4 Natural Remedies to Get Rid of a Headache

Headaches can wreak havoc on your day. Whether it is a milder pain or more intense, finding relief can be difficult, especially if you are searching for alternatives to medication.

If you suffer from occasional headaches, consider trying these natural and at-home remedies to ease your pain.

Drink more water

Dehydration may be the cause of your headache. Luckily, the solution is rather simple: increase your water intake.

Drinking more water may help to alleviate a headache as well as prevent other ones in the future. Most people will find relief from a dehydration headache within 30 minutes to three hours of drinking water.

Try essential oils

Peppermint and lavender oils seem to be the most helpful for headache relief. They both have relaxing properties that may assist with pain relief.

Applying a small amount of peppermint oil to the temples has been shown to relieve headache pain. Just be sure not to apply any oil near your eyes.

And practicing aromatherapy using lavender oil can also be an effective and safe way to ease the pain of migraine headaches. Consider diffusing it in an essential oil diffuser or apply a tiny amount into your palms, rub your hands together, and then inhale the scent.

Use a cold compress

Applying a cold compress to your forehead is a safe and inexpensive way to help reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels that may ease the pain from a headache.

Use either a cold, wet washcloth or fill a small bag with ice and wrap it in a soft towel or cloth. The cold compress may have a numbing effect on the area, which can help dull and soothe headache pain. Consider adding a drop of lavender essential oil to the cold washcloth and relax to the soothing scent.

Massage pressure points

Treating headaches might just be as simple as applying pressure to certain pressure points on your body. For example, to relieve headaches in your temples, apply pressure to your temples and gently rub in a circular motion—many people tend to do this naturally when feeling stressed.

To ease headache pain caused by eyestrain, use the tips of your index fingers and apply pressure at the midpoint of your eyebrows and release, or apply pressure in small circles for a minute and release.

Rubbing the spot in between your thumb and index finger is thought to ease stress, headaches, and other types of pain. Rub the spot near the base of the thumb for four to five seconds and release.

Related: Common Causes of Headaches

These tips and tricks to cure a headache may be the first step to try at home. But if you’re experiencing frequent headaches and home remedies aren’t helping, talk to your healthcare provider as it may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

Related: Is That Headache a Migraine?