Essential Poisons

I found this outstanding article from The Wild Wood Apothecary blog called "Why I'm Essential Oil Free" . You can read it HERE. I especially love the information on the essential oils that are hormone disruptors. Chemicals are hormone disruptors in general, but as someone with Hashimoto's and MCS who is unable to regulate my hormones with drugs, protecting my thyroid and hormone balance is always a priority.

Another interesting point she makes is, "The scent alone is strong enough to kill your gut flora." Wow. That I didn't know!

Some essential oils put one at risk for breast cancer and she also addresses the known fact they poison pets.

She quotes, Susun S. Weed who says essential oils are the "white sugar of herbalism."

Outstanding article!!

I am so happy people are finally realizing essential oils are not God's gift to humans, but poisons plain and simple. Even if these volatile concoctions don't bother you and you choose to poison yourself, keep in mind there are people sharing your air space who not only react badly to essential oils, but don't want to be poisoned! Please be considerate!

Essential Oil Toxicity

I approached one of the members of my art group. His essential oil stink polluted the outside air at least 10 feet in circumference. I quickly adjusted my position in the group, up wind and away. He's the one who professes because essential oils are "organic" they are healthy. He refuses to listen to anything I have to say and he's the quintessential mansplainer constantly taking the position that he knows more than me simply because of his gender. What an ignoramus!

Alison Johnson recently included an essential oil study results on her website:

Essential oils, widely used in society, emit numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of these VOCs are considered potentially hazardous under federal regulations. However, essential oils are exempt from disclosure of their ingredients on their label. Thus, the public may lack information on emissions and potential hazards from essential oils. This study examined VOCs emitted from a range of commercial essential oils, including tea tree oils, lavender oils, eucalyptus oils, and other individual oils and mixtures of oils. Using headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the study analyzed 24 commercial essential oils, including 12 with claims of being "natural" or related terms, such as organic, 100% pure, or plant-based. Results identified 595 VOCs emitted from the 24 essential oils, representing 188 different VOCs. The most common VOCs emitted were alpha-pinene, limonene, acetone, linalool, alpha-phellandrene, betamyrcene, and camphene. Among the 589 VOCs identified, 124 VOCs, representing 33 different VOCs, are classified as potentially hazardous. All natural and regular essential oils emitted one or more potentially hazardous VOCs, such as acetaldhyde, acetone, and ethanol. Toluene was also found in 50% of essential oils. Moreover, for the prevalent VOCs classified as potentially hazardous, no significant difference was found between regular and natural essential oils. This study provides insights and information about emissions of commercial essential oils that can be useful for public awareness and risk reduction.

AH HA!!!! All those "ene" toxins are cancer-causing as well as just being poisonous. Didn't I ponder in another post I bet they add toulene to essential oils to maintain viscocity??? And there it is! Toulene is in every perfume and is a known cause of cancer!!! Sounds exactly like the perfume industry with their "trade secret" clause defying transparency. I'll make another prediction: I bet anything the essential oils industry is controlled by the perfume and chemical companies, much like some organic seed companies are owned by Monsanto. 

Vindicated once again.

To all you addicted naysayers out there, research is finally confirming the toxcity of essential oils. Take it seriously. Stop poisoning the rest of us and stop pushing your poisons on those who are not interested! Those of us who are "canaries" aren't crazy. We know when your stink is toxic!

If you want to read Alison Johnson's article click HERE. 

The Vatican is So Cool

When it's time to re-paint the Vatican, they use non-toxic, earth-friendly milk paint! It's made from the pope's cows' milk with non-toxic pigments and hand sponged right onto the buildings. Wow! Besides being environmentally-friend and concern for the safety of their employees and visitors, this is an age-old practice from a pre-chemical period in history that has withstood the test of time. You can read the article and watch the video HERE

They clean the statues in the Vatican garden with essential oils. Yeah, if you read my blog you know I hate essential oils. It seems oregano and thyme from Sicily kill mold and mildew. I knew that. I used essential oils to kill the mold under my house with some Thieves Household Cleaner.**

Excellent!! Too bad all this environmentally friendliness, common sense and compassion isn't more wide-spread. Governments and corporations could learn a thing or two from religion. (Who would have ever thought?)

