Essential oils have a multitude of uses. Essential oils are very potent, very concentrated, and very volatile. There are good things about essential oils and some safety issues to be aware of when using essential oils. This is where essential oil safety comes into consideration.
In this blog post I’m going to share with you all the safety issues you should be aware of when using essential oils. I’m not criticizing oils, because I love them and use them all the time, I’m just getting this safety information out there so I can perhaps save someone from some very unsafe practices.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Essential Oil Safety
Just to let you know, anytime I mention an essential oil I’ll be including the botanical name as well. It will be right after the common name of the essential oil and in italics. It important for essential oil safety to get used to seeing the botanical names. You want to make sure you are using the essential oil you are intending to use. Some have many different versions of the same essential oil.
Essential oils are very potent. It takes 8 pounds of lavender flowers to make one 15ml bottle of essential oil. This shows how concentrated that 15ml bottle of lavender essential oil can be. That is why it is so important to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil. More about this later.
What is my point? Basically, essential oils are so concentrated you don’t want to use them straight out of the bottle. There are considerations to take when using essential oils. Read on to see what the essential oil safety considerations are.
How An Essential Oil Is Diluted & Used Topically
Because essential oils are so potent and made with a large amount of plant matter, they contain large amounts of constituents, which is what they are made of. These constituents are what require us to dilute.
Dilution is simply adding a recommended number of drops to a certain amount of carrier oil. A carrier oil is a vegetable-based oil (not essential oil). Some essential oils have a high dilution, and some can have a low dilution. For instance, Peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil should be diluted to 5.4%. This would be approximately 7 drops of peppermint essential oil to 1 teaspoon carrier oil. Peppermint essential oil contains menthol, which can be irritating to the skin if used in a high concentration. Diluting it removes the possibility of adverse reactions.
Why do you dilute your essential oils in carrier oils? Because many essential oils can cause sensitization which is when to much, or to high of a dilution is used and causes skin irritations such as redness, rash, burns or blisters.
Another common reason to dilute would be to avoid phototoxicity, or what happens when some essential oils are exposed to the sun on the skin and result in redness, rash, burns or blisters. More about phototoxicity later.
Read the Ultimate Guide to Essential Oil Dilution.
Here are a few more reasons to dilute:
Essential Oil Safety Issues for Topical Use
Some essential oils may have drug interactions, either from using them internally (more about this later) or by inhaling them. When you use an essential oil topically you will be inhaling it as well.
You want to know if the essential oil you are using can interact with a medication that you are taking. Common medications that interact with essential oils are aspirin (should be avoided when using blood thinning essential oils such as cinnamon bark) and anti-depressants.
“Hot” or Warming Essential Oils Used on the Skin
There’s a small list of essential oils that are consider “hot” essential oils. This simply means that they can cause a warming or hot effect when applied topically to the skin. Improper dilution could result in skin issues such as redness, rash, burns, or blisters. “Hot” oils should never be used on children or elderly who have thin skin.
You can purchase the “Hot” Essential Oil Reference Guides on my Etsy shop HERE.
Essential Oils Used over Large Areas of Skin
For best therapeutic results, sometimes you want to apply essential oils over large areas of your skin, such as sore muscles in your back. You wouldn’t want to use an essential oil neat (full strength without dilution), first it may cause skin sensitization, and second it would be expensive!
Diluting essential oils in a carrier oil such as jojoba oil will allow a small amount of essential oils to be spread over large areas of your skin. You will get all the therapeutic benefits of the essential oils without causing any adverse reactions.
Using Essential Oils Safely on Children or Elderly
You should always dilute essential oils when using them on children. Their skin is immature and thin. The use of too much essential oil is sure to cause skin irritations. You also want to avoid using to high of dilution of essential oils on the elderly because they also have thinning skin. The recommended dilution rate for children and elderly is .25% to 1%.
It’s important to follow the maximum dermal limit for topical use to prevent sensitization. You can find the max topical dilution rates on my Essential Oil Reference Guides available for sale in my Etsy shop. Click HERE to visit my Etsy shop.
