DRAGOO’S OIL BLENDS
  • Home & Store
  • About
    • The Owner
    • About Aromatherapy
  • Guidelines
  • Contact
  • Essential Oil Safety
  • Old Rooster Creek Flea Market
  • Herb of the Month Focus
  • Essential Oil of the Month Focus
  • Carrier Oil of the Month
  • Karen's BLog
  • Monthly Tidbit
  • Recommendations
  • Members Pages
    • Herbal Data Sheets >
      • Angelica
      • Arnica
      • Astragalus
      • Balm of Gilead
      • Bee Balm
      • Burdock
      • Butterfly Weed
      • Calendula
      • Cardamom
      • Chamomile
      • Chickweed
      • Cinnamon
      • Comfrey
      • Cranberry
      • Dandelion
      • Elder Berries & Flowers
      • Elecampane
      • Ginger Root
      • Goldenrod
      • Goldenseal
      • Hibiscus
      • Hops
      • Lavender
      • Lemon Balm
      • Licorice Root
      • Marshmallow Root
      • Mullein
      • Oregon Grape - Mahonia
      • Peppermint
      • Plantain
      • Red Clover
      • Rose
      • Sassafras
      • Sow Thistle
      • Turmeric
    • Essential Oil Datasheets >
      • Allspice
      • Angelica
      • Balsam Copaiba
      • Balsam Poplar/Balm of Gilead
      • Basil, Sweet
      • Basil, Tulsi
      • Cardamom
      • Chamomile, German
      • Chamomile, Roman
      • Elemi
      • Frankincense
      • Galangal
      • Geranium
      • Ginger
      • Helichrysum italicum
      • Hemp
      • Lavender
      • Lemon
      • Orange (Sweet)
      • Plai
      • Ravintsara
      • Rose Absolute
      • Sage (Salvia officinalis)
      • Thyme
      • Vetiver
      • Ylang Ylang
    • Carrier Oils & Butters Datasheets >
      • Andiroba Oil
      • Argan Oil
      • Black Currant Seed Oil
      • Black Seed (Nigella)
      • Borage Oil
      • Castor Oil
      • Cocoa Butter
      • Coconut Oil
      • Evening Primrose Oil
      • Grapeseed
      • Hemp Seed Oil
      • Jojoba
      • Macademia Nut
      • Mango Butter
      • Neem Oil
      • Pumpkin Seed Oil
      • Sacha Inchi
      • Safflower Oil
      • Sea Buckthorn Oil
      • Shea Butter
      • Tamanu
    • Component Datasheets >
      • EO Chemical Constituents >
        • (E)-Anethole
        • Caryophyllene (beta)
        • 1,8-Cineole
        • Humulene - alpha
        • Linalool
        • β-Myrcene
      • Herb Constituents >
        • L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
        • Carotene (Beta)
        • Retinol (Vitamin A)
        • Alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
        • Gamma-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
        • Saponins
      • Fatty Acid Profiles >
        • Linoleic Acid
        • Alpha-Linolenic Acid
        • Oleic Acid
        • Palmitic Acid
        • Stearic Acid
    • Energetics Charts
    • Topical Recipes >
      • E3 TKO Alt with Beta-Caryophyllene
      • AASK Skin Serum & Soap
      • Comfeet
    • Edible Recipes
    • EO Safety in depth >
      • Children
      • Dilution Rates
      • Oils that may set off seizures
      • Phototoxicity
      • Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
  • Stitchhouse Powerpoints
    • Floriani Software Lessons

Karen's Blog

Blogs by Karen Dragoo​

Why do a skin test first?

1/15/2019

 
Scenario:  You just got a new essential oil blend and can't wait to try it!  You roll it all over your leg and massage the oil into your skin.  A minute later, you notice red bumps raising up on your skin where you applied the oil.  Wait, what???  Aaarrrggghhh!  You realize you may be allergic to one of the ingredients.

While allergic reactions to essential oils are rare, they can occur.  If you are allergic to certain plants or plant families, or have chemical sensitivities, you may have a higher possibility of reacting to essential oils.  (This doesn't mean you will react - I tend to be very chemically sensitive, but have only once reacted to an essential oil blend, and that happened because I had let it oxidize.)   Hopefully, you've already read in previous posts here to use whole milk to ameliorate a skin reaction, but it still stinks that you've spent money on this new blend and can't use it now!  So, how can you be sure, before you buy an oil, that you won't react to it?

There are a few steps you can take.  If you know what your allergies are, you can read the ingredients before you buy the product.  For example, if you know you are allergic to plants in the
Asteraceae family, you'll want to at least test oils that come from that plant family before using them.  Reputable companies, like Dragoo's Oil Blends, will clearly list all of the ingredients in their products and gladly answer any questions you have.   But what if you don't know what all of your allergies are? 

