Use
Caution with Essential Oils
by
Harvest McCampbell
Essential
oils are the very concentrated oils produced by plants. Always store
these strong-scented oils away from children or pets. Some of these
oils can cause mild, chemical-type burns if applied directly to the
skin. Others might not bother the skin, but a drop not washed off
a fingertip that is then used to rub one’s eye or touch another
sensitive area can cause a painful reaction, sometimes even many hours
later.
Before
increasing amounts of essential oils in any product for use on clients
or for sale, I strongly recommend reading Victoria Edwards’
book, The Aromatherapy Companion.
Most
sources of pure essential oils sell them with dropper tops of one
type or another. If the essential oils you buy do not come with
dropper tops you might consider investing in a few eye-droppers.
This way you can add essential oils to your lotions and oils without
coming into direct contact with them.
Should
you spill some undiluted essential oil on yourself or on the outside
of the container, wash it off as soon as possible. This will reduce
the possibility of accidentally transferring the oils to other surfaces
or parts of your or your client’s body. Liquid castille soap
is the best to use for this purpose, but any liquid hand soap or
dish soap can be used.
I
squeeze a small amount of undiluted soap right onto my skin or the
container, work it around to absorb all the essential oil and then
wash it off with lots of cool water. After drying my skin or the
container, I check to make sure all the essential oil has been removed.
The surface should no longer feel oily and the fragrance should
be slight. If not, repeat the process with the liquid soap.
Choose
from:
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