Aromatherapy is such a growing trend that the essential oil market is set to experience a 7.4 percent increase over the next few years. And with good reason. Inhaling your favorite essential oils via a scent diffuser offers a range of uplifting benefits.
But, there are right ways and wrong ways to use these highly concentrated plant substances. What’s more, the same aroma oils that are so beneficial for you can be harmful oils for others.
So how can you ensure optimal safety when using aromatherapy? Check out these common essential oil mistakes to avoid!
Diffusing for Too Long
You can have too much of a good thing, and aroma oils are no exception. Many people make the mistake of using their oil diffuser for hours and hours at a time. But continual diffusing doesn’t increase your benefits. Instead, it might even cause your body undue stress – the opposite of what you were going for. For optimal results, diffuse for short periods of 10 to 15 minutes, take a break for an hour or so, and then diffuse again if you wish.
Adding Too Much Oil
Overloading their scent diffuser with essential oil is another of the big essential oil mistakes people make. Often because they are going by smell rather than the recommended number of drops.
To keep your nervous system from becoming overloaded with aroma oils, use five to six drops of oil (depending on the size of the room). And, as mentioned above, if you stick to small bursts of diffusing, you’ll be able to detect the scent much better.
Using Harmful Oils Around Pets
Most guides to using essential oils advise you to allow pets to leave if they don’t like the smell of your favorite aroma oils. But, there are some essential oils that you should never use around pets, as this AromaTech scent advice explains.
Popular essential oils such as ylang-ylang, cinnamon, and tea tree oil, among others, are toxic to dogs and cats, while our feline friends are also susceptible to clove and peppermint oils. Using these oils in a scent diffuser around pets can cause liver damage and even death so choose your oils with care if you have animals at home.
Diffusing During Pregnancy
It’s understandable to think that aromatherapy could elevate your home environment during pregnancy. But essential oils can be very powerful. As such, you should avoid using them in the first trimester and use them as little as possible throughout the rest of your pregnancy.
At most, use no more than two or three drops in your oil diffuser and limit yourself to diffusing for five to 10 minutes at a time in a well-ventilated room.
Essential Oil Mistakes to Avoid
As these mistakes show, it’s common for people not to realize the power of aromatherapy, or how certain therapeutic oils can be harmful oils for babies and pets.
But, now you know what to avoid when using aroma oils, you can look forward to a future of safe and beneficial diffusing.
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