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This is NOT A Baby Oil, Sun Tan Gig Folks ...

Photosensitivity to weeds, perfumes, plants around the yard, forest, garden, meadow and essential oils?!?  Who knew? Yes...This is definitely a thing.


Getting sunburns in the summer time feels almost unavoidable, but getting severe sunburns (ones that seem to pop-up out of nowhere and go from sensitive to unbearable and blistering) are avoidable.

With the summertime and the lovely weather, it's the perfect time to talk essential oil safety! Three things I want you to be aware of:

  1. It is VITAL to obtain medical advice if the skin is painful or the reaction covers a substantial portion of the body. 
  2. Always put photosensitive essential oils where the sun does not shine, meaning, where your clothing covers it at all times. 
  3. Be aware of what is out there and what you can do to help heal after the burn occurs.

Essential Oil Use In The Sun

Citrus essential oils like bergamot, lime and any orange or blends with these oils in them (except the touch oils, because they are diluted) are severely photo-toxic when used undiluted, but you also need to be careful when diluting. Using these oils on your skin or coming into contact with these oils and going into the sun can cause burns (just like if you were to apply any citrus juice to your skin and go into the sun).

Citrus essential oils are powerful and need to be treated with care. Essential oils that need to be applied carefully when interacting in the sun are:

  • Angelica
  • AromaTouch® Bergamot
  • Citrus Bliss® 
  • Clary Calm (bergamot) 
  • Cumin
  • doTERRA Breathe® 
  • doTERRA Cheer® 
  • doTERRA Forgive®
  • doTERRA Motivate® 
  • doTERRA On Guard®
  • Elevation
  • Grapefruit 
  • InTune® 
  • Kumquat 
  • Lemon 
  • Lime
  • Purify 
  • Slim & Sassy® 
  • Sunny Citrus 
  • Tangerine
  • Zendocrine 
  • Yuzu

What About If Citrus Essential Oils Burn You?

Support your healing by using on the affected area any of all of the following options:

  • Pure aloe mixed with Copaiba essential oil to support the skins healing process and reduce inflammation 
  • Correct X  
  • Immortelle, use diluted with a carrier oil such as Fraction Coconut Oil (FCO) or coconut oil from your kitchen
  • Neem butter or Neem oil
  • Verage serum (from the Verage Skincare line)
  • Baby lotion from the Baby kit dōTERRA launched in April (limited time offer only)
  • Any of doTERRA's unscented lotions 
Make sure to keep the area moist and out of the sun for several weeks. Internally, you can use 4 drops of Copaiba under your tongue and wash it down with water morning, noon, and night.

Other Plants Can Cause Chenille Burns From Photosensitivity, Too!

Interestingly enough garden plants and weeds can trigger harsh burns from the sun, as well! Typically photo-toxic plants are in the families of Umbrelliferae, Rutacea, Compositae and Moraceae. Plants such as parsley, St. John’s wort, mustard, bergamot, wild and garden parsnip, wild and garden carrot, fig, cowslip, angelica, etc.

Some of the worse offenders not listed above include: Agrimony Atrillal Bavachi Buttercup Common rice Cowslip Gas plant Goose foot Zabon Masterwort Mokihana berry from Hawaii.

The same reaction from plants or essential oils can occur on bartenders, too, called a “margarita burn”. This is the burn and hyper-pigmentation seen in bartenders making margaritas in the sun — same with the twist of lime or lemon in your iced tea or Beer in the sun.

Crazy huh?!?

The point is this, please be safe and be smart. If you are an essential oil love, or looking to get started, you need a mentor. I have been educating for 8-years and using essential oils for 21-years. Everything from the health food shelf, supermarket and companies around the world. I get it and want to make sure you are your first defense at home. My job is to help people use essential oils safely, help people get them at the best price, and never waste their money. Are you ready? Drop me a note below and we can have a chat. I am not selling you anything, simply answering your needs.


 


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