Safety Notice

Essential oils are highly concentrated and powerful liquids. They can be toxic if used incorrectly and their power must not be underestimated. It is therefore very important that the way essential oils are handled and used is fully understood. This safety advice had been written to help ensure that the use of essential oils is safe and effective. Please note that this list does not constitute a complete safety reference. Contact us or a qualified local aromatherapist for more advice.

General Information

• Keep out of the reach of
• Many essential oils are flammable
• Consult us before using essential oils with babies and
• Certain essential oils should be avoided during pregnancy: see details
• Avoid all contact with the mouth area and
• Never take essential oils
• Some essential oils should never be applied undiluted to the skin as they can cause
• Follow all instructions carefully; do not increase the amount of essential oil
• Certain essential oils can cause skin irritation for people with sensitive
• If skin sensitive, we recommend performing a small patch test prior to using any
• Some oils should not be applied to the skin before sunlight exposure: see details
• Certain essential oils should be avoided at all times

Flammability

Certain essential oils are flammable. Never use or put your bottles of essential oil near a naked flame, fire, or any source of ignition. External Use of Undiluted Essential Oils We urge you not to apply undiluted essential oils directly to the skin. However, exceptions are cuts, burns or insect bites, for example. Certain oils, such as Chamomile, Lavender, or Tea Tree can be used to soothe and protect from external infections.

Please consult with any of our staff beforehand.

Never use undiluted oils on children under the age of 3. Their yet to be developed organs cannot excrete the oils or deal with their metabolites efficiently.

Internal Use

Unless under the guidance of a qualified aromatherapist who has received the necessary training, do not take essential oils internally. We highly recommend conducting personal research. Using essential oils for internal use should never be attempted without expert guidance.

Irritants and Sensitizers

Some essential oils can irritate the skin if used in too high concentration of for a longer period of time, such as Bay Leaf oil (Pimenta racemosa), Cinnamon bark oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Clove oils (Syzygium aromaticum), Litsea Cubeba oil (May Chang), Origanum oil (Origanum vulgar), Tagette oil (Tagetes minuta), and Thyme white and red oil (Thymus vulgaris). No more than 3 or 4 drops of citrus oils in the bath should be used.

Photosensitivity

Photosensitivity is a chemically induced skin irritation. It can occur when certain essential oils are topically applied and your skin gets exposed to UV light too soon. Some examples of the irritation you can experience are: redness, burning, itching, blistering, skin discoloration, inflammation.

Some essential oils contain furocoumarins. Furocoumarins are naturally occurring organic chemical compounds. They act as a defense mechanism that the plant uses to ward off small animals or bugs in nature. Some of the most common furocoumarins are Oxypeucedanin and Bergapten, found in many citrus and cold-pressed oils. The main photosensitizing oils used in aromatherapy include: Angelica root oil (Angelica archangelica), Bergamot oil expressed (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia), Bitter Orange oil (Citrus aurantium), Cumin oil (Cuminum cyminum), Lemon oil cold pressed (Citrus limonum), Lime oil expressed (Citrus aurantifolia), Grapefruit oil (Citrus paradisi), and Tagette oil (Tagetes minuta).

We recommend avoiding the sun, tanning beds, or any UV light for 12 – 18 hours after you apply the oil to exposed skin, in order to reduce the effects of photosensitivity

Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, you should seek the advice of a medical practitioner and aromatherapist before using any essential oils. Once endorsed, the essential oils should only be used after the first trimester at a 1% concentration only. Essential oils that should be avoided be avoided throughout pregnancy are; Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), Sage (Salvia officinalis), or Savin oil (Juniperus sabina) which should never be used in aromatherapy. We want to remind you that there is a lot of misinformation about exactly which essential oils should not be used.

Some books produce a huge list of contraindicated oils that are completely out of proportion to the facts. Most misinformation is based on the internal use of the plant in herbal preparations; this is definitely not the same as the external use of a diluted essential oil in massage therapy. Most essential oil experts argue that since many contraindicated essential oils are used as food additives, they can hardly be considered dangerous.

Babies, Infants and Children Never use any essential oils undiluted on babies up to 3 years old. Essential oils should be used at a fraction of the usual concentration. Calculate the amount of essential oil to be used by the bodyweight of the infant. Please contact one of our aromatherapist or your physician before using the products. Oils That Must be Avoided Some essential oils should never be used in aromatherapy due to the danger of toxicity, severe irritation, sensitization or other serious health risk. Those should only ever be used by trained specialists: Parsley herb oil (Petroselenium crispum), Pennyroyal oil (Mentha pulegium), Savin oil (Juniperus sabina), Tansy oil (Tanacetum vulgare), Wintergreen oil (Gaultheria procumbens), and Wormwood oil (Artemisia absinthium).