Several months ago my sister became a distributor for Young Living Essential Oils.  She loved them so much, she thought her older sister needed to try some too!

“Your boy has a headache you say? I’ve got an oil for that!”

Now I’ve always used natural ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, 100% grape juice, local honey, rubbing alcohol etc. before OTC meds.  I’m just not a fan of throwing un-needed chemicals/meds at my kids. I’d rather try natural alternatives when possible.  When I found that Young Living oils are grown/distilled on either their own farms or co-oped farms free of chemicals and pesticides I decided…Why Not?

I know what you’re thinking….

It was love at first smell.

Nope!  Not even close.  I’m pretty sure it should be suggested….Ahem!….Instructed, that Melaleuca Oil (Tea tree) not be the first essential oil you take a nice big whiff of!  That stuff is rank!

It seemed like every oil except the citrus oils were way earthy, but dangit I paid good money for those suckers so I was gonna use em….even if I had to hold my breath till I turned blue in the face!

Anyhow, I slowly started adding lemon and grapefruit oils to my water…not bad, thieves to the bottoms of feet, frankincense to naughty fine lines, peppermint on sinuses…..

Hang on a sec…. This story is one worth telling!

You can use essential oils in several different ways; diffuse them, inhale them, ingest them, neat (no carrier oil), or with a carrier oil (my favorite is coconut oil).  When using some of the stronger oils it is necessary to dilute with a carrier oil.

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IT IS NECESSARY!

I don’t know why I have to learn all my lessons the hard way, maybe it’s the fact that a hard learned lesson sticks longer? Anyhow..

Feeling a bit congested and having trouble breathing through my nose as The Good Lord intended, I thought…Why not use some of my all natural peppermint oil?”

Now this by itself wasn’t such a bad idea, but the light-bulb moment that followed was flat out ludicrous! You’d think by now that I’d have found the off switch on that darned light-bulb, but Nope, It’s brighter than ever!

Ever heard the statement…”We’ll leave the light on?” Yeah it’s like that!

Well this is when Yours Truly decided to slather some of this peppermint oil on her sinuses WITHOUT  a carrier oil…because if peppermint oil is good with a carrier oil, it must be great without one right?

Bet you’re wondering how that worked out huh?  Almost instantly I could breath again, but now I had no use of my eyes!  Yep! The peppermint oil is so strong that the wafting fumes? odor? smoke? was daring me to take a peek!

PANIC!

Stupid is as Stupid does……I freaked out and started adding coconut oil to the peppermint oil already on my face thinking this would alleviate the burn/chill? I’m pretty sure I got too close to my eyes because now I couldn’t open them at all but the tears were pouring rivers and my entire face felt like it was trying out for one of those eye popping York Peppermint Patty commercials!

Hard learned moral of this story?

CARRIER OILS ARE YOUR FRIEND!

You’ll be happy, or bewildered one,  to know that I have successfully used a diluted peppermint oil on my kids since that brilliant moment of mine when they’ve been congested, and it works like a charm!  Paired with Coconut Oil, the kids say the peppermint smells like Junior Mints!

I. Love. Junior. Mints.  You did not need to know that but… I. Love. Junior. Mints.

You know what else I love?  Grapefruit EO mixed with coconut oil.  It smells heavenly!  I whipped up a bunch of this stuff and spooned it into old milk glass tea cups and use it every chance I get!  I’ve replaced my after shower lotion with this and I love it!  The smell alone was enough to win me over, but the soft skin really makes you a believer!

But seriously….The Smell!!  And hey, if for some reason I ever get stuck upstairs with nothing to eat I can just eat this stuff!  That’s not too weird is it?

Yeah well, it takes a weirdo to know…..anyhow…

I guess you could say I’ve become an EO believer.  I’m really starting to love using them.

We’ve used these EO’s instead of standard meds for things such as stomach aches, headaches, sore throat, chest congestion, sinus congestion, skin irritations and flare ups, muscle soreness, and the list goes on and on.  Needless to say at first introduction I wasn’t so sure these guys were gonna stick around for dessert, but after using and getting to know them better I’ve found they are most welcome in my home.

A few of my favorites?

Frankincense  – Face, coughs (has worked so well for us), fabulous smell!

Grapefruit – Because it smells so dang good!

Lavendar – Skin ailments (my psoriasis in particular), sleepy time aide!

Peppermint – Tummy troubles, headaches, congestion, overall mood enhancer!

Some of Young Living’s Oils are blends, which saves you a lot of time and money on mixing!  A couple of my favorite blends are…

Thieves – Immune system, germ & bacteria killer, great smell!

Stress Away –  Great for end of day unwinding. My kids ask for this (with coconut oil) every night.  Not sure which they love better, the oil or the back rub they get with the oil, but either way they love it!

Purification – Air freshener (perfect for those stanky athletic shoes, and Soccer Mom minivan stench!)

Overall these oils are quickly becoming an every day part of our lives.  I’ve even made several creams that we use everyday such as; Before School Cream with thieves, lemon, & peppermint; Blemish Cream with malaleuca, lavender, & frankincense; Bedtime Brew with stress away and lavendar; Face Cream with frankincense, lavender, & Grapefruit.

If you’ve ever been interested in trying essential oils I would encourage you to do so.  It might not be love at first smell, but if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself wondering what you ever did without them!  My only word of advice…Research!  Research the company and research the abilities of and how to use each oil! And then take a deep breath and ENJOY!

 

Want to learn more about Young Living Essential Oils?  Shoot me a comment below, go to the company website at http://www.youngliving.com/, or Follow my Staying Healthy board on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/thislittlebirde/staying-healthy/,

Happy Oiling!