Common Scents

Essential oils are very safe as long as you follow some common sense rules!  Here are some important ones.

1. A little bit goes a long way… Essential oils are totally powerful, and you don’t need much. I always start with one drop and go from there. This reduces the chance you’ll have a negative reaction to the oil, and makes those precious bottles stretch even further.

2. When in doubt, dilute! It never hurts to use a carrier oil (aka a fatty vegetable oil such as olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, etc) when you apply your oils. In fact, some of the “hotter” oils should always be used with a carrier oil. These hot oils include peppermint, oregano, cinnamon, and cassia, among others. A 2% dilution is often recommended for normal use (that’s 2 drops of essential oil in 1 teaspoon of carrier oil), although I will sometimes use a more concentrated solution in some instances.

3. Avoid the eyes… And ears.  Essential oils are not made for the sensitive membranes in our eyes, and they seriously hurt. Same goes for the ear canal, although you can definitely apply essential oils around the ear for various benefits.

4. If it starts to burn, please do not use water!   If you ever start to feel a burning sensation after applying an oil to your skin, don’t use water to wash it off.  Reach for your carrier oil instead. Apply the carrier oil to the sensitive spot, then wipe away. Because essential oils don’t mix with water, applying water to the area can actually drive the burn deeper.

5. No sunbathing, please. At least after applying citrus oils. Most citrus oils cause skin to become very photosensitive. That means if you put a bunch of lemon oil on your face and then go out into the sun, you’ll end up with a yucky sunburn.  But don’t worry– you can still use them in the summer, just stick with covered skin only.

Okay!  Let’s get to the goodies in the essential oil starter kit.

Up Next: The fun begins!  What is the MOST popular essential oil in the world?>>

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