Essential Oils for Bell’s Palsy (With Recipes, to Speed Up Healing!)

Are you suffering from facial weakness or even paralysis on one side of your face?

Maybe it’s numb, tingly, or even painful to touch your face? Have you been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy?

These symptoms can be distressing and even life-altering. If you’re struggling, then using essential oils for Bell’s palsy can help you to manage your symptoms.

Bell’s palsy occurs when one of the cranial nerves in the brain becomes inflamed and swollen or even compressed.

It can be caused by several root causes, but often it is triggered by a viral infection.

If you are struggling with these symptoms, know that you are not alone.

There are tens of thousands of people suffering from Bell’s palsy.

Some good news for you, typically these symptoms only last about four weeks at the most. 

But during this cycle, you need relief!

Several essential oils have been shown to help reduce pain, reduce elimination, and help the body heal more quickly. 

The Best Essential Oils for Bell’s Palsy

For Bell’s palsy, there are two strategies I always recommend to patients.

The first is for topical application, and the second is for ingestion.

Here are the best essential oils to help topically:

1. Sweet Marjoram essential oil

The best part of this one is it has anti-viral properties, and can help with all sorts of viral activities.

It can also be effective at sedating pain and reducing inflammation. This is music to your ears, right?

2. Rosemary essential oil

Rosemary has components that help relieve pain and have a healing effect on your nervous system. Very important!

3. Lavender essential oil

This classic EO acts as a mild sedative and is particularly potent with the nervous system. You may even already know that lavender is very common for stress or anxiety relief. 

I will lay out instructions for use below.

Now, here are the best essential oils to help internally:

4. Clove oil

Helping from within the body, clove helps to improve circulation, which can impact pain and cellular regeneration. 

I always recommend clove as an essential oil for dental pain or even calming canker sores on the face.

5. Melissa essential oil

This is one of my go-to oils due to its anti-viral properties and a nerve tonic helping to soothe the nervous system.

6. Frankincense essential oil

This one provides plenty of strong anti-inflammatory properties to help alleviate the inflamed cranial nerves.

I even strongly recommend this essential oil when dealing with trigeminal neuralgia pain. Good stuff.

7. Thyme essential oil

In EO form, it multiplies the property of the herb, Thyme. You may not know this but it’s an impressive immune stimulant.

These oils all have anti-viral properties to help combat the root cause of Bell’s palsy.

How to Properly Use Essential Oils for Bell’s Palsy

Before we dive into how to use these oils, please note that this is not intended to treat or cure Bell’s palsy.

These are simply suggestions for helping to support the body back into balance.

Essential oils are highly concentrated and must be respected in the same way you would respect any over-the-counter or prescription.

More is not better with essential oils. Often less is best.

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts, and they make really good home remedies because they are so powerful.

Their strength and potency are important to their healing properties, but it also makes it important for you to know a few points before getting started.

First of all, since these plant essences are so potent, you must use them properly and particularly dilute them properly.

Next, know that essential oils and water don’t mix. Essential oils, just like other oils, are hydrophobic.

Hydrophobic means they don’t mix well with water.

In general, there are very few reasons to ingest essential oils – in rare cases such as respiratory congestion and here you should never do it.

If you do, you should always do it under the care and supervision of a qualified clinical aromatherapist.

How to Apply Essential Oils for Bell’s Palsy

As I mentioned, there are two primary methods for using essential oils for Bell’s palsy. The first is topical, and the second is by taking the oils internally.

You will not need any extraordinary supplies for the topical method.

However, you will need to purchase “00 veggie caps” to make your own capsules for the oils for the internal process. You can buy them here.

Do not try to swallow essential oils in water or without putting them in a capsule.

This will result in damage to the inside of your mouth and esophagus. Remember, the combinations above are broken up into topical and internal.

You should not use the topical oils internally. You can use a combination of topical application and internal application for extra support.

For both the internal and the topical methods, you will need to have a food-grade carrier oil.

For the topical method, castor oil works best. For the internal method, fractionated coconut oil is preferred.

Application Methods to Start the Calming Process

When working with essential oils, we always want to think, safety first!

Make sure you have a carrier oil nearby to dilute your essential oils in case of an accident or if your skin starts to get warm or irritated. 

Topical Facial Massage

It can’t be said enough, safety first! Make sure you have a plant-based oil nearby in case of skin irritation.

Don’t use water if you get essential oils in your eyes, nose, or lips. Water will intensify the burning sensation. Instead, use more carrier oil.

Compresses can help relieve bleeding, pain, inflammation on their own.

Adding essential oil works to supercharge these well-established effects with the oils coagulation and blood vessel constriction abilities. Here’s how:

1. Add three tablespoons of castor oil to a glass bowl. If you wish to keep the remaining mixture when done, make sure you have a tight-fitting lid available. 
2. Add 2-4 drops of each oil you choose, for a total of 6-9 drops to the oil, and stir it around a bit.
3. Apply the oil mixture to your fingertips.
4. Massage in a circular motion from the center of the face to the hairline, up to the forehead, down to the chin, and out to the ears.
5. Repeat once in the morning and once at night.
6. You may wish to repeat multiple times a day if additional pain support is required.

Internal Usage Tips

As mentioned, you will need to purchase “00 veggie caps” to make your capsules to take internally.

1. Open a veggie cap.
2. Add one drop of each of the internal oils listed.
3. Fill half of the veggie cap the remainder of the way with fractionated coconut oil.
4. Take two capsules twice per day for two weeks.
5. You will need to make these capsules fresh each time you take them – as they will dissolve the veggie caps if made too far in advance.

It is important to mention that taking essential oils internally is not without risk and is meant at a precise dosage for a very short amount of time.

This information is intended for educational purposes, not to treat or diagnose a disease.

You should take this information to your clinical aromatherapist to determine if internal essential oil usage is suitable for you.

Essential oils can help to reduce pain, swelling and help with the regeneration of the nerve tissues so that you can return to your normal life.

Know that no matter what route you take to help support your body through Bell’s palsy, it is temporary.