Essential Oils & Ten Biggest Mistakes You Can Make*

Essential Oils & Ten Biggest Mistakes You Can Make*

Essential oils are very robust tools, with great power when used responsibly. It is very important to not only understand the benefits of using essential oils but also the risks they pose.  In order to help become responsible, safe essential oil users we will highlight 10 biggest mistakes that can be made when using them in our daily lives.  Knowing these faux pas will go a long way in ensuring you are using essential oils safely for the people and animals you live with while fully maximizing their benefits.

In addition to highlighting these 10 biggest mistakes while using essential oils, please be sure to review our Safety Information Page for more information. We also  recommend reading our article A Beginner’s Guide to Using Essential Oils.  On our website you will find that we feature a page for each essential oil and essential blend highlighting necessary safety warnings (as applicable) such as hot oils, phototoxic oils, and more. Warnings like these are important to help our customers avoid making mistakes with essential oils.  As an example please see Allspice Essential Oils information sheet here, this will give you an example of the information we make available for each oil or blend we sell.

Mistake #1: Believing all essential oils are created equal

Not all essential oils are created the same—quality and purity varies greatly among companies. We adhere to the needs in the marketplace to provide quality oils, and we work with distillers who provide consistent, superior oils. We are also continually seeking new quality distillers and suppliers and strive to make continuous improvements in our documentation, testing and additional product offerings. Purity should be one of your top priorities.  Avoid essential oils that contain filler ingredients or synthetic additives.  Always look for the phrase “100% pure essential oils”.

In addition to quality oils, Bio Source Naturals acknowledges the vibrational and spiritual qualities of the plant oils. This concept is similar to the homeopathic, vibrational flower essences that Dr. Bach created over 85 years ago in England known as Bach Flower Essences. (Bach flower essences are used in our body mind lotions).

Further, how an oil is processed and by whom it is handled may also have an impact on its vibrational quality. Today, some homeopathic companies do not bar code products as the scanners may alter the vibrational quality of the products.  At Bio Source Naturals we do not bar codes our product labels. Products are artisan made and manually packaged with love and good intentions.

We believe the combination of consistent, quality products help our customers gain better health emotionally, spiritually and physically.  Click here to see the 12 Ways We Do Aromatherapy Better.

Mistake #2: Not using essential oils in your personal care routine

Essential oils are outstanding assets to any of your DIY beauty products. Not only do they smell divine, but they have other benefits such as relaxing and healing qualities.* 

• Lavender essential oil is great for virtually all DIY beauty products. Use in lotion bars, lip balm, hand sanitizer, body sprays, soap, etc. Lavender is healing for the skin, very relaxing, and it helps sleep come easier.* 
• Known for its effect on cellulite and its appetite-suppressing properties, grapefruit essential oil is ideal for lotion.* Be brave and try it in a soap or lip balm, as well!

Read about the many amazing ways to use essential oils in your daily beauty routine in our beauty blogs.  Just search “Beauty” in our DIY Recipe tab.

Mistake #3: Ingesting essential oils

Just like some berries are edible, you know that unless you picked them from the garden or grocery store, it’s best to proceed with caution before popping them into your mouth or using in your recipes. The same holds true for essential oils.

Our position on the ingestion of essential oils is that all of our oils are undiluted, pure and natural and suitable for therapeutic purposes. We do NOT recommend the ingestion of essential oils as they are highly concentrated and can cause damage internally if administered without expertise. 

Mistake #4:  Failing to dilute

Essential oils are highly concentrated, and many of them can irritate skin if they’re applied “neat” (without being diluted). Diluting essential oils with a carrier oil is an easy way to reduce the risk of irritation.

A good rule of thumb for diluting is to add 12 drops of essential oils per 1 ounce of carrier oil

• Unless otherwise stated, never use any essential oils on your skin without diluting the essential oil with carrier oil. A skin test is recommended prior to use. Place a small amount of the blended oil on the inside of your elbow, cover with a bandage and check in 24 hours. If you experience any soreness, redness or irritation do not use the blend.
• Do not use more than 2 drops of the following essential oils when used in a bath: Black pepper, Juniper, Camphor (rectified), Peppermint, Citronella, Sage, Clove, Spearmint, Eucalyptus Globus, Thyme, Ginger.

