- Always keep a bottle of V-6 Mixing Oil or any pure vegetable oil handy when using essential oils. Vegetable oils dilute essential oils if they cause discomfort or skin irritation.
- Keep bottles of essential oils tightly closed and store in a cool location away from light. If stored properly, essential oils will maintain their potency for many years.
- Keep essential oils out of reach of children. Treat them as you would any product for therapeutic use.
- Essential oils rich in menthol (such as peppermint) should not be used on the throat or neck area of children under 30 months of age.
- Direct sunlight and essential oils. Lemon, Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Angelica, and other citrus oils may cause a rash or darker pigmentation if applied to skin exposed to direct sunlight or UV within 2 days.
- Keep essential oils away from eye area and do not put into ears. Do not handle contact lenses or rub eyes with essential oils on your fingers. Oils with high phenol content – Oregano, Cinnamon, Thyme, Clove, Lemongrass, and Bergamot – may damage contacts and irritate eyes.
- Pregnant women should consult their health care professional before using essential oils and avoid Idaho Tansy and oils containing constituents with hormone-like activity, such as Clary Sage, Sage, and Fennel.
- Epileptics and people with high blood pressure should consult a health care professional before using essential oils. Avoid Hyssop, Fennel, Basil, Wintergreen, Birch, Nutmeg, and Rosemary, Peppermint, Sage, Tarragon, and Idaho Tansy
- People with allergies should test a small amount of oil on a small area of sensitive skin, such as the inside of the arm, before applying the oil on other areas.
- The bottom of the feet is one of the safest, most effective places to use essential oils.
- Do not add undiluted essential oils directly to bathwater. Use Bath Gel Base as a dispersing agent for all oils applied to your bath water. When essential oils are put directly into bath water without a dispersing agent, they can cause serious discomfort on sensitive skin because the essential oils float, undiluted, on top of the water.
- Keep essential oils away from open flames, sparks or electricity. Some essential oils, including Orange, Fir, Pine, (or any trees with needles) and Peppermint are potentially flammable.
