Ah, the first day of spring! Time to bathe our children in flowery essential oils and—what, no?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Crunchy granola parents! Put those lavender and tea tree oils down and just walk away.
According to a New England Journal of Medicine report, both can cause boys to experience gynecomastia. Aka: to develop breasts.
This phenomenon was observed in three otherwise healthy and hormonally-normal boys, ages four, seven, and 10. Their doctors suggested the cause was shampoos, soaps, lotions, or hair gels containing lavender oil or tea tree oil. Both mimic our body’s hormonal effects. Cause removed, the condition subsided within months.
Now, regarding soap for this Spring, why not make it Irish? Your wee little man will thank you.
Reference: Henley, D. V., Lipson, N., Korach, K. S., & Bloch, C. A. (2007). Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils. The New England journal of medicine, 356(5), 479–485. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa064725