Essential Oils Safety Guide

Hello my friend, I thought it might be handy to post a general essential oils safety guide for you, as we will be using them in our natural recipes. These are just general safety guidelines so when in doubt, consult your physician and/or a qualified and trained aromatherapy practitioner.

Keep all essential oils out of reach of any children, preferably in a locked cupboard or locked carry case. If a child does ingest any essential oil DO NOT induce vomiting, give them one glass of water to drink and seek immediate medical attention giving as many details as possible such as products swallowed and amount consumed.
Keep all essential oils away from pets.
Do not use essential oils neat on the skin. Essential oils should always be mixed with a base (or carrier) oil first. As a general guide there should be no more than 2% essential oil in a base oil. To help you work this out:

1ml of essential oil is roughly equivalent to 20 drops, 2ml = 40 drops etc. So if you have a 100ml bottle of a base oil, you should mix in, no more than 40 drops of essential oil.
Lavender and Tea Tree are the ONLY two oils you can use neat on skin, but always very small amounts, 1-2 drops, and not on a regular basis.
If adding essential oils to a bath dilute first in a small amount of full fat milk or dispersing bath oil base, if neither is available always agitate the water after adding the oil, so it does not settle on the surface and cause irritation.
Do not let essential oils come into contact with your eyes. If oil does accidentally get in your eyes, flush with clean water and seek medical advice. Always wash your hands after using essential oils, this is the most common way to transfer oils into your eyes.
Do not swallow any essential oils.
If you are PREGNANT, BREAST FEEDING, EPILEPTIC, ASTHMATIC, have a HIGH/LOW BLOOD PRESSURE or any HEART CONDITION, SENSITIVE SKIN or any other specific condition always seek professional medical advice before using essential oils or essential oil based remedies.
Some oils especially citrus ones, are photo-sensitizing and should not be used before exposure to direct sunlight or a sunbed.
Keep neat essential oils away from plastic, painted or polished surfaces.
Do not use machinery or drive after relaxation therapy, or use of any soporific oils such as Clary Sage.
Essential oils are flammable, keep them out of the way of fire hazards.

Not all essential oils are suitable for use in aromatherapy and should only be used by qualified aromatherapy practitioners. For more information on this, you can follow this link: Hazardous Essential Oil List