Curious About Essential Oils?

For the past six weeks I’ve been taking a class on essential oils.  It started as a curiosity as some of my friends use them for things like spraying some lavender on pillows to help with sleep or making some soaps.  When I saw a class offered locally I thought why not take the course, learn a little bit about essential oils, and learn to how I can use them to make things like candles, soaps, and my own spa bath materials.  Sounds like fun, right?  Well here it is six weeks later and I have learned so much more.

First let me go through some of my thoughts about essential oils as I am a logical thinker first and consider emotional experience second.  Essential oils are a plant based concentrated extract.  Young Living actually has a seed to seal promise where they oversee all processes from the seed to the time they seal the product for sale!  Now I’m a bit skeptical about all the things I read about what essential oils can help with, but if we look at things we already do in our lives some of it makes sense.  For the rest we will just have to do like my instructor told us and try it out for ourselves.

Thoughts On What We Might Consider Normal

• Spirituality:  We consider it fairly normal to use incense or other product that give us the smells of things like Frankincense and Myrrh for religious ceremonies, meditation, and prayer.  You can even find these oils discussed in the Bible.  So using essential oils of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Three Kings blend can’t be to crazy when you want to meditate or pray.
• Stress Relief/Relaxation: It’s is considered fairly normal to smell lavender to help you relax.  It is also considered fairly normal to drink teas like chamomile or peppermint.  So the idea of diffusing lavender or chamomile essential oils to help you relax isn’t crazy.  Young Living even has a line of essential oils that you can add to hot water or cold water to drink including flavors such as Lemon Vitality, Orange Vitality, Peppermint Vitality, and Bergamot Vitality!  Bergamot is found in Earl Grey tea.
• Spices:  We use dried spices all the time in our food.  There are even a bunch of old wives recipes handed down for using spices to help with different symptoms we have such as a sore throat or congested sinuses.  So if you have a pure essential oil that has not been altered, It isn’t that far a stretch to use them in cooking.  This is why I have chosen Young Living is because they have a line of essential oils that are safe for consumption!
• Inspire Positive Thoughts:  We often experience a change in mood from what we smell.  Many things like smelling flowers or smelling the spices in our cooking can make us happy.  So why not diffuse some of our favorite scents to help us relax and feel happy?
• Mint: Just think of all the products we already purchase with mint in them.  Obviously mint has some benefits!  It’s in our toothpaste to freshen our breath.  It’s in pain relief creams.  It’s in products to help relieve congestion and help us breathe easier.

So based off what I already know about things I already use, why not try using essential oils that are natural and free of all the chemicals that are in the product we buy in the store?

Each week in my class we had an oil of the week where we learned about how that oil can help us. watched a product being made,  and tried some food made with that oil.  I want to share with you some of the highlights for me for each week including a favorite recipe from each class!  Keep in mind that these recipes use Young Living Essential Oils.  Essential oils you purchase from other companies may not be safe for consumption.  Also not all Young Living Oils are safe for consumption.  Look for their Vitality line for oils that are safe to consume.

Week 1: Peppermint

I learned that peppermint by Young Living can be diffused, applied topically, and ingested.   It may help people with their ability to focus, headaches, and nausea.  You can add 1 drop of Young Living’s Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil to 8 oz of hot water to make a cup of tea. Always use a glass, ceramic, or metal cup or water bottle when adding essential oils.  The oils can eat away at plastic.  Do not use Peppermint on children under 3 years old.  

Week 2: Lemon

I learned that Lemon from Young Living can be diffused, applied topically, and ingested.  Lemon or other citrus oils should not be applied topically to skin if you plan to be outside in sunlight within 12-72 hours as it can cause you to burn faster.  Lemon has antibacterial, deodorizer, and disinfectant properties.  It may help relieve nausea, promote weight loss,  cleanse skin, freshen smells, and clean surfaces.  

