Must Have Essential Oils for a Hangover

Drinking alcohol can wreak havoc on your nervous system. The next morning, you wake up to nausea, headaches, shakiness, lack of focus... the symptoms of a hangover can render you useless.

There are plenty of ways to prevent a hangover, but if you don't take them, you're going to need something to help you out the next morning. Everyone has different theories about how to cure a hangover—some tips are proven to help, such as drinking plenty of water and taking vitamins. But by using essential oils for a hangover, you can take a natural approach to handling your individual symptoms and needs. Nature provides us with a surprising number of natural remedies like these.

Lavender relaxes the mind and body. Add a few drops of a lavender essential oil to a hot bath and let the tension and anxiety of a hangover melt away, or use a lavender-infused epsom soak to improve circulation and fight off inflammation as well. Even just by inhaling directly from the bottle, lavender essential oils can reduce stress and so dilate your blood vessels, giving you immediately improved circulation.

You can also use a lavender pillow spray to improve your sleep and relaxation as you recover in bed. However you use it, the pleasant smell is sure to relax away the stress of a painful hangover.

Peppermint tea is a popular digestion aid for a reason—peppermint settles the stomach, and can help get you past that hangover nausea in no time. Inhale directly from the bottle, or use a diffuser to deliver the calming aroma throughout your body.

There are a variety of other uses for peppermint oil as well. The bright scent can also give you a boost in the morning, revitalizing you and restoring your focus—an essential function of any essential oils for a hangover.

Your head's pounding, you can't think straight... the brain takes a serious beating after too many drinks. Rosemary can both alleviate the physical pain and restore some of your normal clarity after a night out, getting you ready to face the day. It even improves your mood, according to researchers.

Rosemary is even believed to improve memory, making up for some of the damage that drinking alcohol can do. Use a carrier oil for topical use, or a dropper for consumption. Rosemary's subtle but pleasant fragrance makes it a wonderful addition to teas or cooking in the morning.

Grapefruit is an invigorating scent, and a popular solution to skin problems. Washing your face in the morning with a few drops of grapefruit essential oil can help you avoid the alcohol-induced breakouts, under-eye circles, and day-long fatigue. Combine with your normal skin care routine, or use a carrier oil to apply directly to the face. You can also use a few drops in a diffuser or with a hot shower to completely re-energize yourself in the morning, and boost your mood and focus.

Ginger, like peppermint, can also reduce nausea and vomiting—one of the worst hangover symptoms. Breathing this relaxing, calming scent straight from the bottle can help settle your stomach, and get you ready for your breakfast—something that otherwise might sound impossible. It also aids circulation, so add a few drops to a bath or shower to reduce your blood pressure and get your blood flowing properly again.

Frankincense has strong anti-inflammatory properties, which helps alleviate the muscle pain and headaches that so often come as symptoms of a hangover. This essential oil can be rubbed directly on painful areas, or dropped into a bath or shower for a deep relaxation.

For sensitive skin, use a carrier oil and rub directly onto your temples to alleviate pain. Its anti-inflammatory effect also helps get rid of the red, blotchy appearance of tired, hungover skin. Dilute and use it as a face wash to wipe the remnants of last night away.

Though often used for clearing up congestion, eucalyptus also boosts the immune system, which helps prevent you from getting sick while your body is in recovery from the hangover. It has a fresh, natural scent that's easy on your stomach—important when a hangover has you lingering around the toilet—and can improve your overall health and mood in no time.

Truly one of the most essential essential oils for a hangover, lemongrass can be used in a hundred different ways to immediately improve your day: ingested, it can aid digestion and boost your mood, or be applied topically or dispersed in a room to relax you and alleviate pains.

Lemongrass, like lavender, soothes aches and anxieties, and leaves you feeling clean and refreshed. Mix it with a few drops of lavender in a bath and you'll forget all about your hangover symptoms!

Apply it directly to painful areas (or use a carrier oil for sensitive skin) to alleviate muscle pains and headaches as well. Or, lightly massage it into your scalp in your morning shower to simultaneous boost your hair health and relax the pounding in your hung-over head.

Tea Tree oil is a very diverse natural remedy - it can be used in many ways, to alleviate many irritating effects of drinking alcohol. A few drops with a carrier oil can be applied directly to the skin, hair, and nails, to prevent the effects of dehydration from causing long-term damage. You can also buy tea tree oil products, such as the Hollywood Beauty Skin & Scalp treatment, for regular use or hangover recovery.

Between the nausea, vomiting, sweating, and sheer amounts of alcohol leaving your system, having a deodorizing oil blend—or deodorant made of some comforting essential oils—can make you feel, and smell, clean. This not only helps the physical symptoms of a hangover, but also the anxiety and desire to stay in bed all day. And, you can customize your recovery needs by combining your favorite essential oils for a hangover.

This scent is especially great for those who don't love fruity or floral scents—its rich, earthy tones will keep you grounded. Its healing and moisturizing properties also make it a perfect antidote to many of the effects of a bad hangover, from skin breakouts to hair health. For sensitive skin, dilute with a carrier oil or use a diffuser.

This rich scent also acts as a relaxing addition to your morning tea or other beverage—just add a drop or two, breathe deep, and let the anxieties melt away.

Much like grapefruit, the bright citrus scent of sweet orange essential oil will wake you up and get you going. It also acts as a deodorizer and cleanser, washing away the previous night's festivities and getting you ready for a good day—at work, at home, or out and about. Use a carrier oil to apply directly to the skin, or a dropper to use in a bath, shower, or even a humidifier.

It also works great as a household cleaner, so you can use it to get rid of last night's messes, as well as jumpstart your day and power through the symptoms of a hangover.