If I ever catch you putting neat essential oils on your skin I am gonna be VERY DISSAPOINTED IN YOU and also any blog who tells you its fine is a hack who doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking out and is probably going to end up with chemical burns.
NOTE; adding a few drops of oil to your regular skin oil/lotion or shampoo is not using it neat. That is diluting it, and is perfectly acceptable.
I mean, if you get chemical burns it’s because there are harmful chemicals in your oils. Per FDA regulations, an essential oil only has to contain 7% of the actual ingredient to be called “pure”. The rest can be synthetic. This is why there is a greater risk of irritation and why many are not safe for consumption, even citrus oils like Orange and Lemon. And this is why you can get a chemical smell. Stay away from store and other very cheap brands.
AFAIK the only brand on the market that’s ACTUALLY 100% pure is doTERRA. And even then, straight oils can cause irritation on people sensitive skin and children. ALWAYS dilute your oil. Fractionated Coconut Oil is the best way to do this, as it will stay liquid. You can also use regular coconut oil or an I scented lotion. Or of course diffuse a few drops with water.
I’ve seen some pretty bad burns on people who used straight clove and pepper oil. It’s not just because there’s additives. Newsflash! Essential oils are made of chemicals! SOME OF THOSE CAN BE HARMFUL, PARTICULARLY WHEN HIGHLY CONCENTRATED AS THEY ARE IN ESSENTIAL OIL.
And there’s lots of carrier oils you can use. No one is the ‘best’. Almond, olive, jojoba, rosehip, avocado…whatever someone finds works best for them. And doTerra is a good brand, but by no means the ONLY good brand.
That 7% thing you just said? Is a myth, usually used by essential oil companies to claim that THEIRS is DIFFERENT!!!!! It’s untrue, and a lie, and NOT TRUE. So far as I can tell, the first mentions of this were by sales reps of a multi level marketing scam to try and hawk their shit. It’s bullshit. And NOT TRUE.
and
DO
NOT
INGEST
ESSENTIAL
OILS
GOD
DAMMIT
UNLESS
YOU
CONSULT
A
DOCTOR
FIRST
If you want to try oregano for immunity, fine, GO MAKE SOME TEA WITH DRIED OREGANO FOR FUCK’S SAKE
100% this. I don’t even use 100% tea tree oil neat on my skin, I dilute it with jojoba oil. This doesn’t make it any less effective. If anything it makes it more effective, because I’m not irritating the shit out of already irritated and damaged skin. Oils that explicitly state on the bottle are okay to be applied directly to the skin? Have typically been diluted with something else to make it safe. (NB: water does not dilute essential oils, it disperses them, but doesn’t dilute them. The only time water and essential oil should meat without a carrier oil is in a vaporizer or oil burner.)
Also be really careful using menthol oils (y’know, the stuff you use for congestion) around small children, as they can actually cause breathing difficulties in small children and even result in death. https://naha.org/naha-blog/peppermint-safety-info/
I had a witchy friend who made her own sinus congestion oil blend for years, she was a licensed aromatherapist and had been working for decades in the field. And without thinking, used it on her daughter who was under 6, to help ease a bad head cold. The child went in to respiratory distress and died. She did everything right, the oils were 100% organic natural and well diluted with appropriate carrier oils—that still didn’t make it safe to use on a child. I have midwifing friends who wont even apply vicks vapor rub to their kids because of the risk of respiratory arrest.
If your baby is congested, by all means fill the bathroom with warm steam if it will help them breathe, but avoid menthol oils. Please. And do not apply any essential oil neat to their skin. I’m begging you.
Natural does not mean safe. “Chemical free” does not mean Safe. It just means you better know what the fuck you’re doing and that requires doing more research than trusting pinterest-tumblr witch posts that talk about “chemicals” with no basic understanding that Essential Oils are a chemical substance. Synthetically scented or otherwise.
