Essential Oils

[janetpa]

Does anyone having issues with the use of the ever popular essential oils?

Last year most teachers were using diffusers in the classroom during flu season which caused students to come to me with headaches. The Admin backed me up and has stated that they can not be used when class was in session --only before and after school and with the windows partially opened. Now we have a new staff member who offered me a huge supply of essential oils (she sells them) to use on students. I declined the kind offer and stated that we should not use them on students. Anyone else running into this??

[Farawyn]

NOPE!!!! Nope nope nope. If they want to use it at home, that's fine.

[UrbanHealthRN, BSN, RN]

Nope! Students AND staff who have allergies, asthma, headaches, chemical sensitivities, etc. can all have their symptoms triggered by the stuff. Plus, some essential oils can be dangerous to kids when applied on the skin or ingested.

One of my cousins who works in the mental health field and has chronic neurological symptoms from a case of Lyme is very sensitive to fragrances. It doesn't matter if it's 100% organic lavender that was grown on a farm in North Dakota with unicorn tears- a smell is a smell, and it can trigger some of her symptoms. She is shocked at just how much essential oils are appearing in healthcare settings. I still remember in nursing school being taught that different health conditions can make people sensitive to fragrance (ex. a cancer patient going through chemo) and so nurses and their work environments should be fragrance free. Now I'm literally seeing nursing "research" articles that suggest we should make a whole inpatient floor smell like oranges and lemons (Using aromatherapy in the clinical setting: Making sense of scents).

Don't get me wrong- I can love aromatherapy just as much as the next person, but I don't think it's appropriate to be using in many health settings at this point.

[AdobeRN]

We just had a parent complaint - a parent who is an avid oil user is having issues with a teacher using a wall scentcy type of thing in the classroom stating the smell is causing problems with her daughter....yet this is the same mom who practically bathes the kid in oils, the girl comes to school smelling like what I call the "dirty Hippie smell" - patcholie, lavender or whatever the mom decides she needs to be doused with that day. To me a smell is a smell right??? so if the scentcy diffuser causes issues why doesn't the oil odors cause problems???

[Eleven011]

I run a diffuser in my office to make it smell good. I've asked both people in the adjoining offices and they don't have a problem with it, often commenting on how nice it makes the area smell. If I ever had anyone mention that it bothered them, especially a student, I'd quit. That said, I don't apply oils to students.

[Amethya]

I run a diffuser in my office to make it smell good. I've asked both people in the adjoining offices and they don't have a problem with it, often commenting on how nice it makes the area smell. If I ever had anyone mention that it bothered them, especially a student, I'd quit. That said, I don't apply oils to students.

A diffuser? Where did you get that? I want my office to smell nice too.

[Eleven011]

A diffuser? Where did you get that? I want my office to smell nice too.

I got mine from Young Living, but you can get them about anywhere these days.

[Farawyn]

My office smells like teen spirit.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

i've made mention before that i i use oils, but on a personal level. I also have a diffuser in my office, but that's to use in the absence of students - so i tend to run it before or after bell or turn it on and leave it to get the stank out during my lunch. I will not use on students. In fact i had a parent who sent a roller in with her child. I promptly told her nope. That if she wanted to put oils on the child before school, that was fine, but nothing that could affect another person. and clearly a rollerball (which the kid took out and put on another kid's face!!) can affect someone else. NOPE!

[stephrooth]

Not even a lavender roller ball to destress them? they're SPED students

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

My office smells like teen spirit.

Mine smells like the bathroom....I need an infuser of Teen Spirit. With the lights out/it's less dangerous...

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

We don't use them in our school. I do use oils at home (in a diffuser or in the bath), but the scent of my office is Sani-Cloth and Clorox wipes. I've been told it smells like the doctors office. I do have a seldom used air freshener our office manager gave me for when it gets real stinky in here--usually if my office has been vomited in or my bathroom has been diarrhea bombed.