Clove Bud Essential Oil

Clove bud essential oil has been used for centuries. But what are the actual, proven benefits of it? Let's find out shall we?

Quick Glance at Clove Bud Essential Oil

Pros: Clove bud essential oil is cytotoxic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, insecticidal and pain relieving.

Cons: In large doses, this essential oil can cause vomiting, diarrhea, internal bleeding, kidney failure, and liver failure.

Precautions: Clove bud essential oil should be avoided if you are pregnant, or suffer from liver and kidney problems. Also, you must consult with your doctor before using this essential oil.

Properties of Clove Bud Essential Oil

I always say it's important to know the properties of an essential oil before buying or using it. So here are some properties of clove bud essential oil for you to consider.

Name
You will find many botanical names for clove, for example:

• Syzygium aromaticum
• Caryophyllus aromaticus
• Eugenia aromatica
• Eugenia caryophyllata
• Eugenia caryophyllus

You may also see clove leaf essential oil for sale. So be sure to check both the botanical name and part of the plant used when buying this essential oil.

Color & Scent

Clove bud essential oil ranges in color from pale, golden yellow to brown. Its scent is very similar to cloves. That means it has a spicy, woody, unique smell to it.

Compounds

The main compound in clove bud essential oil is eugenol. It can make up anywhere from 50% to 90% of the oil. Other compounds that can be found in the oil include beta-caryophyllene, eugenyl acetate, and alpha-humulene.

Note, clove leaf essential oil contains high amounts of eugenol too but little or no eugenyl acetate. So you can expect clove leaf will have similar benefits to clove bud essential oil.

Benefits of Clove Bud Essential Oil

There are many benefits of clove bud essential oil. Here are just a few of them.

1. It may be cytotoxic to cancer cells

A 2010 study found clove bud essential oil strongly inhibited melanoma cells at very low concentrations. And another 2010 study compared the effects of clove essential oil on cancer cells and on normal cells. The oil was found to have significant cytotoxic effects against all the studied cancer cell lines.

What does that mean? Well, clove essential oil is far more toxic to cancer cells than normal healthy cells. So there may be anticancer benefits of clove bud essential oil. But remember, these were lab studies and not clinical trials. We cannot definitively say clove can be used to fight cancer.

2. It is antioxidant

There are many studies that explore this benefit of clove bud essential oil. A 2009 study looked at the antioxidant benefits of fourteen essential oils (including black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon leaf, marjoram, ginger, garlic and clove bud). The study found garlic, clove bud, and cinnamon leaf essential oils were the most antioxidant oils tested.

A later study (2015) found eugenol was the compound responsible for these clove bud essential oil benefits.

3. It may help with pain

Clove essential oil has been used traditionally to relieve pain (especially toothaches). And these 2011 and 2012 animal studies suggest there may be some merit to this. Both studies showed the animal models exhibited reduced pain responses after being administered clove oil.

There's a catch though - clove oil was injected into the animals. So it is unclear if topical use of clove bud essential oil will have similar pain relieving effects.

4. It is definitely antibacterial

There is no shortage of research proving the antibacterial benefits of clove bud essential oil. For instance, a 2004 study investigated the effects of 17 plant essential oils (including cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, clove bud, lemon, lemongrass, and oregano) and 9 oil compounds (including eugenol, carvacrol, geraniol, and citral) on foodborne pathogens like Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica.

Clove bud essential oil was among the ten most active compounds against E. coli. However, its effects were not as strong against Salmonella enterica. So while clove bud essential oil has great antibacterial benefits, it isn't one of the most antibacterial essential oils.

5. It has strong anti-fungal benefits

Clove bud essential oil is a powerful anti-fungal oil. Take the results from this 2007 study as proof. The study tested clove bud on 53 human pathogenic yeasts. And the results showed the essential oil was highly effective against all the tested strains!

6. Clove bud essential oil is a great insecticide

Again, there are lots of studies demonstrating these benefits. A 2005 study tested 29 essential oils (like eucalyptus, cassia, clove bud and garlic) on the Japanese termite, Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe. The study noted clove bud and garlic essential oils exhibited the most potent antitermitic activity among the essential oils under investigation.

That's pretty awesome!

7. It's useful against lice

Clove bud's insecticidal benefits extends to the human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis. This 2003 study suggested that clove bud essential oil had similar effects to two commonly used pediculicides, delta-phenothrin and pyrethrum. And, of course, eugenol was identified as the compound most toxic to the lice.

8. Clove bud essential oil can kill spiders and mites

Several studies including this 2009 one found clove bud essential oil has acaricidal benefits. The study tested the oil on dust mites and showed that even at very low concentrations, clove bud essential oil was very effective against the mites. Woohoo!

9. Clove bud oil has been used for centuries

This 2007 study details the scientifically-proven and anecdotal benefits of clove bud essential oil. It noted clove bud is used topically to relieve pain, promote healing, and reduce inflammatory. It also reported the oil may have antiviral properties as well.

Clove bud oil and eugenol are also commonly used for toothaches. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not believe there is enough research to show clove oil is as effective for toothache pain as originally thought. In fact, a report submitted to the FDA noted:

... eugenol can damage the pulp of a vital tooth and should only be used in teeth with persistent throbbing pain (indicating [already] irreparable pulpal damage)...

So while anecdotal evidence suggests clove bud essential oil is great for a whole host of ailments, the oil should be used with tremendous caution.

Summary of Clove Bud Essential Oil Benefits
Finally, here's a brief list of the scientifically proven benefits of clove bud essential oil.

