# Breastfeeding and fragrance oil use in soap



## kryse13 (Nov 7, 2015)

Has anyone been breastfeeding and made soap with fragrance oils? If so what kind of protection did you use. A regular face mask or a repertory?   Or did you just pump and dump? If you did how many hours later did you do the pump and dump.   Thanks.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Nov 7, 2015)

If you are looking at a mask for use with FOs/EOs, you'll need much more than a dust mask. I use an A2P2 rated mask and I cant even get a whiff of the scents when I am making soap


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## kryse13 (Nov 7, 2015)

I am worried about the chemicals going into my body and through the breast milk to my baby. I used my dad's chemical mask that is pretty heavy duty,  can't smell a thing and I'm not getting light headed or hot like I usually do from soap making with fragrances so I think it's not reaching me. The filter on my mask is a Wilson R683 .I'm going to Google it

It says it's good for spray paint and pesticides


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## osso (Nov 7, 2015)

Your mask is probably sufficient. I have done none of the above, just used good ventilation. We have had no issues.


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## kryse13 (Nov 7, 2015)

Thank you so much for your responses . Apparently when your a first time mom u worry about everything.


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## osso (Nov 7, 2015)

True story. This is my second. A different world!


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## Arimara (Nov 7, 2015)

I'd be a little more careful with the EOs since you're breastfeeding. Some herbs are good for decreasing your milk supply and some will aide you to make more. Skin contact is the biggest thing to worry about really but the scent of EO's may or may not  be up there too.

As for FOs, while I have not had contact with them until well after I had my child, I do have to be careful around DD and (especially) my mother as they both have insanely sensitive skin. Even my own skin can't tolerate some fragrances without a nice red rash appearing, my mother can't even be around perfumes in the air without getting the itchies. Fortunately she can tolerate the FOs I have bought but that thought is still there.

Lastly, I did not breastfeed so I can't help you there. The mask is a good idea but I think having a set of clothes for using around FOs would be a bit more effective.


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## JayJay (Nov 7, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> If you are looking at a mask for use with FOs/EOs, you'll need much more than a dust mask. I use an A2P2 rated mask and I cant even get a whiff of the scents when I am making soap



TEG. Do the scents bother you or are you concerned for safety? 

I am feeling like I should run out and get a mask. But I should probably calm down first and figure out the risk involved.  

Those MSDS data sheets will make me feel like I should be in a hazmat suit just to handle normal household items, so I don't have a good frame of reference about the actual risk of soaping, other than getting lye on my skin.


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## jules92207 (Nov 7, 2015)

I was breastfeeding when I first learned to soap. I took all normal precautions by using a good face mask and always wearing long sleeves and gloves.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Nov 8, 2015)

JayJay said:


> TEG. Do the scents bother you or are you concerned for safety?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




It was more for the lye fumes that I got this particular one. Although one time I did get a terrible headache from an FO - with this, I really don't have any issues at all.


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## Arimara (Nov 8, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> It was more for the lye fumes that I got this particular one. Although one time I did get a terrible headache from an FO - with this, I really don't have any issues at all.



Some of them will cause headaches. I can't gauge what ones set me off though. It would have to be awful smelling at the least.


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## lionprincess00 (Nov 8, 2015)

I've had more kids than an average household here in the states and bf them all. My main concern would be the eo's because like another poster said, herbals and eo's can potentially reduce milk supply. Taking basic precautions I'd think is more than enough for smelling fos, and if it were me I wouldn't go so far as to pump and dump. It isn't recommended by the pediatric association to do so when spraying yourself with perfumes and using shampoos, soap, and other items which contain fragrance which you'd wind up smelling (im fairly sure). Though I never wore perfume while my kids were little babies, it wasn't because of the breastmilk contamination, but rather a little baby having to smell it all day and potentially sneeze and such. Candles burned in the room put off fragrance, and you can do that too while bfing. So I'd take basic precautions and try to avoid direct inhalation, and most definitely protect your lungs from lye fumes. I think you'll be good to go! I was by the book with my first as well, so I TOTALLY get where you're coming from congratulations on your sweet first baby!


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## green soap (Nov 8, 2015)

FOs are not necessary to make great soap, so why use them at all?  I would just stop using them.  Pregnant or not, they cause problems for a lot of people, myself included.


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## kryse13 (Nov 8, 2015)

green soap said:


> FOs are not necessary to make great soap, so why use them at all?  I would just stop using them.  Pregnant or not, they cause problems for a lot of people, myself included.



I was wanting to make Christmas gifts and when I was pregnant I bought fo's because I know eo's can be dangerous.  But yesterday I started getting scared about using the fo's and inhailing too much and having it effect my breast milk. If you did it during pregnancy it should be ok with breastfeeding but the mind doesn't stop worrying. So I thought I would ask to see if anyone else has done it.


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