DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU SHOULD DILUTE ESSENTIAL OILS FOR SAFE USE?
Essential oil dilution can be easy it's not as hard as you think.
There is so much misinformation out there on using essential oils. I want you to have a pleasant experience with using these precious oils. Once you experience their benefits hopefully your eyes will be open to the plants and trees are planet has to offer for medicinal purposes. Y'all !!! There is a whole, fragrant pharmacy out there to help you when you're not feeling well physically, mentally and emotionally. Every time I use an oil I sing my praises to the Lord for these fragrant gifts he has provided to us.
“Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.” Isaiah 38:21
If your new to using essential oils or you have been playing with essential oils for a while you might not know how to properly dilute them so they are safe to use. Not to worry I am going to explain so that it's easy to remember. Once you know how to dilute properly, you can create all kinds of safe blends that work!
Essential oil dilution
The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them. Ecclesiasticus 38:4
One of the most satisfactory aspects of using essential oils is medicinally and cosmetically is that they enter and leave the body with great efficiency, leaving no toxins behind. Essential oils are the medicines out of the earth. There are about 300 essential oils in general use today for professional practitioners, but did you know that that the average household could likely fulfill all of their house hold needs in about 10? If your not a professional than you probably haven’t been taught how to properly dilute essential oils. No worries keep reading and I will explain it in a way that is easy to understanding and remember .
Essential oils need to be diluted for safe use.
Essential oils are natural substances, but that doesn't mean that they are 100% safe. Also, it doesn't mean they are safe for every person all of the time or that you can use them however you would like. The most effective way to use essential oils is not internally, as one might think, but by external application and or inhalation is best. The methods you use can be in body oils, lotions, compresses, baths, showers using sugar scrub, foot soaks..etc. There are so many different ways to add aromatherapy to your routine and make apart of your medicine cabinet.
So lets talk dilution, if you use essential oils undiluted you could receive a rash, red skin or itchy. Some people use them undiluted and have no reaction. But you could over time develop a reaction to the oils and the chemicals components in the oils. For instance, not only be allergic to lavender but the chemicals in lavender those chemicals could be in other essential oils. You will have a reaction. Irritation is caused when you use too much or too high of a concentration (Dose). Sensitivity is when your body see the oil as a threat. Oils by mouth is a big NO NO if your a clinical Aromatherapist or a French doctor they would use pill form or suppository form.
Have you heard of people adding 2 drops of lemon oil to their water? What happens is when you ingest essential oils the oil has to fight through mucous membrane and the acid in your digestive system. Most of the oil isn’t going to get to where you want it to go. Also it’s quite likely to burn going through the system and you can feel really I’ll for a few days. Some people having seizures and possibly be hospitalized and some cases death. Oral ingestion in fact is probably one of the least effective ways to use essential oils.
If you get essential oil in your eye then flush with olive oil or milk this will grab the oil and pull it from your eye. Needs to be a fatty base product. Ouch I have actually done this once with peppermint!
Citrus oils like orange, tangerine bergamot and etc. even diluted can cause you to burn with in 48 hours of using and going out in the sun. What happens is the citrus oils interfere with malano sites which produces melatonin.
Oils that comes from spices like ginger, black pepper, lemon grass, may chang, cinnamon, clove, cardamom (low dilution like 1 %), basil, peppermint and tea tree can irritate someone with sensitive skin.
Oils not good for high blood pressure like hyssop, sage, rosemary, thyme and peppermint. because they could raise blood pressure.
Anyone who has epilepsy should not use fennel, hyssop, sage and rosemary. These oils are lipophilic and when they are in the body they are drawn to fatty tissue particularly to the brain and the spine. They sit in the fat and don’t move around the body. So every time you use these oils they build up in those areas and can trigger a fit. These oils only affect people with epilepsy.
How to use 1 % and 2 % dilution.
How do you know how many drops of essential oils to add to a carrier oil? Lets talk about 1% and 2% dilution. It's really simple, in a 1 % dilution you add 1 drop of essential oil to 1 tsp of carrier oil. A 2% dilution you add 2 drops of essential oil to 1 tsp of carrier oil.
When you are blending for for children 1 yrs- 12 yrs, pregnant woman and frail people or people with sensitive skin. The dilution of oil needs to be at 1% that equals to 1 drop of essential oil in 1 teaspoon of base oil like jojoba, grape seed you can even use olive oil. Babies under 2 months you use quarter ratio blend 1 drop in every 4 teaspoons of base oil.
If you want to add more than one essential oil like lavender and chamomile then you would use 1 drop of lavender and 1 drop of chamomile in 8 teaspoons of base oil. For the ages of 2 months to 12 months at a .5% blend you would use 1 drop of essential oil and 2 teaspoons of your choice of base oil. If you use two different essential oils in a blend you would use 1 drop chamomile and 1 drop of lavender in 4 teaspoon of base oil. One of my favorite ways to use the power of essential oils for children is with hydrosols.
At a 2% dilution you would use 2 drops of essential oil in 1 teaspoon of base oil this can be used by all adults in age is 12 and over.
Lets recap1% and 2% dilution.
Children 1 yrs- 12 yrs, pregnant woman and frail people or people with sensitive skin use 1% dilution. So, 1% = 1 drop essential oil + 1 teaspoon base oil (coconut, grape seed, jojoba etc.)
Babies under 2 months you use quarter ratio blend 1 drop + 4 teaspoons of base oil. Using more than one essential oil like lavender and chamomile then you would use 1 drop of lavender + 1 drop of chamomile + 8 teaspoons of base oil.
For the ages of 2 months to 12 months at a .5% blend you would use 1 drop of essential oil + 2 teaspoons of your choice of base oil. If you use two different essential oils in a blend you would use 1 drop chamomile + 1 drop of lavender + 4 teaspoon of base oil.
Ages 12 years and older a 2% dilution you would use 2 drops of essential oil + 1 teaspoon of base oil.
Easy peazy lemon squeezy. Hopefully that is easy to understand and to remember.
Now that your feeling empowered, do you want to make a simple blend?
You will need a bottle large enough to add base oil and essential oils. This blend you will be using 20 ml of base oil = 4 tsp.
Cranky day bath oil blend
3 drops of bergamot essential oil ( 2 for children or anyone with sensitive skin )
3 drops of lavender essential oil ( 1 drop for children or anyone with sensitive skin )
2 drops of ylang ylang essential oil ( 1 drop for children or anyone with sensitive skin )
4 tsp or 20 ml of base oil ( hemp seed, jojoba, sweet almond)
Mix and keep bottle in a cool area like under the skin or by the bath tub but out of the sun. Run your bath water first fill the tub with desired temperature, shut off water then add your bath oil. I use this method for the ultimate benefit of the fragrant essential oils because if you add the oil to the running water the water will bust up your essential oil molecule and will make the medicinal properties not as powerful it will still smell well.
Notice an oil in that recipe that might cause sunburn by being exposed to bright sunlight?
If you guessed bergamot you were correct. This oil even diluted can cause you to burn with in 48 hours of using.
Happy Blending.