Sunday, October 26, 2014

Peppermint oil and the Bath; What you Should Know

Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub. Sounds positively decadent, doesn't it? The product photo makes this sugar scrub look even sweeter than it sounds and what a tempting holiday idea too. I love everything about this . . . except (you knew that was coming) there are a few things you should know about using products in the bath that are made with peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub Recipe
Firstly, not all essential oils are created equally so when someone claims to be using an essential oil like peppermint in their bath products, I would definitely raise a skeptical eyebrow. Peppermint oil in its pure, unadulterated form can be very skin irritating. Couple that with warm water and you've got a recipe for redness and burning that can quickly turn your bath or shower from a relaxing and therapeutic experience to one of downright misery.

Secondly, there are generally two types of oils used in handmade beauty products. The first is a fragrance oil, which may or may not cause skin irritation in the shower but it contains artificial and a potentially lethal cocktail of carcinogenic ingredients. The second is a pure essential oil and anyone versed in the responsible and therapeutic use of essential oils would never include peppermint as an ingredient in a bath product, period.

That said, how does your seller stack up? I guess you have to ask yourself if peppermint is worth what you might sacrifice in the way of comfort and health or whether or not you are willing to risk the chance that your seller understands the difference. For this reason, this certified aromatherapist says to just say no to peppermint in the bath.

Posted by Unknown at 6:00 AM

4 comments:

  1. BethBootheOctober 28, 2014 at 11:53 PM

    Good to know!
    Glad to see you are back ;)
    Will you ever get back into the paper dress making mode again???????
    Your creations are outstanding!!!!!!!
    I miss seeing them!!!
    Hoping to see more of your new styles soon and your wonderful clever displays!
    Thanks,
    Beth Boothe, OK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownDecember 27, 2014 at 4:16 PM

      Hi Beth,

      I would really love to get back into making the paper dresses again. It's been nice taking the year off but I miss my paper projects. I am hoping to create tutorials again in the upcoming year.

      Thanks so much for your encouragement. It is appreciated. :)

      xo
      Kellie

      Delete
  2. NanasniftynitchDecember 21, 2014 at 11:23 PM

    I have used peppermint tea bags in the bath. Along with camomile tea, oats and powdered milk.
    xo Nana

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 27, 2014 at 3:42 PM

    Hi April,

    Thanks for the comment. I've heard that others are successfully using peppermint in the bath. and to that I say that if you find something that works, fantastic!

    My aromatherapy training tells me to steer clear of using pure peppermint essential oils in bath products, probably because pure essential oils are quite a bit more concentrated than herbs and/or fragrance oils. I won't use anything but pure essential oils but I am starting to learn more about herbs so who knows where peppermint might show up in my future preparations. :)

    Cheers!
    Kellie

    ReplyDelete

Greetings!

Each and every comment adds a bit of cheer to my day. Thank you so much for popping over. I hope to see you again soon.

~Kellie

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