**OK, I admit here there is some value to essential oils. Besides mold killing concoctions, I also use peppermint essential oil to keep spiders out of my house, but I still stand by the fact they should not be used on human bodies as perfume or in spaces as air fresheners!

NONessential Oils

My post on essential oils is popular, probably more popular than any other topic I discuss. I also receive comments on it. Some try to bully me into using essential oils. Others are telling me they are being bullied into using essential oils. My question is WHY? Why would anyone want to stink to that extent? Why do people want to pay money to stink? Why are bullies so intent on sucking me and their friends into their addictions?

I recently ran into a friend at a local store. I know he is a fan of organic foods and based on our few discussions, he is a health aficionado. He keeps me posted on new places to get organic food and I like people who are health conscious. During this visit we jumped on the topic of essential oils. I can't remember how we got there but he said on occasion he uses essential oils. This is going to sound sexist, but why does a man want to stink like that? I asked him why and he shrugged, muttered, but didn't really give an answer. I came right out and told him essential oils were totally unnatural.

He began defending them like an addict, "Oh no, you can get the organic kind!"

I tried to explain my very bad reactions to essential oils, and he countered it with, "You must not be using the organic kind!"

I assured him I had and it doesn't matter. But more importantly, how does he know they are organic? Anyone can label anything organic as long as it has one ingredient that is organic. How does he know those organic herbs aren't mixed with additives, stabilizers or preservatives? Toulene is in every perfume. How does he know manufacturers don't slip in some Toulene to help liquefy the oils? Does he know how the essential oils are processed? If they are so natural, why do I react badly to them? I'M CHEMICALLY SENSITIVE! I'M A CANARY!  He didn't have any answers although he assures me he's read articles and the oils he uses are organic and healthy and natural. 

Of course, I countered that with my standard defense: essential oils are natural like plywood is natural. The analogy went right over his head.

"Oh, no, plywood isn't natural."

To which I replied, "Why not? It's wood!"

"No! There are fillers and glues and processing." Really. He still wasn't getting it. This is the mindset of an addict.

In the past I did a lot of reading and research on essential oils. I thought I'd give it another crack and see if I can find updated information. Here's some tidbits of information although nothing new:

There are many ways essential oils are processed. Distillation is currently the most trendy. There is also "solvent extraction" which is preferred for herbs and flowers that are less stable. Yes, CHEMICAL extraction. If that one doesn't tickle your fancy essential oils can be processed with "Florasols extraction". Florasols is another solvent originally developed as a replacement for Freon. So I'm wondering, can an essential oil manufacturer use organic plants but use chemical extraction for processing and still call the product organic? Hmmmm...

Flammability. Essential oils have a flash point temperature that causes them to combust. You'd think this would be around 100 degrees...200 degrees. Some spontaneously combust at 60 degrees. Why are they flammable?  Perfumes are flammable, too. The post office won't mail them for you because of this safety hazard. Hmmm...

If you are pregnant or nursing, don't use them. It could lead to abortion or premature births. Hmmm...

People with health problems such as asthma, epilepsy or hypertension shouldn't use them. Hmmm...

They are a danger to pets as their livers can't process them. Well, what about human livers? Granted we are bigger, but if a pet can't process them why is it assumed a human can? WHY would a human want to? Dogs are used for medical research because their physiology is so close to humans. So if essential oils are not safe for pets, why are the considered safe for humans? Hmmm...

Some essential oils are photo toxic creating photosensitivity which makes the wearer vulnerable to sunlight. Where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right! Pharmaceuticals are also photo toxic as well as chemical-laced lotions and beauty products. Why? Because they have chemicals in them. If you've read my posts on skin cancer, you know I believe chemicals cause cancer NOT sunshine. Hmmm...

Do not put essential oils in eyes, nose or ears as it could lead to chemical burns. Chemical burns? But I thought they were natural? Ingesting too much oil can burn one's stomach walls. This is anything but natural. It might have been natural as a sprig of lavender, but it's not natural as a bottle of poison. Hmmm...

