Updated May 2025

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After 18 years of debilitating migraines, I discovered that synthetic fragrances were the hidden trigger my doctors never mentioned. When I recently experienced my first severe migraine in over a decade after returning from Bali, I immediately knew what to do. And guess what? It didn’t involve medication that had previously damaged my gut and liver! I have holistic remedies for headaches and migraines that work up my sleeve.

Here’s what actually worked for me:

👉🏻I started with super-hydrating water packed with electrolytes and magnesium

👉🏻Put a drop of peppermint oil on the roof of my mouth (game-changer for nausea!)

👉🏻Diffused M Grain essential oil blend to calm my nervous system.

When those holistic remedies for headaches weren’t enough, I grabbed my ice mask, rolled Deep Relief on my hairline, laid on my acupressure mat, and finished with a session of red light therapy. 

The result? I woke up completely migraine-free with zero brain fog.

In this episode, I break down exactly what I did to combat my worst migraine in years, why it worked, and how you can create your own holistic migraine toolkit. Whether you’re a chronic sufferer or experience occasional headaches, you’ll learn practical, natural alternatives to medications that address the root causes rather than just masking symptoms.

In today’s episode, we’re chatting about:

• How synthetic fragrances and other toxins can trigger migraines
• The power of peppermint essential oil for immediate relief
• Why specialized tools like ice masks and acupressure mats make a difference
• How red light therapy reduces inflammation and migraine pain
• The importance of proper hydration with electrolytes and magnesium

COMMON HEADACHE TRIGGERS

Before I share the holistic remedies for headaches, let me first share that I was a migraine sufferer for 20 years. They started when I was 18 and long before I was in to holistic health, I took Excedrin Migraine regularly and was on so many different prescription medications over those 20 years that I can’t even remember them all. It took me 20 years to finally discover that I was sensitive to synthetic fragrance and THAT is what triggered my migraines for so long.

To this day, if I go to a friend’s home who uses air fresheners or perfume or walk down the cleaning product section of a Target, I get triggered immediately with a headache. Sensitivity to toxins and synthetic fragrance is a common trigger for migraine sufferers. Eliminating synthetic fragrance and toxins from your home is a great place to start. Not sure where to start? You’ll find all my favorite toxin free products here.

Other common triggers are sensitivities to light, food, additives, mold and pesticides. Try and remove these common triggers when possible. Do you only get headaches around your cycle? Like when you ovulate or right before you period? That’s not normal, it means you have a hormone imbalance and are likely suffering from estrogen dominance. Check out this blog post: 8 Ways to Reverse Estrogen Dominance, Holistically.

HEADACHE PREVENTION

The vast majority of headaches are caused by lack of sleep, dehydration, low blood sugar, caffeine crashes, high stress, and eye strain from too much time in front of phones and computer screens. The best remedy for headaches is always prevention. Get 8 hours of quality sleep at night, eat healthy and regularly, don’t skip breakfast, avoid screens when possible, stay hydrated, don’t over due caffeine and manage your stress. Piece of cake, right?? *insert sarcasm.

Let’s be honest, in our demanding lives, these things can feel like out of reach luxuries. Do your best and try to remember that an ounce of remedy is worth of pound of cure. If you need some help managing stress, check out this blogpost for 7 Simple Ways to Regulate your Nervous System. For those times when prevention fails, keep reading for my tried and true remedies.

9 HOLISTIC REMEDIES for Headaches and Migraines

Whenever I feel a headache coming, these are my go-to holistic remedies for relief.

#1. HYDRATION and ELECTROLYTES

Inadequate hydration and chronic dehydration is a common cause of tension headaches and migraines. Thankfully, drinking water has been shown to relieve headache symptoms in most dehydrated individuals within 30 minutes to three hours. Drinking water is important, but equally as important is replenishing electrolytes intake. Electrolytes are minerals in our body – sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium – and low levels cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, and muscle cramps. I was really dehydrated after my 30-hour travel day from Bali to Virginia. I had two big glasses of Fringe Heals electrolyte powder. 

#2. MAGNESIUM

I added a scoop of magnesium to my electrolyte drink. Sometimes, headaches are caused by magnesium deficiency. I know a lot of people who have healed their migraines by just adding magnesium baths to their lives.

Magnesium has been shown to be a safe, effective remedy for headaches. Evidence suggests that magnesium deficiency is more common in people who get frequent migraine headaches, compared to those who don’t. My favorite Magnesium Bicarbonate supplement can be found here. For those who have a sensitive stomach, topical magnesium is a great alternative, as well as a nice warm bath with magnesium flakes.

3. PRANA

PRANA is a Turmeric, Ginger and Black Pepper tincture that has anti-inflammatory properties and is extremely helpful with headaches and migraines. Leafy Organics only sources turmeric and ginger roots from organic, non-GMO growers in the USA. PRANA doesn’t contain any chemicals, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. The tincture has a honey taste and even kids love it.

4. ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential are highly concentrated liquids that contain aromatic compounds from a variety of plants. They have many therapeutic benefits and there are thousands of published studies showing that certain essential oils can significantly relieve head tension and stress. Essential oils are fantastic holistic remedies for headaches.

