Essential Oil Safety

Are they safe?

There are certain oils that are photosensitive, meaning you don’t want to wear them and go outside. These are mostly citrus oils, like Grapefruit, Lemon, etc. 

When using on your skin, always watch for redness and dilute with a carrier oil. Dilute oils on children, because their skin is more permeable and absorbs the oils more quickly. What is a carrier oil? It’s a fatty oil like olive oil or coconut oil, and its molecules are much larger than those of essential oils. Using a carrier oil with an essential oil slows down the rate the body can absorb the essential oil, because it has to ping pong through the large molecules of the carrier oil to get into your skin. 

Be wary of putting oils topically near your eyes. Some oils, like Peppermint, can cause a burning sensation. If you are placing an oil near your eye, apply the oil to a Q-tip instead of tipping the bottle towards your face. 

You can become desensitized to an oil if you use the same one day after day, so I rotate my oils every three to four days.

What about internal use of essential oils? The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), one of the top aromatherapy school in the United States, doesn’t advocate essential oils for internal use. Why? Most oil companies don’t carry GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) essential oils. But Young Living oils are GRAS certified and approved for internal use, just like a food additive. To check out the validity of GRAS oils yourself, go directly to the primary source-the FDA website.  The vitality oils, or ones with the white labels, are ones that are safe for internal use.

NAHA also bases a lot of their decisions on the British model, which advocates topical use only. Many of the British studies are flawed, for example, done at extremely high doses or in ways the oils aren’t used like pouring a bottle inside the body. 

Young Living utilizes all three methods of Aromatherapy: British, French, and German. The french have been safely using essential oils internally for decades. You have been consuming essential oils for most of your life-when you chew gum or put Oregano in your pasta sauce. The key using essential oils internally is to make sure you’re checking the labels first. Are they GRAS certified? Young Living’s vitality line has distinctive white labels, so you can easily recognize which oils are approved for internal use. 

My daughter Emma is allergic to Lavender. Do you know how many public places use lavender soap in their dispensers? A LOT!!!!! But she can use Young Living’s lavender. We think it is all the fillers, chemicals, and synthetic lavender that she is allergic to. 

Start “low and slow” When you first start using essential oils, you should begin with just a few drops of oil, 1 or 2,. You can always add more if you feel you need it. We diffuse all day every day in our home, but we didn’t always—when you’re first introducing oils, you may want to diffuse for 30 minutes to an hour then give it a rest, & turn it back on later. I generally use about 6-8 drops of essential oil in my diffuser, as we have a big open floor plan & I love smelling the oils all through out. Typically just 5-6 drops will give you the therapeutic benefits you’re looking for in an average sized room without wasting.

Safety Tips

1. When storing essential oils (EOs), it's important to keep them in a cool, dark place with lids tightly closed (and always out of reach of children). You'll also want to keep carrier oils (like coconut, olive, vitamin e, sweet almond oil, etc.) on hand for dilution. Always use and store EOs in glass containers, especially when drinking them in water, since most plastic products contain chemicals that can be broken down by the oil. 
2. Most EOs are generally safe for use during pregnancy, but need to be used with common sense. As with any health program, you may want to consult with a health care professional beforehand. A great resource is the book Gentle Babies. 
3. Citrus oils are photosensitive and when applied to skin (that is exposed to UV rays or direct sunlight within 1-2 days after application), they may cause a rash or dark pigmentation on skin. 
4. Keep EOs away from eyes and never put them directly into the ears. Should irritation or accidental contact with eyes occur, never use water to clear the EO (they are not water-soluble). Instead use a V6 vegetable oil complex or other carrier oil (such as coconut oil or sweet almond oil) to cleanse the area and reduce discomfort. 
5. Epileptics and people with high blood pressure should use extra caution when using EOs with high ketones like basil, rosemary, sage, or tansy. 
6. For people with allergies or sensitive skin, it's best to test a small area (like the inside of the upper arm) then wait 30 minutes before applying to other areas. In general, the bottoms of the feet are safe for topical application. 
7. Direct inhalation (not the same as diffusing) can be a deep and intensive application method, particularly for respiratory congestion and illness. This method should not be used more than 10-15 times throughout the day without first consulting a health care professional. 
8. When adding EOs to bath water, start with 1-3 drops first mixed with Epsom salt to help disperse the oil. Never use more than 10 drops in one bath. If a dispersing agent is not used, serious discomfort can be caused because the oil tends to float undiluted on top of the water. 
9. Young Living states right on the bottles if an oil is able to be consumed as a food additive. DO NOT use any Essential Oil internally that is not specifically indicated for that purpose. 

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