Uses of Clove Bud Essential Oil

The benefits of clove bud essential oil is pretty awesome. But how do you use the oil? Let's take a look.

Inhaling

You can add small amounts of clove bud oil to your diffuser to get a wonderful spicy scent. It's a strong oil so you only need to use a little.

Clove bud essential oil also blends well with other spicy oils too. So you can use bay, clary sage, geranium, ginger, palmarosa, peppermint and sandalwood oils with clove bud. Citrus oils also work well with this essential oil. That means you can pair clove bud with bergamot, grapefruit, lemon and orange essential oils.

Massaging

Clove bud essential oil must be properly diluted with a carrier oil before using it on your skin. A blend of 3% may be sufficient for your needs. But you should know this oil may irritate your skin. So always patch test first and dilute even further if necessary.

Precautions

Clove bud essential oil is not recommended if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or suffering from liver and kidney problems. In fact, using high concentrations of clove oil may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, internal bleeding, breathing problems, seizures, liver damage, or kidney damage.

Yep! It's serious! Eugenol is no joke. So use this oil with caution. You should also consult with your medical practitioner before using this essential oil... or any other essential oil for that matter.

Get Clove Bud Essential Oil:

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How to Make Coconut Oil

How to make coconut oil? Well, it's not as hard as you think! And what better way to guarantee you're getting pure coconut oil than to make it yourself... at home... in your pjs?

All you need are brown coconuts, a few tools, some time and a little patience. The results - homemade coconut oil your skin will love.

So... are you ready to see how to make to coconut oil?

How to Make Coconut Oil: Summary

Prep Time: more than 12 hours
Cook Time: less than 1 hour (**optional**)

Ingredients:

• brown or mature coconuts [5 - 6 makes roughly 1 cup of oil]

Tools/ equipment:

• cleaver or hammer
• several bowls
• sturdy knife
• grating equipment [for example: a rough grater, coconut scraper, blender, food processor, or juicer]
• straining equipment [for example: a simple strainer, cheese cloth, or any clean cloth]
• spoons
• clean bottles or containers for coconut oil
• heavy bottomed pot [for example: cast iron pot] (**optional**)

Steps:

1. Buy brown or mature coconuts.
2. Crack them open.
3. Remove the coconut meat (also called copra or 'flesh').
4. Grate/ shred the extracted coconut meat.
5. Squeeze the grated meat to extract coconut milk. Add water if necessary.
6. Strain the coconut milk.
7. Leave the milk overnight in a cool place to separate.
8. Once separated, carefully scoop coconut oil from the top and bottle the oil.
   This is cold pressed, virgin coconut oil, which is sometimes called coconut cream or curd. And it typically contains some moisture.

**Optional** - Processing further
9. Heat the coconut curd in a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat.
10. Stir continuously until the coconut oil and curd separate.
11. Strain the oil.
12. Carefully squeeze the curd particles to remove as much oil as possible. Bottle the oil.
    This is 100% pure coconut oil so it doesn't contain any moisture.

How to Make Coconut Oil: Details

Step #1: Buy brown/ mature coconuts

You can get brown coconuts at your local farmers' market, big box stores and specialty groceries. Ask them when they restock so you can get the coconuts at their freshest. Also verify that they are organic nuts if you want to make organic coconut oil.

How many brown coconuts you should get will depend on how much oil you want to make. Typically, five to six nuts will give you one cup of coconut oil. But the actual yield will depend on the size, quality and 'freshness' of the brown coconuts.

So choosing the right nut is important. When you're at the store, you want to get coconuts that are brown on the outside, feel heavy, have no signs of mold, and when you shake them, you can hear liquid sloshing around inside. These coconuts are usually 'fresher' and are more likely to make better quality coconut oil. Coconuts that are lighter, grayish, moldy, or don't have much liquid in them are older and may be rancid. These will make poor quality coconut oil.

Still, you will only know if a coconut is truly good when you crack it open.

Step #2: Open the coconuts

To open the brown coconuts, you'll need a cleaver or hammer and a bowl or two. You may also have use for a corkscrew or sturdy paring knife.

Before cracking open the nut, you can use the corkscrew or paring knife to dig holes into the coconut's darker spots or 'eyes.' Empty the coconut water out of these holes into a bowl. You can drink this water or use it later to help extract the coconut milk. But this is all optional since the water isn't necessary for making the oil.

To crack open a coconut, place a bowl under it to collect the water (if you didn't empty it already). You can also do this over your kitchen sink too. Holding the coconut in one hand, use a hammer or the back of a cleaver to tap the center of the coconut (against its grain). Rotate and repeat as necessary until the coconut shell breaks. Be careful with your fingers!

If you are keeping the coconut water, make sure to strain and empty the water into a separate bowl before cracking open the next nut, just in case you got any bad coconuts.

Bad coconuts smell rancid and their meat can be slimy, runny, and gross. Discard them! Good coconuts (like the ones below) do not smell and their kernels or meat are hard and white. These are perfect for making coconut oil.

Step #3: Remove the coconut meat

If you are using a manual or electric coconut scraper, you can skip this step.

To remove the coconut meat, you will still need the cleaver or hammer and a sturdy knife. Use the back of the cleaver or hammer to gently tap the shell of the coconut. Sometimes, the coconut shell will pop right out. If it doesn't then insert the sturdy knife between the meat and shell and twist it slightly.

Note, the coconut shells can be a little unstable so be very careful when tapping and using the knife.

Separated coconut meat:

You can peel the brown 'skins' off the coconut meat before grating but this isn't necessary.

You can discard the coconut shells or use them to make cute bowls and decorations. You can also add the smaller pieces to your garden.

