Wellness

[Kennedy]

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.

[IMW]

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

Good luck.

[Carmie]

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?

[equss]

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. 

[Catlady Nicole]

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.

[reiki604]

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.

[sfnative]

@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.

[SilleeMee]

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

[Kennedy]

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.

[Moonchilde]

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@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.

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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.