Blending Oils
Blending Pure Therapeutic Essential OilsWhen blending oils always remember to perform a patch test. Use carrier oils like jojoba, grapeseed or almond, and be sure to ask your client if they are allergic to nuts when using almond oils.
Play with the blends and prepare them with your client's best interests. They may have allergies or have negative reactions to some mixtures. Use carrier oil to dilute the mixture until the client is comfortable with that particular blend.
Always bear in mind that pure therepeutic oils are much stronger than synthetic oils.
Some oils will solidify when stored at low temperatures. Once they reach body temperature, they will return to a liquid state. If you store oils in a refrigerator, give the oil plenty of time (several hours) to return to a liquid form. Place your oils in an area where pets and children cannot reach them. Since essential oils are very concentrated, it could make a child or pet sick if much of it is ingested. The orifice reducer is also a good child proof safety device. It might be a good idea to purchase a storage box so that the oils are all in one place and away from extreme temperature changes. When you decide you are ready to use your essential oil, it is important that you do not contaminate it. Don’t touch the top of the bottle or the inside of the lid. Try not to get the essential oils on your skin, since they can cause irritation. When you do apply it to the skin, dilute it first with a good quality carrier oil such as jojoba, almond or olive oil.
More on carrier oils
Essential oils must be diluted before they are applied to the skin. Carrier oils are a common way of diluting the essential oils. Carrier oils provide the lubrication that allows the hands to move freely over the skin. It also helps deliver, or carry,’ the essential oils into the body. Carrier oils do not evaporate and their aroma isn’t as strong as that of an essential oil. There are many carrier oils to choose from. Different carrier oils have different properties. Choose an oil that will complement the essential oil’s benefits. Some examples of carrier oil are jojoba, avocado, almond, grape seed or olive oil.
Buy or grow fresh flowers and place them in and around your home. Creating a room or space just for this purpose and decorate it with colors, candles, pictures, waterfalls, etc. Take a class on a related subject that you enjoy, and meditate in your aromatic sanctuary for 15 minutes each day.
Begin slowly and build upon the basics and you will begin to experience a restoration of balance in your life and in your daily activities.
Could I have an allergic reaction?
A small proportion of people may experience skin irritation, allergic reactions, or cross-sensitivity to essential oils. Cross-sensitivity is the potential for an allergic reaction to similar substances (for example, if you are allergic to ragweed, you might also be allergic to chamomile essential oils). Irritation is characterized by a rapid onset redness and pain in the skin exposed to the essential oil. It can occur with the first exposure. The skin generally heals without long-term problems, but you probably would not want to use the essential oil that caused the irritation again.
Some problems of this sort have been caused by oils adulterated with synthetic chemicals or chemically changed by exposure to heat or light over time. Thus, if you really like the essential oil that seemed to cause the skin irritation, you might try a different brand (following the guidelines given previously for choosing essential oils).
Contact Sensitivity
Contact sensitivity is a type of allergic reaction. This can happen anytime after the first exposure to an essential oil, and usually presents as an itchy rash or hives. This is caused by the immune system’s response to one or more of the chemicals in the essential oil. The extent of the reaction may seem out of proportion to the amount of exposure. Again, old or altered essential oils are more likely to produce skin reactions (Tisserand & Balacs, 1995).Patch Testing
To do a patch test:
- Mix a very small amount of essential oil/carrier at twice the concentration you plan to use. For example, if you plan to use a 3% mixture of the essential oil, mix it at 6% (6 drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil, or 3 drops in ½ teaspoon of carrier oil).
- Using the inside of the forearm, apply a couple drops of your double concentration mix to the pad of a bandaid and keep the bandage on the skin. After 48 hours remove the bandage and check for irritation.
- You may repeat to check for allergic sensitivity. Remember, however, that allergies can develop any time after the first exposure; thus absence of a reaction does not necessarily mean that an allergy will not develop with later exposures.
- If the skin under or around the bandage becomes red, swollen, itchy, or develops blisters, that is a reaction and you should avoid skin exposure to the essential oil you tested.