What are essential oils, and are they safe?

The aromatic use of plants has been something people have benefitted from since as early as 5000 bc, and essential oils have been around since the late 1800’s. But in the most recent years, aromatherapy and the use of essential oils have become a popular topic, especially for people looking to find more natural ways to improve their health and wellness.

So, what exactly is an essential oil? Well, it’s fundamentally the essence of a plant, the very core of what the plant is. The two most common ways to make an essential oil is through steam distillation and cold pressing. Both of these processes remove the aromatic components from the plant, and then turn it into liquid. There are other methods as well, but these two are used the most often.

It actually takes a lot of plant material in order to make one bottle of essential oil, so essential oils are very potent, which brings me to my next topic. Are essential oils safe? I might surprise some people with this, but essential oils can be dangerous depending on how you use them.

Now, before you freak out, let me explain. First, just because something comes from nature does NOT make it automatically safe. You wouldn’t want to use poison ivy in a baking recipe, right? Nature gives us such wonderful things, but like everything, we need to do our research to make sure we are being safe with what we are using.

Since essential oils are a very concentrated version of the plant they came from they can have some safety concerns. Examples of these are: skin irritation, respiratory problems, phototoxicity, and in some cases they can even cause drug interactions. Knowing which essential oils can have these reactions is important to use them safely around yourself and your family. But here are some general rules to help guide you while you do your research!

1. Dilute your essential oils in a carrier oil when applying topically. Because essential oils are potent, it’s important to dilute them down for our skin. This doesn’t mean you are making them less effective. Using a carrier oil when applying topically actually makes the essential oils spread more easily to your skin, while also allowing your skin to soak up the benefits. Diluting also allows you to use less of your essential oil, which makes your bottle last longer!

• Depending on the situation, how old someone is, and if there are any skin issues present is how you determine how much to dilute. My general rule is 1% for children ages 2-3, 1%-2% for children 3 and older, and 3% for adults. There are some cases when a higher dilution of maybe 5% would be necessary, such as for short term pain relief, but that would be for adults only.

2. Use intermittent settings when diffusing essential oils. Our bodies can become sensitized to essential oils if we are using them too often in a short amount of time. Turning on your diffuser in the morning, and letting it run all day without a break, won’t allow your body to receive as many benefits, and may cause adverse reactions.

• I recommend diffusing for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, or 15 minutes on, 30 minutes off for 1-3 hours. This allows your body to reset, and allows the essential oils to be more effective. This will also help you determine if you are having any breathing reactions to certain oils and discontinue use.

3. DO NOT ingest essential oils. This one is going to give me some push back I’m sure, but I am strongly against ingesting essential oils without consulting with a Certified Aromatherapist. Essential oils are very concentrated and can be extremely toxic if ingested without proper dilution and consideration.

• If you are wanting to get the therapeutic benefit from a certain plant internally, I suggest talking to an herbalist and finding a tincture that would fit your needs. It will be more effective and safer for you!

Finding reputable sources to learn more about essential oils can be difficult, but that’s why I am here to help! Some of my favorite companies offer a ton of resources about safety and therapeutic benefits of essential oils! I highly suggest looking at Plant Therapy and Jade Bloom to learn more. And as always, I am happy to answer your questions and help any way I can! :)

*The Plant Therapy and Jade Bloom links above are affiliate links. If you would like to shop with them, I earn a small portion back, at no extra cost to you! :)