Doesn't this sound like the warning label on any number of chemicals? So why do people think they are so natural and healthy? What is the point in using essential oils anyway? More importantly,
why do I react to essential oils as if I'm being poisoned if they are only natural plant materials, healthy and organic?

Today I ran into another acquaintance who I really like, who is always very elegant looking with beautiful hair and make up,  and who had a bout with skin cancer not too long ago. However, she doesn't wear perfume. She tells me it bothers her and wonders how people can wear so much of it so often. I introduced the idea of chemical addiction...perfumes and colognes are chemicals. She hadn't thought of that. At that point she discloses she rather enjoys a dab of essential oil now and then. After all, it's natural, isn't it? Again, I pull out my arsenal of defense: PLYWOOD. It's such a great comparison. She seems to get it, but she's not having it and decides rather than listen to the person who is chemically sensitive, who has bad reactions to chemicals, and who has bad reactions to essential oils (Logic 101), she decides she'll have to consult the grocery grunt who stocks shelves because of course that imbecile must know way more than someone who is actually chemically sensitive. I think the unenlightened will do anything to justify their bad habits and find anyone who would support them before actually questioning the facts. I think I'd be less insulted if she'd just come right out and say, "I don't give a shit what you say or how sick my stink makes you, I'll wear my stink. Fuck your health."

I usually do really like my unenlightened friends. I tolerate their bad habits. When they arrive at my house stinking of chemicals I keep my mouth shut and adjust my position upwind. However, this constant attempt at educating them is absolutely exhausting. They know me. They know I'm chemically sensitive. Yet they still use toxic laundry detergents, soaps, hair products, lotions, make ups, and...essential oils. They just don't get toxic products are toxic to everyone. Just because they don't react doesn't mean it's not affecting them. Or they just don't care.

From another blog post of mine:
Unfortunately the term "natural fragrance" or "essential oil" on an ingredient list doesn't necessarily mean it is safe. In a study analyzing 35 top selling products, green, natural and organic fragranced products emitted just as many hazardous chemicals as regular fragranced products. That's because most essential oils in consumer products are processed with a toxic solvent. In addition, essential oils containing terpenes such as pine and citrus oils react with ozone in surrounding air to create secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and ultrafine particles.

To all you out there who are so self-centered that you use essential oils (or any fragrance or scented product or chemical) and persist in poisoning innocent bystanders...STOP! Please STOP! It does not make you smell good! It makes you smell desperate for attention, lacking in self-esteem, and stupid. When your body overloads, you, too, will join the ranks of the chemically sensitive! Yes, I wish chemical sensitivity on EVERYONE. Then everyone would be forced to be fragrance-free.

Fragrance is the New Secondhand Smoke

 "Fragrance is the New Secondhand Smoke" is an article by Madeleine Hawks on the blog Branch Basics. You can read the full article HERE.

She is calling for people to boycott scented products and gives excellent basic information on chemical sensitivity and the ramifications of "secondhand fragrances". I love it.

I wish they had t-shirts or something I could wear to support and advertise this idea. I think lots of people who are chemically sensitive will find her article, but in that way she is preaching to the choir. It's not the choir that needs to be convinced, but the millions of unenlightened stinkers who are still poisoning themselves and the rest of us without any thought or cognitive consideration. They just don't get it.

But the following paragraph from her article was a validating moment for me:

Unfortunately the term "natural fragrance" or "essential oil" on an ingredient list doesn't necessarily mean it is safe. In a study analyzing 35 top selling products, green, natural and organic fragranced products emitted just as many hazardous chemicals as regular fragranced products. That's because most essential oils in consumer products are processed with a toxic solvent. In addition, essential oils containing terpenes such as pine and citrus oils react with ozone in surrounding air to create secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and ultrafine particles.

I knew it! It's wonderful to read someone else has discovered essential oils or these "natural fragrances" aren't as natural as everyone assumes! I feel vindicated!

If you were to design a t-shirt for an anti-fragrance campaign, what would it say?

Essential Oils

The medicinal properties of herbs have been used for centuries. The subtle, natural scents of herbs and their flowers are also known to benefit one's health.  However, distilling a perfectly lovely scent so it's five million times its naturalness is anything but natural. Like vitamin addictions, ignorant people have assumed if something is good for you, then more is better, and even more than that must be outstanding! We are a society of addicts eager to overindulge in the next best miracle cure. In fact, more will contribute to an excessive overload of foreign substances causing your body to work harder in its detoxification processes. More is NOT better! People are once again guilty of exploiting and abusing nature.

