Hello,
I wonder if anyone can help. I went to the hairdressers yesterday. They are a non toxic salon and as part of the treatment they start with a head massage using oils. I explained (quietly) that I was in the early stages of pregnancy - 8 weeks - so I knew there were some oils that should be avoided - could they use one that was safe. They used one containing chamomile and lavender. I checked the web when I got back and found that both of those oils, though normally safe, should be avoided in the 1st trimester. Should I be concerned?:(
I'm a bit worried so any advice would be greatfully received.
Many Thanks
Hello,
I wonder if anyone can help. I went to the hairdressers yesterday. They are a non toxic salon and as part of the treatment they start with a head massage using oils. I explained (quietly) that I was in the early stages of pregnancy - 8 weeks - so I knew there were some oils that should be avoided - could they use one that was safe. They used one containing chamomile and lavender. I checked the web when I got back and found that both of those oils, though normally safe, should be avoided in the 1st trimester. Should I be concerned?:(
I'm a bit worried so any advice would be greatfully received.
Many Thanks
Lavender is one of the safest oils to use at any time. It has been some time since I was involved with aromatherapy oils in pregnancy but I don't remember any problems with Chamomile either.
I am NOT an aromatherapist but I am speaking as a pharmacist with lots of obstetric experience and some home study with aromatherapy oils.
The amout of active substance in a blend is very small - and while it will be absorbed through the skin, the quanitities that will pass through the placenta and get to the baby (if any do!) will be too small to cause any problems. If you were having massages three times a day every day that would be different - but you are not.
Women always worry about drugs they have taken not realising they were pregnant. I got so many queries about this - and we do NOT have 100's of babies being born with problems due to accidental exposure to drugs. And they are a lot more potentially harmful than aromatherapy oils
So don't worry, I am sure the massage did you a lot of good, and did your baby no harm at all
emmenagogic essential oils
It is true that both lavender and chamomile are considered emmenagogic, and should normally be avoided during the first trimester, when possible.
The advise given to you by Tashanie is very sound.
The Toxicity of essential oils is minimal. A very interesting paper about this is:
Ron Guba's research "Toxicity Myths – The Actual Risks of Essential Oil Use"
Other emmenagogic essential oils are sage, cedarwood, peppermint and rosemary. The idea is that emmenagogic oils stimulate the monthly menstruation and may bring about bleeding.
Note that Clary Sage has often been confused with common sage. Price has shown quite conclusively that clary sage is in fact Hormone-like & Menstrual-regulating (to be used in moderation) and not emmenagogic. This is also true for German Chamomile, which is much less of an emmenagogic oil than its Roman counterpart.
Again, all this is only true in VERY large quantities and VERY frequent applications. Certainly not the case in a 1% minimalistic dilution, as used by salons and with the amount used on the surface of the scalp.
Hope this makes you feel calmer
Thank you to both Tashanie and Manulike for your informed replies. This is good to know. Well, am now 10 and a half weeks and so far so good so I don't think that any damage was done by the small amounts of essential oils used in the head massage.
Once again, many thanks for replying.
Thank you to both Tashanie and Manulike for your informed replies. This is good to know. Well, am now 10 and a half weeks and so far so good so I don't think that any damage was done by the small amounts of essential oils used in the head massage.
Once again, many thanks for replying.
Keep us posted about your progress 🙂