Lavender oil concern

[cicim]

Hi all,
First of all, I'm new here, just 8 1/2 weeks along, and hoping for a little reassurance on my latest freak-out.

I've been using lavender and tea tree oil for several months to help with my persistent acne. Since becoming pg, I've really only been using the lavender, b/c I thought it was one of the mildest/safest oils and therefore ok. Apparently not.

My typical usage is: I put a single drop on a cotton ball, then squirt witch hazel over it to dilute, then wipe over my face as a toner. I've been doing this 1-2 times a day about 2/3 of days in the last several weeks.

For some reason, I decided to do a google search tonight just to "make sure" this was ok. I really thought lavender was one of those "always safe" oils. Come to find out, it's specifically mentioned as one to AVOID during 1st trimester, and can cause possible endocrine disruption...that really can't be good. What have I done??

Has anyone else used lavender EO during 1st trimester either deliberately or inadvertently? Was everything ok?

[Yuba_River]

Usage in that concentration sounds like it wouldn't pose much of a risk. There is so much to worry about in pregnancy, isn't there?

[Smokering]

Lavender is a funny one... it has this homey, cozy, grandmothery vibe to it, so everyone thinks it must be safe. But it's cytotoxic and causes gynomastia in baby boys when used as a massage oil... it's great for certain purposes, but should be used with caution.

If I were you, I'd stop using it during pregnancy (and leave the tea tree oil alone, too). But don't worry unduly - it's so common that HEAPS of women must have used it with their babies, who turned out fine. I'm pretty sure I had the odd lavender oil massage when pregnant with DD, and she's fine.

[ryleeee]

wait - we can't use tea tree oil?!
i just bought TTO facewash, toner, and oil from the body shop.
=__=

[lach]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Lavender is a funny one... it has this homey, cozy, grandmothery vibe to it, so everyone thinks it must be safe. But it's cytotoxic and causes gynomastia in baby boys when used as a massage oil... it's great for certain purposes, but should be used with caution.

If I were you, I'd stop using it during pregnancy (and leave the tea tree oil alone, too). But don't worry unduly - it's so common that HEAPS of women must have used it with their babies, who turned out fine. I'm pretty sure I had the odd lavender oil massage when pregnant with DD, and she's fine.

What she said

[aloha girl]

oh no! I've used Dr. Bronner's Lavender body wash every time I take a shower or bath... should I stop using that too?

I'm guessing yes! so glad somebody posted about this, had no idea.

[cicim]

Thanks for the responses. Yes, there is SO much to worry about, it's crazy. Chamomile tea was another one I just found out about last night. I think I've only had two cups in recent weeks, though, so not too worried about that.

The annoying thing is that there is so much conflicting information out there. For instance, spearmint tea is highly recommended by some for morning sickness, and others say you should avoid it, again because of possible hormonal effects. I even found one site that recommended lavender oil behind the ears for morning sickness, but the majority said avoid it during 1st trimester.

So I guess no more lavender or tea tree on my face. Too bad, because the lavender was actually helping my skin. Any pregnancy-friendly recommendations for acne out there?

Also, aloha girl, I wouldn't be as concerned about the body wash. I would think something like that isn't on your skin long enough for you to really absorb any of the oil. But what do I know, I just found out about this! I guess if you want to be super-safe, there's always the unscented Dr. Bronner's.

[CinCanada]

I went through major worries with my last pg after my sister freaked out & told me I could "kill my baby" after having drank a cup of chamomile tea. Needless to say everything was fine but I had to stop talking to her during my entire 1st tri because she came up with a new way to harm my baby at every call.

This time around I asked my naturopath about teas specifically so that I could put my mind at ease. I asked her about green tea, peppermint, red raspberry & chamomile. She said assured me that having even my giant travel mug of tea daily was nothing to be concerned about & that tea is such a weakened form that there was no danger whatsoever. She said I would have to drink over a gallon of highly concentrated tea daily before it would be a concern. I thought it was interesting though that she did recommend avoiding red raspberry tea until after the 1st tri but I know this is not necessarily the recommendation everywhere. Apparently it can cause some women to have uterine cramps which is why you want to avoid it during the time where you’re higher risk for miscarriage.