In my former life, I, too, was guilty of buying into the silliness of aromatherapy.  I used to bath in clary sage and peppermint oil, put lavender on light bulbs for air fresheners, and make candles with rosemary. I was convinced essential oils were natural so they must be good for you, and like perfume, I believed they made me beautiful and sensuous when really they just made me and everything around me stink.  I didn't start having sensitivity issues with essential oils until my body kicked into its hyper-immunity stage. In theory, my hypothalamus registers, "WARNING! WARNING!" anytime I smell anything unnatural.

Now breathing essential oils make me feel like I want to die. My lungs wheeze, my head pounds, my stomach feels like its eating itself, my skin itches so badly I want to rip it off, and my body wants to go to bed and sleep for a year. Patchouli, in particular, gives me such painful intestinal cramps I'm doubled over unable to breathe. Like perfume, maybe patchouli is made with toluene, too? I wouldn't doubt it. Who knows what gimmicks manufacturer's use to decrease production costs? Once the exploitation begins, companies do nearly anything to increase sales.

Years ago I had a friend who's daughter was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. She was a beautiful fifteen year old girl, unable to go to school because she couldn't get out of bed most days. She was deathly pale, skinny and walked like she was about to fall over and die. This was before I knew anything about chemical sensitivity or any of its co-morbid health conditions. I remember thinking, "Why doesn't she just take some vitamins or drink some coffee?" Funny how people who don't have a clue about sensitivities do not get it. I know this first hand.

Years later, after I was diagnosed with MCS, I called this friend to catch up.  I asked her about her daughter who by this time was an adult and out of the house. She was doing great, much better as a matter of fact, with only occasional, minor periods of fatigue. I shared my own health issues and forced reinvention. My friend exclaimed, "Oh, I don't know what I would do without my essential oils especially lavender!  I bath in it! I wash all our clothes and linens in it! If I don't smell it at least once a day, I get very depressed! It lifts my spirits!"

Does that sound like a drug addiction, or what? When I told her there was a good chance her essential oil fetish was the reason her daughter was disabled throughout her whole childhood, she got very quiet.  I asked, "When your daughter has these minor periods of fatigue now, are they right after she visits you?" Can you imagine being the cause of your daughter's disability?

People who don't understand about chemical sensitivity always assume MCSers can't be around flowers or food smells.  Not necessarily so. I don't have problems with any smell as long as it is real, natural, and organic.

You can read more about the dangers of essential oils HERE

Alternative Cleaning Products

Women are statistically more often afflicted with chemical sensitivity because of our traditional roles as house cleaners. Because of this social history, we have been and still are exposed to some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet. I, personally, would like a new role.



I'd rather be an heiress.

Laundry  I am laundry-impaired. Always have been. Unfortunately, unless I win the Lotto someday, doing laundry is a lifestyle requirement I haven't be able to ignore. I use Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid for soap. It bubbles too much so I am careful not to put too much in the washer. Planet laundry detergent makes me wheeze so it's OUT. 


Vinegar is added for germ killing and dye setting with dark clothes, and hydrogen peroxide for germ killing with light clothes.

Borax is used for really dirty stuff, but nothing that I have to wear or sleep on as it's too strong.

Every now and then I use bleach for whites. Because I dislike dull, dingy whites and laundresses needs to use bleach to get them bright, I have few whites in my life. To use bleach, I need to seal off the laundry room, open the windows and wash the load. Then wash it again without bleach two or three times more to get the stink out. (UPDATE: NEW DISCOVERY: Vinegar neutralizes bleach. During the rinse cycle, put on a mask, open the washing machine and dump in about 1/4 gallon of vinegar. Whites come out white without any bleach smell! Same if you inadvertently get bleach on your hands while adding it - wash them in vinegar.)  I've tried hydrogen peroxide for bleach - it's never worked for me, but again, I'm cursed when it comes to laundry skills so maybe it was just me.

