Essential Oils

What are essential oils?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Essential Oil as: any of a class of volatile oils that give plants their characteristic odors and are used especially in perfumes and flavorings, and for aromatherapy.

Essential oils are the very essence of the plant to which they come from. They are extraordinarily concentrated and come with a massive array of uses and benefits.

The use of essential oils have been around for thousands of years, since at least 4500 BC. The first records of essential oils come from ancient India, Persia, and Egypt.

Essential oils can be used for pretty much any ailment. Medicinally some of the things they can be used for are:

• Boosting mood
• Reduce stress
• Improving sleep
• Kill bacteria, funguses and viruses.
• Reduce anxiety
• Reduce pain and inflammation.
• Reduce nausea.
• Relieve headaches.

And SO much more.

What brand I use

My go to brand of essential oils and really the only one I trust is Young Living Essential Oils. I love Young Living because of the significantly higher quality standards they have than most brands. They also source all of their own plants for the oils from their own farms all over the world! Because of that they are able to know for sure their oils are pure and do not have any additives or pesticides and other contaminants. I will readily admit that I am sure Young Living is not the ONLY essential oil company with high standards, but I do prefer them for many reasons.

Young Living is very open and honest about where they source everything. They also do a lot of wonderful work helping and empowering people around the world. I feel they share the best education and information on the uses and benefits of essential oils. One of my go-to books when I want to know the best oil to use in a particular situation is the Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide and the Animal Desk Reference is another one I use quite often living on a small farm.

Young Living is the only essential oil brand I know of that has a “Seed to Seal” promise. This means that they are directly involved in every step of the process of making the essential oils. From the seeds that get planted and harvested to the distilling and testing, then getting bottled, sealed, and shipped to their customers.

Some of my favorite Oils

I LOVE essential Oils! I use them every day for absolutely EVERYTHING!

Lavender is one of my favorites for use with the kiddos! It is super gentle on the skin and senses, as well as being a wonderful calming agent. This is also my go-to for use in my Homemade Baby Wipes as well as my homemade baby powder.

Lemon is one of my favorite drinking water additives and it is incredible at getting those annoying sticky labels off of things. Pretty much any of the other citrus fruit oils are a great drink flavor enhancers too, like grapefruit, orange, and lime. (Young Living has a special label for oils that are generally safe to ingest. This is their “Vitality” line. These labels are just to make it easier in knowing if they are safe to ingest or not.)

Thieves smells so good! Thieves is a blend of several oils intended for powerful immune support and cleansing properties. The legend of the four French thieves is where this oil blend originated from. The story I heard was that they wore a blend of vinegar, clove, rosemary and other botanicals while they were stealing from the dying and dead of the black plague. They were eventually caught by the authorities and they were offered a lighter sentence if they spilled the beans on their special formula which had seemingly prevented them from falling ill.

There are many more oils and blends that I could rant and rave about, but I won’t talk your ear off today! I love essential oils for so many reasons. Probably the most important reason is that they are natural and so much safer than modern day pharmaceuticals that have tons of possible side effects.

Things to be aware of with essential oils

If you have never used essential oils before, please be aware that these are some powerful products! Some oils are really mild and are generally safe to put directly on your skin depending on the your sensitivity. Some of these may be oils such as lavender or German chamomile. There are other oils called “hot” oils and you should never use them directly on your skin without a carrier oil. A few examples of these “hot” essential oils are: cinnamon bark, clove, and lemongrass. Some of my favorite carrier oils to dilute essential oils with are coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil.

I don’t sell oils or anything, I just love them and share about them. If you are interested in buying Young Living oils, I recommend becoming a member so you can get them at a discount. You are more than welcome to use my referral code to buy a premium starter bundle, but please don’t feel obligated to!

I would love to hear what some of your favorite oils and uses are, so please feel free to comment!