topic Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches in Wellness

Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Kennedy — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:14:11 GMT

Good morning, has anyone had any problems with getting headaches when diffusing essential oils? I don't diffuse any during the day as I'm at work and wouldn't want those who don't like oils to be offended but I do diffuse them at night when I sleep.

I have had a frontal headache now for over two months. I've had a CT of the brain done and a CT of the sinus cavity but nothing shows up. Could it possibly be the diffused oils?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

IMW — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:31:33 GMT

Absolutely, any strong scent can trigger headaches if you are prone to them. Try discontinuing diffusion.

Good luck.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Carmie — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:32:38 GMT

Sure. Just because something is natural does not mean you can't be allergic to it or senstitive to it, the smell of some flowers gives me an instant headache.

Lot's of people get headaches from scents and oils are strong scents.

Why not stop using the oil diffuser for a while and see if the headaches go away?

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

equss — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:34:29 GMT

They give me headaches......just can't tolerate at all. I'd suggest putting the diffuser away for awhile and let your home air clear out and see if the headaches stop.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Catlady Nicole — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:36:16 GMT

It did for me. I still diffuse EO's on occasion, to freshen the house, relax after a tough day, or relieve any number of symptoms, but I do not diffuse all night anymore.

I did a lot of research after I got started with oils. I use one of the "big" brand names of oils, as I do believe ingredients and process matter. I also purchased a very large encyclopedia type book called Essential Oils Desk Reference. Very informative, definitely not light reading! In it I learned no oil is meant to be diffused for hours on end. In fact, each oil has a specific "diffuse time", inhalation time, etc.

EO's have become so popular, and you can buy them and diffusers from so many places now. The drawback of this new widespread popularity is, if you're not a member of a group or have a direct sales rep to guide you, you may not get the best benefit from them.

Best of luck in resolving your headaches. I'm no doctor, but take a break from the oils and see what happens.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

reiki604 — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:38:21 GMT

Of course they can cause headaches if you are sensitive to them. Please stop diffusing and see if that helps you. Some EO companies are almost cult like in their devotion to their product. Please don't buy into the hype. It's like anything else. What works for one may not work for another. There are no absolutes.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

sfnative — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:42:45 GMT

@Kennedy

That's been my experience as well.

Additionally, and worse, it was the caused my female Burmese cat to develop asthma! I felt so bad. It was the trigger, so the asthma never resolved.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

SilleeMee — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:57:03 GMT

There are many kinds of oils..pure eos, fragrance oils and reed diffuser oils. Pure essential oils can give you headaches but most likely it is the fragrance oils and diffuser oils that are the ones which are mostly to blame because these contain solvents and artificial "fragrance" chemicals in them. I never diffuse either of these because their ingredients are toxic to inhale.

What types of oils are you diffusing? @Kennedy

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Kennedy — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 17:54:17 GMT

Thank you all for the info. I'm using the YL oils. Lavender, Frankincense, Peppermint, Lemon, Copaiba and some others but of course not all at once. I was following the diffuser recipes I had been given to help "sleep" better. After I started thinking about how long the headaches have been bothering me it seems as if it were around the same time I had started diffusing them. Ibought into the whole nine yards of the diffuser oils and now I'm thinking these aren't for me. I don't have problems with perfumes, potpourri or candles. So, I decided to start researching on the internet.

When you do a "search" on the internet for "are diffusing oils causing my headaches" about the only info you can find is how they help headaches. By far, they are not helping mine. I'll stop using them and see what happens and will keep you updated.

Thank you again for your responses.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Moonchilde — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 19:38:39 GMT

@reiki604 wrote:
Of course they can cause headaches if you are sensitive to them. Please stop diffusing and see if that helps you. Some EO companies are almost cult like in their devotion to their product. Please don't buy into the hype. It's like anything else. What works for one may not work for another. There are no absolutes.

I couldn't agree more. There is a competition between a few companies to convince people that EOs can cure anything and everything, and that the more they cost the purer and more effective they are.

I used to know a massage therapist who touted them (and who got a nice cut for selling them). Once I learned how much one bottle cost, and that they were being touted as The Miracle Cure For Everything, I just shook my head. One born every minute, indeed.

I have a family member who has seriously drunk the punch on the whole deal. I will never buy.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

x Hedge — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 20:06:56 GMT

@Kennedy, another reason you shouldn't 'pollute' the shared air at your job is because some people are extremely allergic and may have other complications.

A well meaning nurse use lavender oil in my young friend's room and on her bedding. It triggered a severe asthma attack compounded by an equally severe allergic reaction.

911 was called as rashy hives developed at the same time her airway was closing down.

I would suspect the oils are causing your headaches, especially if they go away within the first 2 hours after you leave your home's air and go outside to work.

Why don't you stop using any oil for 6 weeks and see if there's an improvement?

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

chrystaltree — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 20:44:35 GMT

Yes, scents can cause headaches. Stop using the oils and see what happens.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

KathyM23 — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 20:53:34 GMT

Another word of caution in using any scented products if you have animals. A poster mentioned her cat developing asthma. Animals are very sensitive to smells and what is pleasant to us can be very hard on them. I have stopped using any scented items in my home for this reason. For myself I am also bothered by smells and can develop a headache from something as simple as a co-worker's strong perfume. I would not be surprised if you find that the oils are the culprit behind your headaches.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

ROMARY — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 22:50:10 GMT

KathyM23: I'm glad you mentioned pets. Scenting their bedding with strong laundry detergents and fabric softeners can cause real problems re: their breathing, their eyes and noses, etc. Perhaps even headaches and stomach upsets (who really knows, as pets cannot speak). Probably especially kittens and puppies. (Not to mention human newborns and babies, toddlers, etc.) Oh, wait. Thinking about pet birds, too.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

ROMARY — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 22:52:54 GMT

p.s. Let's not forget recuperating elderly folks, too. Sometimes less is more (scents, whether natural or not, chemicals, scented bed linens, etc.) health-wise.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Katcat1 — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 17:44:42 GMT

@Kennedy, What oils are you using? I never get headaches from my mist diffiuser. I mix water w/oils; it's electric. I use spearmint and lavender together and it gives a really nice fresh scent. Stop using your diffuser and see what happens. If that is the problem then diffuse when you are awake in your living room and change the oils you are using.

Re: Can diffusing essential oils causing headaches

Abrowneyegirl — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 22:12:30 GMT

I have learned through a lot of investigated that there are a lot of impure EO out there. For example there is more Tea tree oil being sold than tea tree plants that ever grew EVER, so were is the EO coming from????

I do very well with pure pharm. grade lavender EO, but put an impure one near me and my asthma kicks up immediately and I start sneezing/watery eyes the whole 9 yards. This is what started my research!