Step #4: Grate/ shred the coconut meat

With the manual or electric coconut scrapers, you can shred the coconut meat directly from the coconut shell. Be sure to place a bowl under the scrapers to collect all the gratings. It can get messy!

If you don't have these scrapers, you can simply use the rough side of your grater to shred the extracted coconut meat. It takes a while to get done and you can accidentally grate your finger, but still, it is one of the best ways to get coconut meat into a really fine consistency.

You can save time and your fingers by using a blender or a food processor. But you will need to cut the meat into small pieces to make it easier for your appliances. You may also have to add water to ensure the coconut meat blends properly. Note, by adding water, you will end up with a slurry-like consistency.

I, personally, don't like adding too much water in this step because my cold-pressed coconut oil tends to have more moisture when I do. That's why I prefer manually grating the coconut meat.

Step #5: Extract the coconut milk

There are a few ways you can extract coconut milk from the meat. You can use a strainer, cheese cloth, or ... a juicer!

I love using the juicer because I don't have to add a lot of water. I simply load the chute with my grated coconut meat and switch on the appliance. The milk pours right out and the coconut meat left is really, really dry. Some powerful juicers can get the meat to an almost powdery texture, which is awesome since you'll get all the milk out. Note, you can also add the coconut meat slurry from your blender to your juicer.

With my juicer, I run it once, collect the dry coconut meat, mix it with a little water and add it back to the chute. I double juice :) ... Here's after first run:

If you don't have a juicer, no worries. All you need to do is add a little water to the grated coconut and squeeze the coconut meat. You'll start seeing the water turning white. That's your coconut milk. And the more you squeeze the meat, the more milk you'll get out.

You can also work the slurry from your blender in the same way.

Step #6: Strain the coconut milk

You'll need a strainer, or cheese cloth or any cloth for this step.

The coconut milk and meat from your juicer, blender or gratings must be properly strained to remove any particles from the coconut milk. You can double strain and triple strain if necessary. And make sure you squeeze out as much milk as possible from the meat.

You can eat the coconut meat that is left behind. It is a great source of fiber. You can also add it to your garden as an all-natural fertilizer.

Step #7: Leave the coconut milk to sit overnight

Once you're sure the coconut milk is properly strained, place it in a large bowl and let it sit undisturbed in a cool place overnight. Sometimes I put it in the fridge to make sure it stays cool. If it does get warm, your milk will start to smell a little rancid and the odor does transfer to the oil. So it is important to keep the milk in a cool place.

You can also cover your milk with a thin cloth when leaving it overnight.

Step #8: Scoop out cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil

By morning, you will find your coconut milk has separated into a solid, white layer on top and clear-ish liquid below. Using a spoon, gently remove the solid, white layer. This is your cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil! It's also called coconut cream or coconut curd.

You will notice your oil will have a slight watery feel to it. That's because there is still water in the oil layer. But over time, the water will evaporate out. You can bottle the oil and store it in a cool place or in the fridge. If it is always cool, it will be good for several months to a year.

Here's my cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil/ coconut curd/ coconut cream:

How to Make Pure Coconut Oil

To make pure coconut oil, you have to process the cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil/ coconut curd further to remove the excess water. To do this you have to:

Step #9: Heat the coconut curd

Add the coconut curd to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir continuously to prevent the curd from sticking. After 10 - 15 minutes, you will see the curd will separate into light colored oil and white particles.

After a few more minutes, you will notice the oil changes to a pale yellow color and the particles become brown. You can turn off the heat at this point.

Step #10: Strain the coconut oil

While the oil is still hot, carefully strain it using a cheese cloth or any other type of cloth. If you don't strain the oil, you may find tiny brown specks settling in it.

Step #11: Extract as much oil as possible

The brown curd particles also contain a lot of oil so it's a good idea to squeeze as much oil out of them too... Carefully! And while they're still hot. If they get cold, the oil will solidify around the particles and you won't get it out.

So you can strain the hot curd particles in a few ways. For instance, you can twist your cheese cloth at its ends and continue twisting until you get some oil out. You can also place the cheese cloth on a slotted spoon, and squeeze down on the cloth using another spoon or something heavy. Either way, get as much oil as you can out without getting burned. It is oil after all.

Your final products are 100% pure coconut oil and brown curd particles. I used 3 coconuts and got about 90 milliliters of coconut oil. If kept in cool conditions, the oil will turn white and last for a few months to a year.

Note #1: The brown curd particles will still have some oil in them and they are great additions to your skin scrubs.

Note #2: You can use the pure coconut oil for oil pulling and cooking. Plus it's great for all your skin care and beauty regimes.

Note #3: So there's an old saying about making coconut oil and full moon. According to my mom - among others - you can get a higher yield of coconut oil when you make it on or around the date of full moon. Try it at different times and tell me if you got more or the same amount.

So now you know how to make coconut oil! Leave a comment and let me know how your oil turned out. :)

What's next?

Return to:
- Essential Oils Listing
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- Tips and Tricks for using essential and carrier oils

Essential Oils Safety: 30 Ways You Shouldn't Use Essential Oils

Are essential oils safe? Are you using them safely? Are you sure about that?

Essential oil safety is pretty important and some of us (myself included) have learned the hard way just how important. That's why it'll do us a world of good to learn from the mistakes of others so we don't end up in the emergency room!

So here are 30 ways you shouldn't use essential oils.

Note: many of the 'mistakes' you'll see here are from essential oil injury reports submitted to Aromatherapy United. If you have your own personal injury story, you should definitely submit it. Save someone else from experiencing what you did!

