A basic introduction to what essential oils are, how they are made, where to buy quality oils, and the basics of safe use.
Essential oils are highly concentrated oils extracted from various parts of flowers, herbs, fruits, trees, roots, rinds, etc. They have many beneficial health properties. They are the most powerful part of the plant due to their highly concentrated nature. The resulting oil extracted from a plant has both a stronger aroma and more concentrated effects on the body than the plant itself did. They are often referred to as the “essence” of the plant.
Used rightly, these oils have the potential to support every system in your body! Your respiratory, digestive, circulatory, muscular, skeletal, endocrine, nervous and immune system can all benefit in a variety of ways from the use of essential oils. They benefit your body in a very holistic way. They support you not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.
Why are they so effective?
The high concentration of essential oils I mentioned before is one part of their effectiveness. They also have a very light molecular weight. The oils absorb quickly into the body and are able to travel to where they are most needed. Tests show that they can enter the bloodstream within 26 seconds of topical use.
Inhalation has an even quicker effect, with them reaching the heart, thyroid and liver within 3 seconds! Another benefit to inhalation is that the oils bypass the hypothalamus of your brain enabling them to have a very sudden effect on your emotions. Think good-smelling-candle-effect only better!
I have found diffusing oils to be a very helpful part of coping through times where I’m struggling with depression. They are also amazing just for those days you just can’t get moving for no real reason. Any of the bright citrus oils or the blends Joy or Valor are my personal favorites for fighting feelings of overwhelm or lack of motivation.
How are essential oils made?
The four main processes used to make essential oils are: steam distillation, cold pressing, resin cutting and resin tapping. Steam distillation is the most common method, but different plants require different methods. Each of these processes require special care not to damage the fragile oils.
Why use essential oils?
Essential oils are all natural and gentle. They are uplifting. They are very supportive of your body’s natural processes and healing. I consider them a must for helping ditch toxic chemicals and pharmaceuticals for more natural options! They not only make it easier but more enjoyable as well with their lovely scents.
Aren’t essential oils just another fad?
Essential oils are not a remotely new product by any means. They have been in use for thousands of years! We see essential oils mentioned repetitively in the Bible in the Old Testament ceremonial laws and descriptions of Ancient Israel. The wise men gave them as gifts to Jesus (frankincense and myrrh) as a baby. There are over 1,000 mentions of essential oils in Scripture!
Some of the oldest cultures on the earth used essential oils. The Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans all used essential oils for a variety of applications. The Egyptians have the oldest recorded deodorant recipe made with essential oils! They have been highly valued throughout much of world history.
Essential oils were also used by the Medieval Europeans. Their use was lost for a time until after the Second World War when they were rediscovered and have regained popularity since.
Does it matter what oils I use?
It seems that essential oils are everywhere these days! Many supplement companies have jumped on the bandwagon and now sell oils as well. They are on grocery store shelves and all over Amazon in bundles that seem like great deals.
As I mentioned before though, there are very specific methods needed to gently extract the oils. There are also quicker, more cost effective methods that damage the fragile oils and give you a low quality product. So where you think you see a good deal, you’re actually getting cheated because you’re paying for an inferior product.
An even more important consideration is the quality of the plants the oils are extracted from. Most essential oil companies buy the plants to make their oils from outside sources. If the plants they start with have any kind of pesticide or other contaminants on them, those contaminants will be greatly concentrated along with the oil. Remember what I said earlier about the effectiveness of the oils going straight to your bloodstream. When using inexpensive, low quality oils, you are basically ensuring the greatest exposure you could possible get to those contaminants.
The whole point of using essential oils is to avoid chemicals and other harmful substances. So imagine having the opposite effect on it by dousing yourself and your family in more highly concentrated sources of them instead! No thank you!
Consider this…
The contamination of essential oils is far worse than the pesticides you are exposed to in your food (as if those aren’t bad enough). More and more people are becoming aware of this problem in the food industry, but at least with food 1) you aren’t taking in as concentrated amounts and 2) the contaminants have to go through your digestive system so at least some of them will get removed as waste. If we want to avoid these in our foods, how much more should we avoid them in the essential oils we purchase?
It takes 200 pounds of lavender blossoms to make seven pounds of oil. Jasmine oil requires eight million hand-picked blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil, which is why it is one of the more expensive oils. And Rose oil, one of the most expensive and cherished oils takes 60,000 rose blossoms provide just one ounce!
Think of the amounts of pesticides that would be sprayed on that many plants and then crammed into the bottles of oils you buy. Isn’t that a little scary? Also, think of all the work and expense that goes into the production, harvest, and distilling of each of these oils and all of a sudden the cost of each bottle doesn’t seem so outrageous!
So emphatically yes, it does matter very much who you get your oils from! Make sure to do extensive research on any brands before purchase. Find out what oversight they have over the plants, what third party testing they have done on the plants and/or their oils, and choose carefully in order to protect your family’s health. As always, I recommend being your own (and your family’s) doctor.
In the world of essential oils (as in many other areas of life) you get what you pay for. So choose carefully!
Who can use essential oils?
Anyone can use them including newborns, toddlers, pregnant women, elderly people… even your pets can benefit from them! It does take caution and personal research to be careful of what oils are safe at certain ages, with medications, etc.
