Essential Oils and Your Eyes

Essential oils are a very hot topic right now.

If you haven’t had a friend try to sell you some (or seen a social media post about their “miracle-working” power) then you are in the minority. I have to admit, I was skeptical about them, but now I enjoy using essential oils to relieve certain symptoms. Their aromatherapy properties are amazing. For example, when I feel a little nausea coming on, I can sniff peppermint oil and feel my stomach relax in response.

If you are new to the essential oils phenomenon, there is one very important thing you need to know about their potency: Oils and eyes don’t mix. Let’s take my peppermint oil. I definitely do not get the same relief when I touch my fingers to my eyes after using the oil.

This week I’ve been fighting illness. I put some oil (one promoted to help build my immune system) on a washcloth and set the cloth on my forehead. What I didn’t notice immediately was the washcloth was sitting directly over my eyelids. Ten seconds later, my eyeballs started to burn as the oil had seeped through the thin skin on my eyelid and into my eyes.

Can you say, “Ow?” It burned like the dickens.

The one good thing is that when I got the oil in my eyes, it didn’t disturb my vision. The oils don’t cloud or obstruct vision like a hair or dust particle might. They just sting!

If you are going to use essential oils, my best advice is to keep them away, far away, from your eyes. Even your nose may be too close for comfort.

If you apply oils directly to your skin, remember that they don’t wash off instantly. In fact, those oils seep into your skin so well that you may have to wash your hand several times over the course of a few hours before all traces of the oil are gone.

Finally, if you do get oil in your eyes, call your optometrist at America’s Best to get him to check out your eye. This will help you avoid any more pain and ensure that no damage was done.