Essential Oils 101 For Beginners
Young Living Essential Oils farms
“ So why are essential oils so awesome, and why should I use them?”
Have you ever asked this question? I’ve been asked countless times by friends and family and people who are now customers of mine. There’s one easy answer and one harder answer.
They work!
The first human beings, Adman and Eve, were placed in a fragrant garden, not in a metropolitan city like Chicago or New York City.
If that second answer got you thinking, then let’s keep digging into this together. Regardless of your belief system on the origins of the world and how we came to be, can you roll with me for a minute here.
Imagine that when Adam and Eve first experienced earth, they experienced all of the sights and sounds and smells that were common in nature. They didn’t even know what it was like to live in a house with running water and a toilet. They didn’t have a refrigerator to keep food fresh for weeks. They couldn’t go to the local pharmacy to get medicine. They didn’t have access to buy hand sanitizer or chemical cleaners and air fresheners. They couldn’t drive to the grocery store to grab a frozen pizza and soda for movie night.
It is amazing that in our 21st century society we have easy access to so many comforts. However, in all of our comforts, we are missing something. We are missing nature!
How many hours a day do you spend in nature?
Your physical body is created in such a way that it “resonates” with nature. The very cells of your body resonate at a certain frequency when it’s healthy, and a different frequency when you are experiencing “dis-ease”. That same frequency running through your body is found out in nature and in everything around you. Your surroundings are literally vibrating at different frequencies. Even though your kitchen table looks and feels like a solid piece of woof, it is still vibrating at a very low frequency.
Sounds a little woo woo, I know. But you’re still reading because this is interesting, right!
Your body, when it is healthy, resonates at a frequency of 62-78 megahertz. When your body’s frequency goes lower than 62 megahertz it is functioning out of balance in some way. Multiple factors in our modern day surroundings can lower our body’s frequency - electromagnetic frequency (EMF), microwaving food, eating white sugar, drinking coffee, and more.
Amazingly, there are also things that will cause the body’s frequency to be raised, or put back into balance. The most effective way to balance the body’s frequency is by using plants and herbs and fresh foods on a daily basis. When using these “all-natural” sources, the body responds by assessing what is put into it or used topically on the skin or inhaled, and then it responds to that substance.
Likewise, when the body encounters toxins it assesses them and responds by flushing them out, storing them in fat cells, or processing them through our internal organs. Do you recognize toxic ingredients such as heavy metals and preservatives like sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate, sodium nitrates and sodium nitrites, artificial colors, and monosodium glutamate (MSG)? These toxins effect the blood, brain, organs, digestion, and cause the body to be sluggish.
Imagine these chemicals and toxins being made up in a laboratory.
Now imagine plants, flowers, shrubs, roots and trees found growing in the wild or planted in a field. This is where essential oils come in.
Essential Oils are grown in nature and can be processed without the need for alterations or enhancements. When they are properly grown, harvested, distilled, and tested, essential oils are the closest thing to Mother Nature in a bottle. For this reason, essential oils should never be altered in a laboratory or diluted with chemical additives to make them stretch farther. The beauty of a pure therapeutic essential oil is that your body recognizes it as a natural substance that can be beneficial for the body.
When you use a pure essential oil in one of the three ways - by inhaling, applying topically to the skin, or ingesting in small amounts - your body instantly “reads” the essential oil and knows how to process it in the body. Why? Because the oils is natural, not synthetic. Essential oils provide the most benefits to the human body when they are in their original form and never altered in a laboratory.
Every natural constituent found in the peppermint plant or lavender plant can be found in the essential oil form as a potent liquid substance. When an essential oil is produced in accordance with Young Living’s internationally recognized Seed To Seal quality standard, there is no alteration to the natural chemical makeup of the pure plant oil. This means that the oil will have the maximum health benefits.
photo taken from seedtoseal.com.
Not all essential oils are created equal
The challenge in today’s world is that not all essential oils are created equal. Some companies pride themselves on how much lavender plant material they can distill in the shortest amount of time. This grade of lavender is most likely used as fragrance in products like laundry soap or candles. Some companies want you to think there’s 100% pure oil in the bottle, but only 10% is pure oil and the rest is a filler.
Out of my 26 years of using essential oils and traveling around the world to visit essential oils farms and help with planting and harvesting, I can say with 100% certainty that I trust one company to produce therapeutic grace essential oils.
Young Living Essential Oils is my company of choice!
I’ve been to their headquarters in Utah, seen their packing facilities, distilleries, and visited their farms. I’ve talked with their scientists and farm managers and corporate staff. Young Living exemplifies the integrity that is needed to stick around for the long haul. They are a 27 year old company, and the leaders in producing therapeutic grade essential oils worldwide!
You can read more about Young Living’s Seed To Seal quality standards HERE and read about their farms HERE.
So now that you know the basics of why essential oils are so amazing, now I’d like to share how you can use them.
Aroma Therapy & Inhaling
The most common way of using essential oils is through inhalation, also known as aromatherapy.
Studies show that when an essential oil is inhaled for even a few seconds, it enters the nasal cavity, and makes its way through the blood-brain-barrier and into the brain in just 5 seconds.
Inhaling essential oils supports healthy emotions, helps to calm and relax, enhances mental focus and alertness, and even assists the body in releasing stored up emotional memories.
Topical Use
The skin is the largest organ of the human body. When applying an essential oil to the skin it has the ability to soak into all the skin layers and be used by the body to enhance overall wellness.
Frankincense and Lavender are two oils that are extremely universal when applied topically.
Oils beautify and enhance the skin, as well as provide a soothing, cooling or warming sensation.
Peppermint feels cooling and is helpful when applied topically nearest the main muscles groups after an intense workout. Oregano and other oils you’d imagine cooking with, such as Thyme and Cinnamon Bark and Lemongrass, are known as “hot” oils and should generally be diluted when applied topically.
Vitality Oils for Internal Use
When thinking about ingesting essential oils, you can have confidence that you’re using the highest quality food grad oils if they come from Young Living Essential Oils. It’s not safe to ingest just any essential oil, and you want to ingest oils in moderations. Just 1-2 drops is very potent.
Adding 1 drop of Lemon Vitality to a bottle of water can help support healthy liver function. Peppermint Vitality is a great go to after a meal to support healthy digestion. A drop of Copaiba Vitality goes a long way to supporting the body’s natural inflammatory response.
With over 40 Vitality Oils, you can experiment flavoring your favorite recipe, make lavender lemonade, spice up some apple cider, and more.
Imagine that having access to essential oils now brings mother nature into your home. Essential oils can be integrated into your every lifestyle. Before long, you won’t be able to go a day without using at least one essential oil.
It didn’t take me long to get to the point where my body just craves oils. I use them aromatically, put them in my diffuser at home, apply them topically and make my own oil-infused moisture balm, and frequently use Young Living’s vitality oils.
Enjoying essential oils can become a way of life for you. Your body will thank you, and your emotions will be in balance and harmony.
If you’re ready to learn more about how to use specific essential oils for specific purposes, check out my next blog “Essential Oils 202 Usage Guide”. I cover the 12 most popular essential oils and how to use them.
I hope this blog has been helpful for you. If you're ready to purchase your own little stash of essential oils, visit my personal website with Young Living HERE. When you place an order it will automatically add my member number (992365) as the person who referred you. This way we can stay connected and I will be your go-to-gal.
If you’d like to do a free 30 minute wellness assessment over the phone, give me a call at 833-357-5777 to set a time.
To your health!
Elizabeth Rose