so, i’ve had a handful of people lately [those who know of my fondness for natural health!], ask me about essential oils! do i use them, which ones, what brands, you know, the basics. it’s funny, but it almost seems like the more the internet blows wiiide apart with talk of essential oils, the more confusing the whole topic can be… which is kind of why i’ve strayed away from mentioning too much about them, myself, despite interest and usage. but! it doesn’t take much to get me talking. 😉 soooo…
i do use and love essential oils! i have since i was 16 [thanks to having a natural health practitioner as a mother-in-law], and let me say it was not a *thing* then. not like it is now, anyway! but now, it’s a huge thing, right? although, unfortunately, i think huge can be kind of a turn-off for many unless you’re the type that feels ready and willing to dive in 1,000%.
but! essential oils can also be so simple! and so easy! and so beneficial for family members of all ages! no 1,000% necessary. so, while i am constantly, always, forever and ever learning more on the topic, heeere is my basic essential oils discush:
what brands…
for the most part, my favorite essential oil company is native american nutritionals. *update* they are now rocky mountain oils! i love everything that i’ve read about the quality of their oils. they use plants grown indigenously, either organically grown or wildcrafted. they’re affordable and easy to order from with low shipping costs and no commitments, which i appreciate. i definitely get the sense that their oils are powerful and pure, and there’s something i really trust there. i also like that they give you the option to buy most of their oils either pre-mixed or straight! that can be handy. and they also have a super neat comparison chart for referencing young living and doterra oils. but if you’re looking to really jump in and work at it to benefit monetarily, they don’t have a setup like that [although, rumor has it they’re working on an affiliate type of situation]. so, it just depends on what you want!
i also have a whole bunch from nature’s sunshine, since it’s so great that i can just add them into my regular supplement orders! their lavender has helped out with toddler sleep, i used their clary sage to help with hormone balancing after nursing for over 2 years, and their essential shield is a similar blend to thieves [with more ingredients so the scent is a bit different]… little a this, little a that!so, anyway! i know there are lots of great oil companies out there. i’ve heard that doterra oils test really well, my mother-in-law sells really great quality oils through her company, and there are a slew of other reputable brands that i’ve read about but haven’t tried! but, i know there are lots of terrible ones out there, too. and the more you dig for info around the internet, the more you can just fall down the blackest of black holes filled with people and opinions and discrepancies, oh my! so, i keep it simple ’round here and stick to what i’ve experienced, and researched, and know that i like!
i will say, too, that for years, the oils i used were young living, because the right ones worked well for me! aaand i mostly snagged them free from my mother-in-law. can’t beat that deal! they do seem to be very good oils. my favorite EO blend, joy, is theirs, and i will always love it when i want/need something pleasant and mood-lifting! it suits my personality, and i’ve yet to find anything else truly similar enough. and who doesn’t love the smell and effectiveness of thieves? so, i actually have been keeping their starter kit around just to have their basics in my stash, but i don’t promote or sell them, just use what i have. 🙂
some basics to have on hand…
i know everyone will have different preferences and needs, but these are some that we always have in our house, that i think make a great starting place…
lavender – i cannot, will not live without lavender in my house! i’ve always been a fan of the smell, but it’s also incredibly healing, extremely gentle, and helps with sleep and relaxation! i rub it on our little lady every single night. you can use it for anything and anyone, basically, from burns to stress, adults to babies! as they say, when in doubt, use lavender!
peppermint – any time there’s a tummy ache or queasy feeling going on in our house i reach for the peppermint, ASAP. it’s literally the only thing that has helped me with pregnancy nausea, and bonus! ants hate it. i put it in my homemade countertop spray! *they say these days that you should not use this one for children under the age of 6, or eucalyptus and rosemary on children under the age of 10, as certain constituents within their makeup can slow their breathing, apparently!*
frankincense – similar to lavender in its gentleness and healing abilities, i put it on little toddler legs when there are growing pains, i’ve been using it on my skin, and it’s very anti-bacterial, so i like to use it topically anywhere i think there could be an infection [ears, bladder, etc]. i have also heard of it being used for wrinkles!
melaleuca alternifolia [tea tree] – tea tree oil is just practical to have around, it seems. the list of uses is quiiite extensive and i’m always looking up new ways to use it… so far, i use it basically anywhere from laundry to pimples! it’s a great disinfectant. see also: insecticide, which you miiight remember if you ever had a kid show up with lice at your school back in the day!lemon – cleansing, detoxifying, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, lemony. 🙂 a great one for fighting illness, or adding into homemade household products and skin care. i think it’s kind of an unintimidating one, too, since we’re all pretty familiar with… you know… lemons.
