Essential Oils 101

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Essential Oils 101 – everything you need to know about essential oils and what the heck they are!

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are highly concentrated, aromatic essences of plants. They are made using a distillation process. Essential oils have been used since biblical times! Essential oils are the plant’s natural defense and protective mechanisms.

They work the same in our bodies as they do in nature. They penetrate cell membranes and disperse into our blood and tissues. One drop contains 40 million trillion molecules that affect the body at the cellular level. These particles are one of the few things small enough to cross the blood brain barrier.

Their purpose is to help support all of our body systems by keeping our bodies clean and our systems functioning as they should. Let me help you understand just how concentrated essential oils are…it takes 60,000 roses to make just 1 OUNCE of rose essential oil. They are truly powerful!

Essential oils can be used to:

• Support body systems (immune system, digestive system, endocrine system, etc.)
• Support the body’s natural defenses
• Support a normal mood
• Boost stamina and energy
• Relax
• Help manage normal stresses we experience in life
• Support mental clarity
• Promote overall health and wellness

Check out 20 awesome ways to use just one bottle of essential oil!

There was a time not long ago when essential oils were unheard of. Nowadays, there are essential oil companies popping up everywhere and you can now buy them almost anywhere. I started using essential oils 10 years ago, so I consider myself to be very experienced. It was only a matter of my dear friend introducing me to a wonderful company called Young Living. When it comes to the health of myself and my family, I want only the best. I will even pay more for it, which is why I use Young Living Essential Oils.

Ways I use Young Living essential oils: 

• Aromatically

Scents are powerful and the fastest way to reach the mood center is through our nose! In less than a second, essential oils hit the limbic system and have the power to affect our mood.

It’s crazy to think that 75% of American homes use synthetic air fresheners that contain numerous amounts of chemical agents that have been linked to cancer (like Formaldehyde)! When you see the term “fragrance” remember that it can contain 300 or more toxic chemicals but it only says “fragrance”. So instead of air fresheners and candles, I diffuse essential oils!

You can benefit from essential oils aromatically by diffusing them, inhaling them by placing a drop or two in your hands, cupping your hands over your nose, and taking a few deep breaths, or “tenting” – pour boiling hot water into a glass bowl, drop 2-3 drops of essential oils in the bowl of water and breathe in the vapors while covering your head with a towel over the bowl.

My favorite way to benefit from the aroma of essential oils is by diffusing. I diffuse at least one a day…in my room, my toddler’s room, my baby’s room, the living room, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the car, you name it, haha! Diffusing can support the immune system, respiratory system, limbic system, and cleanse and purify the air.

• Topically

Essential oils are rapidly absorbed by the skin, which is not surprising considering the skin is the largest organ of the body. You can apply essential oils neat or diluted, depending on the oil. Neat implies you are directly applying the oil on your skin, while diluted means you are mixing the essential oil with a carrier oil such as coconut oil.

Applying essential oils to your feet is a great way to absorb the oils into your body. With over 2,000 pores in each foot, they have some of the largest pores on your body. They can also be applied using Young Living’s Vita-Flex foot chart (image shown) or by using their Raindrop technique (a technique involving a certain selection of oils and how they are systematically applied to various areas of the body during massage). You can also bathe in essential oils. It is best to mix them with epsom salt.

When applied topically, it takes 2-3 minutes for an oil to reach the bloodstream, 20 minutes to affect every cell in the body, and 2 ½ hours to fully metabolize.

My favorite way to benefit from the topical use of essential oils is by exchanging massages with my husband using essential oils and coconut oil, applying them to the bottoms of our feet (my kids’ too), and using it on my skin wherever it needs it most!

• Internally

I also use Young Living essential oils by putting them in empty vegetable capsules or mixing them in water, tea, or Young Living’s NingXia Red antioxidant drink.

I also cook with essential oils! Please be aware that other essential oil brands that say “do not ingest” or “for topical use only” on the label are not therapeutic grade, but perfume or cosmetic grade and should not be ingested.

All Young Living essential oils are considered safe to ingest except for Jasmine and Neroli because they are absolutes (meaning they were extracted using a solvent and not through distillation).

My favorite way to benefit from essential oils internally is by taking them in veggie capsules, especially when my body needs some extra immune system support.

Also check out the history of essential oils!