If the above warnings don’t get you to take the risk seriously, remember that a lot of essential oils are plants natural defenses against insects. So while there are some benefits to using them, they also are the means for a plant to bring harm to a living creature.
Do Not Ingest Them until you consult a doctor. Some can cause problems such as liver or kidney failure if eaten. Talk to a doctor or nurse before consuming any oils or you might find yourself talking to a lot of them.
Do Not Put Them On Your Skin until you did your research and learned if it is safe. Some are safe, some have to be diluted, and some can’t be never be put on skin.
Be Aware of Kid and Small Animals. It takes less to harm something small than it does to harm a full grown adult. Kids also react differently to things than how an adult would react because they are still growing.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible – all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously – even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
One thing worth asking (at least for me), is what relieves your dysphoria more?: looking flatter to other people, or feeling the presence of your chest less?
For me, wearing a binder reduces the visible size of my chest, but causes discomfort, sweating, trouble breathing, and pain, all of which makes me more likely to think about the presence of my chest. Taking off the binder also reminds me of how different my body is from my ideal, which is not, for me, psychologically helpful.
Instead, I prefer to do anything that allows me to physically forget I have boobs. For me, that’s accomplished through comfort. Stretchy, relatively formless, soft sports bras in a tight-ish band size provide enough compression to reduce jiggling, but not so much compression that I feel discomfort. On a good day, the results are miraculous: I don’t look flat to anybody, but I feel so comfortable I forget my boobs are there. To me, that is way preferable to looking superficially flat but feeling dysphoria and discomfort all day.
My favorite bra for this purpose is $7 on Amazon. It’s called Hanes Women’s Cozy Seamless Wire-Free Bra, and this is what it looks like:
I love these freaking things. They’re soft and lightweight, you can use them as a swim top(!), they breathe great, and since they don’t have cups they can fit a variety of chest sizes (I’m a 34 DDD and I wear a medium). They compress a tiny amount, and make my chest look less prominent than in an underwire bra or any kind of bra with cups, making them a great middle ground between binding and wearing a conventional bra.
Spare your ribs if you can. Your safety and comfort matters more than looking flat to some rando.
I’ve been wearing these bras for years because they don’t mess with my sensory issues. Do measure yourself properly for a bra (don’t fuck around and try to wear a smaller size). I worked at VS for a while when I was younger and it does make a difference.
If you do feel like you can ethically buy things at WalMart or if you are desperate for every dollar like some of us, those bras are a little bit cheaper there (I got 2 for $11 last time I went.)
Oftentimes I forget I have boobs while wearing them, because they are really comfortable. That’s the best thing I can say about them, honestly, bc after childbirth I have a DD chest and it really fucks with me some days.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible – all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously – even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs – if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
Okay, now shut the fuck up twice. People are pushing the agenda, and have been pushing the agenda, for making studies about binding for YEARS. And some traito…. I mean, trans people, are advocating for it to happen, and advocating for medical personel to overlook trans person’s binding as a medical procedure in need of ‘professional regulating’. I don’t fucking care about you or your self-righteous quasi fight for ‘heath of trans people’, because it’s just gatekeeping, plain and simple. Now, get the fuck out off my face, you tool.
[Deep breath.]
I… really don’t know where to start with this. Are you suggesting that peer-reviewed scientific studies on the long-term effects of binding are a bad thing, and that trans people who want this information to exist are “traitors”? Is that honest-to-god what you’re saying here?
I’ve never met anyone advocating for binding to be “regulated”. If that’s what you think I’m saying, please read my post again. Binding can affect your body dramatically and irreversibly, and trans people deserve access to information about their health so that they can make informed decisions about their bodies.
Reliable information on trans health issues is virtually nonexistent because it hasn’t been widely formally studied over decades. It’s nearly impossible for trans people to make genuinely informed decisions about their health. If we cannot talk about the risks or are shushed for talking about our experiences, people get hurt and make decisions they may later regret. Just read through the notes on this post for many, many examples.