Ok so where were we? Essential oil safety... right ... ways you shouldn't use essential oils:

A. For those sensitive zones

1. You shouldn't soak tampons in essential oils before inserting it into your vagina.

Um yeah! It has to be said... Here's a terrifying story reported to Aromatherapy United:

A 24-year old woman, dealing with a vaginal yeast infection, was...

advised by a [essential oil company] consultant to soak a tampon in tea tree oil, insert it before bed, [and] wear it overnight."

She didn't follow the advice exactly. Instead, she added 5 drops of tea tree to a tampon before inserting it. Immediately, she experienced a warming effect but was reassured by the consultant that this was normal, expected and indicative that the treatment "was working."

After 6 - 7 hours of sleep (yeah! she got sleep!), she woke up to excruciating pain and had to be rushed to the hospital. There, she was treated for chemical burns... yes chemical burns up there!!! Three months after the incident, her doctor told her that she had vaginal scarring and it was unlikely the area would completely heal.

Yikes!

Now, Prevention.com's article on 9 Highly Effective Solutions For Yeast Infections says soaking your tampon in tea tree oil can cure yeast infections... BUT... their own expert advised caution. She said:

"The vagina is very sensitive, so I would hesitate to put something that might be irritating in an already irritated environment."

So yeah! You should not soak your tampons in essential oils. Five drops gave one woman permanent scarring... Remember that!

[Image credit: BestCheapEssentialOils]

2. You shouldn't insert essential oils like peppermint into your vagina with a cue-tip.

It doesn't matter if it's neat or diluted. You shouldn't! Nope, never, nuh uh! Ask reddit user, mimicryinc. She'll tell you just how much it hurts... especially peppermint...

3. In fact, you shouldn't use any mint oils on your privates.

Seriously don't.... Don't even be tempted to try it.... And don't prank your friends either!

Reddit user, averah, explained why so eloquently:

"[I] put about three or four drops of mint oil into about a palm full of lotion, and proceeded to lotion myself... It was going well until I decided to lotion my balls. Started rubbing that mint oil infused lotion on there. I immediately realized my mistake. My balls were on fire. But not the normal type of fire, a[n] icy, evil burning that seared my soft, prepubescent scrotum. It felt like the air was ripping the skin right off my nuts... "

So guys, take note! Don't use mint oils in those sensitive zones. And girls, the same goes for you too!

B. For the bath

4. You shouldn't drop essential oils directly into your bath before getting in.

Essential oils don't mix well with water so they won't really be diluted in your bath. Chances are the oils may stay on the surface or may cling to your skin. And this can lead to bad chemical burns and essential oil side effects!

It's better to dilute your essential oils in a carrier oil (less than 5% concentration would be safe) and then add that blend to the bath. Some aromatherapists also suggest mixing essential oils in milk first before adding to your bath.

5. You also shouldn't use large amounts of essential oils in your bath.

As I said before, a 5% essential to carrier oil mix in your bath should be okay. Don't go overboard and chuck the whole bottle in. You'll only do more harm.

Reddit user trajectorys found this out the hard way. After adding about 50-100 drops of peppermint oil to her bath and sitting in it for a few minutes, she noted:

"my back, my butt, and my ladybits are [were] burning cold. Like, sitting in the snow naked kind of cold. It's really uncomfortable... Peppermint + bath = burning, cold ladybits. "

Please, let's not feel the burn this way.

[See also: 7 Essential Oils For Hair Growth]

C. For your body

6. You shouldn't use photo-sensitizing essential oils before going sunbathing.

Photo-sensitizing oils like bergamot, grapefruit, and most citrus oils can burn and damage your skin when they're exposed to sunlight. And sadly, this is what happened to a 33-year old woman, according to this 2000 study.

The woman had an aromatherapy bath with 6 drops each of bergamot and geranium essential oils. After the bath, she spent about 30 minutes on a sunbed. For the next two days, the woman noticed serious skin redness and blistering in areas that were exposed to sunlight.

She was admitted to the burns unit of a U.K. hospital with 70% superficial partial thickness burns. These burns are pretty painful and take about two weeks to heal, provided there are no complications.

The study identified bergapten in bergamot oil (which we know is photo-sensitizing), as the culprit for the woman's adverse effects.

7. You shouldn't add essential oils to your neti pot.

Oh my .... Isn't saline solution uncomfortable enough?

In a report made to Aromatherapy United, one woman added one or two drops of a popular blend to eight ounces of saline solution. She used this mix in her neti pot and was fine for about 10 days, then:

"I noticed that my jaw hurt and my face was swollen. Sense of smell [was] greatly diminished.... Trip to the urgent care revealed that my sinuses were red, swollen and "angry" and the surrounding facial areas were swollen and the inflammation was also causing pain in my jaw. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection....

Treated with shots of 2 different steroids and a 10 day course of antibiotics.... 2 weeks later I was put on a stronger antibiotic and a short course of oral steroids, or oral dose pack.... 3rd trip to dr [doctor] revealed that the swelling was down and no apparent infection but my sinuses remain dry and burn[ed] sometimes and my sense of smell remains changed. Not completely gone, possibly improving. My next appointment will be with an ENT as this is still ongoing..."

Yikes!

8. You shouldn't get essential oils near your eyes or in your eyes or in the same zip code with your eyes.

Too far? Or not far enough?

I would certainly say not far enough. And I'm sure reddit user: AetherAce would certainly agree. Here's a tidbit from his post.

