I guess I should first explain what a “bean” is, so you thoroughly understand what a “bean-ache” is.  Between my husband’s prior service in the Marine Corps and my mama’s Creole heritage, our family has a language all of our own.

Ink sticks, are pens.  Calling one of the kids “booby” or “little willy” is not unheard of.  Moon beams, are flashlights. Portholes, glasses.   And one of my favorite questions, per Grandma Hedy, is when she asked whether or not someone had “done their duty” for the day.  (“Duty has been a controversial term amongst our family for years.  Some seem to think that “duty” was really “doody”.  Regardless, the meaning is the same: Grandma was asking if we had taken our daily poo.)

So “bean”, in all definition of the term, means head.  Grape.  Melon.  The thing with two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth.  Get it?

Last Thursday, I called in sick to work because of a massive bean-ache.  I severely hate taking medication, unless I have exhausted all other possibilities, but the headache lasted well past my several glasses of water, one cup of coffee, breakfast, and shower.  I popped a couple of ibuprofen and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  It wasn’t giving.  Then, Alaina and Jameson both came home from school with bean-aches.  As any highly anxious, slightly hypochondriac mother would do, I quickly ushered the family out on the lawn, and checked the carbon monoxide detectors in the house.  Whew. Good to go.

It was time for an alternative method.  I use essential oils almost everyday, in everything from cleaning products, to diffuser blends, to Epsom soaks in the tub, to face soap, to my beekeeping, to my special-blend face lotion, to scents in candles.  I love them.  I had always stayed away from peppermint essential oil for headaches, however, because it always smelled too strong.  With my headaches and/or nausea come a hyperactive sense of smell that just adds to the “feeling of garbage”.  Spearmint I could do.  Peppermint I could not.

But today of all days, spearmint wasn’t cutting it.  I was desperate.  My kids were desperate.  My husband was desperate.  (Try throwing a wife and two of the three kids into a house/car/etc. with massive headaches and bad moods to match.  Someone was going to die.  Or at least be put down, fast.)

I don’t exclusively purchase Aura Cacia, but have always been quite impressed with their product and prices.  I had bought a bottle of their peppermint essential oil to make this awesome anti-acne face soap that I am known for (okay, known for in my familial/friend circle. Gawd, got to start somewhere.)

I broke out the peppermint essential oil.  I rubbed some on my forehead, temples, and behind my ears.  (I know you’re not supposed to use the oils neat <without a carrier oil > but I was desperate.  I did say I was desperate right?!)  Something amazing happened.  My bean-ache started to fade away!  The coolness soothed the pain in my forehead and temples.  The odor wasn’t unpleasant or harsh, but relaxing.   I wanted to heal my kids…

To avoid any sort of chemical burns on their precious little foreheads, I poured about a teaspoon of olive oil in the palm of my hand and added 10 drops of peppermint essential oil.  I rubbed this on my 17-year old’s forehead, temples, and back of neck. She inhaled slowly and immediately made me promise to send her off to college with this essential oil.  Done sweetheart, done.

I took it down a notch with my eight-year old, added about a teaspoon of olive oil in the palm of my hand, and only five drops of essential oil.  Again, I rubbed this on his forehead, temples and the back of his neck.  Like my oldest, Jameson inhaled deeply and exclaimed that he already felt better and would I please make him a roller-ball with this (I had already made Jameson a ‘Sleep Tight’ and a ‘Chill Man’ to rub on his feet at night or when he was feeling a little stressed/out of control).

When over-the-counter pharmaceuticals couldn’t do the trick for me, Mother Nature stepped in and took the reigns. Again, thank you honey, thank you.