Comments on: Essential Oil Safety (Precautions and Risks)

By: Kate Henderson

Kate Henderson — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:37:35 +0000

I think it’s also important to note that most essential oils are unsafe if you have pets, cats especially. Cats are extremely sensitive to most (if not all) EO’s – they can be deadly. I use EO’s very sparingly because of this, only in some cleaning supplies (that are very diluted and rinsed with water) and topically with a carrier oil (only vanilla EO). I NEVER diffuse in my house – diffusing has caused the death of pets in some cases. So sad 🙁

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 03:21:34 +0000

First off, thank you for the warning!! I would like to add from a midwife perspective, that I have seen Clary Sage used internally to induce labor that turned out to cause a still birth. It was a new fad in the community to take it internally at a certain rate, claiming to make easier, smoother births. It worked! It worked great… this first time mom had a very smooth labor and called the midwife near the end. But no heart tones were found when the baby had seemed perfectly normal the day before. There was no other reason that was found to have caused the death.
Please don’t use oils internally during pregnancy!!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 17:34:20 +0000

In reply to Nina. No Casey that would not have made you go into labor early. You know you can also use oregano on the back of your neck or the inner parts of your wrist and it is like a natural antibiotic. My grandmother used it and never went to a doctor so that tells me a lot about the oregano oil. As far the tea tree oil for me I do not like the smell of it so I tend to stay away from that. For me I have got off about 10 medications because of using a lot of the essential oils. I love you the oils for pain for upset stomach or anything else because I do not want to use medication. These are all natural & I just search what each one is used for especially since I cannot handle campher, the stuff in Icy Hot or Ben Gay that makes me nauseous, and I have fibromyalgia so that makes me very susceptible to different scents that I can not handle. And don't get me started on perfumes that's why I think I like the essential oils because I can get the smells and the scents that I want and use them with my coconut oil, almond oil or in my lotions which makes it really nice. You control the amount of the oil you add to these products. Good luck and prayers go out to you & your baby ???

By: Nancy Hoffman

Nancy Hoffman — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 02:55:51 +0000

It’s a billion dollar industry that no one dares to speak out about. EO’s are VOCs (viotile organic compounds) that are heavily regulated yet EO’s get a pass. They were used by predominantly royalty in ancient times, were not what is being sold today, and were also used in burials to aid in mummification. My friend listened to a doterra “expert” rep, pulled all plug in air fresheners, and candles out of her home… then 2 months later her 2 year old had a seizure and will never be the same…. never have the life he deserved. She has a heavy cross to bare, blames herself for not doing research, and she now knows her candles and air fresheners had hardly any VOC’s compared to EO’s. Wherever big money is involved honest research is silenced and buried by google but invest the time and you can find it. A lot of scientific papers predicting we will see the negative results of the use of EO’S in the next 10-20 years especially in children. Those who use and sell them brutally attack anyone, including my friend, that speak out against them. It’s quite disgusting really. Even the best platforms have been silenced by fear. Livelihood seemingly far more important then truth.

By: Sarita

Sarita — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 09:46:02 +0000

In reply to Olivia. I read a scientific study showing that important flora in the mouth that keep teeth and gums healthy are disturbed by essential oils, so am not sure you really need it... you might want to do your own research on this.

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 16:16:14 +0000

So happy to find this article. I know it’s old and I am not sure you will read this, but it helps me TODAY.
This past winter, I took the dive into EO: topical, aroma, and ingesting. Membership to oils delivered each month, etc. Well, three weeks ago I broke out into massive hives around my neck, I blamed a new sunscreen. Urgent care, steroids oral and topical, keep the hives at bay, but still seemed mysterious. Then last night, I dyed my hair at home, we are still being careful about being out-n-about there is a real health crisis and it is not my skin nor my roots. Same hives appeared at the base of my neck and ears. I am not as careful as a salon, and have colored at home several times, same product and never had this response. ALL night I said something is missing, what is missing: there is more going on, Googled: do essential oils make skin more sensitive, and bingo found this great piece. Thank you for breaking it down, especially sun sensitivity, nowhere on my essential oil site, is that mentioned. Now, to pull back on the oils and maintain balance in the world of what is labelled healthy and what is healthy for my sensitive skin. thank you.

By: Katie Wells

Katie Wells — Fri, 29 May 2020 14:46:03 +0000

In reply to Marcie.

This might help: https://wellnessmama.com/366880/tick-bites/

By: Marcie

Marcie — Thu, 28 May 2020 15:13:48 +0000

What is good home made solution to use to prevent tick bites. We are constantly get ticks on us. Please help. Thank you. Can you please notify me my email

By: Olivia

Olivia — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 13:16:46 +0000

Could you recommend a good EO to use in my blend of one teaspoon of castor oil and two teaspoons of sweet almond oil that I use for OCM(Oil Cleansing Method)? I have combination skin but more towards oily. I was thinking about using tea tree, rosemary or lavender. TIA!

