How We Use Essential Oils

Have you heard of essential oils? We are pretty new to it, but have been shocked at how many uses there are and how often we've been incorporating them into our daily routine. Essential oils are oils made from plants that can be used to treat disease. Any health or emotional concern you can think of, there is an oil that is suggested to "cure" it naturally. For example, there are oils that do well at relieving symptoms such as ear aches, vomiting, sore throat, headache, feeling down, burns, anxiousness, cleaning, bug bites, warts, rashes, sunburn, etc.

We have the Premium Starter Kit from Young Living, which comes with 11 oils and a diffuser (Peppermint is not shown above because we just ran out!). This is a great intro kit to get started.

Oils can be applied three ways: topically (on your skin), internally (taken by mouth), or diffused (put into the air by a diffuser). Here are a few ways we use ours!

Frankincense

• Skin health: I've been putting one drop of Frankincense in my face lotion (or coconut oil) each morning for complexion and to combat aging and dry skin (not sure if it's helping or not!). Eric's been using it on his face occasionally as well.
• To try:
  • Inhale Frankincense after lunch to spiritually refocus.
  • Rub Frankincense on the bottom of your feet to help alleviate nervous energy.

Lemon

• Skin health: I also put a drop of Lemon in my face lotion (or coconut oil) to balance my oil glands and minimize oil production.
• To try:
  • Combine 2-3 drops of Lemon with water in a spray bottle to help cleanse and sanitize surfaces.
  • Add several drops of Lemon to a chicken marinade for a delicious dinner.

PanAway (aka PainAway)

• Sore muscles: After working on our basement, Eric put PanAway on his sore arms and back, and claimed he felt better almost immediately.
• Menstrual cramps: Similar to Midol (which I have never taken), you can put a couple drops of PanAway in your hands and then rub your stomach in a clockwise direction to provide soothing and comfort. I did this a couple months ago and it did work.
• To try:
  • Rub PanAway essential oil blend on your temples to ease minor head tension.

Peppermint

• Headaches: We put a drop of Peppermint on our fingertip and rub onto our temples/neck. Give it 15 minutes and you'll forget you even had a headache.
• Congestion: We put a couple drops in our hand, rub our hands together, and then cup our hands together and breathe it in deeply through our mouths and nose (you may want to close your eyes, otherwise it might sting). Rooney loves to do this!
• Diffuser: When Rooney has a runny nose, we put 8 drops of Peppermint in her diffuser. It smells great, too.
• To try: Peppermint is a cooling agent so it is good for fever. You can put a couple drops in your child's belly button when they have a fever to bring down their temperature. Or, you can put 2-3 drops in coconut oil and rub it all over their body.

Thieves

• Germs/cold/flu: Thieves is great for daily application. We try to remember to put it on Rooney's feet every night before she goes to bed to fight off anything that she may come in contact with. Thieves is one of the stronger oils, so you may need to mix it with olive or coconut oil before applying (Rooney doesn't seem to notice, so we just put it on straight).
• Strep/sore throat: Rub Thieves on your neck when you have a sore throat (we do this combined with placing a baggie of salt on our neck). It really works!
• To try: Apparently you can heal cavities with Thieves? Young Living also sells a toothpaste that uses Thieves. I find it intriguing.

Peace & Calming

• Diffuser: Sometimes we put Peace & Calming in our diffuser in the evenings when Rooney is winding down for bed. I think it smells great. It is great for relaxation and fussy babies/children. I heard a mom of three boys say she puts it in her diffuser when her boys are being wild and she wants them to settle down. It has also been used for ADD and ADHD.
• To try: Put a dab behind your ears before bed!

Joy

• Diffuser: We put Joy in our diffuser if we're having a down day or just want to lift our moods. We had this in the diffuser when we put up our Christmas decorations!

Purification

• Diffuser: When Rooney got sick last month, it was the first time she had ever vomited. :( Afterward, her room smelled terrible. We put Purification in the diffuser and it totally cleared up the smell in her room.
• To try: It can also be used to cleanse cigarette smoke from a room.

Lavender

• Diaper rash: A couple drops of Lavender in 1 TBS of coconut oil is great on diaper rash! I tried this on Roo and it cleared it right up!
• To try:
  • Soothe minor burns by applying 2-3 drops of Lavender to the affected area.
  • Add a few drops of Lavender to a cotton ball and place it in closets and drawers to scent linens and repel moths and insects.
  • You may be able to minimize the appearance of scar tissue by massaging Lavender on or around affected areas.
  • Place a few drops of Lavender on a wet cloth or dryer sheet to deodorize and freshen your laundry.
  • Diffuse Lavender to minimize seasonal discomforts or to set the mood for a baby shower or social gathering.
  • Rub a few drops of Lavender onto your hand and spread over your child’s pillow to help him/her sleep.

Valor

• Confidence: I put Valor on my wrists and behind my ears last weekend when we went to Eric's work party. I get anxious in some social situations and wanted to feel confident to talk to anyone I saw.
• To try: I hear it can also help with "mommy brain."

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Isn't that amazing?!!! We still have one oil we haven't tested at home yet (Stress Away), and lots to learn! If you are wanting to learn more, I would suggest going to an essential oil workshop where you can try out all the oils and learn different ways to use them. (If you're local, let me know and I can hook you up!)

Different Brands of Essential Oils

Young Living is not the only brand of essential oils. I had heard a lot about doTerra but then I was invited to a Young Living workshop by my friend Kerry and really liked the workshop leader and decided to go with those. If I can remember right, it sounds like they have been around the longest. I have also heard that Young Living is the only brand that talks about their farms/seeds openly and how they grow and distill the oils. It’s hard to know what’s true, but we have been very happy with Young Living so far!

I would love to hear your success stories with oils if you have any! OR, if you have a symptom or medical issue you're trying to cure naturally, let me know and I'll do some research on which essential oils can help!

P.S. Prior to the workshop we had bought Peppermint oil at Campbell’s (a local health store), which did the trick for us, but I do feel better about using Young Living. The Campbell’s oil said to not ingest it, which is kind of the point of essential oils. Even if you’re just putting it on your skin, it’s your largest organ so it does seep in!

P.P.S. If you are wanting to order any oils, I am a Young Living distributor, so I can help if you need! I set up a page to help walk you through the ordering process, which you can view here. (Seriously no pressure at all! There are likely sellers/workshops in your area!) You can also order on your own on the Young Living website. If this post has been helpful to you at all, my member number is 1556657 if you would like to include it. Please email me if you have questions! kelsey[at]wordsofwilliams[dot]com

P.P.P.S. Our favorite homeopathic and natural remedies.

*** I am not a doctor. I do not diagnose, prescribe or treat ailments. The suggestions of the products we use or friends have used do not replace the advice of your doctor. ***