Essential oils can be a great thing to add to your bath both as a healing and therapeutic treatment and as a cleanser and as a natural alternative to body washes and other chemical based soaps and washes.

That said, if you use the wrong essential oil or if you use too much you can have stinging and skin irritations. So which essential oils are good for using in the bath?

1. Citrus oils such as lemon, orange, and grapefruit are good for cleansing however, they can cause skin problems later in the day if you get too much direct sunlight. So if you know that you will be out in the sun, swimming etc. then you should not use them in a bath right before.

2. Lavender- this is a great one for skin problems, it smells great and is nice and gentle.

3. Melaleuca or tea tree oil. This is another great essential oil for skin problems and therefore makes another good one for baths.

4. Rosemary- another good one for purifying and for improving hair and skin.

You want to also make sure to use only 2-4 drops. It can be tempting to think that more is better but a little goes a long way.

So— What essential oils should you never put in a bath?

From my experience because I’ve done it. The two you absolutely don’t want to use are peppermint and cinnamon, or cassia which is another form of cinnamon. Oregano is probably not the best idea either. Why? Because these are hot oils which can sting and cause skin problems when used directly on the skin. Cassia and cinnamon are especially hot and need to be mixed with a carrier oil such as coconut oil before using them on your skin. Otherwise, you can and probably will get a red rash or skin irritations.

Enjoy bathing with essential oils.