essential oils and pregnancy

[e&tsmom]

Hi all,

Can someone clear something up for me? I know aromatherapy is a no-no if you are pg, as well as massage oils, etc, but what about products you ise with essential oils in them? That info is unclear and my doc looks at me weird if I ask him questions about "alternative" things. I use badger sunblock everyday on my face but it has a lot of essential oils in it. I also use Aubrey organics shampoo and ocnditioner. Do I need ot find completely unscented products while pg? I actually use mostly unscented products, but even the unscented conditioner my daughter uses has rosemary extract in it, and that is supposed to be avoided in pregnancy. Help!

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by e&tsmom

I know aromatherapy is a no-no if you are pg, as well as massage oils, etc

Who ever said that aromatherapy is a no-no if you are pregnant???

Aromatherapy is an ancient healing art that has been an integral part of pregnancy for women throughout the world. In fact if you get any aromatherapy book you'd usually find a whole chapter dedicated to pregnancy, labor, post-partum healing and breastfeeding.

Of course there are a few EO that they're best avoided in large amounts during pregnancy (I cannot remember at the moment which ones) but they're not the usual ones you'd find in every-day aromatherapy skin products.

Here is the link to an excellent Mothering article regarding aromatherapy and pregnancy:

Fragrant Pregnancy

I'm currently pregnant with baby#2 and have used aromatherapy extensively during both pregnancies with wonderful results (e.g. when I had a mild case of candida I used calendula suppositories and it was gone within a week). My OB is even an aromatherapist as well who prescribes natural aromatherapy treatments for nearly every ailment relating to pregnancy and nursing!

I'll be happy to help if you have any specific questions that I could answer

[lakeruby]

I think I have read somewhere about certain herbs to avoid during pregnancy, but I hadn't thought about essential oils. Gingercat-- I'd like to look at that article, but the link doesn't work for me...

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by lakeruby

Gingercat-- I'd like to look at that article, but the link doesn't work for me...

Mmm, I wonder what could be wrong as it works for me...
In any case if you make a search for "Fragrant pregnancy" at Mothering's main page it'll come up (the author is Kamyar M. Hedayat, MD).

[LZP]

This is a great thread that has a pretty inclusive list of what is OK, and what to avoid. However, depending on your source, and the use, some of the information you may find elsewhere could be contradictory.

Aromatherapy is definitely not a no-no! Thank goodness, too!

[e&tsmom]

Well, normally I am a fairly normal person, but as soon as I get pg I get a little whacky and worry about EVERYTHING!! This happens everytime, so I am trying to get all my questions out of the way early. When I was pg the last times, I knew to avoid lots of essential oils (I had read it in a pregnancy book - it had lists of which ones to avoid and not), but I didnt really have too many products that used lots of essential oils so I didnt worry too much about it. Now, I use eye cream that has lots of EOs, as well as sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner. If you google it, lots of info comes up saying EOs are to be avoided, which ones, etc, but not too much says to avoid products with them in it. Anyway, as I was on the web searching for a non toxic, EO free eye cream I came across somone's site who makes their own products. She said that the only products she recs for pg women are her unscented products as the ones with EOs may be unsafe. So, that is basically what i am worried about. EX: blood orange is a no-no, but it is in my sunscreen. To worry or not to worry - that is the question.

[Gingercat]

My pre-natal yoga instructor on my first pregnancy was also a midwife and a certified aromatherapist so I had the chance to ask her tons of questions regarding aromatherapy and pregnancy (I was also a bit stressed at the time regarding EO and pregnancy).

Basically she calmed down all my fears regarding the use of EO in skincare products; she told me that there's no real risk with those as the amount of EO they have is pretty small and you apply them externally. She even prompted me to use undiluted tea-tree oil directly on my skin when I got the occassional spot (many claim that tea-tree oil is unsafe during pregnancy).

I understood that the risk lies when using large amounts of EO internally and systematically (eg oregano EO is not recommended during pregnancy but it is considered safe to enjoy reasonable amounts of oregano as a condiment).

I wouldn't worry at all about EO in skincare products, I believe that there's no valid reason for concern (and ALL of my skincare products are chock full of EO!).

Hope this helps!