I wanted to start sharing some of my favorite essential oil blends and DIY products for different symptoms I experience with my autoimmune disorders. Migraines and headaches are a big part of my autoimmune disorders and it's hard to function when they get severe. I have found some essential oil blends that provide relief and help de-stress when they occur. I hope you can find some relief with these as well! Scents become much more pronounced with a lot of migraines so listen to your body when you are smelling these oils to use when you have a migraine or a headache. Oils that you normally enjoy might actually aggravate your migraine or headache. If you smell the scent in the bottle before using, then you will probably be able to tell if it will aggravate your headache if you don't like the smell of that oil. For a lot of people, peppermint actually helps with headaches and migraines. For me, it actually aggravates mine. I can't stand the smell of peppermint when I have a headache or migraine. So, I substitute with different mint scents for relief. Everyone is different so that's why I suggest smelling them before you waste the oils in a recipe. If you have any recipes that you have tried and work for you, then comment down below. We'd love to hear what recipes work for you and what scents work well too.
These essential oil blend recipes can be used in a diffuser, on an aromatherapy locket (use 1 drop of each oil in the recipe), in a rollerball, or in the bath. These are all ways I use essential oils for migraine and headache relief. If using in the bath use 1 TBSP of a carrier oil (I like to use fractioned coconut oil) and around 6-9 drops of oil. Mix together and then put in the hot water. Adding salts to the bath will help as well. It's like a bath bomb without the fizz and you get all the healing benefits. I usually use 20-40 drops in a 10ml rollerball (standard size) and fill the rest of the roller ball with a carrier oil (I like fractioned coconut oil for this as well). So you can adjust the ratios of the recipes for these uses following the drops of oil needed for each. The recipe blends are written for use in a diffuser and can be adjusted for these other uses. I get all my essential oil and carrier oils from Jade Bloom ( click here). It's the best price and quality!
THE OILS THAT HELP:
LAVENDER: Good relaxer and helps de-stress.
MINTS: I like wintergreen the best because it is the strongest smell. I also like spearmint when i'm really sensitive to smell because it's lighter. I avoid peppermint personally, although it helps many people.
ROSEMARY: Relieves stress, is an analgesic, and helps inflammation.
EUCALYPTUS: Good for stormy weather that may be aggravating sinuses. Good for sinus headaches or sinus problems that may be contributing to the problem.
TEA TREE: same as eucalyptus.
FRANKINCENSE: analgesic, helps nervous system, & inflammation.
Note: Drinking teas with these herbs can also help. I like Yogi teas and Traditional Medicinals the best. I like to add a little organic raw agave, chicken collagen or beef gelatin (for protein), and coconut creamer to mine. (Post coming soon about my favorite teas). Just be careful about the amount of sugar because sugar can trigger or make migraines worse!
RECIPE BLENDS:
RECIPE 1: (MY FAVORITE!)
3 drops Rosemary (avoid under 10 years of age)
3 drops Eucalyptus (avoid under 10)
4 drops Wintergreen (avoid under 10) (can sub for any mint)
4 drops Lavender
RECIPE 2:
2 drops Spearmint
2 drops Wintergreen OR Orange for Kids
2 drops Tea Tree OR Cypress
RECIPE 3:
3 drops Wintergreen (avoid under 10) (can sub for any mint)
2 drops Eucalyptus (avoid under 10)
1 drops Frankincense or Myrrh
RECIPE 4:
2 drops Eucalyptus (avoid under 10)
2 drops Spearmint (can sub for any mint)
3 drops Tea Tree
OPTION: Add 2 drops Lavender
RECIPE 5:
2 drops Wintergreen or Peppermint (avoid under 10 and 6) (can sub for any mint)
2 drops Lavender
1 drops Frankincense OR Tea Tree
1 drops Thyme (avoid under 6)
1 drops Rosemary (avoid under 10)
***Note***: These are just guidelines for children. I gathered research on this topic and this is the safety that I follow. Consult your holistic doctor or pediatrician for guidelines.
FOR THE BATH:
When you have a horrible migraine or headache it can be very difficult to function! I like to go ahead and make a jar of a bath salt mixture that's ready to use at any time. When I'm in a lot of pain from a migraine I can grab the jar and sprinkle a little into the bath and get relief fast. Heat can make migraines worse so make sure that your bath is just warm enough to relax your muscles, but not too hot to aggravate your migraine or headache. I have an ice pack (it was sold as a shoulder wrap) that I wrap around my head when the migraine pain is really bad. Sometimes I even wear it in the bath so my head stays cool while my muscles relax. There's no shame when you're in that much pain from a migraine. It helps when the pain is really severe. I will dedicate a post to migraine tips soon and link the ice pack.
I will go over how to make these bath salts in more detail in my bath post, but wanted to go ahead and share how I make it so you can use it with these recipes. This is a good way to make a bath bomb without the fizz (baking soda and citric acid). I used to make bath bombs, but this is so much easier and quicker to make, and has the same results!
Bath Salts:
- Jar for mix (I reuse bath salt jars and these are 30oz)
- Fill jar with 1/4 to under a quarter depending on how much moisturizer you want (about 7 ounces for mine)
- Add 30-40 drops essential oils (this is strong enough for me).
You can use 12 drops per ounce of carrier oil (I use fractioned coconut oil). I use about 5-6 drops per
ounce because it's strong enough for me and my essential oils last longer.
- Can add natural colorant (I will discuss more in the bath post).
- Fill with salts. I usually use half of one kind of salt like Epson and half of a different salt like Dead Sea salt.
- OPTIONAL: 1-2 tablespoons of Witch Hazel (make sure gluten free!)
- OPTIONAL: Add 1/4 cup dried flowers or herbs (may need to use gossamer bag or large tea bag so that it's not hard to clean up your tub).
- Mix everything together! (I used a long cocktail stir spoon I got off of Amazon).
- I created stickers from the labels I had for bath bombs. (I will provide some of my labels in the bath post).
- Sprinkle in the bath. I use a few tablespoons. It's very moisturizing and lasts a long time! :)
There are some essential oils that can be skin irritants for some people and usually it is advised to avoid these oils in the bath. I have been able to use small amounts of them, but if you have sensitive skin then I would not try the oils that can be irritating to the skin in the bath. Some of the oils that can be skin irritants, especially for sensitive skin, are cinnamon, cassia, clove, oregano, and thyme. You can read more about it at Aroma Web (click here). I do not recommend shaving before taking a bath with the essential oils because this opens your pores too much. Flowers are usually very gentle and can be substituted in the recipes above for anything that might be irritating in the bath. Frankincense or myrrh are good replacements as well for the bath if you need to make adjustments to the recipes above. I always suggest testing some on your skin to see if there's a reaction the first time you use an oil! (make sure to dilute the oil with a carrier oil and only test one oil at a time)!
PRINTABLE NEWSLETTER:
I have started creating printable newsletters so that you can easily download the recipes and print them out. I hope this will make them more accessible and easier to find! Just save the images and print them out or download the PDF below. I will send the newsletter out to blog subscribers as a PDF. If you'd like to receive the free PDF and blog post notifications, then please subscribe to blog! The subscription box is located at the bottom of the page.
"Surviving migraines drop by drop. Taking it one drop at a time." -The Autoimmune Digest
May you be well :)
~Brooke
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