How Essential Oils Are Used with Children
Children are constantly growing, and their skin is no different. Their skin is delicate and soft compared to an average adult. So, it’s important to use essential oils in a way that won’t harm their developing bodies.
infants
Infants should never have essential oils applied topically as their skin is just too immature and thin. Infants should never inhale essential oils either. Their lungs are just too immature and are still developing and you wouldn’t want anything to get into the way of their growth.
Babies 6 months to 2 years
Babies 6 months to 2 years should only use essential oils in a worst-case scenario. This would be something like a bee sting or a minor burn and only for very short time use. The dilution rate you would use is .25%. This is 1 drop of essential oil to 4 teaspoons carrier oil. You certainly don’t want a child to ingest essential oils. More about ingesting essential oils further on.
2 years to 6 years
Ages 2 years and up have a little more wiggle room to use essential oils. Topically you should still use the rate of .25% until the age of 6 years. Inhalations is okay for this age, just remember that the essential oils still may be too strong for them. Diffuse for short periods of time and for a specific reason, such as diffusing cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)for congestion or Bulgarian lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) for calming your child down.
6 years and Up
Children ages 6 years and up can use a 1% dilution, which is one drop essential oil to one teaspoon carrier oil. Their immune system and skin have matured, while still developing, can use the essential oils for their intended purposes.
Not all essential oils are safe for kids. Eucalyptus, (Eucalyptus globulus), Peppermint and Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis ct cineole) can cause breathing difficulties in children and are not safe for children to be around them, both by topical use and inhalation. Other essential oils can be unsafe too. Please do your research before using any new essential oil on your children.
Phototoxic Essential Oils
Some essential oils are phototoxic, which means when some essential oils are applied to the skin and then exposed to sunlight, causing, you guessed it, redness, rashes, burns or blisters.
These light sensitive essential oils are usually citrus. Oils such as lemon, lime, bergamot, and grapefruit contain furanocoumarins (I know, a big ugly word) that react to the sun exposure. Using the proper dilution rate will avoid this reaction most often.
Lemon and Bergamot can be found both steam distilled and cold pressed extraction. Both are how the essential oil is extracted from the plant matter. Steam distilled essential oils are not phototoxic. Check your bottle or with the manufacturer to see if your bottle is steam distilled.
Some Essential Oils have Contraindication
We spoke briefly of some essential oils having drug interactions. These are not the only concerns to be aware of. Some essential oils are blood thinning and should be avoided by people who are taking aspirin or on blood thinners. Many other drugs can interact with essential oils too. Be aware if you ingest any drug metabolized by CYP2B6, CYP2D6, CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2E1, or CYP3A4 can have interactions. These are all enzymes that interact with certain essential oils.
Other drugs include hormone replacement therapy medication, oral contraceptives, progesterone therapy medications, pethidine, MAOIs and SSRIs, as well as some diabetes medications. If you are concerned, please contact your medical professional. I am not a doctor, just someone with an interest in essential oils and being aware of a contraindication with them.
Other contraindications include interactions with people who have endometriosis, estrogen-dependent cancers, GERD, cholestasis, G6PD deficiencies, cardiac fibrillation, salicylate sensitivity, and epilepsy. Again, please contact your medical professional if you are concerned or have any questions.
Another thing to note, is that many essential oils should not be used before or after surgery, many of which are also blood thinners. Some of these include cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum verum), patchouli (Pogostemon cablin), and clove (Eugenia caryophyllata).
If Essential Oils Should Be Ingested
Ingesting essential oils is a very controversial topic. There are those that are die hard for it and die hard against it. I personally will never ingest essential oils. There are to many conditions to take into consideration. For instance, all those CYP### enzymes can have serious side effects if you ingest certain drugs. Ingesting essential oils are hard on your liver and kidneys.
Essential oils are fat soluble which means they connect with fat substances which is literally lining your esophagus, stomach lining and inside your intestines. Essential oils will eat away at this fat substance causing pain and discomfort.
Several essential oils are carcinogenic (possible cancer causing). Again, I am not a doctor, if you are concerned or have any questions please consult with your medical professional. I am sharing this information with you for educational and informational purposes only.
How an Essential Oil is Stored
Storage may not seem like something to be concerned about when it comes to essential oils, but it is. This is especially important if you have kids and pets. You don’t want your children or pets getting into your essential oil stash. Most essential oils do not have a child proof cap, so you risk your child possibly drinking the essential oils or getting it into their eyes, nose or ears. All which host potential health problems.
