Essential Oil Blend: Spring Mint

If you have been using essential oils for a while, you are probably already using carrier oils. For those new to essential oils, carrier oils are necessary when you want to apply an essential oil or oil blend topically.

Unlike essential oils which are distilled or expressed from the aromatic components of a plant, carrier oils are derived from oily seeds, kernels, or nuts.

At this point you may be asking, aren't these the same types of oils I use for cooking? The simple answer is, yes. When talking about these oils in the skincare industry they are usually referred to as fixed oils or carrier oils.

When using with essential oils the name "carrier" oil makes sense. These oils help "carry" the concentrated essential oils onto the skin without changing their therapeutic properties.

Carrier oils allow you to dilute concentrated essential oils so that they be safely applied to the skin, but they are not all alike. Each oil contains different fatty acids and nutrients and has its own set of therapeutic properties.

Why do we need an OIL? Essential oils are soluble (will dissolve) in oil and alcohol. Since you are not going to use alcohol as a base for a skincare product, carrier oils are the perfect option.

Also note that essential oils are insoluble (do NOT dissolve) in water or water-based liquids like hydrosols, milk, aloe, or even witch hazel. When mixed with a water-based ingredient the molecules of the essential oil will float in tiny droplets on the surface (think of oil droplets on the surface of the water).

Those droplets can behave like undiluted essential oils on your skin and cause irritation. So please do not simply pour undiluted essential oils into your bathtub!

To learn more about Carrier Oils please read our blog, "Essential Oil Basics: Guide to Carrier Oils" in which I discuss the following topics:

• Why we need carrier oils with essential oils
• How to choose a carrier oil
• A list of common carrier oils and their attributes

Applying essential oils topically (on the skin) without dilution is a highly debated subject. Not only are essential oils much more potent than the botanicals from which they are extracted, but some are much more "potent" than others

Due to their high concentration, the general consensus among certified aromatherapists is that you should not apply undiluted essential oils onto the skin except under the supervision of a professional.

For most body care formulations, it is recommended that essential oils make up no more than 2% of your total end product weight or volume.

When deciding the proper dilution for a single essential oil, an essential oil blend, or any product containing essential oils there are a few main factors that need to be considered.

• Which essential oil or oils are being used?
• How is the final product being used?
• Where is the final product being used?

Unfortunately, the information about proper dilution rate is often ambiguous and contradictory.

To learn how to dilute essential oils for topical use, please read our blog, "Essential Oil Basics: A Guide to Dilution Rates" in which I discuss the following topics:

• What does the term "neat" mean?
• Factors to consider when diluting essential oils
• How to calculate essential oil dilution rates
• How to use an essential oil dilution chart
• Why all dilution charts do not provide the same dilution rates

We often receive questions as to whether our soaps, shampoos, and other natural products are safe to use during pregnancy.

We recommend that expectant and nursing mothers check with their midwife or physician before changing a skincare routine with our organic products, or any other line of products.

Read the label on a bar of commercial soap. Read the label on your jar of moisturizer.

Now read the ingredients in a Chagrin Valley product.

We use quality natural and USDA Certified Organic ingredients. No synthetic additives, colorants, fragrances, preservatives, or chemical derivatives are used.

There is nothing in our all-natural basic soap or other products that could cause a problem in pregnancy.

Topically applying the herbs present in many of our soaps is also not a problem. Your skin will absorb much less herb from the soap than if you would sprinkle them on your food.

Essential Oils

The issue that seems to be of most concern is the use of essential oils during pregnancy.

There is a lot of confusing, ambiguous, and inaccurate information concerning the use of essential oils in pregnancy.

The question of safety and safety testing has a lot to do with several factors.

• The type and composition of the specific essential oil. Essential oils differ greatly in strength and composition.
  
  
• The quality of the essential oil. Many "cheap essential oils" are not pure and maybe cut with synthetic chemicals.
  
  
• The actual “dose” of herb/essential oils. Most of the clinical research on essential oil safety is based on information for internal (actually ingesting) large doses of herbs, essential oils, or herbal "medicines." Obviously there have been no tests done on pregnant women.
  
  
• How the essential oil is being used. The concentration of essential oils that are absorbed through inhalation, as in aromatherapy, and massage is much lower than if you were actually ingesting the oil.

But also, aromatherapy and massage therapy use much higher concentrations of essential oils than you find in soap or even in eating the herb. With aromatherapy, you are inhaling the high concentrations which get absorbed via the lungs and in massage therapy, the essential oils remain on your skin and are absorbed.

Our scented soaps are gently scented with essential oils, but the choice is between you and your health care professional. The most critical time is the first trimester.

Just about every one of our products, like lip balms, whipped butters, soaps, shampoos, and deodorants has a "no added scent" version.

When there is a growing baby to consider, if you are at all uncertain as to the safety of an essential-oil containing product, or any ingredient, please consult your doctor, midwife, or health care professional!

When it comes to safety during pregnancy it is understandable that many massage therapists and aromatherapists decide to err on the side of caution in recommending the avoidance of certain essential oils.

