How peaceful it feels to lie down and slip on a lavender-filled eye pillow just before you drift away from the worries and stress of this material world? An eye pillow induces sleep, cools off your troubled mind leaving you feeling calm and relaxed. It is no wonder today that eye pillows are considered to be very effective for inducing sleep and calming down a restless mind. They're even used in aromatherapy.
How Do Eye Pillows Work?
Basically, an eye pillow is made of flax seeds sewn in a soft delicate muslin cloth with an eye shaped frame. The soft bag works by providing the right amount of acupressure from the flax seeds to keep your eyes revitalized and cool off your mind.
When the eye pillow is slightly refrigerated, it provides an even cooler sensation that leaves you relaxed enough to fall into a deep slumber.
Many people use eye pillows to alleviate migraines, common headaches due to pressure and anxiety, and simply to unwind after a long stressful day. The light weight of flax seeds in the bag gives you instant relaxation and comfort. Let’s look at some of the key benefits you get from eye pillows.
Eye-Acupressure
Flax seeds infused with herbs provide the perfect amount of acupressure that leaves your eyes feeling fresh and revitalized. An eye pillow with an eye shaped frame provides the best support.
Eye-Shield
The pillow shields the eyes from visual stimulus and harsh light when you want to sleep. It covers the eyes effectively blocking out glaring light and visual stimulus that keeps your mind racing restlessly. The eye pillow helps to relieve burning, irritated, and itchy eyes especially after long exposure to TV or computer screens.
Eye Strain & Tension Relief
Acupressure given by the flax seeds in an eye pillow helps to release tension from your forehead, temple, cheekbones, neck, and shoulders. Scholars have even indicated that the light pressure these pillows exert on your eyes sends a neurological signal straight to your brain that initiates a full body relaxation process.
Calming & Resting the Mind
Eye pillows help to sedate the nerves and relax your mind too. When aromatic oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, and peppermint are added to the eye pillow, they provide a calming effect to your mind.
Eye Pillows for Stress Relief & Relaxation
Eye pillows are made using different essential oils and herbs. Different combinations of oils and herbs provide myriad effects and benefits. For example, a eucalyptus eye pillow is quite effective against chronic headaches, migraines, and sinus problems. A lavender eye pillow helps to relax your body and mind, calm anxiety, and induce sleep.
Top Eye Pillows
There are so many eye pillow products in the market today that finding one that suits your unique circumstances is often quite difficult. To help you make an informed purchasing decision, we have compiled a list of top eye pillows depending on the benefits mentioned above and other considerations such as price and type of essential oils and herbs each pillow uses.
Lavender Eye Pillow – Yoga Eye Pillow for Stress & Migraine Relief
Features:
- Luxurious Spa lavender eye pillow that offers calming aromatherapy for your perfect relaxation and complete stress relief
- Made of silky soft fabric filled with natural lavender flowers and organic flax seeds
- Does not use fillers or oils with short term effects. It lasts long.
- Acts as a perfect sleeping mask that blocks out light
- Flax seeds provide light acupressure to rejuvenate your tired eyes
- When used cold after chilling in the freezer, the eye pillow reduces swelling that cause headaches and migraines.
The lavender filled eye pillow gives you calming aromatherapy that induces deep relaxation and stress relief. It is a perfect eye pillow to use when you want to simply drift away in a relaxed mood after a long day at work.
THE PROS
- Contains the freshest organic flax seeds and French Lavender buds
- Very comfortable fit
- Ideal for yoga or meditation training that involves deep relaxation
- Extremely affordable
THE CONS
- None to report so far
Happy Wraps Yoga Flax Seed Eye Pillow – Unscented
Features:
- Comes in packs of 4 pieces
- Made of 100% cotton fabric
- It uses organic flax seeds
- Each piece measures 4 x 8.5 inches
- Can be placed in either microwave or freezer for hot or cold therapy
- Available in a single color, purple
- You can heat the eye pillow at intervals of 30 seconds before use.
