It is no secret that essential oil and aromatherapy is increasingly becoming mainstream, and you may have start using them in subtle ways – for instance, adding a few drops to your bedroom to promote relaxation, or buying a diffusing necklace. There is so much of the essential oil world to explore, as the website www.aromatechscent.com will show you.
When used in the correct way, the oils are very relaxing and refreshing. However, that does not mean they are completely harmless. While they are natural and offer you an alternative solution to the stresses and ailments we face today, they are still manufactured. The human body (or anything else, for that matter) is not meant to interact directly with them, as they can cause significant damage.
For this reason, you must know safe handling techniques before you even purchased or use them. Read on for some mistakes you should avoid.
Ignoring how powerful they are
The truth remains that essential oils are very powerful, and they will hurt you badly if you fail to use them correctly. Many people have used them carelessly before and suffered major consequences, such as suffering from burns after the oil spilled on their skin.
That does not mean you should fear using the oils – it just means you must be smart. Part of that involves knowing these oils are powerful enough to even trigger allergic reactions and asthma, so make sure to tell your doctor if you have a medical condition and plan to use them.
This is even more important if you have pets, are pregnant or breastfeeding. Because medical research is not exactly clear on the effects these oils have on animals, babies, young children (especially under 5 years old) and fetuses, it is important to avoid using them entirely until you check in with your doctor or the vet in the case of pets.
Using the oils in their concentrated form
There is a reason why essential oils are so costly, yet come in small packages – you must never use more than a few drops at a time. Their effects are powerful enough to use in very small quantities, but you must still dilute them before use because they are dangerous when concentrated. In addition, you never really know how your body will respond to the oil; you might sneeze or get an allergic reaction.
The use of essential oils requires you to dilute them until they are safe for use, as the aim is reducing their potency. When diluting essential oils, always use neutral oils (also known as carrier oils) that include jojoba, coconut, vegetable or almond oils (avoid water though, because water and oil never mix).Again, one mistake you should not make is assuming diffusion and dilution are the same, since you can still use a diffuser and the oil particles will burn you if they are undiluted.
As a general rule, the standard dilution rate is 2%, which means for each ounce of carrier oil, you use 12 drops of essential oil. If the oil is to be used on sensitive areas of the body such as your face or underarms, the strength of the essential oil should be at a strength of 1% or less.
Setting yourself up for spills to occur, yet you lack a clean-up escape plan
It is not abnormal for an accident to happen, but when using an essential oil – you must take your safety very seriously. The diffuser must always be out of dangerous positions or situations, like young children, pets, fires or places where you move a lot like next to your bed. The more prone it is to spills, the more it can cause injuries to you or other people.
In case the unfortunate happens and you have oil spills, there must always be a plan to deal with it – and it must never be water. In case it lands on the skin, have you carrier oil nearby, which will reduce the burning, and then you can use water and soap to wash it off.
Leaving your diffuser on the entire day
It is completely understandable that you want your home to smell amazing, but even the good things have a limit – and it is very possible to overdo exposure to these oils.
Instead of leaving on your diffuser for so many hours, turn it off after half an hour to an hour before turning it on again. This will also depend on other factors though, such as the settings on the diffuser itself – in some instances, you might find the oil treats the air very quickly in a very short time, so you can turn it off then.
Another factor to consider is the space of the room, as you do not want the scent to be overpowering (it can even make you sick and suffocated).
Choosing sub-par products
If you are searching for an essential oil to use, you cannot go picking substandard varieties. The best way to do it is looking through the relevant aisle in a grocery or health food store.
As a rule, begin with searching for organic oils, since these are the least likely to experience tampering during the production process, like mixing unwanted oils or scents in them. The next step is opening the bottles, which gives you the scent you like the most (this will be a matter of pure preference though).
When you are shopping for a diffuser, you need one that sprays a very fine mist – the last thing you want is drenching your room. It also needs to be of very high-quality material, so that it does not erode (that means no plastics). As a general rule, the bottle to use as a diffuser should be glass, and have a tinted color (like an amber color) to prevent reaction of the oil with light rays.
Final thoughts
You must handle essential oils with care, as they are just like any other chemical that can cause harm when you become careless with them.