We’re well aware of essential oils, as these are the natural extracts of plants and its parts. The market size of essential oils is growing with rapid pace and is expected to touch USD 13 billion by 2024. Meanwhile, it’s quite necessary to know – are essential oils safe for usage? Around the world, essential oils are used for various purposes to treat many health issues which include anxiety, stress, depression, heart problems, and many more. And chiefly gaining popularity in aromatherapy, actually people are relying on these products to a large extent. Most of the essential oils are universally identified with freshness and cleanliness.
Whenever we see essential oil advertising and marketing strategy, we find lots of glitches and promises. They claim for 100 percent pure and natural essential oils but is this true? They denied chemical adulteration or anything else. But what exactly we’re getting?
Many consumers are unaware of the dangerous risks involved in essential oil usage. Therefore it’s mandatory to know the fact about essential oils.
What are Essential Oils
Essential oils are natural extracts of plants and its parts including roots, shoots, flowers, stems, leaves, etc. There are hundreds of essential oils which are used for various purposes including – beauty, cosmetics, aromatherapy, culinary, etc. If we explore the essential oil list, we find everything such as uses, benefits, properties, safety information, and profiles. These natural products have different sorts of property, including property such as antiseptic, antibiotic, antineuralgic, carminative, cholagogue, cicatrisant, emenagogue, analgesic, febrifuge, hepatic, sedative, nervine, digestive, etc. Since ancient times essential oils are used for various traditional medicinal systems, and explored by the scientific community for treating of various diseases, including asthma, skin infection, blood circulation problems, menstruation problems, blood heart strokes, bronchitis and many more.
But sometimes it becomes challenging to find the 100 percent pure and natural essential oils. And here our objective is to find out -” are essential oils are safe? “
Are Essential Oils Safe to Inhale?
There are different ways to use essential oils, where inhalation is one of them. By this way, essential oil’s aromatic compounds enter into the body through the nose or mouth. These aromatic compounds have the potential to stimulate the brain’s limbic system – well known for motivation, emotion, learning, and memory.
Apart from this, when we go through the benefits of essential oils, we observe that these are very good to provide relief and ease. These are very helpful to reduce anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders. In case of respiratory issues, the diffuser is best suited for mood management.
When diffusing the oil, you must follow these safety precautions:
- You must do proper dilution by following the guidelines
- It’s mandatory to diffuse in a well-ventilated area.
- Use oil intermittently, at different interval of time 30 min or 60 min.
Now it’s time to know more about “are essential oils safe to inhale” and also figure out the same.
Natural Essential oils can be used without any potential risks – cedarwood, fir, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, spearmint, tangerine, etc.
Essential oils involved with some sort of risks – bay, cinnamon bark or leaf, clove bud or leaf, lemongrass, peppermint, thyme, etc.
Are Essential Oils Safe for Babies?
When it comes to babies, we freak-0ut, as they’re very sensitive to the outer environment or any product. They (infants and children) have thinner skin, less developed lever, and progressive CNS and immune system.
As essential oils have some sort of aromatic compounds which directly impact on brain by processing stimulation. End-result, they produce chemicals which are much useful. Therefore, it’s good to trace out – “are essential oils safe for babies or not?”
We should consult with a doctor or medical practitioner before using on the infant or children. It’s recommended that we should not apply essential oils on infants, and After 2 years we can apply topically or through aromatherapy but must use in very dilute condition or lesser concentration.
Let’s go through safety guidelines for using a few essential oils:-
- In the context of peppermint essential oil, it should not be applied topically or diffuse around the children below 6 years of age.
- It would be better that we shouldn’t apply eucalyptus essential oil either topically or diffuse without proper dilution. It’s advisable for the children below 10 years.
It’s advisable that Infants and children should not ingest the essential oils. As per the safety norms, it would be better to keep essential oils out of children’s reach.
Sometimes, topically usage of essential oils linked to hormonal abnormalities. As in the case of topical usage of lavender and tea-tree essential oils can increase the chance of breast growth. Therefore, discuss with your doctor before using around the children or infants. Let’s brief out a few essential oils that shouldn’t be used around the children – eucalyptus, rosemary, verbena, wintergreen, peppermint, and fennel. Now, we’ve told you “are essential oils safe for babies?” Now you can proceed with the doctor’s advice
Are Essential Oils Safe for Pets?
Pets are an integral part of our lives and family, as we feel a strong connection with them. They provide us with emotional support, minimize our stress, anxiety, loneliness, and allows us to become a social being. We frequently use essential oils for different purposes, therefore, it’s our duty to know “Are essential safe for pets?”
As pets are living creatures, and certain essential oils can be toxic when ingested or applied on the skin. This may cause several problems including drooling, weakness, skin irritation, stomach pain, severe impact on the CNS, and also bad effect on the liver.
Essential Oils that are harmful to pets include:
- Citrus (d-limonene)
- Sweet birch.
- Tea tree (melaleuca)
Conclusively, it’s good to say essential oils promise help but still, risks are involved in the usage. In this topic, we’ve covered the following points –
- Are essential oils safe
- Are essential oils safe to inhale
- Are essential oils safe for babies
- Are essential oils safe for pets
Hopefully, you’ve understood the same, but we still recommend a doctor’s advice before using any of the essential oil.
Note: – All this information is only for education purpose, and this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it should not be used by anyone who is pregnant or under the care of a medical practitioner. Before using any of the product, please consult with a registered medical practitioner/doctor. Please refer to our policies for further details, and our disclaimer below.
