Safety

 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.

Essential Oils Toxicity and Risk

Safety Data: Always check with specific safety data before using a new essential oil, especially with regard to toxicity levels, photo-toxicity, dermal irritation and sensitization.

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.          

Important Notes

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.

Pregnancy

§ No Essential Oils are to be used topically in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Most Aroma therapist’s, advise not using oils during the first trimester -3 months of pregnancy.

DO NOT ingest oils during pregnancy.

Only a trained Aromatherapist should advise on use of oils during pregnancy.

Take a note of which oils are contra-indicated during pregnancy.

Abortifacient – an agent capable of inducing abortion, so not safe during pregnancy.

Some Abortifacient oils are: Mugwort, Parsley Seed, Pennyroyal, Rue, Sassafras, Savin, Thuja, Wild Tansy and Wormwood.

Emmenagogue – an agent that promotes and regulates menstrual flow, so not safe during pregnancy.

Some Emmenagogue oils -  Basil, Carrot seed, Cedar wood, German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile, Sweet Fennel, Juniper, Peppermint, Lavender, Lemongrass, Marjoram, Myrrh, Parsley, Rose, Rosemary, Peppermint, Tarragon, Clary Sage, Hyssop.