I did recently discover ammonia. I guess you are supposed to use it for oils instead of bleach. Am I the only one that didn't know this? As long as I wear a mask, seal the room off, open the windows, I'm fine with ammonia and the smell is gone by the end of the rinse so unlike bleach, I don't have to do multiple washings.  (Ammonia is also used to excite a compost pile into faster composting.)

No dryers here. They damage clothes and waste electricity.

Buying anything new involves washing it multiple times before it's worn. Sheets or other bedding I must wash a minimum of ten times before I can go near them let alone sleep with them due to the formaldehyde and other chemicals manufacturers use to deter mildew in storage.  I opt for organic products whenever possible, but they are very expensive. Most bedding I get is from estate sales, brand new, still in the package, for $3 to $10. Hard to pass up. This is how I end up with whites or dark colors and need to figure out how to wash them safely.

I also avoid buying anything from China as products from China tend to be over treated with chemicals. I never buy synthetic fabrics which are made from petrochemicals. Just the feel of synthetics make me cringe and they always need fabric softener or fabric sheets to stop static electricity and that horrid cling. <shiver>  I stick with mostly cottons and wools, organic if I can find it.



The All-Purpose Miracle Soap

Oven Cleaner Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, sometimes non-aluminum baking soda, always a pumice scouring stick that gets off any baked on gunk.

Car Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. It's environmentally safe.



Toilets Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid and Borax. For a good scrubbing or  iron stain removal, I use a pumice scouring stick.


Baths and Showers Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid for bubble scrubbing, vinegar to kill any residue, germs and mildew. (Don't use vinegar on marble - it eats it.)


Windows Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid to scrub off dirt and grime, then hot water and a little bit of vinegar for rinsing. Wipe dry with a rag.

Dishes I use Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid for basic bubbly soap and aluminum-free baking soda or scouring pads for scrubbing.

Carpets I don't have toxic carpets, only wood and tile floors and cotton throw rugs. But on occasion I rent one of those carpet cleaners and do furniture or the carpeting inside my van. I use SafeChoice Carpet Shampoo which is chemical free and odorless. I bought two gallons of this stuff two years ago and I've only gone through a half a gallon so far. First, I rinse out the rental cleaner with vinegar and water. Then I add some shampoo, turn it on, and wash nothing as I flush out residue left from the chemical shampoo. When I think it's properly cleaned and rinsed, I add the SafeChoice shampoo like normal and shampoo. If I ever run out of this stuff, guess what I'll be using? Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. :)

Floors Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid and peppermint oil with a bucket and a scrub brush. Then I rinse and polish with a towel. I can tolerate small doses of peppermint oil. I use it because spiders hate it and I hate spiders.

No spiders...

Deodorizers and Air Fresheners These products are so incredibly toxic I don't know how anyone tolerates them. Instead of chemicals, I boil some cinnamon or cloves in a pan and everything smells like cinnamon rolls. When I have spider-treated my house with peppermint oil, people say it smells wonderful, but I don't tolerate essential oils much so I avoid using them. Although essential oils are professed to be "natural", jacking up a smell five million times its natural scent is anything but natural. I also use non-aluminum baking soda in a bowl to suck up smells, vinegar in a bowl to rid a room of paint fumes, and freshly ground coffee beans for other, more serious offgassing issues.

Wood Polish I don't have a lot of bare wood in my house, but I have used olive oil and coconut oil on furniture and wooden things. I read that's what was used in history.

My personal stash....

I love Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. It's the only soap-like product I can tolerate. I emailed the company and told them how much I loved it and they mailed me coupons. It is expensive, and will cost you anywhere from $3.99 to $4.15 a bottle. I wait until it's on sale at $2.99, buy a case, and get another 10% off the whole lot. I also use Planet to wash wounds and kill garden pests!

So...how many different products does one really need to clean?  If you eliminate Pinesol, Lysol, Windex, Tidy Bowl, Mr. Clean, Easy Off, Shout, Comet, Dawn, Pledge, Ajax, Downy, Fabreze, Glade, Renuzit, Bounce, and Tide (I can't even do unscented Tide - it stinks!),  how much poisonous exposure would you avoid per day? How much money would you save? Probably enough to splurge for some organic food!