oil

Always talk to a health care professional before trying something new, especially if you’re worried about side effects, like potential endocrine disruption. Above all, you shouldn’t eat essential oils directly, as consuming them might lead to coma or other severe consequences, like hallucinations.

Above all, though you must be careful with essential oils, they can have unmatched benefits that can help you out. Learning how to use essential oils for headaches might save you from reaching for a bottle of painkillers and can help you relieve your pain naturally. Just be sure to use it carefully and conservatively.

How to Use Essential Oils for Headaches: 5 Easy Methods

The good news is that you have plenty of ways to rely on these oils without resorting to consuming them. Learning how to use essential oils for headaches is as easy as knowing where to apply them or which oils to smell. Try out some of these methods next time you feel pain squeezing at your head.

1. Use It As Aromatherapy

Smelling something nice matters more than you think. Aside from aromatherapy being one of the most effective ways to relieve headaches, scent is also known to help people recall memories and has been used in Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Aromatherapy is also an ancient form of treatment, so it should be no surprise that simply smelling oils may help you. A diffuser might be the best way to get the scent into the air, but be careful — some essential oils can be toxic to pets when inhaled.

2. Massage It On Your Forehead

If the pain has concentrated in your forehead, consider rolling some oil there. The right oil might relax the muscles and encourage the pain to disappear. Massage your forehead slowly, and don’t use too much oil. The gentle massage may make you feel better almost immediately.

3. Tackle the Temples

You can massage acupoints to help relieve some of the pain from headaches, but you have to be careful not to hurt yourself. Using essential oils on your temples might be a great way to eliminate your headache while dealing with the problem point. Like with your forehead, a gentle massage may be just what you need for your headache.

4. Dab It Behind Your Ears

There’s a pressure point right behind your ears, making them a perfect spot to put an essential oil that can help eliminate your headache. Be gentle with yourself, and remember, it’s always better to use less than more. You may also notice inflammation going down after you massage that pressure point.

5. Apply Directly to the Spot

When in doubt, consider applying the oil directly to the spot that aches. Tension headaches occur in roughly 75% of the population, making them a common type of headache to face. You might feel this pain all over your face and even behind your head, where the muscles might have too much stress put on them. A gentle massage, coupled with the right oil, can help you feel at ease.

What Oils Work Best for Headaches?

What works best for you might not be the best choice for the next person, so you must try different things until you find the right remedy for yourself. Remember to dilute any potentially strong oils, as well as research what shouldn’t be used around your furry friends.

You can choose other oils depending on what your pain is like. For example, if your pain is more of a sinus pressure, eucalyptus oil might open you right up and relieve some of the burden. Learning how to use essential oils for headaches can help you in several situations, not just one type of headache.

1. Peppermint

Peppermint oil might be the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they think of essential oils. The oil itself is in many things, but it can be a powerful headache relief on its own. About 40% of people who used peppermint oil and lidocaine saw their headache pain decrease over time.

2. Rosemary

If you’re into hair care, you may have used rosemary oil to help keep your hair healthy. It can work as an anti-inflammatory agent to help diminish pesky pain. Rosemary oil also works excellently to battle insomnia, making it an incredible essential oil that can help lull you to sleep while decreasing your headache.

3. Lavender

Everyone knows lavender is one of the most relaxing scents. When you breathe it in, you can almost automatically feel relaxed. Lavender oil can also improve your mood by activating oxytocin neurons in your brain. It can also help with the throbbing pain you may feel from your headaches.

Learning How to Use Essential Oils for Headaches Can Save You Energy

How often have you searched for the perfect solution for pain but haven’t found it? If you want to opt for an all-natural route, try learning how to use essential oils for headaches. It might renew your faith in natural methods of pain relief, and you may find something new that works for you. 

Remember to research and talk to a health care professional — you never know how something could affect you and your skin. Still, essential oils may be worth trying for their potential benefits and amazing aromas.

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

We would love to connect deeper with you!

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.