As I type, I have a whanging headache. It is so bad, in fact, that I cannot sleep (obviously, I’m sitting here blogging). It’s kind of hard to rack your brain for a good natural headache remedy when your brain already hurts. But just now, an inspiration struck me: Peppermint Essential Oil. Yeah, baby!
I’ve rubbed a few drops on my temples, the back of my neck, and on my shoulders, and I’m just waiting for that nice menthol-y tingle to settle in (where do you think “menthol” comes from? That’s right, from Mentha piperita). Ahh, can’t wait. Well, now, another inspiration has struck me – I can write about how to use Peppermint, one of my very very favorite oils.
5 Ways to Use Peppermint Essential Oil
- When you have a tension headache! This is what happens to me: I have a desk job, where I stare at a computer screen all day long. I scrunch up my neck and shoulders and at the end of the day, everything is very sore. I like to put a drop or two of Peppermint EO on my fingers and rub my temples and the muscles on the sides of my neck. There are two triangular shaped muscles at the base of your head that get particularly tight with you sit with your head raised all day, so I aim for those. If you want, you can mix Lavender essential oil with Peppermint essential oil to relieve a tension headache. Ahh, I can feel the relief already – that nice cooling tingly feeling is AMAZING!
- When you want to scare the living crap out of some ants. It’s true, ants HATE Peppermint, and I hate ants. Well, not 100% true. I don’t mind ants when they’re outside, but I don’t appreciate it when they invade my house. I’ve tested this out many times, and it never fails. Don’t believe me? Try dropping a single drop of Peppermint EO into a crowd of ants…they’ll scatter like a bomb hit them. I put a few drops in the corners of my kitchen each night to discourage them from visiting.
- When you have an upset stomach, indigestion, or gas. In such cases, I like to take about 5 drops of Peppermint EO and add it to a tablespoon of carrier oil and mix together. Then, I like to rub about a quarter size in my palm, and then massage the stomach in clockwise circles (clockwise when you’re looking at the person).
- When you have motion sickness or nausea. A good remedy is to put a single drop of Peppermint oil on a sugar cube, and suck on it. I imagine that this would be palatable for kids, although I have not had to try it on my own child. The other thing you can do is put a drop or two on some tissue paper, crumple it up, and leave it throughout the car – kind of like a makeshift “diffuser.”
- When you want to get reinvigorated, or just give a refreshing scalp massage. In the days that I used to own a spa, we had an add-on treatment called “Peppermint Head Trip.” It involved the massage therapist putting a drop of Peppermint oil on his/her fingers, then delivering a nice 10-minute scalp massage to the client after their regular massage. More often than not, the client felt refreshed and rejuvenated! Peppermint truly does “clear” things up – its energy is very invigorating.
Well, I feel so good now. My headache is completely gone, and I think I can go sleep now. Good night, everyone!
