General Guidelines,
Contra-indications.
The
following are just general guidelines on safety and contra-indications.
I would
recommend that people who are operating a business or a health care
professional obtain a copy of:- “The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy” by Salvartore
Battaglia, which is an excellent and comprehensive manual for the study of
aromatherapy and oils as it covers chemistry, individual oils, setting up a
business etc. and much more. The copy I have contains 602 pages of information. It was the
main manual I had to purchase when studying aromatherapy.
Young
Living Essential Oils have their “Essential Oils Desk Reference Guide” which it is
advisable to purchase for distributors of Young Living Essential oil products and they also have a “Essential Oil
User’s Guide Booklet” that also tells
you in a simple format how to use essential oils and includes an application chart
and information on their colour coded safety labeling method.
Disclaimer : For treatment of health ailments, please
seek diagnosis and recommendations from a licensed practitioner or your
qualified health care provider.
Young
Living Essential Oils -Young
Living's essential oils are guaranteed pure, unadulterated and
therapeutic-grade, and meet the highest world standards.
General
1. Do not use essential oils near or on eyes. If you get
oils into your eye – wash eye for 5 minutes with clear tepid water. If stinging
still exists, seek medical attention.
2. Do not pour essential oils directly into the ears.
3. Make sure the essential oils are therapeutic and
organic, if possible. Do not use synthetic or adulterated oils for healing or
therapeutic or medicinal or internal purposes.
4. Always read essential oils labels and cautions and
warnings before use.
5. Keep essential oils away from mucous membranes.
6. People with allergies should test a small amount of oil
on an area of sensitive skin, such as the inside of the upper arm, for 30
minutes, before applying the oil on other areas of the body.
7. Direct inhalation of essential oils can be a deep and
intensive application method, particularly for respiratory congestion and
illness. However, this method should not be used more than 10 - 15 times
through the day without consulting a health professional. Also, inhalation of
essential oils is NOT recommended for those with asthma
conditions.
8. Essential Oils should be stored away from harsh lighting
or sun, in a cool dark area away from heat. They should be stored in amber,
blue or opaque containers/bottles, not transparent/clear bottles or containers.
9. Do not leave bottles uncapped, as they are highly
volatile and evaporate easily.
10. Essential oils may be refrigerated to extend shelf life.
11. Essential oils are highly flammable, so keep away from
open flames and candles, sparks etc.
12. Keep all essential oils out of reach of children and
pets.
13. Try not to use plastic containers for essential oils as
plastics can contaminate oil. Glass is preferable.
1.Use less essential oil rather than more. There are approximately 333 drops in a 15ml of essential oil and
approximately 111 drops in a 5ml bottle of Young Living Essential oils
2. Do not take essential oils internally. However
some Young Living products are taken in capsule form so the company consider
these to be safe. Personally I feel you need a lot of knowledge about the
chemical background of oils and their affects to take them internally and the
affect they have on the bodies internal organs. So on this blog I do not
recommend taking oils internally.
3. Makes sure the bottles have the restrictive flow
stopper.
4. Do not use undiluted on skin. Although again there
are exceptions according to the aroma therapist’s knowledge.
5. Do not use more than 1 - 3 drops of undiluted essential
oils directly to bath water. If more essential oil is desired, mix the oil
first into bath salts or a bath gel base before adding to the bath water.
Generally, never use more than 10 drops of essential oils in one bath. When
essential oils are put directly into bath water without a dispersing agent,
they can cause serious discomfort on sensitive skin because the essential oils
tend to float, undiluted, on top of the water. Cited: Young Living Desk
Reference. 2008.
Children
Keep
essential oils away from children and in a safe place.
Essential
oils which are rich in menthol ( such as peppermint) should not be used on the
throat area of children under 18 months
of age.
Use with care, in accordance with age Babies (0-12
months); Use 1 drop of lavender, rose, chamomile diluted in 10ml base oil
for massage or bathing
Infants: (1-5 years);
Use 2-3 drops of safe essential oils (non-toxic and
non-irritant to the skin,) diluted in 10ml base oil for massage or bathing.
Children: (6-12);
Use as for adults, but in half the stated amounts.
Teenagers: Use as directed for adults.
I will speak more about dosages on the “Blending” page of
this blog.
Asthma
Do not directly inhale essential oils if you suffer from
Asthma. Do not use essential oils during an asthma attack. When you are
well, essential oils may be used as a preventive against asthma.
Epilepsy:
Some essential oils may induce an epileptic attack in people
who suffer from epilepsy. Some epileptic inducing oils are: Hyssop,
Mugwort, Sage, Thuga, Wormwood, Rosemary, (do not take internally if prone to
epilepsy) Fennel, Camphor (white),
Lavandin, Lavandula stoechas, Lavender Cotton, Peppermint, Rue, Sage
(Dalmation), Sage (Spanish), Spike Lavender, Yarrow. (Tisserand and Balacs)
Citrus Oils:
Citrus oils can be photo-toxic, so cause the skin to suffer
from sunburn more easily, so do not go out into direct sunlight or use a
sunlamp for 12 hours after using citrus oils on the skin. For Angelica and Lime
oils, wait 24 hours and for Bergamot oil wait 48 hours before going out in
direct sunlight.
Some photo-toxic essential oils are:
Bergamot, Lime, Lemon, Bitter Orange, Angelica Root, Cumin,
Rue, Opoponax, Grapefruit, and Sweet Orange. Angelica, bergamot, grapefruit,
lemon, orange, tangerine, and other citrus oils are photosensitive and may
cause a rash or dark pigmentation on skin exposed to direct sunlight or UV rays
within 1 - 2 days after application. The exceptions according to Battaglia- The
Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (2002,) are: Mandarin, Neroli and Tangerine
which are non toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitising.
Clary Sage:
Do not use Clary
Sage if you are going out and drinking alcohol. It is too euphoric.
Hyper Sensitivity:
Some people are very sensitive to the smell of essential
oils, as well as their application on the skin. Always ask whether the person,
whether they are particularly sensitive or suffer allergies.