• Lavender – People often use lavender to improve sleep and reduce stress, but it’s also known to help with headaches. This study showed that of 129 headache attacks in cases, 92 responded entirely or partially to lavender. Diffusing lavender or inhaling it was most effective and the study concluded that lavender can be a safe and effective treatment to manage migraine headaches. More recent research also supports this finding.

• Peppermint has been used as medicine for thousands of years. I put one drop of peppermint essential oil onto my thumb and held it to the roof of my mouth. When you put it on the roof of your mouth, you can feel the natural menthol in peppermint spread up through your head. It’s a mix between a numbing, cooling, and relaxing sensation. It really helps with nausea and heartburn. I always have peppermint essential oil on me! 

• Deep Relief – Blends like Deep Relief are specially formulated to not just include peppermint, but also oils like wintergreen, clove, helichrysum, balsam fir, and other anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxing, and pain relieving oils. Since the pain was coming from the back of my neck and rolling its way up my head, I rolled it all over my hairline. I massaged it into the back of my neck, up in my hairline, and all over the place to get all of those muscle-soothing oils into my head.

• M-Grain Blend – M-grain is a popular go to when head tension gets really bad. Simply massage the oil on your temples or in the location of the pain. It is a blend that includes lavender, helichrysum, basil and roman chamomile. I find this blend works best when inhaled and when I know I have to be at my computer for work for long periods of time, I have this diffusing in my office. It’s basically an emotional calming oil.

Buyer beware though, often times store or Amazon bought oils contain synthetic scents that can make headaches worse or even trigger them. The essential oils market is not regulated. Make sure you are purchasing a pure, high quality essential oil if you want it to work. I use Young Living and you can purchase all of these options here.

Note: If you are nursing while pregnant, avoid the use of peppermint as it may decrease your milk supply. Take care not to get essential oils in your eyes. If you do, rinse your eyes with milk, coconut oil, or olive oil. Do not rinse with water because it will make it worse.

#5. ACCUPRESSURE MAT

I laid down on my acupressure mat, which is my Pranamat. Acupressure is really good for headaches. I did a 20-minute session laying on my acupressure mat with my ice mask and Deep Relief blend. I literally laid there in absolute misery, in complete darkness, and prayed for it to go away. After 20 minutes, I was starting to relax and feel a little bit more comfortable. 

#6 HYLAND’S MIGRAINE

Hyland’s Migraine is a homeopathic remedy that temporarily relieves symptoms of migraine headaches including throbbing headache, pounding pain, dull headache, frontal headache, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision. Make sure you allow the tablets to dissolve on their own.

#7. B VITAMINS

Several studies have shown that the B vitamin supplements riboflavin (B2), folate, B12 and pyridoxine (B6) may reduce headache symptoms. B-complex vitamins contain all eight of the B vitamins and are a safe, cost-effective way to naturally treat headache symptoms. B vitamins are considered safe to take on a regular basis, as they are water soluble and any excess will be flushed out through the urine.

Super B is my B vitamin of choice because it’s a comprehensive supplement that provides all eight B vitamins, a natural folate source derived from lemon peels, and methylcobalamin, a source of B12 that’s easy for your body to absorb. What makes it a powerhouse though is that it is combined with nutmeg essential oil and bioavailable minerals such as magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. It’s one of the best supplements available if you suffer from thyroid or adrenal issues and makes an excellent supplement for headaches.

#8. COLD COMPRESS

This has been a mom’s tried and true remedy for eons. Applying cold or frozen compresses to the neck or head area decreases inflammation, slows nerve conduction and constricts blood vessels, all of which help reduce headache pain. In one study and many more, it’s been found that applying a cold to the head significantly reduced migraine pain.

You can use just basic ice in a bag with a towel wrapped around it, but I love the Headache Hat and TheraICE Cap. It can be frozen and wraps around your head. As far as ice on your head goes, it’s about as comfortable as it gets and allows you to still move around. They’re similar to sleeping blackout masks, but you put them over your head, like a cap. It goes over your eyes and a little bit over your forehead and head. The ice constructs the blood flow, which can help with pain in general.

#9. Red Light Therapy

There is so much science showing that red light therapy can decrease inflammation, migraine frequency, and pain. I put it on the back of my neck and laid on it for 12 minutes. Loombox is my go-to red light therapy device.

Holistic Remedies for Headaches that Work

I went to sleep, and my migraine was gone about 15 hours later. It’s hard to say which home remedy did the trick. Maybe it was a combination of them all! I did do a lot of things, after all! These are the holistic remedies for headaches migraines that I use most often and have worked the best for me. You don’t have to reach for medication. There are other holistic options. I hope they provide relief the next time you suffer from a migraine!

Check out the Wellness Cabinet for all my holistic remedy recommendations!

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Fringe Electrolytes
• Essential Oils (Peppermint, Deep Relief, M-Grain)
• Pranamat
• Ice Mask
• LUMEBOX

Related Episodes:

Episode 34: From Nurse to Aromatherapist: The Science of Essential Oils

Episode 111: The Truth about Electrolytes: How Quality Minerals Change Everything