Newborns have very sensitive skin and noses so there are only a few oils that are safe for them and dilution is a must! Some oils have blood thinning effects so you have to be careful there. Some people are just overly sensitive to certain oils by nature and must be more cautious with them in general. It’s a bit of a learning curve at first but don’t be scared off by it. It’s totally worth it to learn!
When can I use them?
Anytime! Essential oils are a wonderful support to the body during sickness and injuries. They can also be used for emotional support as I’ve mentioned, cleaning, deodorizing, etc. Certain essential oils can also be used in cooking. They are very versatile and fun addition to a natural lifestyle.
Where do you use essential oils?
You can use them topically over most of your body as long as you know which ones are safe where and at what dilution. No oils should go near your eyes or inside your ears. If in doubt, apply them to the bottom of your feet. Your skin is less sensitive there but will still send the oils quickly to where it’s needed in the body.
Our family has also used essential oils internally for years as well. You want to make sure the oil you’re using is GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe for human consumption). Side note: Interestingly, the FDA acknowledges the efficacy of essential oils by using them as food additives/preservatives. So you’ve likely been unwittingly ingesting essential oils for some time.
You can also diffuse oils into the air in a variety of ways. Plug in diffusers, in a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head, on cotton balls stuffed into vents, on diffuser necklaces… so many ways to put the lovely scent and health benefits into the air for your whole family to benefit! I’ve found this my favorite and most cost effective way to replace nasty chemical laden room freshener sprays and plug ins.
Historically, the English historically use oils topically, the French prefer internal use (ingesting and cooking with them), and the Germans like to diffuse them best. So take your pick or mix and match like we do!
How do I use essential oils safely?
As mentioned before, dilution is a very important factor. Most issues with essential oil use come from not diluting strong oils enough. Spicy oils in particular can be very irritating to the skin so most of the time they need diluted. Do not us citrus oils on exposed skin immediately prior to sun exposure or they can cause irritation.
I have used this guide from day one of receiving my starter kit and I love it! It’s a wonderful reference to learn what oils are best for each situation and also safe use practices. If you choose to purchase a starter kit from me I will send you your very own FREE copy to get you started on the right foot with your new oils! It contains a list of the GRAS oils as well as a wealth of other information for continued learning and experimenting.
Where can I buy good quality essential oils?
I believe there are a handful of brands that are truly reputable companies. As I’ve said before, do your homework and be very cautious. My family has used Young Living brand essential oils for over 8 years now and we love them! We’ve never had any issues whatsoever as long as we were using them correctly with the proper precautions. We have found them very effective with no surprising side effects. We’ve used them on newborns and I’ve used them through at least four pregnancies with no problems.
Before Young Living I used a few off-the-shelf brands and there is just no comparison at all. I found that I rarely used the other oils and after using Young Living’s oils I realized why: they weren’t effective! They were more just aromatherapy tools than what essential oils are meant to be. And bad ones at that because next to my new bottles of pure Young Living oils they smelled terrible in comparison. Opening my bottles of good quality oils for the first time all I could think was how lavender just smelled like lavender and lemon just smelled like lemon. Just pure lovely scent!
But…they’re too expensive!
I know, I know…I was stuck in that place for a long time. My mom is the one who got me started on Young Living oils and it took a long while of her pressing me on it. I kept thinking, “There’s no way I can do this, we’re so broke!!”
But I have a few thoughts for you to consider.
First, you’ve learned that the oils are highly concentrated. This means that you can stretch them a looooong way! There are many oils that are safe to use “neat”, which means undiluted, on your skin. But just because you can use them that way doesn’t mean that you have to. With good quality oils, you can dilute all of them down significantly to make them stretch further. We use roller bottles that I have prefilled for this very reason.
The diffuser is a wonderful way to stretch them as well because 4-8 drops of oil (depending on the size of room it’s in) can give your entire family the benefits at once! That’s an especially great option for larger families. During the fall and winter (i.e. sick season) you will frequently find us diffusing Thieves oil all over the house, as well as putting it in homemade hand soaps and natural hand sanitizers. There are so many ways to make them stretch, and that’s honestly the only way we can use them like we do.
Lastly, the essential oil Premium Starter kits from Young Living discount the oils by half. That’s an incredible deal! And once you learn what oils you like, you can rotate favorites on a Loyalty rewards order that give you 24% back in points that you can spend just like cash. This is the main way I buy more expensive oils like Panaway and Helichrysum. The points add up surprisingly quickly!
How to Get Oils For FREE
Better yet, sign up as a Brand Partner and you can work toward getting FREE oils. This can give you the freedom to:
- Not have be quite as paranoid about stretching your oils
- Try more oils
- Try those really expensive oils (I dream of getting my hands on a bottle of Young Living Rose oil one day!)
- Maybe even earn a significant income and/or replace your income by just sharing what you love!
How To Get Started
If you’re interested in trying Young Living oils and could also use support in learning how to use them safely and effectively, you are welcome to join under me and I will happily answer any questions you have!
To peruse my favorite products with the option of buying oils through me click here.
Click here if you are interested in signing up right away as a Brand Partner under me in order to work toward getting your oils for free!
If you’re interested in the premium starter kit (or have already purchased one) and want to learn more about the oils included, check out this post for a basic guide.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to comment here or email me via the social icons in the sidebar anytime. I’d love to hear from you!
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