By: Claudia

Claudia — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 14:19:30 +0000

Is it okay to be applying black pepper oil directly on the scalp? If used in conjunction with castor oil, should it be in a specific ratio to avoid adverse effects? Both were recommended for thinning hair (not sure if it’s helpful if you suffer from female-pattern baldness as I do), but when I did it and left the blend in for 60 minutes the first time, 30 minutes the second time and followed with shampooing (after initially applying just the black pepper oil to the scalp on a separate occasion), it looked as if my “parts” that I have on my scalp got wider and the bald spots bigger. Internet searches don’t come up with anything negative about the black pepper as a stand-alone other than skin sensitivities, and nothing negative comes up when discussing using it in conjunction with the castor oil. I did read that some people who used castor oil directly on their eyebrows experienced brow hair fallout. I thought I noticed that initially when I tried using the castor oil directly in my hair (letting it sit for 30 minutes, then shampooing), it appeared too strong and seemed to have a similar reaction as I described earlier, just not as dramatic. Not sure where else to turn and if people just aren’t reporting such risks of essential oils used as topicals.

By: Kirstyn

Kirstyn — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:49:57 +0000

I’ve used Plant Therapy essential oils and NOW essential oils exclusively as they are the brands I trust the most. I’ve both diffused in an essential oil diffuser and applied to either my skin or hair in the proper dilution percentages depending on the end goal, using a mild carrier oil like grapeseed, almond or occasionally fractionated coconut oil. I never experienced better sleep, improved hair or skin, tranquility, or any other claimed potential benefits. Only the occasional headache (migraines w/nausea, using the smallest drop of ylang ylang)…As I’ve used essential oils like lavender and clary sage with my diffuser hoping to get a more relaxing night’s sleep, it has not really helped at all after about one year, and I can’t imagine it ever will. I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. Maybe they work well for others, just not for me.

By: Angelica

Angelica — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 18:23:57 +0000

In reply to Casey. I'm really trying hard to find any science backing up whether there's a difference in phototoxicity between topically using grapefruit essential oil diluted, or topically using a grapefruit peel tincture. I cannot find anything remotely close and I'm really hoping you might be able to steer me in the right direction!

By: Barb H.

Barb H. — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 05:36:56 +0000

Thank you so much for this article!! It is great to hear a voice that has so much reach speaking out against the proliferation of dangerous EO use. I am so tired of hearing the phrase “you can use it internally if it is organic 100% therapeutic grade EO”. No. Therapeutic grade is a marketing term made up by one of the big MLM companies it has absolutely no quantitative value! I really find it odd that people are willing to take health advice from salespeople and not certified aromatherapists. Again thank you for this very sound article. Hopefully it will help save some people from very dangerous practices.

By: Katee

Katee — Fri, 31 May 2019 18:52:34 +0000

It quite honestly is hard for me to believe that one drop of mint essential oil in my (glass) water bottle that is 20 ounces would be problematic. Thank you for the info, though. 🙂

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:01:44 +0000

Hi! I’ve noticed that black pepper is listed as an oil not safe to use during pregnancy. Ever other site I have researched states that it IS safe, but black seed is not. Can you send me a link for black pepper safety? I love this oil for a variety of uses and just want to make sure.

By: Choong

Choong — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 19:09:19 +0000

Hi…I.would like to ask if there is permanently alergic and having red spot plus itchiness, what should I do in order to stop that?

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 02:25:41 +0000

Thanks for posting this article! I found it very interesting. I’m very concerned because I was told an EO I’ve been using on my wrists each day was fine. I was told it didn’t need to be diluted. I was using Vetiver by YL. Should I be worried? Also, if I put a couple drops of an EO in a bath, is that fine? Does it matter what scent?

By: kim

kim — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 18:27:01 +0000

I have a patient who has had an allergic reaction to the oils being diffused in her room. What would you recommend for the skin after this has occurred? Her skin is inflamed with Edema and a rash. I was thinking coconut oil, maybe?

By: Katrina

Katrina — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 07:13:29 +0000

Is it safe to use tin cans when storing products that have essential oils? I’ve been storing my lotion bars in tin cans.

By: Alicia Anderson

Alicia Anderson — Sat, 09 Feb 2019 05:10:23 +0000

I use YL and have had GREATNESS success. For the entire year of 2018 my entire family only caught minor colds, and that was only because our neighbors came over to play and literally coughed on the kiddos. That’s kids for you! I’ve been constistent with using YLEOs for the last two years. I’ve tried multiple brands of essential oils over the years and absolutely none of them smelled anything like a real plant to me, and I smelled sort of a “background smell”, if that’s even a real thing. I couldn’t get passed that. With YLEOs, I smell natural plants. The oils smell like real plants. That says a lot!! One day, I’d love to visit one of the farms!

Thanks for posting this. I know it was posted a while ago but it’s quite relevant. While I may not 100% agree with every single thing you may say, I still appreciate your diligence.

As with anything, use caution.