Essential oils. You either love them or think they're hokey. But did you know these facts about them?
Essential oils.. The newest buzzword and fad. Tiny little bottles of liquid that can supposedly help with pain, sleep, stress, digestion, hormones, etc. But is it really a fad, which will come and go, or can it be a holistic life-supporting tool in your arsenal? I'd argue the latter, so read on for some oil 101 basics and why quality matters! :)
Okay, so what is an essential oil? It's the natural oils found in plant material that support the plant. It's basically the immune system of the plant. It's extracted from leaves, flowers, peels, grasses, trees, and resins.
A lot of companies will distill their oils through fractional distillation, which means they will take the plant matter, distill the oil, and then do that multiple times before discarding the old plant matter. Similar to using a tea bag or the same coffee filter multiple times, it will significantly decrease the molecular structure, medicinal properties, and will change the smell to be sweeter since the earthy constituents are reduced every distillation. Uhh, no thanks. You won't be able to know whether you get the first batch or tenth batch.. Steam distillation is when the oil is distilled only one time, which preserves the quality, properties, and smell of an oil.
Okay... Let's talk about quality, because like everything else, you get what you pay for. Legally, companies are allowed to only use 3-5 percent of an oil, fill the rest with synthetic fillers or other carrier oils (coconut, jojoba, olive, etc), and still call it "100% pure therapeutic grade". Sneaky. So please, for the love of all things, do NOT judge oils based off a bottle you got at Walmart or off Amazon. PLEASE!
I use Young Living's oils and in my opinion, they are the best of the best. When you're the world leader in essential oils, you kind of know what you're talking about. ;) Their Seed to Seal promise ensures that from the literal seed of the plant to the final oil product, they test the CRAP out of all of it, which is important when you're looking to use oils medicinally. And? They use steam distillation. Yay!
How can you use oils?
You can use them aromatically by inhaling them. When you inhale an oil, it crosses the blood brain barrier within 22 seconds! How powerful is that?! Oils come in handy when you want your house to smell clean but are reducing synthetic fragrances that can be detrimental to hormone health. There are tons of diffuser combos to try out and you can even create candle dupes!
You can use them topically by putting them on your skin. I know a lot of people think that oils are too strong to use by themselves, so they'll caution against using them straight on the skin. But when you have good quality oils, you shouldn't have any irritation. However, if you do, a little coconut oil won't hurt and it'll dilute the oil so it's comfortable on your skin. When you put an oil on topically, it will be in every cell of your body in 20 minutes. Whoa! I love to use oils in my face moisturizer, on bug bites, skin rashes, and on my belly to support digestion.
You can use them internally. Okay, listen.. I need you to hear me out on this and really remember why quality matters... Not all oils are approved to take internally (i.e eating it or using it as a suppository, etc). I would even caution you to take oils internally that you don't absolutely trust and can verify that they're safe to consume! They can seriously mess up your insides and do more harm than good. Young Living's Vitality oils are FDA-approved for consumption and we frequently use oils internally. They really helped my allergies and I'm forever grateful for that :)
Do they work? Well duh! ...IF you get the good stuff. Remember quality matters? That's why I love and only trust Young Living's oils. I know what I'm getting and stand behind the company's values and products. We've been able to replace almost everything in our house with oils, from cleaning products to medicine. Oils help me relax, they help keep my acne at bay, they've really helped my allergies clear up (like, I basically have no seasonal allergies anymore), and they help my boyfriend's upset tummy.
A lot of companies will distill their oils through fractional distillation, which means they will take the plant matter, distill the oil, and then do that multiple times before discarding the old plant matter. Similar to using a tea bag or the same coffee filter multiple times, it will significantly decrease the molecular structure, medicinal properties, and will change the smell to be sweeter since the earthy constituents are reduced every distillation. Uhh, no thanks. You won't be able to know whether you get the first batch or tenth batch.. Steam distillation is when the oil is distilled only one time, which preserves the quality, properties, and smell of an oil.
Okay... Let's talk about quality, because like everything else, you get what you pay for. Legally, companies are allowed to only use 3-5 percent of an oil, fill the rest with synthetic fillers or other carrier oils (coconut, jojoba, olive, etc), and still call it "100% pure therapeutic grade". Sneaky. So please, for the love of all things, do NOT judge oils based off a bottle you got at Walmart or off Amazon. PLEASE!
I use Young Living's oils and in my opinion, they are the best of the best. When you're the world leader in essential oils, you kind of know what you're talking about. ;) Their Seed to Seal promise ensures that from the literal seed of the plant to the final oil product, they test the CRAP out of all of it, which is important when you're looking to use oils medicinally. And? They use steam distillation. Yay!How can you use oils?
You can use them aromatically by inhaling them. When you inhale an oil, it crosses the blood brain barrier within 22 seconds! How powerful is that?! Oils come in handy when you want your house to smell clean but are reducing synthetic fragrances that can be detrimental to hormone health. There are tons of diffuser combos to try out and you can even create candle dupes!
You can use them topically by putting them on your skin. I know a lot of people think that oils are too strong to use by themselves, so they'll caution against using them straight on the skin. But when you have good quality oils, you shouldn't have any irritation. However, if you do, a little coconut oil won't hurt and it'll dilute the oil so it's comfortable on your skin. When you put an oil on topically, it will be in every cell of your body in 20 minutes. Whoa! I love to use oils in my face moisturizer, on bug bites, skin rashes, and on my belly to support digestion.
You can use them internally. Okay, listen.. I need you to hear me out on this and really remember why quality matters... Not all oils are approved to take internally (i.e eating it or using it as a suppository, etc). I would even caution you to take oils internally that you don't absolutely trust and can verify that they're safe to consume! They can seriously mess up your insides and do more harm than good. Young Living's Vitality oils are FDA-approved for consumption and we frequently use oils internally. They really helped my allergies and I'm forever grateful for that :)
Do they work? Well duh! ...IF you get the good stuff. Remember quality matters? That's why I love and only trust Young Living's oils. I know what I'm getting and stand behind the company's values and products. We've been able to replace almost everything in our house with oils, from cleaning products to medicine. Oils help me relax, they help keep my acne at bay, they've really helped my allergies clear up (like, I basically have no seasonal allergies anymore), and they help my boyfriend's upset tummy.
I'll stop there with the oil talk because I can go on for days. If you want to know more, feel free to reach out! I'm an open book and oils have seriously changed my life and hormones for the better. Curious to know if oils can work for you? I can send you a sample! :) Ready to get started? Head over here to grab some yourself! You won't be disappointed!
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