Absorption III ** Was: EO Info and Disinfo and Myths

[Guest guest]

Hi David,

 

> [Dave:] As far as being absorbed through the skin, that’s a no-brainer.

 

David, David, David. I bet after you hit send on this one you wished

you had taken a few minutes to review it better because the above

statement is a double edged sword. ;-)

 

But .. I will agree with that statement. Those folks who have the

determination (stubbornness?) of a Pit Bull and insist on sticking to

their beliefs while totally disregarding information to the contrary ..

are .. in fact .. not using their brains. ;-)

 

> Just what and how much may be open to discussion, but whether, is not.

 

Why is it not open to discussion? Lots of folks are trying real hard

to show folks why it does NOT happen .. while others are saying it does

happen and that's that .. but without the slightest bit of support for

their position. That .. to me .. is pretty darned hard headed! ;-)

 

> Anyone who handles EOs has to understand that he is using potentially

> dangerous substances.

 

Anyone who handles CHEMICALS of any kind needs to be aware .. and anyone

who drives a car or uses a kitchen knife or dozens of other potentially

harmful products must be aware .. but all this awareness is for very

different reasons.

 

> My expertise is not in aromatherapy but rather in soapmaking

 

Absorption or not is also not really about Aromatherapy .. its about

Chemistry and Physiology. Aromatherapy is pretty damned limited in its

scope of application .. though there are many who wish to push it way

beyond that logical scope.

 

> soapmaking and to a lesser extent, lotions and other products that are

> applied to the skin. Even in my soaps, a wash-off product, I use EOs quite

> sparingly. I do NOT believe in using them as perfumes or in place of FOs

> (which I never use at all) – except in very small amounts and then only

> certain ones I am sure are safe. I use EOs at levels that I believe are

> safe and hope may be beneficial, but NOT saturating my soaps in the hope

> that the benefits of the herbs may be transferred to the internal organs or

> the immune system or whatever.

 

David .. good it is that you are careful in making your soaps .. but I

am sure you do not own a copy of Plant Aromatics so you are .. IF you

truly believe that MOST EO can be harmful in wash off products ..

playing a game of Russian Roulette. Matter of fact is .. that SOME can

be harmful in wash off products.

 

http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html

 

As for the possibility of the least bit of transfer to internal organs,

one would have to lounge for a LONG period of time .. soak it up big

time fer'shur .. and even then there are but a very few chemical

constituents that could POSSIBLY make it that far .. and even then the

odds are 99.999% that the introduction would be via the olfactory route.

 

> Some of my soaps smell wonderful, and others have virtually no scent. I

> will sometimes add a little of this or that EO to enhance the scent, but

> only if I am certain that no harm will be done. For instance, I find that

> 30 or 40 drops of patchouli per pound of soap adds a certain

> je-ne-sais-quois to many herbal scents. Ditto ylang ylang, rose otto, and a

> few others. But that’s about as far as I am willing to go in the area of

> scent alone. Oils like the mints, eucalyptus, may chang, lavender, and tea

> tree are safe to use in a wash-off product, and I feel they do have

> beneficial effects on the skin, or at least on the bathing experience.

 

I'm not willing to do the math on the above because your soaps are not

mine .. but if you don't have some credible scientific reference for the

percentages you are using .. you are shooting in the dark .. or maybe

going on your beliefs based on past luck.

 

(Snipped)

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com