Using Essential Oils Safely

Safe use of essential oils has come up in quite a few of my conversations with clients lately. It can be very confusing because there’s so much information online – much of it put out by multi-level marketers who have been trained to sell and are very excited about the product they are selling, but maybe don’t have extensive education in the chemical properties and potential side effects of essential oils.

There a few things to keep in mind.  First of all essential oils are very very safe. Compared to many over the counter medications or artificial chemical fragrances they are much safer! Many essential oils are used for flavorings in food products. But, like anything powerful, (keep in mind one drop of essential oil can equal a thousand flowers) they can have negative side effects if used incorrectly.

First of all – keep undiluted essential oils out of the reach of children and pets. Most come with a child-proof cap for a reason. Ingesting essential oils can be deadly . Store them in a safe place and keep the child-proof caps on.

Keep essential oils away from your eyes.  If an essential oils gets in your eye, generously douse your eye with cream, fatty milk or oil until it is gone from your eye. The essential oils stick to the fat and flush it out of your eye. (If you’re concerned about your eye after flushing definitely call your health care provider.)

Pure essential oils are almost always meant to be diluted. (The exceptions are Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)and Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)) Everything else needs to be diluted. People can develop a sensitization to essential oils which is a type of allergy that can cause itchy or red skin. The sensitivity can last a lifetime and one way to reduce the risk of this happening is to dilute the essential oils before putting them on your skin.(Some oils are not recommended for use because of the  high risk of dermal sensitization. See this article for more information:https://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety)

Dilute even more for children, pregnant women and elderly. A .25% dilution is a good place to start which is 1 drop of essential oil in 4 teaspoons of a carrier oil like coconut, olive or almond oil. There are many oils to avoid using with children and pregnant women. This website is a great resource to look up oils that are safe. http://www.learningabouteos.com (And I teach a class at The Birthplace about great essential oils to use for pregnancy and labor.)

My training as a Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner did not involve using essential oils internally. Apparently the multi-level marketing world of aromatherapy is promoting this on-line and people are being encouraged  take essential oils internally as a daily practice. But essential oils are very strong can be irritating to the skin and mucous membranes so I would not recommend it. Also, some essential oils have very strong antibacterial and antifungal properties, which could throw off the delicate balance of gut bacteria. Here are some more links that address this issue.