Three reasons to consider diluting essential oils

Many essential oil users apply oils without dilution and never experience any problems. Personally (knock on wood) I have not experienced any adverse consequences from neat (undiluted) application of essential oils, nor have members of my family. But I am always one to err on the side of caution and am aware that many of my patients fall into the category of “sensitive”. Therefore I wanted to provide guidance in this article and the previous one about who might want to consider diluting essential oils for topical use and how... [Read more...]

Is it possible to be allergic to essential oils?

The short answer to this question is yes, it is possible to be allergic to even very pure and high quality essential oils. Anyone who tells you that you cannot be allergic to essential oils or that when skin irritation arises in response to the use of essential oils (for example hives, rashes, itching, etc.) it means that your body is “detoxing” and that you need to continue to use oils is misinformed (please see postscript below about the emotional origin of allergies). Top quality essential oils do not contain synthetic... [Read more...]

Parrots and essential oils

  Me and my citron crested cockatoo Maggie (left) and a Goffin cockatoo that we fostered (right) Please note that I am not a veterinarian. I do, however, share my home with eight parrots. I have spent a great deal of time researching the use of essential oils on and around parrots in an effort to insure that my birds are safe. Resources I recommend on this topic include The Animal Desk Reference: Essential Oils for Animals by Melissa Shelton, DVM and Aromatherapy for Parrots by Angela Nelson (with the caveats mentioned in my review... [Read more...]