"My eye felt like it was being stabbed by red hot tongs which I would have preferred to oregano [essential oil] in my eye. Seriously, I would[sic] screaming in pain, ready to die, and for the next hour trying to flush my eyes which did nothing. The pain was indescribable... I'm lucky to not be 1 eye blind."

Lucky indeed!

9. You shouldn't use mysterious, unattended vials of essential oils, especially if they aren't yours.

Take it from this reddit user: secretly_an_alpaca. Here's more from her post:

"I get down on the floor and find a mysterious vial on the ground. I pick it up and it's some essential oil thing, claiming to help cure my stress and tension if I rub their oil through the roller ball all over my temples, forehead and back of the neck. I do a quick read and decide that, not only could it not hurt to try, it also has wintergreen, peppermint and frankincense in it (other than the standard cilantro and lavender and what not) so I figured it would also smell appropriate for a Christmas thing. I rub it on the back of my neck and, after testing it by rubbing it on my hands to make sure the roller still works, I also put it on my temples, forehead and even the bottoms of my feet... "

Unfortunately, she also got some in her eyes...

"With so much concentrated wintergreen, peppermint and cilantro in my eyes, the burning was almost immediate. To give a fair description, imagine a burrito went on Christmas break, ate a bunch of candy canes, and then lodged itself sauce-first into your eye. "

Vividly described! Thankfully, this wasn't much worse! See why essential oil safety is so important?

10. You shouldn't use undiluted essential oils - especially clove - on cold sores.

This one is a sad report made in 2014 to Aromatherapy United:

A 57 year old woman with a cold sore on her lip applied neat clove oil on the sore once per day for three days. Each time she experienced tingling and redness on the spot; however after the third application:

"she woke up the next morning with her mouth covered in open, bleeding sores. "

Scary! The report went on to suggest the woman was now sensitized to clove oil and cannot use the oil again! And this is why dilution is a must.

11. You shouldn't leave spilled, undiluted essential oils on your clothes.

Pure, undiluted, unadulterated essential oils on your skin can be very bad news. You can get sensitized or experience an allergic reaction to essential oils this way. And they can definitely burn your skin very badly.

So if any oil spills on your clothes, you should change or wash the oils out. If you don't, chances are you may see skin redness, blisters, and other side effects.

12. You shouldn't handle essential oils without the proper protective clothing.

Have you ever gotten undiluted essential oils on your fingers or hands? How about on your arms or legs? And have any drops flew into your eyes? Well these have certainly happened to many people (remember reddit users AetherAce in #8). And they know it burns....a whole lot!

The solution? Consider gloves! Consider eyewear like goggles... Consider long sleeves. It's always better to be safe than sorry and you never know when a rogue drop of essential oil will get onto your skin or face or in your eye.

D. For internal use

13. You shouldn't use a whole lot of essential oils all at once, especially if they're undiluted.

Each essential oil is made up of several chemical compounds and when you lump a whole lot together, you can't be sure if they're going to behave nicely or interact terribly in your body.

For instance, a 59 year old woman (report via Aromatherapy United) ingested wild orange and lime essential oils (diluted); inhaled and applied peppermint oil (undiluted); and applied [essential oil company] blend to her neck and shoulders. Note, the blend contained wintergreen, lavender, peppermint, frankincense, cilantro, marjoram, roman chamomile, basil and rosemary essential oils.

Those are a lot of oils!

Her report noted she experienced headache relief and an ease of tension in her shoulders. However, one day later:

"... I had a very itchy bumpy, hot, red rash all over my neck, shoulders, face, ears, arms and hands that lasted for a week. After the worst, every time I went in the sun it started all over again only in areas that were exposed to the sun. This severe sensitivity to the sun lasted about 3 weeks."

She continued:

"The itch I experienced was severe, I couldn't even sleep at night... I believe that I experience[d] 2 types of reactions, a skin reaction to the ones applied undiluted topically, and a photosensitive reaction to the citrus oils that I ingested. I have learned the hard way to never ingest essential oils, and to always dilute the ones I put on my skin. After a full 3 weeks, the photo-sensitivity had finally resolved."

Woah! Understand, there are essential oil side effects... especially when many oils are involved.

[Related: The Best Essential Oils for Headaches (and why they're the best!)]

14. You shouldn't ingest a whole lot of essential oils too.

This continues the point mentioned above. Ingesting essential oils, especially multiple, undiluted essential oils, is never going to end well. In fact, I don't advocate ingesting essential oils at all!

Take a lesson from a report made by a 25 year old woman to Aromatherapy United. She had 25 - 35 drops of lemon essential oil and a particular essential oil company's oils. She took all of these over a matter of 5 - 6 hours.

A few hours later, she experienced nausea, dry heaving, dizziness, high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat. Several days later she still felt nauseous and went to the hospital. She was administered IV and saline.

Here's more of her story:

"I had canker sores and was told by the aromatherapist that they [essential oils] are completely safe and fine to ingest. And that I can ingest as much as I wanted... I ended up in the ER... I thought I was going to die. The woman I called who sells the oils said it wasn't the oils and swore up and down I was fine and it wasn't the oils and they can't hurt and I can't overdose on them. She is going to end up killing someone. People need to know that THESE ARE NOT SAFE TO INGEST PLAINLY."

The ER..... Scary stuff!

E. For your kids

15. You shouldn't use undiluted essential oils on your kids.

Are essential oils safe for babies? How about older kids? Well before using oils on your children, consider these cases.

A 2011 study discussed a case about a one month old who was massaged with juniper essential oil. The baby reportedly experienced convulsions, fluid in his lungs, renal failure, and liver damage!

Thankfully, after eleven days in the ICU, he was released from the hospital in good condition.

