Wasp Stings:   Wasp venom is alkaline in nature, so the treatment needs an acidic substance to neutralize the poison.  Vinegar (preferably cider vinegar) can be applied to the bite as often as needed, until the pain and swelling have subsided.  To prevent infection, add a drop of lavender or tea tree essential oil to each tablespoon of vinegar.

Bee Stings:  Bee venom is acidic in nature, so the treatment needs an alkaline substance.  Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda) mixed with water can create an alkaline solution which can neutralize the poison (use 1 tsp. Baking Soda to one tbsp. water).  Apply the solution as often as needed to reduce the pain and swelling. To prevent infection, add a drop of lavender or chamomile essential oil to the solution.  A cold compress containing chamomile and/or lavender essential oil can also help to reduce pain and swelling.

Ant Bites:  Ant venom is acidic in nature, so the treatment needs to be alkaline.  The same products used for bee stings would work for ant bites.

Mosquito Bites:  According to Valerie Ann Worwood in her book, The Fragrant Pharmacy , if you have one bite, apply 1 drop Lavender essential oil to the bite several times  a day.  If you’ve  been bitten over a large area, combine 1 cup of cider vinegar or the juice of 2 lemons with 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of thyme (linallol, if possible) essential oils.  Put this mixture in a bath and soak for up to 20 minutes.  Towel dry and apply neat lavender oil directly to the bites.  Each night, rub your body with the following mixture:  Essential oils of Lavender 10 drops, Eucalyptus 10 drops, Thyme 10 drops, Lemongrass 5 drops in 30mls. vegetable carrier oil

Other essential oils that can be used to soothe insect bites include:
Cajeput, Chamomile (German or Roman), Eucalyptus or Lemon .

If your problems with bites are of a more serious nature, be sure to get medical help quickly.  You will  need to keep your Epi-pen handy – and make sure you have Medi-Alert jewelry on you so that others know to deliver quick treatment to you.

Insect Bites: If the bugs will stay away, we won’t get bitten! Essential oils can be added to diffusers, sprays and linens to help keep bugs at bay. If you find the cloying smell of fake fragranced candles annoying, try using natural essential oils instead. Bugs have been found to hate these essential oils: Citronella, patchouli, peppermint, clove, bay, lemon, eucalyptus, cedarwood, sweet basil, and litsea cubeba.

To reduce the pain and itchiness associated with bug bites, an application of peppermint, tea-tree and lavender directly on the bite usually reduces the severity of the pain. Apply several times daily until the bite no longer “bugs” you. If the oils are too harsh on your skin, try mixing them in a carrier oil first before applying to your bite. If you’ve been “eaten alive,” try an oatmeal bath with lavender or chamomile added to the water to help reduce all-over itchiness (this is a tried and true Manitoba recipe!).

Sunburn: Preventing the burn is the best course of action. But if the sun’s rays prove too much for your skin, here are a few suggestions. First-aid treatment starts with cooling down the skin. Using a cool bath, cloth or hydrosol spray from the fridge helps reduce the heat from the burn. Application of soothing, cooling gels helps, too. Those who can tolerate Aloe vera gel report good results. An aromatherapy gel with peppermint, lavender, helichrysum, chamomile and/or tea tree can also be helpful. Organic Honey will help reduce damage and nourish the skin; honey is an old folk remedy that has been used for skin care and wound healing for thousands of years.

Once the burn is under control, replenish the skin with highly nutritious creams and lotions that will give back a healthy look. If you can, add some Sea Buckthorn, Calendula, Carrot Seed or German Chamomile essential oils to the cream or lotion. These are proven skin rejuvenators.

Summer can be comfortable and enjoyable. Mother Nature has given us the means to stay happy and healthy, so let’s accept her help.

Normally, we have few issues with the aromatherapy blends we apply to our skin, as the sun intensity on the West Coast is generally a mild-moderate rating. Last week’s heat wave was a reminder that we need to check the ingredients in our lotions and creams. There is a very specific sun sensitivity reaction between UV radiation and specific components in essential oils. This reaction occurs when essential oils with lactones, and specifically furocoumarins, are used on the skin.

What, you may ask, are lactones and furocoumarins? These are specific phytochemicals that if applied to the skin, will create a skin sensitization reaction when they are exposed to sunlight. The reaction looks like a rash sunburn combination – and yes it is itchy, burning and painful! Some people have had severe blistering to the point of scarring. This is no picnic!

The essential oils with the highest levels of furocoumarins are those oils expressed from citrus peels. This includes orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit and bergamot, amongst others. There are a few miscellaneous essential oils that can also cause this reaction, but the main culprits are citrus peel essential oils.

Does this mean that we must put away these essential oils until the rainy days return? Not at all! However, we must be careful with how and when we use them. Applying blends with these oils in the evening will be safe. Using them in diffusers or room sprays will be fine, as long as the mist doesn’t touch the skin. If these fruit peel oils are used in bath soaps or shampoos, rinse well before leaving the shower or bath. Some aromatherapists will switch to essential oils from the fruit pulp of these plants instead of their peels. There are virtually no furocoumarins in the pulp, therefore they are safe to use in the sunshine. However, the therapeutic value of these pulp oils is different from their stronger fruit peel cousins. But it is an option during the sunny weather.

One more note: this skin reaction can also occur if citrus peel oils are applied to the skin and the person uses tanning booths. It is the UV component of the light spectrum that creates the reaction.

Be safe – know your products and your essential oils.