natural remedy

4 Ingredients to Relief: An All-Natural DIY Home Remedy for Headaches/Migraines

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Last week I shared an all-natural DIY home remedy for sinus congestion and colds that has been especially helpful to me during my pregnancy. Another issue I’ve had during both my pregnancies is migraines (I get them when I’m not pregnant too, but they are infinitely worse for me during pregnancy). My neighbor shared with me a recipe for an all-natural headache remedy and I wanted to pass it along to you.

In the last three or so years I’ve been dealing with migraines I’ve learned the hard truth that for me, there is no one cause, and there is no one right answer. So while this treatment was certainly helpful in easing the pain, it’s not the silver bullet I’ve been searching for (which I’m still hopeful I can find once I’m done with pregnancy and nursing). However, I have many “tools” in my arsenal against migraines, and I’m happy to add this remedy as one more thing I can use. If you have more of a “regular” headache this may be just the thing you’re looking for, and if you try it, I hope it helps you!

The recipe below will fill half of a small mason jar. Double the quantities to fill an entire jar. You can also adjust the amount of essential oils you use to suit your preferences.

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Ingredients

2 heaping tablespoons coconut oil

5 drops peppermint essential oil

5 drops eucalyptus essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

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Directions

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Add the peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender essential oils. Stir a few times to blend the ingredients together. Pour the mixture into a clean mason jar. Allow the oils to cool and solidify (this will take a few hours so I recommend making this when you don’t have any head pain; if you make it while you have a migraine like I did you’ll be waiting awhile).

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Once the oil is solid, rub on your forehead, behind your ears, and between your shoulder blades. I also rubbed it on other sore spots where the migraine causes pain such as my jaw, temple, scalp, and around my neck. Again, it wasn’t a cure-all, but when used in conjunction with other migraine remedies it was quite soothing. A secondary benefit I noticed was the skin on my forehead looked and felt great where I had rubbed in the oil. The smell of the lavender oil helped me to relax which can be difficult when your brain feels like it’s caught in a red-hot vice grip.

I love coconut and essential oils so much; they have enriched and enhanced my life. Here are some more posts I’ve written about both that you may find useful:

4 Practical Uses for Coconut Oil

A 5th Practical Use for Coconut Oil

7 Things to Do for Yourself as a Mom

Baby Dude’s Banana and Strawberry Smash Cake

These Aren’t Your Grandma’s Cloth Diapers: Modern Cloth Diapering 101

Ever Hear of Telo Efflu? Here’s What You Need to Know…

Baby Dude’s Ultimate Teething Toolbox

What are your favorite ways to use coconut oil and essential oils?

5 Ingredients to Relief: An All-Natural DIY Home Remedy for Sinus Congestion

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I’m about six-and-a-half months pregnant with my second child as I write this, and am currently recovering from my third cold. Cold and flu season is no fun, and it brings a special kind of misery to pregnant women, as the options we have for medication are extremely limited. My husband recently discovered a natural home remedy he uses to relieve sinus pain. I’ve used it during the last two colds I’ve had with this pregnancy, and this time it was such an extra huge help I decided to write this post and share it with you. I highly recommend it if you have a cold, sinus infection or other sinus issues, chronic or not, pregnant or not. The relief it’s brought this mama is priceless!

Ingredients

Water

3-4 cloves garlic

2-5 drops each of rosemary essential oil, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil

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Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds of the way full with water. Press the garlic cloves into the water (you can also throw in the skins for good measure). Bring the water to a boil. Add the eucalyptus, rosemary, and tea tree oils. Stir a few times to blend.

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I like to sit at my kitchen table with the saucepan on a pot holder. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes and drape a towel over your head. Breathe in the steam as deeply as you can for as long as possible, and repeat until the time expires. It helps to have a box of tissues nearby while you do this. If you’re too clogged to breathe through your nose, breathe through your mouth. Close your eyes if you need to. It stings and it burns, but I promise you it’s worth it.

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I found it especially helpful with this most recent cold to do the treatment in the evening before bed (which I followed up with an Espom salt and lavender oil bath), and then another one in the morning. I found immediate relief after the treatments, and then a half hour to an hour later and throughout the day I found they had helped even more. The oils work in your sinuses afterwards and continue to improve the symptoms. I feel it’s helped me to recover faster and if you try it I hope it helps you!