Here's another case reported to Aromatherapy United: Ten to twenty drops of an undiluted [essential oil company] blend (that contains lemon, peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme, and melissa essential oils) was applied to the chest, armpits, behind the ears, and neck of a two year old boy. The child experienced seizures, fever, foaming at the mouth and then stopped breathing.

He was rushed to the hospital. Again thankfully, after treatment and washing his skin, he was back to normal.

16. You also shouldn't use diluted essential oils on your kids without checking with their pediatrician and without conducting a patch test.

They are not your personal guinea pigs and child-testing is probably illegal (I hope!).

There are numerous studies that report essential oil poisonings in children. And they're not all about accidental ingestion. Some kids can have bad reactions to the blends their parents massage onto their skin. That's why it's so important to patch test and talk to their pediatrician.

A case published in 1998 discussed what happened to a 6-year old girl who had hives. Her guardians slathered her with liberal amounts of a home remedy containing eucalyptus oil. Unfortunately, she did not react well to the oil. She started experiencing slurred speech and muscle weakness before becoming unconscious!

Kid.... unconscious.... Scary!

Luckily though, six hours after the oil remedy was cleaned off her symptoms were resolved. So are essential oils safe for babies and children? Yes, when used properly...

17. You shouldn't add essential oils directly to your kid's bath water.

Just like I mentioned before in #4, the oils must be properly diluted. If not, you're putting your child at risk for a chemical burn.

And this has happened too. A report to Aromatherapy United in March 2015 mentioned adding undiluted tea tree oil directly to a four year old's bath while he was in it.

The report noted:

"the child instantly broke out in hives all over the body, including areas that were not in the water....The child was immediately taken out of the water, soaped up and rinsed. The reaction stopped right away."

So be careful when it comes to your kids and using essential oils.

18. You shouldn't use essential oils on your pets without checking with your vet.

You have to protect your furry babies too. And some essential oils - like eucalyptus, mint and tea tree - are toxic to pets.

According to the ASPCA, eucalyptus and more specifically eucalyptol is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. If your pet does ingest this oil, chances are they'll be salivating excessively, vomiting and have diarrhea, depression, and weakness.

This study also showed that using too much tea tree oil on your pets can result in depression, in-coordination and muscle tremors.

Check out everything the ASPCA has published on essential oils here.

F. For fast cures and promises

19. You shouldn't use essential oils to cure Ebola.

With the 2014 - 2015 epidemic of Ebola, some essential oil companies attempted to capitalize on public fears by suggesting some of their products were able to cure the deadly virus.

The claims were so wild and unsubstantiated that the USFDA got involved. The FDA sent out warning letters like this one, identifying specific violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The companies did retract their claims after the warning letters were issued. But like all things on the internet, it never really goes away. Here's one of the claims.

Image credit: Washington Post; original is now deleted from theoildropper.com

20. You shouldn't use essential oils as your source of vitamins.

According to an article published on davidwolfe.com, peppermint essential oil contains vitamins A and C. The thing is there aren't any vitamins in essential oils... Not peppermint ... not tea tree ... none.

So get your vitamins some other way... fruits and veges, maybe?

21. You shouldn't use essential oils in ways recommended by sales reps or friends without doing your homework.

Not just homework. You have to check with your doctor or medical practitioner to make sure it's safe to use essential oils in the way you're considering.

Next you should consider advice from experienced aromatherapists and not necessarily sales reps. Sales reps generally aren't medical experts so understand their advice could be wrong... very wrong.

And finally you have to do a patch test first to make sure you aren't allergic. Allergic reaction to essential oils really are terrible. And remember, just because an oil works great for one person doesn't mean it'll work great for you.

22. You also shouldn't use essential oils according to blogs or videos without doing more homework.

Don't follow groups, videos and blogs blindly. Always do the necessary research first. I'll reiterate over and over again. Dilution is key. Ingestion isn't advised. Doctors should be contacted. And patch testing should be done.

In case you're thinking that you can 100% trust a group or a video, consider this report to Aromatherapy United made in 2015:

"...so [it was in] the Spring of 2014 that I became really interested in essential oils. I had no knowledge of essential oils and thought that this group of gals (that blog about [brand name withheld] essential oils) knew what they were doing. WRONG!

It was only after I started studying aromatherapy that I really took a hard look at some of the recipes that these gals share freely on their facebook pages. One of their popular headache blends used 90 drops of various [peppermint, lavender, frankincense, wintergreen and birch] essential oils (that filled up half of my 10mL roller bottle) and the instruction said to "top off with fractionated coconut oil." [i.e. 5mL of essential oils to 5mL of carrier oil]

I looked at that bottle and realized that no matter how I tried to work the numbers, the dilution rate was just waaaay off of the charts. I mean, if a 25% dilution for 10mL of carrier oil is 50 drops, good gosh, this blend was 90 drops for about 5mL of carier oil!! These women are going to kill someone someday with their craziness. "

23. You also shouldn't use essential oils based on the claims of essential oil companies without doing proper research.

Just like I said in the point before, you've got to do your homework properly, check with your doctor and patch test before using essential oils in ways suggested by essential oil companies.

Remember the Ebola cure promise (#19)? Essential oils companies have made false claims before. And some are now being reprimanded by the USFDA. Still, anyone can say anything at anytime. And for you, following the advice without proper research and consultation is a serious risk!

Consider this report made to Aromatherapy United. In 2014, a 50 year old woman noted a company:

"advertises a Morphine Bomb to alleviate pain and the protocol was to use 4 drops each of the oils mentioned above [Frankencense, Copaiba and Balsam Fir]. They advertised it could be used via inhalation, on skin or ingested. I trusted this combination would relieve my pain due to their claims."

