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2nd Trimester
rayandbrit
member
Tea tree oil use while pregnant? (Repost from eco)
rayandbrit
member
I try to make a good majority of my beauty products at home, one of these products is a deodorant that contains 10-15 drops of tea tree oil. My friend just sent me a link stating that tea tree oil is unsafe to use during pregnancy. After doing some research (online) I can't find a clear answer either way. One site went so far as to say not to use any essential oils while pregnant? I was considering upping my use of tea tree oil (by applying it on my face as an acne spot treatment also)- prior to reading her link. I plan on asking my OB at my next appointment, but wondered if anyone had any info?
If anyone has any more info or insight on this that would be wonderful!!
Thanks!
DD #1 4 years old (09/22/09)
DD #2 2 years old (08/17/11)
DD #3 born 08/29/13
DD #2 2 years old (08/17/11)
DD #3 born 08/29/13
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Tea tree oil use while pregnant? (Repost from eco)
I doubt you'll find anything conclusive. My general rule of thumb is just to try to "diversify" what I put on or in my body. I have homemade deodorant (rosewood/coriander/bergamot) that I alternate with commercial stuff, and none at all. I take the same approach with diet, etc. so I'm not exposed to any particular chemicals every single day.
I really wish there were clearer answers out there, too. Good luck!
Thanks for the responses ladies! Sunandsurf, I mix it with coconut oil and baking soda... do you think that's diluted enough?
After receiving the link, I was considering trying lavender or something like that instead of the tea tree oil, but that's an essential oil too...
hmmm... seems like "in moderation" will have to be my motto with this one too..
DD #2 2 years old (08/17/11)
DD #3 born 08/29/13
That is what I do! I make my own deodorant, too. Sometimes I use lavendar and sometimes tea tree.
The coconut oil and other ingredients will dilute the TT quite a bit, so it is not the same is putting the essential oil straight on your skin.
GL!
My guess about why one might advise not using any essential oils is just due to inadequate studies proving which are and are not safe. Not that I'm an expert on it, but I would feel perfectly safe using tea tree oil topically during pregnancy. In fact, I use a tea tree oil shampoo.
Personally, I feel safer with non-toxic beauty products, so essential oils don't worry me.
The bolded part is pretty much the reason you will be "warned" not to use a lot of natural products. There's no great earning potential in studying something like chamomile and its effects on pregnant women. So it doesn't get studied. So nobody knows conclusively if it is safe or not. And it isn't like there are thousands of pregnant women just biting at the bit to take part in such studies to see how well their unborn children do and whether or not they'll be born with 2 heads or 14 fingers. I say all that a bit tongue in cheek, but it is pretty much true. It'll be really tough to find a truly conclusive answer on any of these things. And I'm with the previous poster - I'm much more okay with naturally occurring and non-toxic products than I am with even taking a tylenol, and that supposedly IS safe.
Furthermore, I think keeping in mind levels of usage is important. Obviously, you don't want to douse yourself with an entire bottle of any essential oil even when not pregnant. They can be pretty intense substances! So if you decide you're cool with continuing usage, be sure you're diluting it really well in a carrier oil. Same goes for things like herbal teas. The ones from the grocery store are generally so low in actual herbal quantity (as well as quality) that you're probably safe with just about any of them. The ones that are more potent and have higher quality herbs in them that you buy from specialty stores may have more potential for side effects, so you'd either want to avoid them altogether or just use them much more sparingly. Keeping such things in mind can help you make safer decisions when it comes to using these natural products.
I use natural beauty products as well and I'm trying to steer clear of a lot of essential oils. Most of the stuff I'm using now is unscented. I wouldn't be concerned using it once in a while, but I probably wouldn't use it every day in both my deodorant and face stuff. That's just me though...
As someone else said, I think it's safe to diversify so you are not using the same stuff all the time. That said, I would feel much better using something with tea tree oil than I would the typical chemical-laden products.