Are Essential Oils Unsafe to Inhale?

Have you ever heard someone say that essential oils are dangerous to inhale?

Let’s talk about this and why it’s a concern that people bring up. Let’s also talk about how this got started, why inhaling essential oils can actually be unsafe in some circumstances and why I am not concerned when people try and tell me that essential oils are unsafe to breathe in.

So let’s look at the start of this rumor, and why people are so quick to say that inhaling essential oils is dangerous. Let’s look into who started the essential oil fad that we now know today. Aromatherapy became popular in the 1980s however it wasn’t until 1993 that Young Living was founded (doTERRA would eventual branch out of ex Young Living employees in 2008. While aromatherapy may have been gaining some traction with some small companies, I think we all think of the same two companies when someone talks about essential oils. This isn’t to slam a company, we are a brandless blog and encourage readers to use whatever essential oil company that they prefer or enjoy. However, we in todays aromatherapy it’s no secret that Young Living has paved their own way for what aromatherapy is. Not all of their ways are good however and this might be where some of these comments on essential oils being dangerous stem from.

To be clear I am in no way saying that essential oils are always safe, as with everything they come with a set of safety guidelines and measures that people need to follow. However, they are aren’t really quite how people like to paint them out to be. Largely due to unsafe practices that are preached by essential oils, people assume that every single person who utilizes essential oils think the same way and that just isn’t the case.

So let’s look at the practices that make people assume that inhaling or diffusing essential oils is a dangerous practice. If you take a peak into just about anyones social media feed who is selling essential oils it’s pretty clear that their diffusers are going quite literally all the time. I have interacted with many people who seem to always have a diffuser going, telling people that it’s safe to have a diffuser going 24/7 because it’s natural so it’s safe. However this is where I will step in say that yes, at that point that is when essential oils are unsafe to inhale or breathe in.

Diffusers are not meant to go for hours on end, despite modern marketing making them as such. I have several posts talking about using essential oils safely that briefly cover diffusing you can find them here: Are you using essential oils safely? Why essential oil safety is so important. How to use essential oils safely with babies and children. I also plan to make a detailed blog post on diffusing very soon, so make sure to watch for that. In short though, diffusing is very simple and easy to do. When just starting out start with lower diffusing times; 5-15 minutes. Work your way up, diffusing for a total of 30 minutes at a time. Give yourself breaks, I recommend a 30-60 minute break on diffusing at least. I also recommend only diffusing 3x a day maximum.

With the advice that comes with essential oils today though, it’s no wonder that people believe that inhalation of essential oils can be a dangerous practice. If my only knowledge of essential oils was watching other people diffusing all of the time and seeing the possible side affects of that I would also think that it’s dangerous. Having been trained though, I can see where people are misusing essential oils and how we can indeed ensure they are being used appropriately so they don’t pose a risk.

So how can we ensure we are diffusing or inhaling essential oils in a safe way? Following appropriate measures and not overusing something. If you take or use too much of anything you run the risk of having a negative reaction. Don’t over diffuse, don’t use oils all day long, use oils that are safe and pose no risk. There are some oils that should be avoided altogether and even some that shouldn’t be used with certain medications or conditions. You can check out the postsI did on those topics here: Why I recommend to avoid certain essential oils and Essential oils to avoid with certain medications. As long as you are following safety guidelines and using them in an appropriate way, essential oils pose little risk, and while taking a risk when needed isn’t always a bad thing, it’s better to start off more cautious than to assume just because it’s natural it’s safe.

Lastly I want to touch on the fact that a lot of people also seem to think that inhaling essential oils can cause damage to your lungs, and while I don’t deny that this could be a possibility if you are a person who is diffusing all of the time and constantly inhaling, like I mentioned before if you are following guidelines and using them safely this also poses little risk. Quite frankly this is not a huge concern for me anyways, in a world where fragrances are in almost every product we buy (from out laundry detergent to our lotions) my least concerning is whether or not my diffuser if going to cause breathing issues later in life and more so what the over powering smell of air fresheners will be doing to my lungs. My diffuser going to an hour for the whole day will cause me a lot less issues in the long run than the overwhelming scent of fake fragrances I meet pretty much every day.