Aromatherapy Essential Oil Safety Tips: What You Need to Know

Are you wondering how to use aromatherapy safely? 

Essential oil aromatherapy can be a powerful tool for relaxation, wellness, and self-care, but the oils' potency requires careful handling. This guide covers the core safety principles everyone should understand before using essential oils — and provides links to more detailed guidance for children, pets, and pregnant and nursing moms, along with other helpful safety information.

Discover how to protect yourself and your loved ones while enjoying the benefits of these concentrated plant extracts.

Note: This post is a sharing of information. It is not medical advice. It is always advisable to check with your healthcare providers for personalized recommendations. 

Essential Oil Aromatherapy Safety Guide: 10 Tips

Because essential oils are so commonly used, they may seem harmless. In reality, these products are highly concentrated plant extracts that can cause problems when used improperly, too frequently, or under certain conditions.

Here are some important things to know to use aromatherapy oils more safely.

1. Always Dilute Before Applying to Skin

Essential oils should never be applied topically to the skin without dilution.

This is from The International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA):

"The essential oil in a bottle is 50-100 times more concentrated than that in the plant and safety issues apply to essential oils that may not apply to the whole plant or herbal extract."

Always mix concentrated essential oil with a carrier oil, such as coconut, jojoba, or sweet almond oil, before using topically to avoid irritation or burns.

Children's essential oil dilutions vary with age. For more on their dilutions, check out this post: Are Essential Oils Safe for Babies, Infants, and Children?

2. Watch for Skin Irritations and Negative Side Effects

Avoid putting oils (including those diluted in carrier oil) on sensitive areas, including in your nose, inner ear, or eyes, or on damaged skin.

Allergic reactions to essential oils used in proper dilutions are rare, but even natural products can have negative side effects in some individuals.

Test by applying a little diluted lotion or oil to a small area and wait about 24 hours to monitor for any sensitivity. 

Skin reactions can show up as a rash, redness, burning, itching, or hives.

What if you have an eye, nose, or skin reaction to essential oils? Get answers on the Tisserand Institute Essential Oils FIRST AID PROCEDURES page.

3. Use with Care Around Kids, Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women, Vulnerable Adults, and Pets

Certain essential oils, such as eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree, can pose risks to children or be toxic to pets.

Experts advise against infants essential oil exposure. They also suggest extra caution with children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, elderly adults, and people dealing with chronic or serious illness.

Risks to these groups aren't limited to direct use. Harm can also come from them inhaling diffused droplets in the air or through secondary exposure—such as pets or young children absorbing oils applied to your skin when they come in physical contact with you. 

4. Avoid Getting Too Much of a Good Thing

Can you overuse essential oils? Yes.

Even diluted essential oils can add up if used too often for too long.

Overusing these potent plant extracts can lead to unintended side effects, including skin irritation, headaches, nausea, or hormone imbalances.

For a real-world example, check out my post, Using Lavender Essential Oil Around Children: Sorting Out the Research, to learn more about the potential effects of prolonged daily use.

Remember, essential oils work best when used sparingly and mindfully.

5. Diffuse Essential Oils Safely

Staying on the theme of too much of a good thing, there are some important precautions when diffusing essential oils:

• Do place the diffuser in a well-ventilated area.

• Don't diffuse if there is a newborn, infant, toddler, or vulnerable adult around.

• Don't diffuse oils contraindicated for pregnant or nursing moms, children, or pets if they are in the vicinity, or will be in the vicinity before the air clears. 

• Do practice intermittent diffusion:

  • For adults: diffuse for 30-60 minutes and take a break for 30-60 minutes. 

  • For children: up to 30 minutes on, followed by at least 2 hours off

"With continuous diffusion, while benefits do not increase, there is evidence that the body becomes stressed in various ways." --Robert Tisserand

6. Don't Ingest Unless Directed by a Professional

What essential oils are safe to ingest? None, unless you are under the supervision of a medical professional.

EOs are highly concentrated and not typically meant to be consumed orally. Ingesting concentrated essential oils can lead to serious health complications.