breathe ease [or just something for respiratory health!] – an awesome respiratory-supporting blend is aaamazing to have on hand when allergies or sickness start to settle in the chest! these blends typically include eucalyptus, ravensara, and some others that are all great for the respiratory system. *this particular blend may not be suitable for small children, however ravensara oil, itself, is safe for children 6 months and up and great for respiratory health!*
essential shield [or YL’s thieves or RMO’s Immune Strength] – the first thing i reach for when i think someone might be getting sick! i have rubbed this on our feet at night all winter long to keep immune systems strong, and i really think it works wonders. you know, they say it’s a blend that kept some actual thieves from getting the plague as they pillaged back in the day, sooo… *we have not had any problems using or diffusing this with kids, however, for safety purposes, this blend is not the best to use for small children.*
relieve me – this is suuuch a powerful blend! we rub it on any aches and pains. my mom swears by the bit i mixed up and gave her for her headaches. the first oil listed in it is helichrysum, which is supposed to be amazing as an anti-inflammatory! *another i don’t use on the babes!*
calming [or YL’s peace & calming] – a very soothing and fragrant blend that promotes… calming! this is another one that is really great to have on hand for children, or just general de-stressing. NAN’s blend is blue in color [don’t let it shock you, ha!] because it contains blue tansy… and i can’t really figure out why YL’s isn’t blue, but… whatev!
extra things…
diffusers…
i have a diffuser! i don’t use it a ton, but i use it some. i went years without one, and then i did have one, and then i didn’t have one for more years, and now i have one again… so it’s not like it’s something you have to have to have to have. i do love diffusing a little something overnight when someone has a cold and using it in rooms where you want to purify the air a bit… although, i currently have a YL diffuser with the brightest light everrrr on it, so if you want to diffuse overnight, make sure and look into details like that before you buy one! *update: apparently you hold the button to turn off the light! 😉 and i use it aaall the time now!* *another update! i’ve been through several diffusers now, since they’re so easy to use with kids! there are so many affordable ones these days!*
i have a diffuser! i don’t use it a ton, but i use it some. i went years without one, and then i did have one, and then i didn’t have one for more years, and now i have one again… so it’s not like it’s something you have to have to have to have. i do love diffusing a little something overnight when someone has a cold and using it in rooms where you want to purify the air a bit… although, i currently have a YL diffuser with the brightest light everrrr on it, so if you want to diffuse overnight, make sure and look into details like that before you buy one! *update: apparently you hold the button to turn off the light! 😉 and i use it aaall the time now!* *another update! i’ve been through several diffusers now, since they’re so easy to use with kids! there are so many affordable ones these days!*
dilution…
essential oils are so powerful that it only takes a tiny amount to be effective! there are several that don’t necessarily need to be diluted… lavender and frankincense are a couple that are gentle enough undiluted, but most oils should be diluted for application. the recommended amount of dilution is generally 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil, and 1 drop per 4 teaspoons of carrier oil for little ones. most of the EOs that we use regularly i’ve gone ahead and mixed with fractionated coconut oil [a liquidy version of coconut oil for use as a carrier oil] and put in little rollerball applicator things. and for the record, the little blue ones with plastic rollerballs on amazon are terrible! 😉 find some with the metal rollerballs, if you can.
essential oils are so powerful that it only takes a tiny amount to be effective! there are several that don’t necessarily need to be diluted… lavender and frankincense are a couple that are gentle enough undiluted, but most oils should be diluted for application. the recommended amount of dilution is generally 1 drop per teaspoon of carrier oil, and 1 drop per 4 teaspoons of carrier oil for little ones. most of the EOs that we use regularly i’ve gone ahead and mixed with fractionated coconut oil [a liquidy version of coconut oil for use as a carrier oil] and put in little rollerball applicator things. and for the record, the little blue ones with plastic rollerballs on amazon are terrible! 😉 find some with the metal rollerballs, if you can.
ingesting oils…
i know certain companies really push using EOs internally. i find frequent usage in this manner to be a bit questionable, personally, given the power and strength of essential oils. EOs are quite concentrated, and apparently have extremely small molecules that enter your system very quickly through skin absorption. plus, when you’re using it topically, you’re typically getting the benefits of inhalation, as well! so, i have not found it necessary to adopt the habit of ingestion, myself… although, there are certainly always exceptions, and i can see there being internal usages for illnesses or really targeting specific, hard to reach areas. and! i will say, i have done a drop of lemon in my water a couple of times for a little cleansing!
