You often ask whether aromatherapy is suitable for people with allergies. The answer is YES and NO. The misuse of essential oils can worsen the situation quite a bit, but when used correctly and with moderation, very good results may be achieved! This has been proved by several years of personal and aromáma client experience! Properly chosen essential oils cleanse the air, facilitate breathing, unclog a stuffy nose, reduce airway swelling, stimulate the immune system and so on. Essential oils can be a great tool for additional allergy management, and in some cases, result in a significant reduction in the use of medication! So, today we will talk about what remedies are suitable for allergic people and how to use them correctly and with moderation.
Do you know why the myth that essential oils are no good for allergic people exists? It is because essential oils are often mixed into the same category as other aromatic substances. Such categorization is wrong. Synthetic aromas are used as fragrances for cosmetics or household chemicals – it’s a primitive molecule synthesized in a lab. Essential oils, on the other hand, are used not as a fragrance, but as the active substance! It is a biologically and biodynamically active natural chemical substance which is gifted to us by fragrant plants. The truth is that synthetic fragrant substances can absolutely irritate an allergic person because the molecules of synthetic fragrances tend to accumulate in the body, which eventually causes a rejection and resistance reaction (an allergic reaction). Molecules of natural essential oils are fully metabolized and leave the body in around 90 minutes. This means that some pure, natural essential oils are suitable and can even be very useful to an allergic person! Surely, I must add that an individual allergy to specific plants or chemical substances within the ingredients of the essential oil (even if of natural origin) may lead to allergic reactions occuring as a result of even the highest quality of essential oils. I completely agree with the statement that allergic people must not live in a ‘fragrant’ environment, which is why we do not recommend using essential oils without a reason. We will recommend using them only for therapeutic purposes: when a person is ill, has troubles sleeping, suffers from hay fever or allergic rhinitis. The most important thing to know is that there is no universal recipe or a miraculous remedy which would be suitable for every allergic person. We can never claim 100% that one thing or another will be perfect in your specific situation. Why? Because each person is different and even the same type of allergy can express itself in very different ways. All we can do is advise which tools are the least irritating, suit the most allergic people and so on. The hardest part you must do yourselves: experiment, vaporize, massage and bathe to find which substances are actually suitable for you!
How should an allergic person start their journey of aromatherapy? By starting with the most sensitive of remedies – lavender flower water and lavender essential oil. Lavender is a plant which suits most allergic people. That’s what our experience shows. Lavender flower water (hydrolysate) is a wonderful remedy for soothing irritated skin, redness, scratches. It is also an irreplaceable remedy for the eyes of allergic people: they are often irritated by dust, pollen and other allergens. The eyes become red, start crusting up and fester. Before the infection gets out of hand, the eyes can be rinsed out with lavender flower water – it miraculously soothes the irritation, reduces redness and mildly disinfects. Often, such a procedure helps avoid antibiotic eye drops!
Lavender water: Lavender Flower Water Pure Hydrosol (naturegrowth.co.uk)
Lavender essential oil is the first one that can be tried out in the room of an allergic person. Pour ONE drop of lavender essential oil into an electric essential oil vaporizer and vaporize in the room. Check how you feel: if no allergic reaction (eye redness, irritation, tears, sneezing, coughing or cold-like symptoms) occurs within 20-30 minutes, it means that there is likely no sensitivity to this essential oil. The same experiment can be done with other essential oils. At first, do not mix the essential oils – vaporize them one by one (suitable options can be found in this note). Should symptoms of allergy occur, you will know which essential oil caused them. All of the essential oils listed in the note are soft and do not irritate the airways. All of them can unclog a stuffy nose and improve breathing. All of them (except for lemon) are suitable to vaporize during night time. For daytime evaporation, pour 3-4 drops of essential oil into the vaporizer, and for night time pour 1-2 drops. This is half of the usually recommended dosage. Do not worry if you can barely feel the aroma of the essential oil – that does not mean that they are not doing their therapeutic job!
Having tried separate essential oils, you can try essential oil blends. The blend “Gentle Fluff“ has proved to be especially great for allergic people. It has been created specifically for people with hay fever and seasonal allergies. It can be used not only for evaporation, but feet massages, too (rub the feet with a drop of the pure blend several times a day). A few drops can be used on clothes at shoulder height or on a scarf – this way you will passively inhale the calming aromas all day long. You can also do quick inhalations from paper tissues or hands (simply pour a drop on your hands, rub them together and inhale).
Blend “Gentle Fluff“: Gentle Fluff Essential Oil Blend (naturegrowth.co.uk)
If all of these methods prove to be suitable and not irritating, you can try preparing an aroma bath: pour a couple of drops of a chosen essential oil (or a blend) into a teaspoon of vegetable oil and pour it into warm bath water. Bathe for at least 7 minutes so that the essential oils have enough time to do their job. You often ask what to use to combat allergic rhinitis. During its most active stage, you can try using our famous “Bugaboo” – it’s suitbale for most people. It improves breathing and decreases nose swelling in an instant. Please note, however, that “Bugaboo” is almond oil-based, so if a person is allergic to these nuts, “Bugaboo” will not be right for them. In such cases, you can make “Bugaboo” yourself by using a different type of vegetable oil, such as camellia. The recipe: 20 ml of vegetable oil + 6 drops of tea tree essential oil.
“Bugaboo“: Bugaboo Oil Blend For Nasal Care (naturegrowth.co.uk)
Sometimes we receive questions on whether “Bugaboo” can be used constantly. Absolutely not! “Bugaboo” is safe to use without a break for around 4-7 days. Do not rub your nasal mucosa every day, as tea tree oil (one of the ingredients) can dry up and irritate the nose. If the rhinitis is a common thing, or if the harshest stage of it has already passed, you must try the miraculous shea butter oil, largely applauded by allergic people. Shea butter oil effectively deals with a stuffy nose, nourishes and soothes the mucosa. Since its composition does not include any essential oils or irritating substances, shea butter oil can be used daily, the entire year if you wish! By the way, a great method to protect oneself from inhalable allergens, especially during spring and summer, is to rub your nasal mucosa with shea butter oil before going outside. Pollen, dust and other allergens stick to the shea butter layer, which prevents from their deeper inhalation. You must rinse your nose once you get back home! This method is largely applauded in foreign literature. Try it – it has been a great success according to the experience of our team!
Shea butter oil: Shea Butter Pure Unrefined (naturegrowth.co.uk)
Wishing you a spring free of allergies,
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