Being Careful with Clove Oil

In the world of henna body art (Mehndi), many find bottles of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) oil suggested for use after you have removed the henna paste in order to make the design set and become darker. These oils are also in a blended form and simply called "Mehndi Oil". Unfortunately many have suffered severe burns after using the oil on their skin. This has caused many to suggest not using clove oil at all. Clove oil causing irritation and dermatitis is not new to those trained in Aromatherapy. Cloves contain a major irritant called "eugenol". The area of the plant that contains the least amount of this natural chemical is the buds. The buds of cloves also produce a good amount of oil but not surpassingly can only be harvested at a limited, certain time of the year. This causes some (greedy) growers and manufactures to substitute oil extracted from the stems and leaves of the clove plant. This creates a very toxic oil that can burn the skin.

In my college courses teaching henna body art, I have seen first hand (no pun intended) the awful effects of the clove oil. The oil actually burned the designs into the skin. Other examples I have seen included open sores, puffiness and scabbing. Many noted that as soon as they placed the oil on their skin, extreme burning ensued. Even when they quickly washed the oil off, the damage had already been done. These experiences are not uncommon with clove oil imported from India, the Middle East and so forth. One really has no way of telling if the oil is exclusively obtained from the buds. Another problem is dilution. Clove oil should always be heavily diluted but when products are imported from countries that do not mandate product labels, you have no way of knowing what you are really getting. Lighter fluid and paint striper have also been known to be added to the clove oils to dangerously make henna designs darker.

Due to the burns that can result, I would suggest, like others, not to use commercially produced clove oil products. Cloves still can be used safely however. I have personally made my own clove oil by taking dried (culinary) cloves and placing them in 1/4 of a cup of sweet almond oil. You can also use jojoba, neem or regular vegetable oil. I allowed it to steep for a few days and didn't have any skin burning problems. I also have used dried cloves in the liquid catalyst solution needed to wet the henna powder as well with no problem. If you simply must use a commercially made clove bud oil, buy it from a recognized essential oil company and then be sure to dilute it before using it on your skin.

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