Headache Home Remedies

Simple aromatherapy recipes for making tension and migraine headache remedies to ease pain without drugs

It makes sense to use aromatherapy remedies for headache because essential oils work on two levels.

1. The emotional level: The scent gives you a quick hit of sensory pleasure - a calming, happy escape from the moment.

2. The physical level: The essential oils are absorbed into your body, where they rebalance your nervous system and relax your muscles.

Click here to learn more about how aromatherapy affects your mind and body.

Headache Home Remedies: Fast Fix

Take three long, slow, deep breaths of the aroma. Take a short break, then take three more deep breaths. Do this up to three times.

Keep the tissue nearby so that any passing breeze wafts the scent up to you.

This is a good emergency trick because you can carry the bottle of undiluted essential oil in your bag or keep it in your desk. And, at the very least, your space will smell good!

Headache Balm Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Shea Butter
• 1 tablespoon Beeswax, grated
• 1 tablespoon Grapeseed oil OR Herb infused oil (see below)
• 1/4 teaspoon (or 1 capsule) Vitamin E
• One of the Essential Oil blends below

8 drops Lavender essential oil
1 drop Jasmine essential oil
1 drop Chamomile OR Lemon Balm essential oil

Reviving Peppermint Blend

6 drops Peppermint essential oil
2 drops Rosemary essential oil
1 drop Eucalyptus essential oil

Directions

1. Place the shea butter, beeswax and grapeseed oil in the top part of a double boiler, warming slowly over a low heat until they're melted.
2. Remove from heat and add the essential oils and vitamin E.
3. Pour into a dark glass or PET plastic jar. Store in a cool, dark place.

Powering Up Your Home Remedy Headache Balm

• Mix 1 part dried herbs (such as lemon balm, feverfew or blue violet leaf) with 2 parts oil (such as sweet almond or olive) in a container. Leave the mixture in a warm place for two or three weeks.
• Strain out the herbs and store the oil in a cool, dark place. The longer the herbs are left in the oil, the stronger it will be.

Buy Lemon Balm
A terrific herb for tension, menstrual and migraine headache remedies. Making a lemon balm infused oil is a great way of getting its healing benefits without the killer cost. Compare this: 1/8oz lemon balm essential oil currently costs over $60 at Mountain Rose, while 4oz of lemon balm leaves cost only $3.

Buy Blue Violet
Used in traditional folk medicine for thousands of years as a headache remedy and natural pain reliever.

1. Boil a kettle full of water to refill your footbath as it cools.
2. Fill a large, deep basin two thirds full of hot water.
3. Add 1 drop lavender, 1 drop peppermint or rosemary and one drop ginger or black pepper essential oils. Swoosh the water around a little to disperse the oils.
4. Sit on a chair and put your feet into the basin, making sure the water covers your ankles. As the water cools, add the water from the kettle as needed to keep the footbath hot.
5. Slip on some cozy socks and relax for 30 minutes.

Migraine Headache Remedies

Ginger or perppermint may stop or ease both migraine pain and nausea. I sometimes find that if I drink a cup of ginger tea at the first sign of a migraine, I can prevent it from developing into a full-blown attack. You might enjoy these stomach soothers from Mountain Rose Herbs: mint tea and ginger syrup.

Alternatively, try any massage oil recipe containing ginger or peppermint essential oil, such as Pain Relief Massage Oil or Eucalyptus Body & Bath Oil.

For self-massage, rub a little of the massage oil on your stomach, the back of your neck and in small circles on your temples (Do NOT get it in your eyes!) Also massage it into any other part of you that feels tight or tense.

Or try rubbing some Peppermint Lotion into your temples, the back of your neck and behind your ears for a cooling, pain relieving headache home remedy.

Use Epsom Salt for Migraines

Some people recommend swallowing a tablespoon of Epsom salt (followed by water) but I prefer to absorb my Epsom salt in the bath. That way I get the multiple benefits of the warmth, the magnesium-rich salt and the pain-relieving essential oils. Here's a recipe for headache relief bath salts.

Headache Home Remedy: Bath Salts

Ingredients

• 3 cups Epsom Salt
• 1/2 cup Baking Soda
• One of the Essential Oil blends below

8 drops Lavender essential oil
4 drops Lemon Balm essential oil
1 drop Jasmine essential oil
1 drop Chamomile essential oil
1 drop Basil essential oil

Cooling Peppermint Blend

6 drops Peppermint essential oil
6 drops Lemon Balm essential oil
2 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
2 drops Rosemary essential oil
1 drop Jasmine essential oil

Directions

1. Mix Epsom salt and baking soda together in a bowl using a metal spoon (a wooden spoon will absorb the essential oils and be ruined.)


2. Drop in the essential oils, placing each drop in its own little spot on top of the salts. Stir until thoroughly mixed.


3. Store mixture in a dark glass or PET plastic jar. Let cure at least 24 hours before using. Use about one cup of bath salts per bath.

Herbal Headache Remedies

Feverfew extract
Especially good for migraines and menstrual headaches (also cramps.) A lot of research has been done since the 70s proving the effectiveness of feverfew.

Lemon Balm extract
Used since the 19th century as a natural migraine remedy. The best way to use liquid herbal extracts is to put the suggested amount in a glass of water, tea, or juice and drink the whole mixture.

Ginger syrup
Try this ginger & honey syrup for migraine-induced nausea. (Also good for motion sickness and winter colds.)

Fairytale tea
Don't be fooled by the name! This tea is a hard worker when it comes to pain relief - it contains Lavender, Chamomile, Lemon Balm and Spearmint, along with other relaxing, nerve calming ingredients to soothe pain and stress. Plus, it's YUMMY!

What Next?

Still Looking for Headache Home Remedies ?

For example, if your headaches are stress related, just type the word "stress" (without the quotes) into the search box, click on the search button, and every page on this site that contains the word Stress will appear. You can also do this to find aromatherapy recipes using any of the specific essential oils for headache.