How You Might Be Using Essential Oils Unsafely

The weather is warm & you’re spending more time outdoors. But before you apply essential oils before heading outside, there is something you need to know! Some essential oils can cause a phototoxic reaction from UV rays up to 12 hours after they were applied to your skin.

What does “phototoxicity” mean?

Phototoxicity is a skin reaction that occurs when a chemical or substance is placed on the skin and then the skin is exposed to UV light. Just like some medications can cause you to be more prone to UV damage, the same applies to essential oils. When applying oils or blends such as orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit (to name a few) & then going outside, you can set yourself up for severe burns, blisters, & skin discoloration.

These reactions can be immediate or delayed. They can range from your skin changing color for a short period of time to weeping burns. Not something you want to deal with, so make sure to use your oils safely!

To prevent this, look at your specific brand of oil you’re using & if that specific oil has phototoxic properties. For example, expressed lemon can cause a reaction, while lemon that is steam distilled is not. Usually these reactions occur at dilutions of 2% or less. To be safe, use this oil at their highest dilution rates to decrease your chance of a reaction.

Which oils can cause a phototoxic reaction?

Not all oils can cause this reaction. Because the compound that causes this reaction is too large to make it across when steam distilled, oils that have been extracted this way are usually safe.

Here is a list of oils from West Coast Aromatherapy:

• Strongly Phototoxic:
  Expressed Bergamot
  Lemon Verbena
  Taget
  Expressed Lime
  Rue
  Opopanax
• Moderately Phototoxic:
  Expressed Orange, Bitter
  Expressed Lemon
  Cumin
• Mildly Phototoxic:
  Angelic Root
  Caraway
  Cassia
  Cinnamon Bark
• Not Phototoxic:
  Bergamot FCF (bergaptene free)
  Lemon – steam distilled
  Lime – steam distilled

Winter is around the corner. Jump over here to read about my favorite essential oils to use in the winter!