Some Herbalists and Aromatherapist believe that essential oils that are normally safe to use, are safe during pregnancy, while others will recommend avoiding all essential oils during pregnancy.

Some essential oils that are normally quite safe have hormone-like effects and some even stimulate uterine muscles, both of which would be contraindicated during pregnancy.

Please do not ask us if one of our products is safe to use during pregnancy--we will simply refer you to this page.

We do not provide a list of essential oils considered safe during pregnancy because the information available is very contradictory. One aromatherapy source will list an essential oil as problematic while another one states it is fine.

The information is also changing constantly. Please do your own research and consult your doctor, midwife, or health care professional for the most up-to-date information.

Sensitive Skin Can Strike During Pregnancy

Even if you have never had sensitive skin in the past, you may notice that a product you have been using for several years now irritates your skin.

The stretching belly is often the most sensitive spot. Other potential problem areas include the hips, thighs, and bottom where the skin may become dry and flaky.

Although the exact cause is not known, raging hormones do make you more sensitive to a wide range of things, and also your skin is thinning and stretching as you, and your baby, grow.

These changes can behave in unpredictable ways. For example, if you have eczema you may suffer from major flare-ups or complete remission during pregnancy.

Keep your body well moisturized and avoid products that contain synthetic additives, colorants, fragrances, or preservatives. Any of these can exacerbate sensitive skin problems.

Before trying a new product, you can always do a patch test to test for sensitivity.

And again, we recommend that expectant and nursing mothers check with their midwife or physician before changing a skincare routine with our products, or any other line of products.

Pregnancy & Children: We do not provide information on the safety of essential oils during Pregnancy or for use in Children because the available information is very ambiguous and often contradictory. If you’re interested in using essential oils during pregnancy or with young children please do your own research and consult your doctor, midwife, or health care professional before use.

We often receive questions as to whether our soaps, shampoos, and other items are safe to use on young children.

A baby’s skin, so thin and delicate, is no place for harmful synthetic chemicals.

Sadly, even some of the most trusted baby brands add nasty chemicals to their products.

Read the label on a bar of commercial baby soap or shampoo. Read the label on a bottle of commercial baby oil. Now read the ingredients in Chagrin Valley products.

We recommend starting with our Milk & Honey Baby Soap. We also recommend our two Castile soaps and Carrot & Honey Soap. They are unscented and, as with all of our products, contain no artificial ingredients!

My grandkids use our Milk & Honey bar as a baby shampoo--just keep the soap away from their eyes.

When you think your child is ready, try some new soaps.

As with all new products, it is best to do a skin patch test prior to full usage to test for any skin allergies or sensitivities. If you have any questions or concerns always check with your doctor or health care professional.

It is best to add only one new soap or product at a time and use it for a while before switching to a new soap.

Essential Oils & Children: We do not provide information on the safety of essential oils for use in Children because the available information is very ambiguous and often contradictory. If you are interested in using essential oils with young children please consult your health care professional before use.

Please do not ask us to diagnose your child's skin problems, we are not health care professionals. Our recommendations are based on what our customers have shared.

Click Here to visit our page of Organic Baby products!

Help! I Have Allergies

Trying to choose the right natural soaps or skincare products can be a bit overwhelming especially when you have allergies and/or skin sensitivities.

Since we proudly list every ingredient in all of our products, reading the ingredient list will help to eliminate ingredients that may cause you problems.

We always recommend doing a patch test before using any new products especially if you have sensitive skin or allergies.

We receive so many emails asking for help with allergies, we created categories in our “Help Me Choose” section to provide information for those with allergies or sensitivities to nuts, coconut, shea butter and gluten.

Check out our help me choose pages!!

If you are allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients in our products, they may cause skin irritation. Even natural ingredients may cause sensitivities.

People with severe allergies--please note: If you have severe anaphylactic-type reactions to ANY of the ingredients in ANY of our products, please do not buy our products. We have dedicated soap rooms and product rooms that are kept meticulously clean, but we cannot guarantee against possible cross-contamination of individual ingredients.

Aromatherapy is the inhaled or topical use of aromatic plant essences like essential oils to support wellbeing and help maintain the balance of the mind, body, and spirit.

Aromatherapy has been used by ancient cultures for thousands of years to promote psychological and physical wellbeing.

There are a variety of ways to add a bit of aromatherapy into your life using essential oils. Each essential oil offers a range of unique aromatherapeutic properties, uses, and effects. Different oils can also be combined to create a synergistic blend with its own unique benefits.

So how and why does the aroma of essential oils affect our mood? The way in which our sense of smell is wired to our brain is quite unique among our senses. The part of your brain that processes and interprets scents also deals with memory and emotions. This relationship may help explain why smells often trigger specific memories or emotions.

When we inhale through our nose, the scent molecules in essential oils travel across millions of tiny olfactory neurons that sit on the roof of the nasal cavity.

Once triggered, the olfactory neurons send messages to the olfactory bulbs, two lobes at the base of the brain. But olfactory messages do not stop there. They also trigger brain regions like the limbic system which plays an important role in emotion, mood, stress levels, and behavior as well as heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and memory.