Week 3: Thieves

I learned that Thieves essential oil by Young Living can be diffused, applied topically, and ingested.  Thieves is a blend that contains Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Clove, and Rosemary.   Cinnamon & Clove are considered hot oils and should be mixed with a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil before applying to your skin.  Thieves is probably my favorite so far!  It is antiviral, antiseptic, anti bacterial, and anti-inflammatory!  It is great for cleaning.  Young Living makes a line of natural cleaning products from Thieves.   It may help with toothaches, sore throats, headaches, and acne!  You can make Thieves tea by adding 1-2 drops of Thieves Vitality essential oil to 8 ounce hot water.  Sweeten with honey.  

Week 4: Orange/ Make & Take Night

Orange is similar to Lemon in that it is Cold pressed from the rind and has the same warning about applying topically within 12-72 hours of being in the sun light.  Diffusing Orange essential oil may help with depression.  This night was also a make & take night so we got to make 4 products to take home.  My favorite is a Digestive Support Roll-On which I’ve used quite a bit to help with nausea.

Digestive Support Roll On

8 drops DiGize Essential Oil

6 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Fractionated (liquid) Coconut oil

10 ml. Glass Roll-On Bottle

Add the Essential Oils int the roll-on bottle.  Fill to shoulder of bottle with Coconut Oil and put on the roll-on top.  Apply onto your stomach when you need digestive support.

Week 5: Frankincense

I’ve learned that Frankincense is steam distilled from the resin of the tree.  It has been used for a very long time in religious ceremonies.  Frankincense may help create a calm meditative/prayerful environment.  It also may help  reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.    Frankincense by Young Living can be ingested, applied topically, and diffused.  Our product demo this night was Frankincense Lip Balm!  You can probably add a different essential oil for a different flavor.

Frankincense Lip Balm

1 Tbsp Organic Beeswax

2 Tbsp Organic Shea Butter

2 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil

20 drops Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil

Lip Balm Tubes

In a small pan put an inch of water and place a pint size jar and add all ingredients except essential oil(EO)  and slowly melt.  Do not get any water in jar.  When all ingredients are melted, stir well and turn off heat but leave jar in water to keep warm.  Stir in Essential Oil.  Use a glass dropper to quickly fill tubes.  Re- top tubes after 2 minutes, after they start to harden.  Let sit without touching for a couple of hours.  Store in cold dry place.  It will last a year if stored correctly.

Week 6:  Lavender

I learned that Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils.  I knew that it is good for helping people relax and sleep at night.  It is also good to put on small cuts and sun burns to promote healing.   It may help with nausea and motion sickness.  It may even help with depression!  Lavender is among the favorites for several of my friends.  I like it in soap bars for washing my hands or in a linen spray to spray on my pillow at night.

Lavender Bath Soap

1 lb. Organic Soap Base

Large Pyrex

30 drops Young Living Lavender essential oil (EO)

Silicone mold

Dry lavender

Measure 1 lb. of soap base and cut into small pieces, put in pyrex and place in pan with an inch of water and melt slowly on low heat.  You can also use a double boiler.  Add 30 drops of Lavender EO, dry lavender and mix thoroughly.  Fill mold and allow to cool several hours before unmolding.  Soap is now ready to use.  It can last longer if cure in a cool place with plenty of air.

Final Thoughts

Now that I’ve had the 6 week class, I made a decision that I do love the essential oils and so many of their uses.  I have decided to be a Young Living distributer!  It’s a good thing too, because my starter box is already being invaded by one of my daughters who loves essential oils.  You will soon see a Young Living Essential Oils page added to my blog site so that you can also get involved in essential oils whether you just want to buy them retail or want to save more by becoming a member.  As a member you will be able to buy the product at whole sale prices.  You do not need to be a distributer to be a member, but you do have the opportunity to be a distributer as well and earn some money for yourself!  Young Living’s Premium Starter Kit with 11 essential oils and a diffuser is a great way to get started experiencing essential oils.