Always read your essential oil or essential oil blends Safety Information section before using.

Mistake #5: Knowing that some essential oils stain

Essential oils are fantastically fragrant, and we want to add them to our lotion, laundry, and sprays.  Unfortunately, a handful of these lovely smelling oils can stain skin and clothes.

Jasmine Absolute (relaxing, intoxicating, warming, and an aphrodisiac) and German Chamomile  (promotes restful sleep, uplifting moods, calming) are naturally dark and will leave a stain on clothing if you apply directly to your skin and do not wait before the oil absorbs, add them to your laundry or spill them on clothes or other fabrics.  Oils that are naturally yellow but will fade –  Patchouli (light or dark–helpful to energetically “ground” a person), Vetiver (great for sleep, releases stress) , Myrrh (lovely calming fragrance) and Tangerine (brings joy to life) – you will still want to avoid getting them on your whites.

Mistake #6: Forgetting to check if an oil causes photosensitivity 

Citrus essential oils greatly increase UV sensitivity. While most photosensitizing oils are citrus, our blends that contain citrus essential oils can have the same effect. Always check each essential oils or blends description webpage before application and venturing outside into the sun. If it has a photosensitivity warning, do not use.  Use photosensitive oils at night or cover the area you are applying the photosensitive oil to with clothing.  If you have a reaction (redness, irritation, itching) when using a photosensitive oils be sure to seek medical advice immediately.

For example some photosensitive oils (not all) and does not include our blends are : Bergamot, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit and Tangerine.

Mistake #7: Using essential oils around your dogs

As a society we love our dogs and continue to say no to drugs and want to explore holistic healing opportunities of using essential oils for dogs. Instead of using  an anti-anxiety drug on Fido, what if a little lavender could go a long way?

Before you begin, it’s important to ask yourself what essential oils are safe for dogs. Their sense of smell is astronomically stronger than ours, so scents (even natural ones) can have an adverse effect on them.  We have highlighted eight (8) essential oils that have been known consistently to make the safe cut for use with dogs plus show various benefits.  We’ve also outlined the major offenders, and included a simple summary of how to administer essential oils. Eight (8) essential oils that have healing properties beneficial to dogs are featured in this blog article.

In the same way we look for holistic aids, our beloved companions may also boost their immunity and soothe aches and pains in a natural way. 

Do not try to save money and buy cheap “essential oils” that may contain synthetic substances. These oils will not have the therapeutic effects and, even worse, the synthetic substances and chemicals may do harm to your dog. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of using 100% pure essential oils when treating your dog. Essential oils must be used as directed and not all can be used topically on pets. Please consult a veterinarian and/or a holistic veterinarian before using any new essential oils with your pet. 

Each of the charts featured here on oils beneficial to dogs and essential oils to avoid are available for FREE Download.  Please download and print and keep with  your essential oils for future and quick reference.

Mistake #8: Diffusing too much

Diffusing essential oils is normal quite safe just don’t over do it. It is a good rule of thumb to limit your diffusing to 30-60 minutes each session.  Try to diffuse in cycles, on and of at regular intervals.  Please see our blog on How to Diffuse Essential Oils for the different options you have to diffuse your essential oils.

When diffusing always keep in mind you want to diffuse with ventilation, especially if pets are around – your pet should always be able to leave the area you are diffusing in.  In our studies we have learned that eucalyptus is one of the most toxic to dogs when diffusing.  Never diffuse eucalyptus essential oil in your home if you have a dog.

Mistake #9: Storing your essential oils incorrectly

The dark coloring of the glass bottles essential oils come in are used to help protect oils from sun exposure, which can cause them to degrade over time. The glass bottles are are not reactive, unlike  plastic, steel,  or other materials.  Many to most of our pure essential oils come with their own Certificate of Analysis (COA), which you will automatically receive when purchasing.  This COA will give you the best when used by dates so you will  be able to keep track of the age of your essential oils.

So when creating your own DIY essential oils recipes be sure to choose a a dark-colored glass container.  We offer a variety of different types and sizes of amber glass bottles in the Biosource Naturals store.