You want to store your essential oils in a cool, dark place away from kids and dogs.
How Essential Oils Are Inhaled and Diffused
Essential oils have many wonderful properties and benefits. Most often inhalation is the safest, fastest way to get to those benefits. However, inhaling 24/7 can certainly have some risks and side effects.
Diffusers are not meant to be run all day long. It is recommended to alternate time on and off. Usually, 15-30 minutes on and 15-30 minutes off. Too much inhalation can cause difficulty breathing, allergy like symptoms, coughing, dizziness, headache or even nausea.
Read my post on How to Enjoy Diffusing Essential Oils.
Using Essential Oils while Pregnant or Breastfeeding
Many essential oils are unsafe for pregnant and/or breastfeeding mothers. It’s important to know what oils you are using and if they are safe for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
Some that are unsafe are carrot seed (Daucus carota), cassia (Cinnamomum cassia), myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) and oregano (Origanum vulgare). Again, if you are concerned or have questions, please consult with your health care professional.
Using Essential Oils Around Dogs and Cats
In my family pets are almost like children. They are family. I want what is safe for them as well. Many essential oils are unsafe for dogs and all essential oils are unsafe for cats. Cats cannot process the essential oils in their systems as they lack a certain enzyme. Dogs, however, can tolerate some essential oils.
Please read my posts about dog safe essential oils. Some oils that are unsafe for dogs are any of the fir, pine or spruce essential oils, copaiba (Copaifera officinalis), and clove (Eugenia caryophyllata).
Here are the posts for dog safe essential oils.
Five Outstanding Kid and Dog Safe Diffuser Blends
15 Dog Safe Essential Oils and Five Diffuser Blends
More Kid Safe Diffuser Blends That Your Dog Can Enjoy Too
Using Essential Oils In Your Bath Water
Oil and water don’t mix. So, adding essential oils in your bath water is just allowing your oils to float on top of the water in concentrated clumps. As we know, using essential oils straight, without diluting can be a problem for your skin. It can cause redness, rash, burns or blisters. Especially if you use a “hot” oil or other oil with a low topical max.
Fortunately there are some easy and fast ways to add oils to your bath water safely. Please read the following post all about using essential oils in your bath water. How To Use Essential Oils In Your Bath Water.
Choosing a Quality Essential Oil Brand
Not all essential oils are created equally. This means that some company may say they are essential oils but in fact are filled with chemicals and “fragrance” oils. You don’t want to put these on your skin to be absorbed by your body. There are many factors to consider when purchasing your essential oils. They include if they are pure oils (no added fillers), if they are bottled and labeled properly, if the company provides a GC/MS testing report from a 3rd party testing source, the extraction method used and more. Please read my post on how to choose a quality essential oil. The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Quality Essential Oils.
Essential oils are not monitored by the FDA and companies can put whatever they want on the bottles, so it’s important to do your research and learn all you can about the essential oil company you are or will be purchasing from.
A company I trust, and use is Plant Therapy. They off 100% pure essential oils, with the GC/MS reports right on their website. A good company will provide all the pertinent information for you to choose a great quality essential oil.
Wrapping it Up
Essential oil safety is not to be taken lightly. However, my intention is not to scare people either. Using essential oils safely will not only keep you from getting hurt but will also provide you with a great source to help treat most ailments you may have without the use of modern medicine.
Please note that I am not a doctor, simply a person trying to educate and inform people about the safe use of essential oils. If you have any questions about using essential oils while on medications, or with medical conditions please consult with your medical professional.
Visit my Etsy shop for essential oil reference guides that will tell you all you need to know about essential oils, diffuser blend recipes and more! Click HERE!
This information is intended to educate and inform. Please do not replace this information with the advice and guidance from a doctor. This information is not intended to treat, prevent, diagnose or cure any disease. Please consult your health care professional if you have any questions.
Sources:
Lea Jacobson from www. leajocobson.com
Purchon, N and Cantele (2014) The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness. Robert Rose, Inc.
Tisserand, R and Young, (2014) Essential Oil Safety, 2ed. Churchill Livingstone