8 Essential Oil Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Mistake: Not respecting their potency

I’ll admit: I have a few different types of essential oils sitting in a basket at home and am hesitant to use them until I fully understand them. They all claim different things like calming anxiety and helping with breakouts, but then I scroll through my Facebook feed and see stories about kids and adults being sent to the emergency room due to poor use, and it makes me nervous. Libby Vlasic, a certified herbalist and essential oil educator at the New York Institute of Aromatherapy in Manhattan and owner of Wythe and Berry says to always use essential oils with respect and understanding. “Essential oils are made up of molecules from various chemical families, some are safer than others and should be looked at the same way as synthetic chemicals. Depending on the essential oil, you may find anti-inflammatory, sedative, antibacterial, and antibacterial properties to name just a few. They are incredibly powerful medicines, being between 50 to 100 percent stronger than the actual plant matter,” she shares.