In the end it's all what you're comfortable with personally but hopefully this gives you just a few less things to worry about.

As far as your skin goes I know this sounds strange but try looking up the “wash your face with honey!” thread on mdc. I have had acne issues for years & have tried everything out there. Much to my complete shock this was simple, cheap & my skin is the clearest it has been in YEARS! After washing I just use a product called Nature Aid which is a gel made up of aloe, tea tree oil, rosemary, vitamin E & witch hazel. For bad breakouts I use the crushed asparin mixed with honey as a scrub & for a general scrub I mix baking soda with the honey (this makes your skin sooooo soft!). All of the details for these are on that thread, it’s definitely worth checking out.

[fertilemyrtle]

An herbalist expert on fertility and pregnancy suggested avoiding RRL tea until 1st tri was done as well. I thought that was interesting seeing as I thought it was the "panacea" for all things pregnancy-related!

[Jamilie]

This might seem silly, but does avoiding lavender apply to room diffusers, too? It seems like you wouldn't be absorbing much that way, but you never know

And sort of on topic, I ordered some toothpaste before realizing it has neem oil in it...should I hold off on using it until after I deliver? My instinct is to avoid it since I would probably absorb a lot of it through the mouth, but if anyone has any more definite information, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks

[Smokering]

Yes, washing your face with honey might help. Or search for "oil cleansing method" - it sounds counterintuitive to put oil on a greasy face, but some people find it really helps.

Personally, I've never found anything that worked as well as hormones. My first-trimester skin with DD was AWFUL no matter what I did to it, and then it miraculously cleared up... for the rest of pregnancy, breastfeeding and (thus far, thank goodness!) this next first trimester, it's been pretty consistently pimple-free. I mean, I don't have fantabulous glowing movie-star skin or anything, but not having to worry about pimples is so nice! Incidentally, I've also increased my saturated fat intake a lot since being pregnant with DD - not sure if that's related. But it makes me wonder if hormones (and possibly diet) rule our skin, and anything topical really doesn't have any effect at all. I know some people swear by amazing results by XYZ method of washing, but nothing's ever really worked for me. I could convince myself it had for a few days, but I wouldn't like to swear in a court of law that I actually had fewer pimples/clearer skin/whatever, you know?

In other words, if this is your first baby, your skin might be in for a pleasant surprise once you get a bit further along!

[menomena]

Seriously, lavender?

I use it just about every day, a few drops on my wrists. I'm pretty sure I avoided it for most of the first tri, probably because everything grossed me out then.

Hmm. I will ask my MW and see what resources she has on it.

[St. Margaret]

I did try to cut down on my lavender and TTO use during pregnancy, but only because I KNEW upon testing that this was a boy. Mind, this cutting down was not based on any specific science, and I still used my Desert Essence TTO cleanser in the shower almost daily. I tried to find something else but always ran out or didn't like it, and I have a huge jug of the TTO stuff I am skipping these ingredients in the diaper wipe solution this time around, though, just to be on the safe side. But a tiny bit even daily in pregnancy? No worries! ((And also, can I recommend skipping The Body Shop as they use foreskins in some of their facial creams?))

[ryleeee]

((And also, can I recommend skipping The Body Shop as they use foreskins in some of their facial creams?))

[buckeye_mama]

Editing because I went and did some research after having a knee-jerk panicked reaction

From what I've read, lavendar does seem to be ok, but a lot of sites recommend waiting until the 2nd tri to use any kind of EO...who knows

I would totally keep using my lavendar Dr. Bronner's and green tea toner with TTO, lavendar and other EO's...but I've been given the unexpected gift of carrying life after I thought I never would again...so I think I'll just avoid as much as I can until the 2nd tri

[kawa kamuri]

Huh. I'm a lavender fiend while pregnant and, as luck would have it, not a delicate, gestating flower