Essential Oil Safety

Reactions to essential oils may be rare but nonetheless felt keenly by the individuals affected. Essential oils are naturally derived chemical mixtures of aromatic chemicals derived mainly from the steam distillation of certain plant material, in the main from two plant families. 

The Rutaceae are familiar to us as the fruit of the Bergamot, Orange, Bitter Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mandarin and Tangerine trees.  The Bitter orange tree provides three essential oils Neroli from the flowers, petitgrain from the fruit and branches and Bitter Orange oil from the fruit. 

The Lamiaceae contain names of poetic force Lavender, Rosemary, Marjoram, Melissa, Patchouli, Peppermint, Sage, Thyme and Hyssop.

The Essential 60 oils studied by those seeking training in Professional Aromatherapy and to make application to join the professional bodies IFPA and the FHT which accredit the training are set out below. They are conveniently described as top, middle and base notes according to their rate of evaporation.

Essential oils are distinguished by the latin name of the plant materials from which they are derived.  Oils when transported in volume are accompanied by lengthy Material Safety Data Sheets which describe the oil in detail and measures for its safe handling. 

The regulation of any kind of chemical is inevitably blind to whether they are naturally or synthetically derived.  All aromatic chemicals pose the risk of some kind of reaction and the one in 10,000 people so affected by naturally derived essential oils should discontinue their use by avoiding putting them on their skin or inhaling them.   

Fortunately the kind of reactions involved are in the main very mild amounting to a redness of the skin which disappears when the chemical is washed off.  A patch test of a dab of an essential oil blend on the skin of the elbow is a routine part of the professional use of essential oil prior to treatment.

Essential oils certainly contain many kinds of chemicals, some pleasant some useful as medicines for common ailments. Plants manufacture aroma chemicals for particular purposes, particularly for self defence or repair.  Chemicals which are harmful to bacteria, viruses and fungi obviously pose some kind of risk to human cells if not used with knowledge and care. 

Tea tree, Eucalyptus and Wintergreen are to be found in many medicine cabinets and should be used and stored with care.  Responsible manufacturers use dropper inserts rather than open topped bottles and childproof caps for essential oils which pose any hazard if consumed even in the small quantities to be found in the little glass bottles in which they are supplied.

There is an argument for saying that the judgement as to what chemical should be used for care purposes should be exclusively the preserve of the medical profession.  A compromise has been found in that substances should not be labelled as medicines in the absence of evidence or medical opinion as to their efficiency and clear statement of the nature and degree of harm they pose. 

However those natural chemicals have been found in practice not only to be safe but inevitably to pose much less risk of reaction because of our co-evolution with plants. Synthetic production does not take account of the subtleties found in nature where substances we find harmful are not manufactured. 

Some of the components of essential oils are labelled as potential allergens. This is a bit of a misnomer as essential oil components are not foreign proteins like pollen.  However they can bind with skin components to make a foreign looking protein to which the body might react.  This is why manufacturers label them more correctly as haptens.

The most common reaction to essential oils is a cosmetic photochemical darkening of the skin in sunlight as a result of particular components called furanocoumarins where some of the Rutaceae, notably Bergamot are concerned.  For this reason the Bergamot can be supplied with the bergapten removed as Bergamot FCF.   

The most popular oils for blending are Bergamot (top note), found in half of all perfumes, Lavender (middle note) a well balanced oil with components from a number of aromatic plant families and Benzoin (base note) used as a fixative to combine and extend the aroma of the blend.

How to use essential oils:

A key component of the safe and effective use of essential oils is training and study of how to use them in practice. Beyond the manufacturers instructions to be found on the label.

Massage
This is the most effective method of using the oils, combining their properties with the therapeutic power of  touch.  The skin absorbs the oil over a large surface area.  The oils should not be used undiluted, but should be combined with an odourless carrier oil such as peachnut, grapeseed or sweet almond.  Generally a dilution of about 3% essential oil is recommended - approximately 6 drops in 2 teaspoons of carrier oil.

Baths
Bathing is a simple, effective and pleasant way to use essential oils - water  itself has therapeutic powers which enhance those of the oils.  Add 5 - 7 drops of oil to a bath which has already been run and immerse yourself for up to 20 minutes.  You can dilute the oils with a carrier if you wish.  The heat of the water aids the absorption
through the skin, whilst you also inhale the vapour.  Use the same method for facial steaming.  Do not use undiluted oils in baths for babies and young children.  Take care with plastic baths - there are a few oils which may cause staining.

Vaporisation
All essential oils are antiseptic and evaporate easily, so they make very good air-fresheners.  Different oils create different atmospheres, for example, relaxing sandalwood or clary sage are good for parties and peppermint clears your mind when you need to work.  Put a few drops in a small bowl of water and place it on a
source of warmth or use a nebulizer or aromastone – all designed to vaporize oils.

Perfumes
The oils may be used on their own or blended to make natural perfumes.  Try experimenting with different combinations, and mix with a base vegetable oil or  non-fragrant alcohol