Safety also depends on how you use them.  Most uses are safe.  However, there are some guidelines you should follow in certain situations.

For example, when using a hot or spicy oil such as Cinnamon or Oregon, especially on a child, you should always dilute to avoid discomfort.

Oils such as certain citrus oils may cause irritation when applied topically in direct sunlight, this is called photosensitivity.

Whether essential oils should be taken internally is a controversial topic.  For the most part it depends on what essential oil we are taking and in what quantity.  If the essential oils is pure from a trusted source, you can consult the product guide or other trusted source to see if it recommended to take internally.  I have been taking essential oils internally for years.  I consider it as safe.  You should also be aware of possible interaction with prescription drugs.  You doctor, pharmacist, or chemist should know what to do.

If you are pregnant or nursing, you should seek some guidance before using essential oils.  There are books on the subject and you can always ask your medical professional.  We have used essential oils in pregnancy and we consider them not only safe, but necessary for a healthy pregnancy.  Essential oils used in pregnancy can provide great relief for the mother as the use of drugs is generally restricted.  Essential oils can cross the placenta and enter the fetus, so any essential oils you use should be diluted and used in smaller amounts as if you are already caring for your infant.  This is a topic for another discussion.

Essential oils are safe for children and babies.  Dilute when necessary and only use small doses until you are comfortable with the amount of use.

Putting essential oils in plastic containers may deteriorate the plastics.  This is especially true with citrus oils.  We always use glass to store and use essential oils, such as a glass drinking bottle.  Remember this when you are cleaning.  Some essential oils may remove or damage varnished or plastic surfaces.

The best advice in this area is to use a test patch.  Start with a little and when that is successful you can increase use.  Always start with one drop.

If you research essential oils online, you will get many different opinions – even amongst medical professionals.

Many of these articles are talking about the cheap, synthetically produced essential oils you can buy for $5 of the shelf at the grocery store.  They are toxic.  Unfortunately that is cause for concern and caution.

Naturally, there is some confusion in the world about the safety of essential oils.

Let’s look at a few of these.

The first clipping here is from an online article about essential oil safety.  Generally if the bottle says dangerous, it is not a therapeutic essential oil and should only be used for cleaning.  I wouldn’t use it at all.  It’s like trying to eat plastic fruit—it’s not intended for ingestion.

Here is an excerpt from an article in Woman’s Day.  The article warns people against taking essential oils internally, applying directly to the skin, and using with medications.  Remember most of the essential oils out there are synthetic and meant to be used for aromatherapy in much the same way as scented candles.  Unless you would eat a scented candle, chew on an air freshener, or spray aerosol air fresheners directly into your mouth, you would likely do well to avoid the toxic synthetically produced cheap essential oils out there.

There really should be some type of regulation in this area because there are some wonderfully excellent essential oils out there that have tremendous benefits and are changing the lives of people every day.  And the bottles all say 100% pure.  I guess, technically, it’s not deceptive, but you need to be informed here to avoid the problems addressed by these articles.

The core problem is that there are SO MANY DIFFERENT GRADES of essential oils.  These articles are talking about the LOW GRADE ESSENTIAL OILS that are dangerous to use.   The more research you do, the more this will be so very obvious.

When there is such a large divide among what people are saying, you suspect something is amiss.  The explanation here is that they are not talking about the same things.

If you think of it, these articles cannot possible be referring to the essential oils that I know and love.  I have been using essential oils (at the time of this recording) for over 6 years.  They have brought nothing but health, life, vitality, and a profound increase in wellness.  I personally know thousands of people who use essential oils almost exclusively, take them internally, use them while they are pregnant, and rave about the wonderful benefits of what they use.

There are over three million users of the type of essential oils I use, and I can guarantee you that they all use them in the same way I do and they love them and many of them can’t help but share them.  The usage statistics support this belief.  It’s like this profound news story that everyone needs to know.  Mothers everywhere are experiencing this profound sense of empowerment, knowing they have the very tools they have wanted all along to care for simple ailments in the home.

Schools are now using essential oils in the classroom for cleaning and to enhance learning.  Gyms are using essential oils for sanitizing and improving training results.  Restaurants are using essential oils to set the mood and purify the air.  Businesses are using essential oils to lift moral and improve productivity.  Doctors and hospitals are using essential oils with patients and even in surgery.

So, why are there articles on the internet saying negative things about essential oils?

Because the internet is open to everyone it is difficult to educate people on the difference between poor quality scented synthetic oils and the very best and most pure essential oils.  If you are advising people generally, you are only safe to assume people are using the lower grades of essential oils—because the majority of oils out there are synthetically produced.  And ignorance—not everyone is fully informed, most of these articles simply copy and paste from other ill-informed articles online (sometimes verbatim).  And advising people to avoid the unknown lowers your exposure to liability in a risk adverse world.  Yet there is some good in those “warning articles”.

There need to be warnings out there like these articles.  It is just unfortunate that synthetic essential oils you find in toxic smelly air fresheners are put into the same basket as the pure therapeutic essential oils my family enjoys and uses every day.

What we are talking about here in these videos only have reference to the ABSOLUTE pure therapeutic grade essential oil—the best in the world.

Safety also depends on how you use them.  Pure therapeutic essential oils are safe.

There are some guidelines you should follow in some situations:

For example, when using a hot or spicy oil such as Cinnamon or Oregon, especially on a child, you should always dilute to avoid discomfort.

