Oils, Essentially: My Take on Essential Oils and Why I Gave Them a Chance

If you’re like me, then the mention of essential oils might make you roll your eyes and run straight for the nearest Snickers bar.  At least….if you’re like I used to be.  

Holistic and natural remedies have been a passion of mine since my firstborn was an infant and I realized how effective and important they truly are.  Yet, essential oils were not something I ever really thought to dabble in, until about 6 years ago….and even then my use and knowledge of them was limited.

When my son started preschool he had a compromised immune system, which saw him getting sick non-stop month after month after month. While all preschoolers and kindergartners go through many, many bouts of illness during those first few years of school and are basically little walking petri dishes….this was amplified for my kid.  

Cutting out grains, cow’s milk, and all processed sugar helped a lot, but it wasn’t enough.  I was exhausted from being up all night laying on the floor next to his bed hearing him cough and struggle to breathe.  I had to find an answer before he had to be kept in a bubble and before I lost my mind from sleep deprivation.

I incorporated acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and a protocol of natural supplements and healing modalities which slowly but surely made a massive impact and cut his colds down by 80% easily.  His little body started responding so well, that in 2010 when the H1N1 flu was making its rounds, he and his sister caught it and got over it within 48 hours. Natural immunity, yes!!  

I, however, didn’t fare so well.  In order to save money, I was only treating the kids holistically, and not myself.  I got the flu and ended up sick for 2 weeks, still having to take care of two young kids with practically no help.  It was the worst I’d ever been or have been since.

During all of my health research, one thing that kept popping up and which I didn’t think to try was Thieves essential oil blend.  I talk about it in detail in an earlier blog post, Letting Thieves Into Your Home .  

I figured I was already spending a fair amount of money on healthy foods and supplements, so why add something new?  It wasn’t until I had recovered from that flu that I decided it wouldn’t hurt to add one more item to my holistic medicine cabinet….and I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did.  Just wish I had done so earlier!

From that point on I have never allowed myself to run out of this amazing essential oil blend. It has helped support my little family’s immune system in such a safe and incredibly effective way.  The proof is in the pudding as well….my daughter just graduated from elementary school and was recognized for having perfect attendance for 3 out of the 6 years she attended the school…with only having missed a total of 5 days for the other three years.  

My son has a similar record from 2nd grade on.  Not to brag, but these are stats practically unheard of in elementary school.  Kids are sick ALL the time with any number of viruses and bacterial infections, but my kids had and have the support they need to keep their immune systems in top shape.

Like I’ve said before, diet is a very important part of this puzzle, but it’s not everything.  My kids still get hit by sniffles or a light cough, but the minute I notice this I start diffusing Thieves and a couple of other essential oils like Copaiba, and Frankincense non-stop in their bedrooms.  

I also give them a couple of drops of the Thieves Vitality blend (which can be taken orally) in a teaspoon of raw honey until all symptoms subside.  This has proven effective not only in helping shorten the duration of any potential bugs, but also has made it possible for keeping one of my kids healthy while the other one battled the sniffles….and it’s helped me too.  

The minute I feel that tell-tale throat tickle or stinging nasal passages, I turn to my oils and my body is able to do what it was meant to do….ward off infection and heal itself.

Essential oils aren’t medicine. They aren’t meant to cure anything. They are simply a very safe and effective way of helping your body do what it was created to do.  A holistic support system, if you may.  Not a quick fix, not a magical potion.  

These oils are just an amazing tool to help with a veritable cornucopia of things like  skincare, immune support, maximizing health, sleep support, emotional support, and more.  They can also be used to replace the chemical based home and body care items so many of us use without realizing how toxic they can be.

The fact of the matter is, regardless of how healthy we try to be, we are exposed to an overload of toxins on a daily basis, and our bodies simply can’t keep up with filtering out the bad stuff.  

Our cells stop communicating effectively and we end up feeling tired, irritated, foggy brained, and get sick more often. Essential oils help flush our bodies of these toxins which in turn allows our cells to start communicating the way they are supposed to which keeps us on a healthier path.  

Do I think every home should have essential oils? Absolutely.  We put top notch oil and gas into our cars, why not use the best of stuff for our bodies too?  

We can replace vehicles…we can’t replace ourselves.

So now you may be asking what essential oils are. It’s something I always wondered about too.  I figured they were greasy vials of plant infused liquid that smelled nice.  

Nope.  

Although they do indeed smell nice, essential oils are the lifeblood of the plant….what circulates through it and helps it ward off infection, pests, fungi, and heal in case a leaf or stem gets damaged. Makes sense that when harvested and produced correctly, this lifeblood of the plant could work in similar ways for us.

Essential oils are also not at all greasy like I had imagined they would be.  Since they are composed of such small molecules, they don’t have that typical oily feel that other plant oils tend to have (think of your typical cooking oils).  

The molecules in essential oils are so minuscule that one single drop contains 10 million trillion molecules which is enough to get into every cell of our bodies 10,000 times. That’s why just a drop or two is enough when it comes to oils…making even the smallest bottle last ages…which I love because saving money is something most of us can appreciate.

On my journey into essential oils I experimented with many different companies.  You all know how I love to do my research!  I found that there were a few companies that produced good oils, but none worked as well or were as indisputably pure as the ones made by Young Living.  

I was disheartened to learn that approximately 95% of essential oils on the market are not therapeutic grade. Sure, they smell good, but they can’t help support your body.  Then there’s the fact that not all companies sell oils that are truly pure. They may be mixed with lower quality oils in order to cut corners, or the plants may not even have been harvested or distilled  appropriately making them less effective.  

This could be why so many people try oils and then give up on them….they just weren’t using the right ones.  Young Living is the industry standard when it comes to oils.  They are committed to the highest standard of quality and refuse to compromise on it. They also have the widest variety of essential oils in the industry. Each oil being carefully cared for from seed to production.  

I feel completely confident when I use Young Living oils for my kids and myself, knowing there is nothing questionable about the purity or quality of what we are using.

I recently taught an online class with a dear friend and mentor on the efficacy and uses of essential oils, and plan on teaching more.  As per the request of one of my class attendees, I wrote this post, and plan on writing much more so that she and the rest of you have one spot where you can come back and re-read or learn more about these oils and what they can do.  

I’m in love with my oils, and I think you’ll fall in love too!  If you have any questions or suggestions as to what you’d like to see me write regarding essential oils, please leave me a comment below. To check out what Young Living has to offer in their line of products, check out:  My Little Oil Shop

**As an affiliate, I make a small percentage of any sale made via links on my blog.

header photo by Kokil Sharma @Pexels