i know certain companies really push using EOs internally. i find frequent usage in this manner to be a bit questionable, personally, given the power and strength of essential oils. EOs are quite concentrated, and apparently have extremely small molecules that enter your system very quickly through skin absorption. plus, when you’re using it topically, you’re typically getting the benefits of inhalation, as well! so, i have not found it necessary to adopt the habit of ingestion, myself… although, there are certainly always exceptions, and i can see there being internal usages for illnesses or really targeting specific, hard to reach areas. and! i will say, i have done a drop of lemon in my water a couple of times for a little cleansing!
while pregnant…
there are so many that are fabulous for the different stages of childbearing! some are really great for use pre and post-pregnancy, but should be avoided during pregnancy [some can bring on contractions, things like that. but hey, sounds amazing for labor, huh!], so it’s just a good idea to do a bit of research on any oil you’d want to use while pregnant.
for kids…
so, there are actually a lot you shouldn’t use on babies and small children!! but still, there are several that are absolutely amazing for kids. it just takes a smidge of research when planning your oil strategy! 🙂 roman chamomile and lavender are super great for little bitty babies, and then from 6 months and up there are more and more that can be used and diffused! i always do a quick googling of whatever oil i am interested in buying or using before i do so to see if i can use it on my babes or not!
…aaaand anyway! i am zero percent any kind of expert on the topic. but i love learning. love trying new ones out. love finding new uses. love a good EO glossary! and most of all, i love healing naturally through a multitude of avenues and encouraging others in that area, as well. it’s a really important way of life in our house, and essential oils continue to play a daily role there for us!
all this to say, despite what your social media feeds may be implying [heh], you don’t have to give your soul over to essential oils or change religions or sell a kidney to buy every single one available! 😉 i’m sure there are a bunch of oils that i will never need to add to my collection, and there are some i probably won’t discover until i’m researching natural treatment of some kind of symptom or illness or something! so, if you’re starting out, just look at where you want to improve your household [better sleep? immune boost? easing tummy troubles?] and try just one or maybe a couple!
happy healthing!!
[disclaimer: i am not a doctor, and the products mentioned here have not been evaluated by the FDA. i make no medicinal claims regarding any of the natural products that i use. i am only sharing what works for me and my family!]
yayaya! so glad you did this post. you are my go-to-gal for all this info! love that you don't sell and just share knowledge. Also do you have the YL home diffuser? You can turn the light off by holding down the button for a few seconds! xoxo
yay yay you are the sweetest!! and ahhh, i seriously don't even know which one it is, probably that one, but i just tried holding down the button and it worked! thank you, beauty!!! i was hating that feature a LOT!
ok and now i need to know all your natural teething remedies. we are in the teething trenches. and it sucks. and it's so sad 🙁
This is such a helpful post and one I'll share with anyone who looks on how to get started. Great minds do think alike! Although I should just have posted: go to life of charmings today because she has it all figured out. I felt so very overwhelmed for so very long until I started bothering you with all my questions. It's a lot to take on at first which is why I liked just starting off with one or two. It just makes sense. And I guess I need to learn about these amber necklaces now too huh? 😉
great minds, yes!! absolutely!! and gosh, i loved your post, it made me SO happy!! you're sharing your simple and not overwhelming experience, and iiiii think that's important! and oooh, the amber necklaces. 😉 madd wore hers solidly for two years! every time i would take it off, i felt like disaster struck, so, bologna or not, it totally helped us, haha!
We love essential oils – my Mom got us into Doterra! I love putting Breathe and other oils into our diffuser at night. Peppermint is definitely a must for upset stomachs in our house. Great post with lots of informative info!!
So nice of you to take the time to put this together. I've just been getting into essential oils. This was really helpful!
oh em geeeeeeeee. thank u my dear sweet friend for this post. i just got a diffuser and made a little immune and sleepy mixture for my baby girl in a roller ball and i pretty much have lemon and wild orange diffusing all day every day in my kitchen for no other reason than the simple fact that it makes me smile! but i want to dive into more research and so thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
ps – me and apple cider vinegar are kinda best friends these days 🙂 thanks for that rec!
thanks for putting this together…love it and the sources for pure essential oils. I've used lavender, peppermint and tea tree oil for years and am just starting to branch out. Thanks for sharing!
I love, love this! I have had an interest in oils for a while now. But the internet of coarse made it look so complicated and lets not forget the popularity ..bleh. So i have totally been turned off. But your post is brilliant and breaks it down so well! Thank you, thank you!