Have you ever tried essential oils? Using essential oils to help treat and manage illnesses, conditions and moods has been growing in popularity both for those families who lean towards more homeopathic treatments as well as those who have not found success with traditional Western medicine options.
Over the last few years, I’ve had more and more friends jump on the essential oil bandwagon and have heard some pretty amazing anecdotes. Headaches alleviated with peppermint. A child’s digestive issues calmed with oregano. A husband’s insomnia stopped with lavender. Bronchitis soothed with cedarwood. I was intrigued, curious.
There is a lot of information about, varieties of and personal testimonies about essential oils. It can definitely be a bit of a rabbit hole once you start researching! I am in no way an expert, but here are a few things I’ve started to learn.
Reasons to Use Essential Oils: There are a number of reasons you might consider trying essential oils. Many people turn to them to improve their general health, enhance their personal wellness or when traditional medicine has not been effective in treating conditions are varied as ear infection, lice and stomach bugs to depression, anxiety and body pain. Others may be trying to create a more natural beauty routine relying on essential oils to clean and care for their skin. Still others may be looking to essential oils for their aromatic benefits to help them wake up without caffeine, calm crazy kids during that afternoon witching hour, or bring sleep to a stressed out teen.
How Essential Oils Can Be Applied: Oils can be used in three main ways:
- topically on the skin (usually diluted with a carrier oil)
- taken internally in a glass of water or a capsule
- enjoyed aromatically by rubbing the oil in your palms and inhaling or in a diffuser
Not every oil can be used in all three of these methods, so you’ll need to read each bottle to find the appropriate applications.
There are dozens and dozens of oils so it can be a little overwhelming to figure out where to start. My suggestion is to start with 2-3 oils helpful for a specific issue you are trying to solve (colds, sleeplessness, ear infections, stress, etc.) or a starter kit with a handful of easy-to-use oils that have a wide range of applications. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying out a starter kit of essential oils from Young Living called the Everyday Oils Essentials Collection.
Everyday Oils Essential Oil Collection includes five single oils (Frankincense, Lemon, Lavender, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree), Peppermint) and five of Young Living’s unique blends (Joy™, Purification®, PanAway®, Thieves®, Stress Away™).
I have really enjoyed playing around this this collection of oils over the past few weeks, finding ways to integrate them into my family’s health and wellness. I’m just a beginner with oils, so I really enjoyed the booklet that Young Living included with this set that explains a bit about each oil, tells you the appropriate application methods, and gives some suggestions about how to use each. There’s also lots of information on Pinterest.
Here are a few of the ways I’ve used this oil collection this last few weeks:
- rubbed lemon, lavender and peppermint on the back of my neck for allergy relief
- lavender on my husband’s chest for insomnia
- peppermint in my coffee (so yummy!)
- Thieves on the feet of my children when they had sniffles
- Purification in my boys’ bathroom (no explanation needed)
- Tea Tree to treat my son’s athlete’s foot
- Joy in the diffuser on a particularly difficult parenting afternoon
So far, I’ve enjoyed my intro to oils experience and definitely plan to keep using this collection and finding ways to integrate them. If you’re interested in trying essentials oils, I’d recommend you start with these five: lavender, lemon, tree tea, peppermint and Theives. These five oils have a wide range of applications and since you’ve likely heard of all these before, will be any easy was to ease yourself into essential oils.
What about you? Have you ever tried essential oils? Interested in learning more? Have friends who have had success?
Momtrends was not paid for this post. This post does not contain affiliate links. We were provided samples for the review.
For even more Momtrends, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram!