Safety with Essential Oils
Types of Reactions
There are three main kinds of reactions to the skin that can occur when essential oils are applied:
Irritation - Coming into contact with the skin, the oil causes anything from a mild itch to burns. Once the oil is removed and the irritation has healed, there are no more problems.
Sensitization - This is more serious than an irritation. Once the oil has been applied to the skin, it can cause permanent changes in the immune system (much like a vaccination). You may not see or feel any adverse effects from the first few times, but once your body becomes sensitized to the chemical in the oil, a reaction will be seen. This reaction can be anything from an itch to anaphylactic shock. (The latter is rarely seen, but should be kept in mind, none-the-less.)
Phototoxicity - This is where the oil, having been applied to the skin, reacts to light. This reaction can be anything from a few brown blotches to severe burning of the skin. The condition can be long lasting and subsequent exposure to sunlight can trigger a reaction. This situation needs both the oil and light to occur; one without the other will not cause the problem. However, it is not just sunlight that causes phototoxicity, but any ultra-violet light. It's the same principle as getting a bad sunburn on a cloudy day.
Essential oils, while they may be a part of our magickal forumulations, are much diluted by our base oil. However, when a magickal oil is meant to be worn on the skin, it's always safer to perform a patch test prior to actually using it for it's purpose. Doing a patch test will let you know if you have an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients used, including any essential oils that have been added to it.
The Patch Test
To do a patch test, place a drop of the magickal oil on your skin and cover it with a bandaid. If, when checking it later, you have any reaction - such as blisters or welts or intense scratching - you'll know at least one of the ingredients you used is an allergen to you. You'll then need to figure out which ingredient doesn't agree with you.
Again, while essential oils should not be used in large amounts in our magickal formulations, I feel it wise to list some of the issues with a few of these essential oils. Know your body and what bothers it, and take care when working with them.
Important Notice!
Many oils are said by some to have been "used traditionally". Yet problems are often seen with these, especially among an untested oil. This is due to the HERB being traditionally used, not the oil. This is one of the biggest errors magickal users make. Herbal concoctions contain totally different chemicals, with often totally different actions, to those occurring in a distilled oil from the same plant. The list below refers only to known Essential Oils.
This list of oils and their dangers have been culled from the Internet, from books, from Wikipedia, and from personal experience. Two of the sources I used which I can cite here are: Julia Lawless' book, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), and the Encyclopedia of Mind Enchancing Foods, Drugs, and Nutritional Substances.
Everything listed in the chart below refers only to the use of the Essential Oils and NOT to herbal use. This is in no way a comprehensive list.
| Angelica | Phototoxic |
| Aniseed | Avoid when you have cancer, especially an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Basil | Avoid when you have cancer. |
| Bay | Avoid when you have cancer. |
| Bergamot | Phototoxic; also, avoid if you are treating skin cancers. As a note, all sun sensitizing essential oils should be avoided when you are being treated for skin cancer. |
| Benzoin | Sensitizer; Also, a Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Bitter orange | Phototoxic |
| Carnation | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Chamomile | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Citronella | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Cinnamon | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. Also, Irritant and Sensitizer. |
| Clove | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Cumin | Phototoxic |
| Dill | Phototoxic |
| Eucalyptus | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Fennel | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Geranium | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Grapefruit | Phototoxic |
| Hops | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Hyacinth | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Hyssop | Increases blood pressure. Avoid if hypertensive. |
| Laurel | Avoid when you have cancer. |
| Lavender | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Lemon | Phototoxic |
| Lemongrass | Avoid if you have an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Lemon verbena | Phototoxic |
| Lime | Phototoxic |
| Mace | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Mandarin | Phototoxic |
| Marjoram | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Neroli | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. |
| Nutmeg | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Orange | Phototoxic |
| Ormenis flower | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Peppermint oil | Heart Problems |
| Rosemary | Increases blood pressure. Avoid if hypertensive. |
| Rue | Phototoxic and Sensitizer |
| Sage | Increases blood pressure. Avoid if hypertensive. |
| Sandalwood | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Spikenard | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Star Anise | Avoid when you have cancer, especially an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Tagetes | Phototoxic |
| Tangerine | Phototoxic |
| Thyme | Increases blood pressure. Avoid if hypertensive. |
| Valerian | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Verbena | Phototoxic |
| Vetiver | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |
| Wintergreen | Highly toxic and can be absorbed by the skin. Never ever use it during pregnancy. |
| Ylang-Ylang | Relaxant. Take care when driving or using machinery. Also, if treating an estrogen-based cancer. |