While essential oils are natural, coming from plants, they do inherently require safety consideration. Not all natural things are safe, or safe for undiluted application.

There are a couple oils that are safe to apply to an adults skin neat(without dilution). Lavender and Roman Chamomile are the main two oils, though depending on the person there might be a couple more.

Some things to think about when considering using essential oils:

• Do not apply to your eyes – they can cause damage to the eye’s sensitive tissues.
• Beware of membranous tissues – for example, if your nose it stuffy and you want relief think carefully before you apply peppermint undiluted, it may burn!
• Babies, the elderly, and pregnant women are people for which the essential oil usage is more limited.
• Those with sensitive skin should dilute or avoid certain oils- some oils are a bit caustic and can cause a rash if not properly diluted.

Babies and children are tiny humans and their bodies shouldn’t be stressed by over-application of essential oils.

The elderly are similar to children and babies in that they tend to be more sensitive. Their bodies work less efficiently and as such some oils and higher concentrations of oils may not be appropriate.

Pregnancy and essential oils are very important to understand thoroughly. Pregnant women go through many stages and each stage presents different changes and challenges. Some oils may be abortifacients, meaning they may cause the body to abort the pregnancy. Other oils stimulate contractions. Some merely mimic female hormones and should be avoided preventatively during the first, second and part of the third trimester.

Those with sensitive skin need to proceed with a bit of caution. Stronger oils should be well diluted in a carrier oil if applied to the skin. In my experience any oil can be safely tested to make sure there are no adverse reactions. Check back for directions on how to safely test essential oils.