Essential oils can lift your mood and make you feel fabulous with a simple whiff of their natural aroma. Each oil has a different chemical make-up and therefore a different effect.

The purpose of aromatherapy is to elicit some reaction in the body. Since we are all unique, not all oils will benefit everyone in the same manner. There is some research and a lot of anecdotal evidence that has shown the positive benefits of aromatherapy, such as relief from anxiety, improved sleep, and improved quality of life. But there is still so much to learn.

For more detailed information I would like to point you to our blog “What is Aromatherapy?” especially the sections near the bottom entitled "Safety" and “Research.”

There I explore questions like Safety, Can Essential Oils Be Absorbed Through the Skin? and Are the Effects of Aromatherapy Real or Placebo?

What Are Pure Essential Oils?

Have you ever enjoyed the scent of a fragrant flower or herb? The fragrance comes from potent, aromatic compounds called essential oils found in the flowers, stems, seeds, bark, roots, fruits, and other parts of plants. It often requires several pounds of a plant to produce a single bottle of essential oil.

Essential oils not only give plants their unique scents but also help lure plant pollinators and protect plants from insects and other predators.

The chemical composition of essential oils may provide valuable psychological and physical aromatherapeutic benefits for some people.

It is important to note that to be a true essential oil, the oil must be isolated from the plant material by physical means only. Essential oils are NEVER extracted using solvents.

Although synthetic fragrances or "nature identical" oils are available at a much lower cost, only natural plant essential oils will provide any aromatherapeutic benefits.

What Are Essential Oils (Much more detail)

How Essential Oils Are Extracted

Why We Use Only Real Plant Essential Oils?

What is Aromatherapy?

If you are pregnant or under a doctor's care for any medical condition, please consult your healthcare provider before using essential oils.

Pregnancy & Children: We do not provide information on the safety of essential oils during Pregnancy or for use in Children because the available information is very ambiguous and often contradictory. If you’re interested in using essential oils during pregnancy or with young children please do your own research and consult your doctor, midwife, or health care professional before use.

The simple answer is NO!

You may have heard the terms “phototoxicity” or “photosensitivity” when reading about citrus essential oils which may scare you away from using these wonderfully uplifting oils.

Although most of the essential oils that cause this photosensitive reaction are citrus oils, not all citrus essential oils are phototoxic.

What is Phototoxicity?

Phototoxicity, also known as photosensitivity, is a condition in which the skin becomes extremely sensitive when exposed to sunlight (or any UV radiation) due to the topical application of certain substances – in this case, essential oils.

The skin condition is called phytophotodermatitis (phyto=plant; photo=light; derma=skin; itis=inflammation)

An essential oil is said to be “phototoxic” when it increases the likelihood of a photosensitive reaction.

Which Citrus Oils ARE Phototoxic and Which Are NOT?

Here’s a quick guide to phototoxicity in citrus essential oils according to the research reported in the book Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young and the International Fragrance Association (IFRA).

The following are some citrus essential oils that are NOT phototoxic:

• Bergamot FCF or BF (Citrus bergamia) essential oil (furocoumarin and bergaptene free)
• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) essential oil, steam distilled
• Lemon (Citrus limon) essential oil, steam distilled
• Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) essential oil, steam distilled
• Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), cold-pressed or steam distilled
• Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) essential oil, cold-pressed or steam distilled
  
  

The following are some of the citrus essential oils that ARE phototoxic:

• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) essential oil, cold-pressed
• Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) essential oil, cold-pressed*
• Lemon (Citrus limon) essential oil, cold-pressed
• Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) essential oil, cold-pressed

*There is some controversy as to whether grapefruit essential oil should be included on the phototoxic list. Some professionals in the field of essential oil research believe that an analysis of the chemical breakdown of grapefruit oil and the existing literature do not show concerns of phototoxicity for grapefruit essential oil.

What Factors Determine if a Phototoxic Reaction Will Occur?

The lists above are a good place to begin an investigation of photosensitivity reactions, but the story is more complex than that. There are other factors that determine whether a photosensitivity reaction will occur.

• In order for phytophotodermatitis to occur, the essential oil product must be left on the skin and be exposed to the sun or UV rays
  
  
• The phototoxic reaction only occurs if the blend is applied topically at dilutions that are greater than those recommended to sun-exposed skin
  
  
• Not all citrus oils are equally phototoxic and each oil has a different maximum percentage that can be used in skincare products before you risk sensitization and skin irritation
  
  
• The degree of the photosensitivity reaction depends on the type of oil, how it is extracted, the amount used, exposure time, and the dilution

• It is safe to use a phototoxic essential oil in products that will be washed off such a soap, shampoo, or sugar scrubs. So you can wash your face with a bergamot scrub and go out for a sunny day in the garden with no ill effects
  
  
• Patch Test! Even if an essential oil blend or product is not listed as phototoxic, always use care and perform a patch test before use especially if you have fair or sensitive skin
  
  

For more information and a more detailed explanation please read our blog "Photosensitivity and Citrus Essential Oils"