Getting to Know Essential Oils
I never thought I would be one to use essential oils. When I used to think about them, thoughts of “natural”, “holistic”, or “in your head remedies” would come to mind. I never had a purpose or even a reason to think about using them. Yet right around the same time I started to incorporate better clean beauty practices into my everyday regime, an opportunity presented itself to learn more about these oils.
About a year ago, a girlfriend of mine had a small get together at her home to celebrate local entrepreneurs. One of the entrepreneurs, Kristin, was a rep for DoTerra essential oils. For many years, I knew Kristen as the “Toffee Lady”. She makes and sells the world’s best toffee so I was curious as to the sudden change in her career path. Approaching upon the group she was speaking with, I initially was a little closed off to the conversations she was having. Words like mental health, allergies, anxiety and immune system boost were being thrown around. I was not quite ready to dive in head first to a holistic approach to well-being. Yet my ears did perk up when the conversation turned to the beauty benefits of essential oils. All of a sudden I started pouring over her charts and handouts and asking a lot of questions. Ultimately Kristen sent me home that night with a guide book on essential oils to read further up on and we set up a time to get together later on in the month to discuss things further.
What I Came to Learn
First off, what are essential oils? These are natural fragrant compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants. The scent of a rose, mint leaf or lavender field may be the first experience you have had with essential oils. Yet their aromatic components are just one of the beneficial aspects of them. Many oils have powerful cleansing properties, can be used as a dietary aid and can help elicit or dull emotional senses.
I quickly came to the learn that one of the beautiful things about essential oils is that one oil does not pinpoint just one thing. One oil can provide a multitude of benefits. These benefits can cover your health, beauty and home. Let’s take one of the more popular essential oils for instance, Lavender. Lavender is probably most popularly used for its attractive aroma and calming benefits but it also can be taken internally for peaceful sleep and applied to the body to ease feelings of tension.
While initially concentrating only on all the oils that provided beauty benefits, I started to become more open to the ALL the benefits these oils can provide. I became fascinated on the subject matter as it seemed to align with where I was heading in my day to day life: a more clean approach to living. Also when meeting with Kristin one on one later, I loved hearing about her thoughts on essential oils. She talked about them with such ease and certainty I never felt pushed or duped into accepting what they might provide.
The Essential Oils I Use
There is no such thing as one oil being better than another. Which essential oils to incorporate into your daily life is personal and unique to each individual. I therefore encourage you to do what I did. Read up on the topic as much as you can. Two books to consider are “The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy” and/or “Smart Mom’s Guide to Essential Oils Natural Solutions for a Healthy Family Toxin Free Home and Happier You”. I am also happy to put you in touch with Kristen for more in depth conversations and knowledge on the topic.
Regardless of where you might start, I did want to provide a round-up of the essential oils I use and how I inocorporate them into my daily life.
Lemon
Lemon. Already a lover of everything lemon, this was an easy choice. I add a drop of lemon oil to my water to not only add taste to my water but to also internally help cleanse the body. Lemon oil can also be used to clean kitchen counters and stainless steal appliances. To elevate your mood and neutralize odors, lemon oil may also be diffused.
Myrrh
Myrrh. An oil where the beauty benefits come in! I mix in drop or two of myrrh with my daily moisturizer to promote a smooth, youthful looking complexion. Myrrh also has powerful cleansing properties as well, especially for the mouth and throat.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus. My favorite essential oil! My Molton Brown Eucalyptus Body Wash made me first fall in love with this oil! Known for its medicinal qualities, eucalyptus is a life saver when it comes to opening up the sinuses. I add a couple of drops of this oil to a bath, a diffuser or apply to my chest whenever I have a cold.
Tea Tree
Melaleuca (Tree Oil) It is a bit funny how I chose to incorporate tea tree oil into my essential oil regiment! Known to help protect against environmental threats, I dab this oil on my feet during the summer. It keeps the black files away that bite at the beach! Tea Tree oil is also known for its cleansing and rejuvenating effect on the skin.
Cypress
Cypress. For those who run, cypress is an oil to consider adding into your daily life! Prior to a run, I add a couple of drops of cypress oil to my feet and legs for an energizing boost. Cypress has beauty benefits as well! Adding one to two drops of cypress oil to your toner, helps improve the appearance of oily skin.
Essential Oil Disclaimer
I want to note a couple of things on the use of essential oils. First, any statement outlining the benefits of essential oils has not been evaluated by the FDA. Essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Second, the use of essential oils can take on many forms. Essential oils can be ingested, applied and diffused but one oil cannot necessarily be used all three ways. Make sure to know how to best use your oil. Third, if you are a pet owner, they are certain oils you should not diffuse around your pets. They can in fact be harmful to your pet. To read more up on using essential oils around pets head here. Finally, essential oils are extremely concentrated. Think of it this way. It takes sixty poundsof lavender flower tops to produce just 16 ounces of therapeutic-grade essential oil. That is one powerful bottle where a little goes a long way!
Do you already incorporate essential oils in your day to day life? If so, I would love to hear more about the essential oils you are using and how they help you.
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Thanks for stopping by!
L, M