It should also be mentioned that the woman suffered from pain due to a host of ailments like fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, peripheral neuropathy, cervical spinal stenosis, and bulging discs in her spine. Now it's unclear if she was on any medication at the time of taking the morphine bomb; but here's what happened:

"Within a few hours of ingesting the oils I began having racing heart, shortness of breath, pressure in my chest that radiated to my back, up my left jaw, and down my left arm, cold sweats and nausea."

The woman was hospitalized and an EKG, blood work and a CAT scan was done. The prognosis: a heart attack! Yes, she had a heart attack! And had to undergo emergency surgery.

So think twice before believing all claims made by essential oil companies!

24. You shouldn't use essential oils just because you're told they're 100% pure, all natural, and you can't overdose while using them.

Well we covered this in a few of the above points. But let's use these reports from Aromatherapy United to reiterate it:

• A 34 year old woman noted:
  

  "I was repeatedly told that it was impossible to be allergic to [essential oil company] oils because they are only 100% pure therapeutic grade oil. Coincidentally my mother and sister experienced a severe allergic or allergic type reaction from just being in a small area when I had the oils on."

• A 29 year old woman reported:
  

  "when I went to my upline in the MLM oil company [about reactions to frankincense oil and another blend] ... some other ladies that sell it laughed at me and told me that I was just detoxing and that there's no way to be allergic or have a bad reaction to the oil[s] since they are natural."

Essential oils are potent! Understand the risks! And learn about essential oil safety and proper usage techniques!

25. You shouldn't use essential oils if you're being told 'they're removing toxins' or 'you're detoxing'

I mean really? If you tell someone that you broke out in hives or have giant red burns on your skin after using essential oils, and they tell you not to worry, you're just detoxing, hang up the phone. Unfriend them even! They don't know what they're talking about. In fact, it's sales rep rhetoric they're regurgitating to you. And you need a doctor instead.

There are so many cases like this! Some are even mentioned above. Just remember an allergic reaction to essential oils is not uncommon. And it isn't your body's way of detoxing!

26. You shouldn't use essential oils while on prescription medication without talking to your doctor.

Ever heard about drug interactions? Yeah it could happen when using essential oils and it's a serious cause for concern. So always check with your doctor.

Consider this as a word of warning: a 2012 study looked at aniseed essential oil and noted that it may interact with drugs that act on the central nervous system. As a result, using the oil and these types of drugs simultaneously should be avoided.

And that's just aniseed alone. There are many other drugs that can interact with essential oils.

G. For open spaces

27. You shouldn't use essential oils in your diffuser if you or your guests may be allergic.

Yes you can react badly to diffused essential oils. And if you're diffusing your oils at a party or in a public space, you may cause adverse reactions in other people (or yourself). If you use high concentrations of the oils, especially in a poorly-ventilated space, you may also experience undesirable effects.

A 31 year old woman reported to Aromatherapy United that she was exposed to diffused peppermint and clove essential oils for 6 hours a day for 3 days. Unfortunately, she experienced "face burning, blisters on nose and lips and vomiting" for several weeks.

So you should be cautious and considerate when diffusing essential oils in public spaces, offices, etc.

28. You also shouldn't stay in the same space with essential oil spills.

If there's been a large spill, yes you should clean it up safely. But you should also ventilate the space and leave the room! Too much essential oils in the air can cause severe reactions - we just saw some above!

Here's another story submitted to Aromatherapy United: A 29 year old woman reported in 2014 that she received a shipment of roman chamomile essential oil - but some bottles were broken. She cleaned the spills up (got some on her hands too) and noted the smell was still incredibly strong in her kitchen. She then experienced:

"headaches, tiredness, and violent vomiting all night and two days after when exposed to a small amount of the same oil again"

She continued:

"This could have been an allergic reaction or an overdose, but it is important for people to be careful. In my case the bottle broke in shipment, but hindsight is 20/20 and I would have cleaned it up and kept everything outside had I realized what would have happened..."

So clean up spills asap and leave the room so you don't put yourself at risk to possible adverse reactions.

H. More Essential Oil Safety Tips

29. You shouldn't use oxidized essential oils

Compounds in essential oils tend to react when exposed to heat and air. And the resultant compounds created from these reactions may affect the essential oil's safety.

That's why it's so important to keep your essential oils away from sunlight and to close your bottle caps properly. Also, older essential oils tend to have more oxidized compounds than newer bottles. So yeah! You shouldn't use oxidized essential oils.

Consider this 2015 study that looked at lavender essential oil. The study showed that the main components in lavender - linalool and linalyl acetate - can oxidize on contact with oxygen in the air to form sensitizing hydroperoxides. These compounds were tested on patients and about 2% of those tested showed positive allergic contact dermatitis to the compounds.

So even lavender, one of the most popular and mildest essential oils, can cause side effects when oxidized.

30. You shouldn't use essential oils on your skin and then go touching your friends and family.

I'm being serious. Don't touch your partners, friends or even your kids. There's a chance you could expose them to essential oils in this way, and if they are allergic, then they may experience serious adverse reactions.