This is where a skin test can be helpful.  If you're buying from a local aromatherapist,     (s)he may be willing to let you do a quick skin test before buying.  I have samplers of my products at my flea market booth for that purpose, and before a customer buys a topical oil blend from me, I make sure (s)he does a skin test.  However, buying oils online means you don't have that opportunity.  In this case, I recommend you buy the smallest available quantity and perform a skin test when it arrives.  


With a skin test, you put a drop of the blend on the inside of your wrist or elbow, rub it in, then wait 10 - 15 minutes to see if you're going to react. It's a quick, easy thing to do.  If there's no reaction to the skin test, you can use the blend.  If you do react, wash the area with whole milk, then soap and water and don't use the blend. 

It's important to note here that you can develop a reaction to a substance, like an essential oil, even after you've been exposed to it many times.  Regularly using an essential oil neat on your skin can cause you to become allergic to that oil.  Whether it's the first or the 100th exposure, if you react to an essential oil blend, follow the steps above, t
hen let the aromatherapist (or the company you purchased the oil from) know that you reacted and what the reaction was.  

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    February 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018

    Categories

    All

    Author

    Karen Dragoo
    Retired Teacher
    Certified Aromatherapist
    ​I'm very fortunate to have found not one, but two callings in life.  The first was teaching -  all ages, all grade levels for 32 years.  


    When arthritis made it no longer feasible for me to continue teaching, my daughter introduced me to the world of aromatherapy.

    The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
    This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home & Store
  • About
    • The Owner
    • About Aromatherapy
  • Guidelines
  • Contact
  • Essential Oil Safety
  • Old Rooster Creek Flea Market
  • Herb of the Month Focus
  • Essential Oil of the Month Focus
  • Carrier Oil of the Month
  • Karen's BLog
  • Monthly Tidbit
  • Recommendations
  • Members Pages
    • Herbal Data Sheets >
      • Angelica
      • Arnica
      • Astragalus
      • Balm of Gilead
      • Bee Balm
      • Burdock
      • Butterfly Weed
      • Calendula
      • Cardamom
      • Chamomile
      • Chickweed
      • Cinnamon
      • Comfrey
      • Cranberry
      • Dandelion
      • Elder Berries & Flowers
      • Elecampane
      • Ginger Root
      • Goldenrod
      • Goldenseal
      • Hibiscus
      • Hops
      • Lavender
      • Lemon Balm
      • Licorice Root
      • Marshmallow Root
      • Mullein
      • Oregon Grape - Mahonia
      • Peppermint
      • Plantain
      • Red Clover
      • Rose
      • Sassafras
      • Sow Thistle
      • Turmeric
    • Essential Oil Datasheets >
      • Allspice
      • Angelica
      • Balsam Copaiba
      • Balsam Poplar/Balm of Gilead
      • Basil, Sweet
      • Basil, Tulsi
      • Cardamom
      • Chamomile, German
      • Chamomile, Roman
      • Elemi
      • Frankincense
      • Galangal
      • Geranium
      • Ginger
      • Helichrysum italicum
      • Hemp
      • Lavender
      • Lemon
      • Orange (Sweet)
      • Plai
      • Ravintsara
      • Rose Absolute
      • Sage (Salvia officinalis)
      • Thyme
      • Vetiver
      • Ylang Ylang
    • Carrier Oils & Butters Datasheets >
      • Andiroba Oil
      • Argan Oil
      • Black Currant Seed Oil
      • Black Seed (Nigella)
      • Borage Oil
      • Castor Oil
      • Cocoa Butter
      • Coconut Oil
      • Evening Primrose Oil
      • Grapeseed
      • Hemp Seed Oil
      • Jojoba
      • Macademia Nut
      • Mango Butter
      • Neem Oil
      • Pumpkin Seed Oil
      • Sacha Inchi
      • Safflower Oil
      • Sea Buckthorn Oil
      • Shea Butter
      • Tamanu
    • Component Datasheets >
      • EO Chemical Constituents >
        • (E)-Anethole
        • Caryophyllene (beta)
        • 1,8-Cineole
        • Humulene - alpha
        • Linalool
        • β-Myrcene
      • Herb Constituents >
        • L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
        • Carotene (Beta)
        • Retinol (Vitamin A)
        • Alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
        • Gamma-Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
        • Saponins
      • Fatty Acid Profiles >
        • Linoleic Acid
        • Alpha-Linolenic Acid
        • Oleic Acid
        • Palmitic Acid
        • Stearic Acid
    • Energetics Charts
    • Topical Recipes >
      • E3 TKO Alt with Beta-Caryophyllene
      • AASK Skin Serum & Soap
      • Comfeet
    • Edible Recipes
    • EO Safety in depth >
      • Children
      • Dilution Rates
      • Oils that may set off seizures
      • Phototoxicity
      • Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
  • Stitchhouse Powerpoints
    • Floriani Software Lessons