Troubleshooting with Essential Oils: In the Eye?

When you work with essential oils, it is easy to accidentally get a little in your eye. You apply them somewhere else with your fingers, don't wash thoroughly, and then rub your eye, or you are applying on your temples and some smears...it happens. Even with gentle oils like lavender, they are potent enough that a delicate surface like the eye will not appreciate it.

Thankfully, there are a couple of easy ways to deal with this. But first of all, don't use water! It will not dilute the oil, and will only make it easier to get out in the long run. You can

• Rinse with milk! Or you can just gently wipe your closed eye with the milk until you feel the burning subside.
• Or, use a carrier oil! Take your preferred carrier (coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, etc.) and gently wipe your closed eye with the oil until you feel the burning start to go away.

And in case you were wondering, don't try to put essential oils in your eye on purpose either! If you want to benefit your eyes with the oils, try applying them near and around your eye--on the temples, cheekbones, or eyebrows. Many people even report success with rubbing the oil between their hands and then cupping a hand over each closed eye, letting those volatile essential oil molecules hop out of their hands and into their eyelids/eyes!