Essential oils have lots of amazing benefits for your skin, emotional well-being and general health. And recently they became a regular in natural health stores, pharmacies and spa salons, making it very easy for anyone to start using them.

While overall I think this is fantastic that so many people now turn to essential oils for more natural, holistic alternatives in their health choices, there is one thing that I have a problem with - Lack of Education.

Yes, essential oils have many well-known health benefits - but they are also highly concentrated substances that can cause significant harm if used incorrectly. Some of them - for example, clove essential oil - normally display a label POISON on a bottle. Irritated, red skin, blisters and burns are common side-effects of applying essential oils undiluted or in too higher quantities.

That's why the maximum concentration of most essential oils in skincare products should not exceed 1% of the total amount. And in some cases - such as rose absolute oil - this amount is just 0.02%. Very, very few oils can be deemed safe to use in higher quantities than 1-2%.

So in this post I want to talk about why measuring in drops 💧- recommended on-line pretty much everywhere - is not the best idea.

There are at least 3 good reasons why:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

1. Drops are not an accurate or reliable measurement⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Depending on what essential oil you use, the amount of oil will vary significantly per drop 💧. Tests have been done measuring the weight of 20 drops of the same oil twice. And in 18 out of 20 oils the amount measured in grams was different every time.

And this is simply because without precise equipment it is nearly impossible to always “drop” exactly the same drop. Different bottles have different nozzles, manufacturers have different viscosity of the same oil, the way you drop one day from another - lots of things can affect your "drops".

2. Essential oils vary by density

The same way milk or juice are different from water, so one type of essential oil varies from another one. For example, 1 drop of myrrh essential oil can be up to 3 times heavier than 1 drop of rose absolute oil. And the reason for this are different oil compositions - some are lighter, others are heavier. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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3. It’s too easy to make a mistake when counting drops 💦

You probably know this from experience (I certainly do!) - you are trying to count something, then you child suddenly wants attention or your phone rings. And you have to start counting again as you are no longer 100% sure what the count was when interrupted.

The same is likely to happen when you are counting your eos drops. It's too easy to make a mistake.

So how should I measure essential oils instead?

The best was to measure them is to get a precision scale, that measures down to 0.01gr and use it for your favourite eo blends. These scales are easily found online and usually cost around $20-$30.

The image below shows a simple reliable scale I use in formulation and creating skincare with essential oils.

And one last thing:

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🚨 Please remember to always dilute essential oils in carrier/fixed oils such as olive or sunflower oils and Google the maximum concentration for your favourite essential oils before applying to skin to avoid a skin reaction.

ALY XO