Roll On Headache Relief for the 5 Most Common Headaches

When you suffer from frequent headaches, essential oil roll-ons can provide the relief you desperately need. Essential oils are an all-natural headache treatment. They do not cause the same unpleasant side effects that are common with using over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers. Incorporating the power of essential oils into a roll-on makes this natural approach to headache relief fast and convenient.

That is great news for the nearly three-quarters of adults aged 18-65 who suffer from headaches. According to the International Health Organization, this age group reported headaches on 15 or more days of each month. Roughly 30 percent of those affected said their headaches reached migraine status. In the U.S. specifically, 1 in 4 households includes someone with migraines.

Headaches can have a ripple effect on your life, especially if you suffer from more than one a month. They can lead to lost production at work, prevent social interactions, and interfere with the ability to concentrate on tasks.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants. They are derived from a plant’s flowers, stems, leaves, bark, rind, or roots. Each essential oil contains active ingredients.

Considered a form of alternative medicine, essential oils are used to support health and well-being. Most people administer essential oils via diffusers that steam the oils into the air. Some essential oils are safe for ingestion. They also can be applied directly to the skin on certain pressure points. The forehead, temples, cheekbones, eyebrows, back of the neck, and back of the head are popular application areas.  

Whether inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, essential oil therapy is intended to restore the body’s natural balance. Using the right mix of essential oils is believed to repair the disruption occurring in the body.

How do essential oil roll-on products work?

Essential oil roll-on products are a convenient way to apply essential oils directly to the skin near the affected area. When mixing them yourself, it is best to use a carrier oil with a few drops of the essential oils you intend to blend into your mix. Carrier oils help dilute the strength of the essential oils before application. You should never apply an essential oil directly to the skin at full strength without first diluting it. This can cause injury to the skin.

Essential oils treatment for headaches

Essential oils are an effective natural solution for many ailments. When it comes to headaches, they can help support relief by addressing the underlying triggers. Not every headache has the same root cause. There is no one single essential oil that tackles every headache. Follow these helpful tips for selecting the right essential oil treatment for your headache

Stress and tension headaches. They feel like there is a band slowly tightening around your head? It starts at the temples, and quickly turns into a headache with a python-like grip around your entire head. If you have ever had this kind of headache, it likely was triggered by stress and tension. Muscle tension is the body’s natural response to stress. When your neck and back muscles become too restricted, that can lead to the mother of all tension headaches.

Peppermint and Chamomile essential oils are an ideal treatment for stress and tension headaches. One German study discovered applying peppermint oil to the forehead and temples when a tension headache strikes were as effective as taking 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen. A separate study indicated the ability of chamomile oil to calm anxiety and improve symptoms of depression, which can provoke tension headaches. Consider using one or both essential oils the next time you are seeking relief for a tension headache.

Migraines. No two migraines are exactly alike, but they all have one thing in common: debilitating pain. Some people who suffer from migraines can be bedridden for days because the pain is so intense that it impedes normal daily living. There is hardly a shortage of prescription medication solutions for migraines. However, some come with scary side effects that can be worse than the underlying illness. Migraine sufferers seeking a natural approach to pain management will want to consider adding both lavender and peppermint essential oils to their care regimens.

Lavender is a proven powerful treatment for migraines. A clinical study in European Neurology revealed migraine sufferers experienced a significantly greater reduction in their migraine headache severity when using lavender oil during the early stages of a migraine.

While lavender is effective, peppermint oil is the real migraine Rockstar. Compared with the effects of acetaminophen and ibuprofen, peppermint oil provided more relief from migraine headaches. Using just 2 to 3 drops of peppermint oil during every migraine attack achieved a 72 percent response rate among migraine sufferers. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are only effective at relieving migraine pain 58 percent of the time. The prescription migraine medication triptan did not perform much better at 60 to 70 percent.

Dehydration headaches. Most people do not realize that dehydration can cause one wicked headache. Drinking water and other decaffeinated beverages is imperative for preventing dehydration, especially during exercise. If you forget to hydrate properly and end up with a pounding headache, grab the lavender essential oil to achieve relief. Lavender calms the nervous system, giving your body time to process water and reverse the effects of dehydration.

Consider adding in a little peppermint oil to stimulate blood flow, which helps oxygen travel more easily to the places it’s most needed in your body.

Hormone headaches. We have all heard the jokes about raging hormones in women. The truth is, they are not that far off the mark – at least about the part where female hormones shift frequently. When the body engages in these rapid hormone fluctuations, women can experience killer headaches.

Essential oil of rose is known for its hormone-balancing properties. Pregnant women and those experiencing perimenopause and menopause hormonal shifts may find it especially beneficial. Another winner for hormone headaches is geranium oil. It is an all-natural alternative for achieving headache relief.

Sinus headaches. Sinus headaches occur when the sinus passages are full and put pressure on the areas above, behind, and below the nasal and sinus passages. Medical experts say true sinus headaches are rare. Roughly 95 percent of all suspected sinus headaches are migraines.

Essential oils for the treatment of sinus headaches are the same as for migraines. Adding a little eucalyptus oil to the mix can help open sinuses and clear nasal passages if they are a bit stuffy. Using the same essential oil mixture also is effective at combatting allergy headaches.

What is the best way to use essential oils for headache relief?

While some people prefer to diffuse essential oils to inhale them, applying them directly to affected areas works faster. It is important to never directly apply full-strength essential oil to your skin. As previously mentioned, they need to be diluted properly with carrier oils.

Some companies are meeting the growing demand for essential oils for headache relief with roll-on products. Headache ReLeaf Roll-On is pre-diluted so you never have to worry about safety when applying it to your skin. This pocket-sized roll-on for headache relief contains 7 percent menthol, which is a proven headache and migraine treatment. It is blended with peppermint, lavender, and rose for one dynamite mix. Your headache will not stand a chance with this roller in your arsenal.

Make sure you are buying only the highest-quality essential oils to get the best results. Inexpensive aromatherapy products might make your home or office smell nice, but they will do little for relieving your headache. Many are made of artificial fragrances and do not contain pure essential oil. A single ounce of pure essential oil contains hundreds of drops of oil and is well worth the $10 to $100 per ounce you will spend on them.

Do essential oils have dangerous side effects?

Using essential oils for headache relief is one of the safest treatments available. Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers cannot offer the same guarantee. All of them come with real medical risks. Among the most common:

• Stomach and intestinal ulcers happen when grocery store brands are over-used, because they destroy the lining of the digestive organs.
• Increased risk of heart attack and stroke is a danger for individuals with and without prior heart disease and high blood pressure.
• Blood changes can happen with aspirin usage because it thins the blood by damaging red blood cells.
• High blood pressure is 48 percent more likely in men who regularly rely on over-the-counter pain relievers.

Make sure before you take any OTC medication that you read all risk information and details about potential side effects. Keep in mind: if you take OTC pain relievers more than a few times a week, you run the risk of developing medication-overuse headaches.  

The bottom line on natural headache pain relief

Occasional headaches are normal. Even if you are dealing with more headaches than the average person, essential oils are a great alternative treatment. Avoid the documented medical risks that come with OTC pain relievers and opt for one of the amazing essential oil solutions mentioned above.

Stay safe. Be well.