A lot of times when I get head tension, I actually can feel this muscle that runs like a band across my forehead kind of tightening. I'll run a strip right along here and then right here on my temples and actually do it kind of in a circular motion.
And then what I like to do is take the roller bottle and rub it all the way down and around the backs of my ears because I really want to get it into this long muscle here called our SCM muscle. It runs all the way from the back of the head all the way down to the neck and that's a big cause right there for tension.
Your Go-Tos for Topical Use
When working with head tension the following oils are clutch:
PastTense blend, Frankincense, Rosemary, Copaiba, and Deep Blue Rub.
The PastTense made up of Peppermint, Wintergreen, Basil, Rosemary, and Marjoram. It’s diluted in coconut oil. It's wonderful because it comes in a really easy-to-apply roller bottle just like this. What I do with this, is take a little bit on my finger and I love to put it on pressure points along my head. Some pressure points that we can discuss are right here along the temples.
You want to make sure and apply that oil there too. And really what I like to do is rub it in very well.
One little safety tip, because this has Peppermint in it, which is one of our top oils for head tension, you just don't want to get it near the eyes. It may be an essential oil rite of passage let's say to get Peppermint in your eyes, but it doesn't feel good. You definitely don't want to have that happen. So really kind of keep it in the back portion of the temples. That's just a really easy go-to.
One other place that I love to put it—sometimes people get tension back here along what we call the occiput of the neck and the head. That's a wonderful place, just along the spine back there, to take the roller bottle and just apply directly and then rub it in.
While the PastTense blend has Frankincense in it, I also love to add these two to the mixture: Frankincense and Copaiba. These are both very chemically diverse oils and they work in very different ways within the tissues in the muscles.
Then there is Rosemary. Rosemary is typically not discussed as one for tension but it's wonderful for that tension within the muscles.
Now lastly, we cannot leave the topical discussion about head tension without mentioning this: Deep Blue Rub. A lot of us think about this as our muscle and joint rub to help relieve tension.
It's a perfect addition, if you know that, say, you've slept funny and you know it's musculoskeletal like we described, then definitely take some of the Deep Blue Rub, or if you have some of the Deep Blue oil you can add it into that combination.
Take a pea-sized amount of Deep Blue Rub and add that Rosemary, Copaiba, and Frankincense blend in there, and rub it all along the back of the neck and right behind the ears.
Really get it deep into those neck muscles because that's again where most of the tension arises that cause head tension.
Aromatic Support - Ready. Set. Diffuse.
You know how you can feel head tension coming on? Especially when you have a lot of things happening in you life. I can just feel it like a vice coming up my head and my neck and causing tension all over my scalp. This is a wonderful time to use your oils aromatically to help relieve those stressors in the body and really get to the root cause of why you're having tension.
Three oils that I love to use aromatically are actually Rosemary—and I just love to use it alone and I diffuse that. It has a very clean, herbaceous scent. It's known to reduce tension in the body and it's wonderful for just kind of taking that stress level down a notch. Another two that I love are Lavender and Wild Orange. You can actually diffuse these individually or you can combine them together. It's really hard to find someone who doesn't feel like Wild Orange lessens their stress.
It's very well known for reducing feelings of stress, for lifting the mood, for lightening the mood, and helping kind of release those tension feelings that we have that come along with life stressors. So, don't forget, when you're going through your regimen for head tension, about using those oils aromatically.
Look Internally (and Take Internally)
Now lastly—and I will tell you this—whenever I use oils internally for head tension, I'm always using topically first. We have kind of a step wise approach in this oil world.
When we're dealing with a problem, I love to deal with a first topically. Because if I can get away with relieving the problem topically, then that's great for my body. But sometimes that's not enough.
When turning to internal for stress relief and tension relief, Lavender is such a wonderful oil in the body for relieving stress and tension.
It has some wonderful chemical properties that we know relax the body, that help just kind of chill you out a little bit and reduce those feelings of stress. Take one veggie caps that doTERRA sells, open it right up, put two drops of Lavender in that veggie cap, and drink with some water.
Usually it only takes about 10 to 15 minutes and then you can actually feel the feelings of relaxation kind of creep up around my face and head and neck.
Another option, and you can use these in combination too, is doTERRA’s Copaiba softgels. We've already talked about Copaiba topically, but it is an oil that you can take internally. One softgel has two drops in it, so you can take one softgel of the Copaiba with two drops of Lavender in a veggie cap. That is a wonderful addition for those of you who need a little extra support when you're suffering from this.
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Read more about PastTense, Frankincense, Rosemary, Lavender, Wild Orange, Copaiba
*Jensen, R. (2001). Mechanisms of Tension-Type Headache. Cephalalgia, 21(7), 786–789. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0333-1024.2001.00251.x