This yoga eye pillow from Happy Wraps gives you complete mental and physical relaxation. It provides the perfect stress relief after a long day at work. Use it for your relaxation at home or after a yoga class. You can use it hot or cold to alleviate migraines, chronic headaches, stress, and puffy eyes. It is very effective in blocking out light when you want to drift off to sleep.
THE PROS
- Made of organic flax seeds
- Works for cold and hot therapies
- Heals, relaxes and rejuvenates the body and mind
- Made in the U.S!
THE CONS
- Some people claim the fabric is a bit rough
Natural Bamboo Soothing Sinus Eye Pillow with Lavender
Features:
- Made of luxurious silky-soft bamboo fabric with natural lavender and rice padding.
- It acts as a natural compress with a gentle weight that helps to relax your head muscles.
- Can be heated in a microwave or cooled in a freezer for either hot or cold therapy
- Calms the body and mind
- It’s very helpful when travelling as a sleep aid.
This luxurious silky-soft bamboo fabric eye pillow from Hydrea provides a great way to pamper yourself with. It is padded with completely natural lavender and rice that provide gentle acupressure to help relax your muscles. The scent of lavender relaxes the mind and helps to calm the body.
THE PROS
- Helps soothe tense facial muscles
- Encourages better circulation
- Relieves eye strain and irritation
- Very effective against stress, headaches and sinus pressure
- You can also use it as a sleeping mask
- It's a one-size-fits-all
THE CONS
- None so far
Earth Therapeutics Mind/Body Therapy Anti-Stress Eye Pillow
Features:
- Contains natural lavender and chamomile
- It is an aroma-therapeutic eye pillow
- Made of 100% pure silk
- Padded with calming flax seed that weighs gently on your strained and tired eyes
- Amply sized, measures 9x5 inches
This 100% pure silk eye pillow is quite effective in soothing strained and puffy eyes. It contains organic flax seeds, which makes it environmentally friendly too. It gives you a cool sensation of being caressed by pure silk. The eye pillow is infused with the best natural aroma-therapeutic mix of natural lavender and chamomile to help you get rid of stress and anxiety. It will not only comfort your eyes but induce a feeling of calmness to the body and mind too.
THE PROS
- Relieves stress and anxiety
- Made from natural flax seeds, lavender and chamomile
- Very affordable
THE CONS
- The flax seed filling isn't well balanced
- A few people claimed the silk cover can slip unless you're laying down flat facing up
Flax Seed Eye Pillow with Lavender Buds
Features:
- It is a handmade product from Pennsylvania
- It comes in an attractive sealable PVC bag
- Contains 10 oz of flax seed and 1 oz of lavender
- It is extra long, measures 10x4 inches and 8 inches deep. Sizes may vary slightly
- Provides a gentle soothing feel to the eyes. The pillow’s weight puts gentle pressure on the ocular nerve to relieve headaches and migraines.
- Simply pinch or knead the pillow to release the fresh lavender scent.
The flax seed eye pillow provides a gentle soothing feel to your eyes and can be used for both hot and cold therapies to alleviate sinus pressure, headaches, migraines, and stress. It is made of high quality fabric and completely organic flax seeds. It is extra long and wide too. It feels so cool on your eyes and the lavender scent is very relaxing.
THE PROS
- It helps soothe facial muscles and the eyes
- Made of high quality materials
- Comes in a large size designed to fit almost anyone
- It has a rich lavender scent
THE CONS
- It's a bit heavier than most eye pillows
Conclusion
Eye pillows serve many functions besides soothing tired eyes and blocking out the light when you want to sleep. They help to calm down your nerves and alleviate stress related symptoms such as migraines, headaches, and anxiety.
The eye pillows we reviewed above come in different prices and designs to help you decide which actually suits your needs and budget. At the same time, they're all made of high quality materials and natural organic fillers. Let us know which eye pillow you chose from our top picks, we love hearing from you.