Hiding or downplaying the risks of binding, especially from young people, is wildly irresponsible. I have no respect for you at all if you think that it’s better for kids to accidentally hurt themselves because they aren’t aware of potential dangers, than to “gatekeep” by asking them to consider their options carefully before proceeding.
The nerve damage on my left shoulder blade that causes gentle hugs to be agonizing is not an “agenda”. The fact that I can no longer safely enter water deeper than my neck because my lungs and ribcage can only expand to a fraction of what they used to is not an “agenda”. The constant aches, the faint wheeze, the tissue degradation, the fact that I’m unable to truly pursue the active, outdoorsy life I hoped for until and unless I get a surgery I can’t afford? Not an “agenda” either. I’m lucky in that I can still bind routinely and function throughout the day.
I wish I had known what I know now before I started binding. Would I have made the decision to bind anyway? Yeah, I really think I would. But I am furious that no one hit me with hard truths beforehand so my decision could have truly been informed.
There’s a clear difference from educating people on the dangers not usually otherwise talked about to telling people what they should do, personally I thank you for furthering my knowledge on this topic and I will now take steps to preserve my wellbeing. Not saying I won’t wear it but knowing it’s possible medical issues will change the steps I take to self preservation. Thank you for helping me make more educated decisions.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible – all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously – even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs – if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
I would also really appreciate if we worked on respecting people who can’t bind anymore because of complications, and not treating them as not “really” trans or continuing to use their assigned gender to refer to them.
Like, it’s an issue with gatekeepers, but it’s also an issue within the trans community.
To add to the last remark: Assuming that people who can’t bind for medical reasons would bind (even if life-threatening) if they were really “trans enough”. Assuming there’s only one way that trans people feel about their bodies, that this way never changes over time and can’t ever be changed in any way by anyone, and that those who have (or can behave as if they have) the most agony around their bodies are the most genuinely trans people… all of these assumptions are false and harm a lot of trans people both directly and indirectly. Some of them are specific to assumptions around transness while some of them have ties to the way people think about membership in oppressed groups in general (even groups where dysphoria isn’t considered an integral part of their identity, seem to have a thing where the most genuine group membership is asserted by showing the most signs of severe suffering in a public way). That’s the other thing, not everyone is public about how we feel about our bodies, assuming you know how we eel on that basis isn’t cool. Assuming there’s only one “real” way trans people feel about their bodies is also not cool. These are responses to things I’ve seen over the past 15 years or so, not just things on this thread or something. Also there’s trans people and gender-atypical people who don’t think about the world through the same concepts that the mainstream trans community uses to describe both transness and gender in general and that’s not well-known and certainly not well-respected. Why people have to always form hierarchies like this is anyone’s guess.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible – all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously – even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs – if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
I would also really appreciate if we worked on respecting people who can’t bind anymore because of complications, and not treating them as not “really” trans or continuing to use their assigned gender to refer to them.
Like, it’s an issue with gatekeepers, but it’s also an issue within the trans community.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible – all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously – even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs – if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
👏Repeat👏 after 👏me 👏
💀There is NO safe way to do breath play. 💀
💀Cutting off blood flow to the brain instead of oxygen is NOT a safe alternative 💀
💀You are risking death every single time you cut off oxygen and/or blood flow to the brain 💀
Cutting off blood flow is just as dangerous, if not more so than breath play. Please, for the love of God, STOP PUSHING THIS MYTH. So many newbies might see some variation of that post and go “I’ll just stop your blood flow instead :’D” without doing any more research.
Cutting off blood to your brain means you’re risking a stroke happening. Both complete oxygen deprivation from your brain and lack of blood lead to serious, potentially life altering consequences. You might also BURST A BLOOD VESSEL IN HOUR HEAD, which has a minimum of a 50% chance of killing you.
So, from someone who has EMT training, please, please, please, I fucking beg of you, stop pushing this myth.
Yall this really needs to go viral. Save people from dying because of this infamous myth that I see keep popping up on my feed
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 