Nowadays, people are increasingly becoming health conscious and advocate a wellness-oriented lifestyle. Therefore, aromatherapy becomes one of their choices in the natural remedy of improving health conditions and relaxing the mind and spirit. Essential oils are most commonly used in the practice of aromatherapy and therefore have gained popularity in Malaysia within these few years.
Meanwhile, we also found people are putting more emphasis on the benefits of using essential oils, but they have neglected the essential oils may pose a health risk when misused. If used incorrectly, it may cause side effects and pose harm, especially in children.
How do you know if you are using essential oils properly?
People have a misconception that essential oils are safe to use because they are natural plant-based. Unfortunately, they can have adverse effects if used improperly. However, the biggest issue is that people sometimes might not realize the side effects are caused by essential oils because they do not have the experience and expertise to identify them.
The most common mistakes made
You should avoid the below mistakes that might cause adverse reactions.
- Taking essential oils internally
- Use essential oils on infants below 2 years old
- Apply undiluted essential oils onto the skin
- Wrong or excessive dosage use (not sure how to calculate the dosage use)
- Pregnant women used essential oils without professional consultation from a certified aromatherapist
What should you know before using essential oils?
There is a lot of information out there that might be confusing, so before you get started using essential oils, it’s important to learn the safety precautions.
- Know the contraindication of using essential oils
- Know the administration method and safe dosage use for different age groups
- Certain essential oils are considered to be toxic and hazardous. It’s strongly recommended that you should avoid them.
- You need to know what essential oils to avoid for patients with heart disease, fibroid, breast cancer, G6PD, etc
- You need to be aware that essential oils have an expiry date once opened
It’s advised to consult an expert or attend an aromatherapy training class from a reputable organization so that you can practice a safe and cautious way when using essential oils.