And this actually happened! Here's a report made to Aromatherapy United in 2014 by a 25 year old:

"My partner has never been around essential oils until he met me. As a blender I work with essential oils in their pure state and either apply small amounts to my skin (neat) for testing or have residual amounts on my skin from working with them. My partner, is a geneticist and has had his personal genome sequenced. He has an inherited allele that makes him prone to psoriasis though he does not display the symptoms (and never has). Hence he just has sensitive skin which may be related to the allele. Although it is not the case for all the blends I've worked with, many times he has had a dermal reaction from touching him after I have worked with the oils in a pure state (forgetting to wash my hands). I've made note of the oils (cassia, cinnamon, lemon, lemongrass, myrtle, juniper, and many others) that cause this reaction but it is hard to tell which oils exactly since they are blends. Curiously enough diluted application (ex. back massage with diluted blend[s]) does not cause a reaction."

Um yeah! You shouldn't touch your loved ones with essential oil hands, especially if they may be allergic!!

There it is - 30 Ways You Shouldn't Use Essential Oils! Which ones are you guilty of doing? Share them with us in the comments below. Let's all learn from each other proper essential oil safety and practices!

What's next?

Check out:
- Essential Oils Listing
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The Best Essential Oils for Headaches (and why they're the best!)

You can definitely use essential oils for headaches. I know I do. With a few whiffs of lavender, my headaches usually ease up or sometimes disappear altogether. And I'm sure you've had similar experiences too. But which essential oils are good for headaches? There's got to be a best essential oils for headaches list somewhere.

Well, I've got you covered with the list but before we check it out, let's look into headaches and what cause them in the first place.

Headaches: Types & Causes

Types

There are so many types of headaches. There are primary headaches like tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. There are also secondary headaches which are usually associated with more serious medical problems like influenza, sinusitis and ear infections, to name a few. And there's a third type of headache caused by nerve damage.

And those are just the types.

Causes

Then there are the causes of headaches. And this list is incredibly long. Simply worrying and stressing about something can get your head throbbing. Anxiety, nervousness, depression, lack of sleep, hunger, skipping meals, and even bad posture are also potential causes of headaches.

Of course, loud, sudden noises, glare, eyestrain, strong smells, alcohol, and over-exerting yourself can also add to the pain.

And the main causes of my own headaches are food sensitivities, certain medications and allergies. Yep! And the above list are just some of the many causes of the less serious tension headaches!

Be Cautious

It's clear there are MANY headache triggers. So how do we know when to see a doctor? Well if you experience headaches with other symptoms like fever, body pains, nausea, chills, or even confusion, then it's time to get a professional involved. Also the degree and duration of pain is another indication to get your doc on the phone.

In the interim, if you think your headaches are stress- or anxiety-related (which is incredibly common), then reach for essential oils!

Now which essential oil is best for headaches? Let's find out.

Best Essential Oils for Headaches

There isn't a lot of clinical evidence that specifically proves which are the best essential oils for headaches. However, there are still a few studies that demonstrate the positive effects of lavender, peppermint and german chamomile essential oils for headaches.

Lavender Essential Oil

There's a widely referenced clinical trial published in 2012 that looked at using lavender essential oil as a treatment for migraine headaches.

The trial involved 47 patients diagnosed with migraines. Some were asked to simply inhale lavender essential oil for 15 minutes while others were given a placebo (liquid paraffin) to inhale. All patients then reported the severity of their headaches every 30 minutes for two hours.

The results showed that 70% of the migraines experienced were eased partially or entirely in the lavender oil group. This compares to only a 40% reduction in the placebo group.

These findings are significant since they suggest that inhaling lavender essential oil may be an effective and safe way to manage migraine headaches.

So which essential oil is best for headaches? Quite possibly lavender!

Peppermint Essential Oil

There is also evidence that proves you can use peppermint oil for headaches and headache relief.

This 1994 study provides the proof.

The study involved applying pressure to the heads of 32 healthy guys in order to induce pain and headaches. Essential oil preparations including a 10% mix of peppermint oil and ethanol were applied to the forehead and temples of the guys using a small sponge. The effects were then evaluated and recorded.

The results showed that peppermint oil significantly reduced pain and the severity of the headaches. The researchers suggested that peppermint oil worked by cooling and relaxing the muscles in the forehead, temples and jaw.

So you see? You can definitely use peppermint oil for headaches.

You should know that the same study also showed peppermint essential oil helped the participants feel less anxious, irritated, annoyed and depressed. And you may recall, some of these are causes of headaches.

So peppermint oil works in two ways. It can reduce headache triggers as well as cool and ease the pain from headaches.

So does peppermint help with headaches? You bet!

German Chamomile Essential Oil

Unfortunately, there is no clinical study that shows you can use german chamomile essential oil for headaches. Instead, there's a 2014 study that hypothesizes how a chamomile and sesame oil mix (used in traditional Persian medicine) could be an effective topical remedy for migraines and headaches.

You may have seen from our German Chamomile Essential Oil post that the oil contains chamazulene and bisabolol oxide.

And, from the post, it is clear that these compounds have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties.

Well, this was the argument put forward by the 2014 study. The study especially pointed to the anti-inflammatory benefits of chamomile essential oil as the main mechanisms behind the potential effectiveness of chamomile for headaches and migraines.

So, what essential oils are good for headaches? Well, definitely lavender, peppermint and German chamomile essential oils!

Note:

If you experience frequent headaches and do not get fast relief from these essential oils then you should consider contacting your health care professional.

Remember headaches (like secondary headaches) are associated with more serious health problems. That's why it's so important to be proactive when it comes to your health.

Furthermore, while simply inhaling the essential oils will do the trick, you can apply an essential oil-carrier oil mix to your skin. But always use blends with a concentration of 5% or less to prevent skin irritation or possible skin damage.

Get these essential oils:

For more information about other essential and carrier oils, check out the listings below:
- Essential Oils Listing
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