Oils such as certain citrus oils may cause irritation when applied topically in direct sunlight—just be aware of that

Whether essential oils should be taken internally is a controversial topic.  For the most part it depends on what essential oil we are taking and in what quantity.  If the essential oils is pure from a trusted source, you can consult the product guide or other trusted source to see if it recommended to take internally.  I have been taking essential oils internally for years.  They are not only safe, but I attribute the quality of my health to some essential oils I have taken internally.  You should also be aware of possible interaction with prescription drugs.  You doctor, pharmacist, or chemist should know what to do.  Seek out a professional with knowledge of essential oils, who can inform you.

If you are pregnant or nursing, you should seek some guidance before using essential oils.  There are books on the subject and you can always ask your medical professional.  We have used essential oils in pregnancy and we consider them very safe and even necessary for an optimum healthy pregnancy.  This, however, is a topic for another discussion.

Essential oils are safe for children and babies.  Dilute when necessary.

Putting essential oils in plastic containers may deteriorate the plastics.  This is especially true with citrus oils.  We always use glass to store and use essential oils, such as a glass drinking bottle.  Remember this when you are cleaning.  Some essential oils may remove or damage varnished or plastic surfaces.

The best advice in this area is to use a test patch.  Start with a little and when that is successful you can increase use.  Always start with one drop.

Just because something comes from nature doesn’t mean that it is safe or even good for you.  We are all familiar with noxious weeds and poisonous frogs. But, can essential oils be toxic or cause allergies or reactions?

 

Allergens agree that technically, you cannot be allergic to pure therapeutic essential oils because there are no proteins in essential oils.  Allergies are immune responses to proteins, peptides, and amino acids—none of which are found in essential oils.  It is possible, but extremely rare, for essential oils to combine with proteins which may lead to a temporary allergic reaction or something similar to it.  If you suspect that happening, use the solutions we will discuss momentarily and you will be okay.   However, because essential oils are up to 1000 times smaller than proteins and contain no amino acids you cannot technically be allergic to the essential oil itself.  An example of this is people who are allergic to Black Pepper experience no reaction when using Black Pepper essential oil.  The distillation process has removed everything but the essential oil compounds.

 

Skin irritations and adverse reactions are possible, but they are very exceedingly rare.  The factors that involved in adverse reactions are as follows:

First-inherent toxicity — most of the essential oils on the market are synthetically produced either wholly or partly.  However, there are some pure therapeutic brands.  As a rule of thumb, you get what you pay for.  If you buy your essential oil of the shelf in a shop or at a much lower price point, generally speaking you have a much lower quality essential oil—do not take internally, expect much therapeutic benefit, or expect to be free of adverse reactions.  You may need to use some of the world’s best and purest essential oils to alleviate whatever harm these low grade essential oils cause.

Secondly-the degree of exposure.  More is not better.  See our video about therapeutic benefit range and essential oil dosage.  You cannot overdose on essential oils.  But again, if you are using a lower quality essential oil (which I would never do), having more of it will definitely cause a reaction.

Third, the spiciness of the essential oil.  This is not necessarily an adverse reaction.  Good quality essential oils are very potent and concentrated.  Oils like oregano or cinnamon should seem very spicy to anyone.  Simply dilute.

The fourth factor is the individual person—different people have different bodies and we all react differently.  What affects one person may not affect another.  It could be due to your personal biological chemistry or some emotional reaction.

Lastly, detoxification.  Many essential oils have some detoxifying or cleansing properties.  As your body releases toxins, these toxins must exit the body.  Hopefully, you body filters these toxins in the kidney and excretes them through the urine.  Toxins can also be excreted your hair, nails, or skin.  You skin can act as a second kidney.  Not all toxins, but some can be excreted through sweat-glands in your skin, which could cause an allergic reaction.  If this is the cause of your reaction (especially if you are detoxing), just allow time for the toxins to exit.

 

There are some very simple solutions if you ever encounter any of these exceedingly rare adverse reactions:

First, use a pure essential oil instead.  The number one cause of adverse reactions is the brand of essential oils you are using.  This is why, at the moment, I only trust one brand on the market.

Second, just try to dilute the essential oil.  Doctors find that this is the most effective method of reducing adverse reactions (http://tisserandinstitute.org/essential-oils-and-the-detox-theory/)

Third, do a patch test.  Test a very small amount or a certain area of skin to see if that oil is the cause of the reaction.  This only works if you keep everything else in your life constant.  You should ask yourself if you are using any new personal care products.  You will be surprised how many products on the market contain small amounts of toxins.

Fourth, many essential oils share some qualities—simply stop using that particular essential oil and use a different essential oil with a similar quality.  This is one of the awesome things about essential oils.

Fifth, try using the essential oil in another way.  The reaction may only have to do with the skin.  I have heard a Medical Doctor say that people who have an adverse reaction from topical application generally don’t experience that same reaction for aromatic or internal application.  If you want to try a different method, start small.

 

Remember adverse reactions to pure therapeutic essential oils are exceedingly rare.  The benefits of essential oil use in general far outweigh any rare adverse reaction.  The alternative (synthetic remedies) have far worse and sometimes irreversible adverse reactions.

 

If you are one of these rare people that experience an adverse reaction, please don’t give up on essential oils.  Your life and your health will be so much better using these wonderful natural remedies.  The solutions suggested above will solve every adverse reaction you could ever experience.  And your life will be better by returning to a natural environment.

 

In some cases you may need to seek advice from a medical professional.  There are some wonderfully qualified medical professionals out there who use essential oils every day.  Unfortunately there are still some doctors who are not aware of all of the options available to you, so these doctors will not be able to competently inform you about essential oil usage without additional study on their part.  Seek out a doctor who has some knowledge and personal experience with essential oils.  They will likely tell you what I have just told you.