Using Essential Oils Safely

Latest Episodes:

Hydrosols: Aromatherapy's Best Kept Secret Sep 26, 2025

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If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by essential oils, wondering which ones are safe for kids, how to dilute them properly, or if they’re too strong for your skin, you’re not alone.
Hydrosols, sometimes called floral waters or distillates, are the gentle and water-based counterpart to essential oils. They’re produced during the steam distillation process and carry many of the same therapeutic properties as essential oils, but in a much gentler form. That’s exactly why I love hydrosols.
In this video I'll address:

What Hydrosols are
How Hydrosols are made
Safety concerns with Hydrosols (are there any?)
When to use hydrosols
Preservatives and Shelf Life
Signs they're going bad
What to do with your hydrosols
Using Hydrosols internally
Using Hydrosols with pets
Dilution guidelines for Hydrosols
Body systems Hydrosols help with
General guidelines for using hydrosols

Visit the episode page here: https://www.LeaJacobson.com/bestkeptsecret
Buy the book: https://www.LeaJacobson.com/HYDROSOLS

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This is Lea Jacobson empowering you to use essential oils safely. I hope you learned something new today. Tell a friend about our podcasts so they can learn, too. All episodes are available at LeaJacobson.com/podcast.

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Are "Digestive" Essential Oil Blends Safe? (Dangerous Essential Oil Blends Part 3) Aug 20, 2025

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Are “Digest” essential oil blends really safe? 🤔
Many popular digestive blends contain fennel and anise essential oils, which are classified according to Essential Oil Safety Made Simple™ as carcinogenic and not safe for use.
In this video, I break down the truth about “Digest” blends:
👉Why fennel and anise are risky (even though companies still sell them)
👉The hidden dangers in so-called “family-safe” digestive blends
👉What you can use instead for tummy troubles, bloating, and cramps
✨ I’ll also tell you about my Better Than Digest recipe — a safe, effective, family-friendly blend that actually works without the risks.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Is Digest essential oil blend safe?” — this podcast is for you.

Episode page: https://www.leajacobson.com/digestblend

Better Than Digest Blend Recipe: https://www.LeaJacobson.com/betterthandigest

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Is "Breathe" Safe? (Dangerous Essential Oil Blends, Part 2) May 19, 2025

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This is Part 2 in a series on Dangerous Essential Oil blends.
Episode page: https://www.leajacobson.com/BreatheBlend
Better Than Breathe Blend: https://www.leajacobson.com/betterthanbreathe
Blend Detective: https://www.LeaJacobson.com/blends
Free Blend Classes: https://www.leajacobson.com/BlendClasses

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Is Thieves Essential Oil Blend Safe? Mar 03, 2025

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This is Part 1 in a series on Dangerous Essential Oil blends.
Episode page: https://www.leajacobson.com/ThievesBlend
Free Blend Classes: https://www.leajacobson.com/BlendClasses

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When Essential Oil Companies Fail You Jan 30, 2025

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If you've been following this series you've been armed with the right questions to ask when checking out an essential oil company, as well as the warnings you should be seeing for ten popular essential oils.
Some of you have been disappointed in the lack of transparency when it comes to essential oil safety precautions, and don't blame you!
As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist who doesn't sell essential oils, I'm going to address why it matters that a company provides proper safety info, and what to do about it. I'm also going to touch on GC/MS and third-party testing, and the myth that "you get what you pay for."
And at the end of the episode we'll talk about what the term "therapeutic grade" means - and why it was banned.
https://www.leajacobson.com/BestEOBrand5

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10 Problematic Essential Oils (How to Choose the Best Essential Oil Brand Part 4) Jan 10, 2025

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So far in this series on choosing an essential oil brand, I've armed you with some great questions to ask when you check out a company's website. This can help you determine whether or not they are providing the safety information you need to stay safe.
In this episode, we're going to zero in on 10 essential oils that most companies keep in stock and see if they provide all the pertinent information for these potentially problematic essential oils.
As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and Essential Oil Safety Expert who doesn't sell essential oils, I'm going to cover all the safety information you need to know for Anise, Bergamot, Cinnamon Bark and Leaf, Clove, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Lemon, Oregano, Peppermint, and Wintergreen essential oils.
Without having this information, you could be putting yourself and your family at risk if you're currently using the essential oils I just mentioned - without taking certain precautions - or avoiding some completely.
Plus, I'll talk about what to do if the company you've been purchasing from isn't being transparent about essential oil safety.
Ready?
https://www.leajacobson.com/BestEOBrand4

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What is the BEST essential oil brand? (How to Choose the Best Essential Oil Brand, Part 3) Dec 23, 2024

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If you're wondering which essential oil brand to purchase from, you can check out the website of the brand that you are interested in, and go through a list of questions to see where they stand. Some of those questions I've shared on previous episodes, and today you'll hear some more.
As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist who doesn't sell essential oils, I've come up with 9 questions you can use while scouting out a company's website to see if they are up to snuff when it comes to safety knowledge! And if you end up overwhelmed, you can check out the reviews I've posted inside the BRAND REVIEWS Portal on my website.
If the company doesn't properly inform you of safety concerns, you could be purchasing essential oils not safe for your kids, essential oils that are are blood thinning, or -worse- potentially carcinogenic.
...at the end of this episode I'll share with you some of the results for a few of the brands I've reviewed inside the BRAND REVIEWS Portal...
Ready?
Episode Page: https://www.leajacobson.com/bestEOBrand3

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How to Choose the Best Essential Oil Brand (Part 2) Nov 14, 2024

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If you're wondering which essential oil brand you want to purchase from, you have two options...

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How to Choose the BEST Essential Oil Brand (Part 1) Oct 30, 2024

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One of the most common questions I get asked about in our facebook group is: "What brand is best?" or "Which brand do YOU use, Lea?"
Sometimes it's because the person knows about the 3rd party testing I pioneered a while back which we did to discover what's really in those essential oil bottles?
"What brand is best?" was one of my first questions, too, before I found out the questions we should be asking instead (more on this later).
As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist who doesn't sell essential oils, this is a topic I try to avoid due to the drama that often comes along with it.
But in today's episode I'm going to go there.
..and I'll share with you what the results were from our first round of 3rd party testing...
Are you ready?

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Essential Oil Brands (test your knowledge!) Oct 21, 2024

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Curious to know if our brand series is for you? Let's find out with a pop quiz that will test your knowledge when it comes to choosing an essential oil brand to purchase from.
As a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist who doesn't sell essential oils, and the person who pioneered at third-party testing, I'm the perfect person to guide you through the controversial question. What brand is best?

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