Maximum dilution in bath

[Lissette]

Hi,

Sorry to pose such a selfish question, but I have had a stinking cold andcough for the last week and wanted to to know how much essential essential oil I can put in my bath. I've been using my eo's at about 3.5% in sweet almond oil and adding to a bath every day but wondered if I can up itabit as I'm still feeling awful.

I'm doing the IFA course and aware of their set standards but I would love to know what maximum dilutions you use??
Many thanks

 

[maxmom]

Hi Missy,

Great question.

Here'ssome morefor you to think about. [sm=bouncy.gif]

1. Which essential oils are you using? - If you use oils high in phenols and camphor then you should use less - max 1 drop. For other oils you could use more. As a general rule no need to add more than 2-3 drops to a bath.

2. What is the quality of the oils you are using? - Are they organic therapeutic grade or pre-diluted non organic? If you usea good quality oil, the aroma will fill the house as well as the bathroom, and you get to experience the beneficial effects that much longer. As previous 2 drops should be more than enough.

3. [sm=eeeK.gif] - From a purely chemistry perspective, how full is your bath? The more volume of diluent, water or vegetable oil, the more dilute the oil. - i.e. if you add a 3.5% dilute oil to 1Litre waterthis gives a 0.0035% dilution. If you add to 10Litres of water this gives a 0.00035% dilution!
Not totally relevant, just something to think about! Essentially it is purely down to the quality of the oil.

4.[sm=soapbox.gif] Have you thought about adding 1-2 drops oil into your soap / shower gel? (Careful to avoid getting into eyes & mucous membranes). Alternatively add 1-2 drops to the bath undiluted in base oilas it is running, and the oil will disperse throughout the bath water.


NB. I would recommend a blend of Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon, Eucalyptusradiuataand Rosemary. Alternatively use tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and peppermint oils.

 

[Silver Blaze]

Hi Missy,

I agree with Maceuk, I have always had more success adding undiluted oil to the bath. When I added diluted oil I found I was left with a horid sticky mark on the ceiling which I could only put down to the carrier oil I'd used. Maybe I was adding too much. But I didn't fancy telling friends and family to use diluted oil and then ending up in a mess so I always advise using 6-8 drops of eo in a bath, adding after the water has run(otherwise the oil evapourates too quickly into the room) and swishing it around with your hand.

As for which oils I find Eucalyptus and Lemon a good blend. The lemon takes the edge off the eucalyptus so it doesn't 'hit you in the face' its also anit viral so once in the air it will help prevent the whole family going down with the same cold.

Hope this helps
Amandas

 

[Etheric]

Thankyou both for you replies. Mark, you have certainly given me alot to think about! I guess with the bath you are getting the benefits of the oilsmainly frominhalation, little would be absorbed via the skin in this way ( at a dilution of 0.0035%!) so maybe this is why just a few drops are needed in a hot bath. I just need to get my head around the fact that less is sometimes more. I have mainly been using tea tree, eucalyptus, cedarwood and lemon.
Thanks for your ideas, better go check my ceiling[:-]

 

[Brian B]

most essential oils won't dissolve into the bath water, they will sit on the surface so you don't have to worry about the 0.0035% dilution - you get most ofthe coverage as you get in and out of the bath. How full your bath is doesn't make that much difference to the surface area.
If you want to dissolve the essential oils into the bath water you need to use a dispersent, which you can either buy, or use some homogenised milk - the substance they use to disperse the cream in the milk will disperse any other oil which willthen be dispersed in the water (in a sensible quantity)

I actually will put the oils on my chest/back neat and get in the bath, that way I know I've got most of it on me and not the sides of the bath.
I use kunzea a lot - it's less in your face than tea tree or eucalyptus but even more active anti-bacterial/anti-viral and also anti-spasmodic so it helps with the aches too, and it is less irritating on the skin (I'll use it neat on cuts or swollen lymph nodes, also reportedly works well neat on cold sores though since i'm not a sufferer I've no experience as to how comfortable it is)

I would onlyuse the blend maceuk recommended in a bath at the suggested low drops as there are quite a few irritants for mucous membranes, and putting those oils in a baththen lowering yourself into the bath, they could get on sensite areas, most citrus oils are also mucous membrane irritants, so care should be used with those quanities.

You can always leave the bath full once you get out and the EOs will still go through the house.

 

[erarperbgor]

Thanks for the helpful reply. I had never thought about putting the oils on before getting into the bath, sounds like a good idea. I have to admit I have never heard of Kunzea (i'm still a student!) but will have a look into it. The cold is actually starting to get better now by the way!
take care