EOs on my skin

[Zing]

Soap peeps, I was making soap and some essential oils splashed out and hit my arm above my glove. I finished the session. Then I held my arm under water for awhile and used soap. Then I sprayed it with alcohol (how I clean measuring cups that had EO). Then I rinsed under water some more. The area is red with a slight burning sensation but poison ivy and lye burns are MUCH worse. I think I am fine but if you've gone thru something similar let me know what to expect or if I should do more.
It was
orange 10X
lavender
anise
cedarwood
Thanks!

 

[glendam]

I would think it is the anise that is irritating the skin, given the usage rate %. I would try putting unscented lotion (to dilute what is on the skin), since you seem to have washed it already as best as possible.

 

[Zing]

I would think it is the anise that is irritating the skin, given the usage rate %. I would try putting unscented lotion (to dilute what is on the skin), since you seem to have washed it already as best as possible.

THANK YOU! I appreciate it.

 

[paradisi]

Eo's are solvents and that alone is irritating. Anise is also irritating and orange is a strong defatter, which would also be irritating.
As they're not water soluble, it was good to wash with soap, not just rinse.
Lotion is good, or maybe an over the counter hydrocortisone cream.

And, next time, don't wait to wash. That made it worse.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I keep 5% lavender in jojoba handy for lye burns, itchies, irritation, bug bites, etc. Works for me.

 

[Zing]

I keep 5% lavender in jojoba handy for lye burns, itchies, irritation, bug bites, etc. Works for me.

Thanks for this, Zany Friend! Not sure if I mentioned this on the forum before. There is something in my yard that gives me a poison ivy reaction. Last time it happened, I applied cortizone cream on my left side, and my pine tar salve on my right side. The burning and itching subsided in the same amount of time!

 

[Zing]

I can still feel the irritation but it no longer is burning. I'm fine now!

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Straight Orange EO will soften and remove floor finishes and paint. Can’t imagine what it would do left on skin. Glad you’re doing better @Zing.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Straight Orange EO will soften and remove floor finishes and paint. Can’t imagine what it would do left on skin.

I have a 2 ox. bottle of straight Orange EO X 10 on my kitchen pantry shelf, next to my 5% lavender. I use it on a cotton ball to remove the gummy residue left by labels on containers after I remove them. Works great! I re-purpose containers fairly often. Orange EO works better than d-Limonene for that and it's cheaper too, I think. It's not too bad on the skin. I wash it off immediately at the same time I use foamer soap to hand wash the container. It's a good thing to keep handy for that.

 

[Kcryss]

Wow, I hope your burn is getting better. Soaping can certainly bring accidental surprises that we never really think about until it happens. I would never have thought about burns from EO's, but it does make sense that it could easily occur.
I've never heard of Pine Tar Salve, did you try that on your burn? Did it help at all?

 

[Zing]

Wow, I hope your burn is getting better. Soaping can certainly bring accidental surprises that we never really think about until it happens. I would never have thought about burns from EO's, but it does make sense that it could easily occur.
I've never heard of Pine Tar Salve, did you try that on your burn? Did it help at all?

Yeah, I once spilled EO on my digital scale and holy cow! I'm melting! I'm melting! EOs are always measured in drops and grams, so a little goes a long way.

I love pine tar salve! Do a search here. I like the campfire scent. And it's effective on bug bites and skin irritations. I get poison ivy reactions while gardening. I did not use it on my burn.

 

[NewlyCreative]

I’d guess it’s the orange oil - it’s an incredibly powerful degreaser and can be very irritating. There are several natural cleaning products out there that use it.

But - next time wipe away and dilute with water sooner! Likely whatever is causing the irritation happened before you could rinse it away.

Also - don’t spray liquid high concentration alcohol on your skin! That alone could cause the irritation and I don’t understand why that would do anything to help the EO on your skin. Sure it will cause the EO to go into solution but to me it would just make it easier for the EO to penetrate your skin which is the last thing you want.

 

[AliensrReal]

You did right by washing with soap and water to remove the irritant. Tap the area dry with a towel and apply Aloe Vera gel or Vaseline if you have any. Unless it’s itching steroid creams really won’t do much. I wouldn’t use alcohol since that is also an irritant.