Essential Oils: Practical and Safety Reminders

If you’re getting ready to start your oily journey, here are some EO practical and safety reminders I’ve gathered as I started mine.

1. The general rule is to start low and slow.
You can always add more drops later. Essential oils are potent and each body reacts to it in different ways. I know some who use the dilution for children vs. for adults and it works well for them. I know some who are oilholics that they go beyond the average adult dilution and it works okay for them. If you’re diffusing, start with 2-3 drops. For blends, use the guide later in this post, or use less than what’s on the guide. Save ingestion for later if ever you’re interested doing that. Apply neat (a.k.a. undiluted) only when necessary.

2. Ways to Use
Aromatically: Use a diffuser made for essential oils. Note that diffusers are different from humidifiers. You can also smell the oils directly, but be careful not to touch the bottle with your nose to preserve your oils). Follow the manual that comes with the diffuser, and start off with 2-3 drops of oils first. You can add more drops depending on your room size.
Topically: ALWAYS dilute with carrier oils (refer to the dilution guide at the end of this post). Since EOs are very potent and it’s easily absorbed by the skin, we mix just a few drops of EOs with what we call “carrier” oils such as VCO, sunflower oil, olive oil, and the like. You can refer to the list of common carrier oils at the end of this post.
Ingestion:ย A.k.a. ingesting oils. Since this post is for beginners, save this for later. Do your research. Start low and slow.

3. Pregnant, Nursing, Babies, Pets
There are oils to avoid when pregnant, nursing, for babies/children, for pets. I found that there are some conflicting information all over the web such as Thieves and RC not suitable for children because they contain oils that are not for children. Some are able to use these oils on little ones but very diluted. Better safe than oily. After all, we all get into the oily life for wellness. Consult your doctor/pedia/vet. And since we’re talking babies here, remember to store your oils far from the POTENTIAL reach of your children!!!

4. Skin Test
This I keep on forgetting! ?ย But you cannot forget this especially if you have sensitive skin or have allergies!!! Put a drop of DILUTED oil on your wrist and wait for 24 hours. If there is no skin reaction, then it’s most likely safe for you to use that oil. Note that there are oils in the PSK that are blends: instead of containing just a single oil (e.g. peppermint, lemon, lavender), it is already a combination of oils (e.g. Thieves, RC, Citrus Fresh).

5. Sun Exposure
Citrus oils (e.g. lemon, Citrus Fresh, orange, lime) and some others are considered as “photosensitive” oils, meaning they will react with sunlight so don’t use them on exposed skin (hello DIY morning face serums). Always check the labels and product description!

6. Storage
Dark glass is always best. If exposed to light, humidity, heat, or air, they might lose some of their properties.

7. Eye Safety
Keep the oils away from your eyes! If your eyes accidentally come in contact with an essential oil, remember that oil and water do not mix, so use a carrier oil to dilute it and wash/wipe it off!

8. Get the Basics
If you just want to diffuse oils, no need for this one. But if you want to apply oils topically, remember that you always have to dilute. So purchase the carrier oil of your choice (refer to the common ones below) and small glass containers (e.g. roller bottles with metal rollers). You can start with getting 100ml carrier oil, and 5ml or 10ml roller bottles. I’ve purchased VCO from the supermarket and sunflower oil from Craftology, while I get my bottles from Grasse Fragrance Co. If you’re from my YL team, just let me know what you need and I can purchase for you. ?


Carrier Oils
Here’s a list of common carrier oils (from Pinterest).

Dilution Guide
Here’s a guide you can start with. Drop your oils in your glass container, the most popular are roller bottles with metal roller, then add your carrier oil of choice up to the bottle’s shoulder. Place the roller and cap, then give it a whirl. ?


Those are the tips for beginners I’ve gathered as I started with EOs. Since I’ve also just begun my oily journey, any other practical and safety tips from the expert oilers out there? Any other suppliers of carrier oils and bottles?

Will be sharing recipes soon!!!

Ready to join me in this oily life? Click here (choose Retail Customer if buying 1-2 oils to try out; choose Memberย if getting a Premium Starter Kit, which I recommended in my EO primer post).

This is not a paid post, but links from this post will input my YL member ID when you order. This gives me back a little something to keep my oily journey oiled when you purchase at retail or become a wholesale member.ย ?ย And, whether retail or member, I will send you some freebies as a welcome gift when you order through my link! ?

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