This is from The International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA):

"An IFPA aromatherapist will never suggest that you use oils neat [undiluted] on your skin, nor advise that you ingest essential oils. . . So, if someone suggests you use an essential oil neat or put a drop in your water, please don’t. Find another aromatherapist!"

The federation goes on to say that exceptions happen in some European countries where medical doctors with specialized training sometimes recommend certain dilutions of specific essential oils to patients under their supervision. 

7. Don't Add Concentrated Oils Directly to Bath 

Adding essential oils to a bath can be a relaxing and therapeutic experience, but it requires care to ensure safety and effectiveness. 

Since oil and water don't mix, adding EOs to bath water directly can leave concentrated oil drops floating on top and irritate your skin and eyes. 

Here are some essential oil bath tips: 

• Mix EO with carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil and jojoba oil are relatively soluble) before adding to the bath. 

• Don't immerse your face in bathwater that has essential oils since it could sting your eyes.

8. Beware of Increased Sun Sensitivity 

Some oils, like those made from the peels of bergamot, lemon, lime, can increase your skin's sensitivity to sunlight. The result can be burning, similar to a really bad sunburn when exposed to UV rays. 

The culprits in these oils are natural chemicals called furanocoumarins (FC).

According to aromatherapy safety expert, Robert Tisserand, even a few minutes of UV exposure on skin that has these essential oils in too high a concentration may cause a burn. Longer exposure creates more vulnerability to more severe reaction.

In a more extensive article, Tisserand notes that burns may not appear for 12 hours after exposure, may continue to worsen up to 3 days, and may last for months. His article also includes safe dilution ratios for phototoxic oils.

Products that you wash off, like hand soap or body wash, aren't of concern. It's the products that you leave on, like lotion or oils, that can cause problems. 

Not all citrus oils are phototoxic:

• Some, like sweet orange, don't start out with FC.

• Steam distillation leaves the FC behind. (Cold-pressed keeps it in.)

• High-quality citrus oils will often highlight the removal of FC with terms like furocoumarin-free (FCF). Bergamot that has no FC may be labeled bergaptene-free (BF).

Here are some tips for using phototoxic essential oils:

• NEVER use them full strength.

• Use them in wash-off hand and body soaps rather than lotions, gels, or oils.

• Avoid applying these oils to your skin at least 12–24 hours before going out in the sun or using tanning beds.

• If you must use a phototoxic oil, apply it to areas of the skin that will not be exposed to sunlight (e.g., under clothing).

• Look for warnings about phototoxicity on product labels or consult trusted resources before use.

More information about photosensitive oils can be found on the American College of Healthcare Sciences website.

9. Store Oils Properly

Keep essential oils in dark glass bottles, tightly sealed, and away from heat and sunlight to maintain their potency and prevent degradation.

Additionally, keep them out of reach of children and pets.

10. Check for Essential Oil-Medication Interactions

Essential oils can influence how your body metabolizes certain medications, potentially altering their effectiveness. This happens because essential oils contain bioactive compounds that interact with enzymes, hormones, and cellular pathways in the body.

These interactions often help you by improving how your body works.

They also may enhance a medication’s potency, increasing the risk of side effects or overmedication, or reduce its effectiveness by interfering with its metabolism. 

What Medications Interact with Essential Oils?

Common Medication Categories Affected:

• Blood thinners
• Sedatives
• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Diabetes medications
• Statins
• Hormone treatments (e.g., birth control, thyroid medications)
• Anticonvulsants
• Cancer treatments

If you’re taking pharmaceutical medications, consult your doctor to check for potential contraindications before using essential oils.

Since some EOs have blood-thinning properties and some impact sedation, check with your doctor about their usage prior to any surgery. Keep in mind all sources of essential oils, including inhalation, skin application, and personal care products. (You may need to discontinue using them about a week before surgery.)

You may also be interested in this post about essential oils for anxiety, stress, and insomnia:

Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Stress Self-Care Guide Book

Essential oils are often used for their relaxing and lifting properties. 

You may also be interested in how diet and nutrition can affect your mood and stress resilience. 

I spent four years researching and writing Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience to ensure that I delivered science-backed information to make your life better. 

Check it out.

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