Essential Oils

A little over a year ago, a friend introduced me to essential oils.  I will admit, I was very skeptical about it.  How could just a few tiny drops of something heal a whole body, and most the time less than 24 hours?  

Then, my little guy got pneumonia.  Let me  tell you!  I was a mess!!  I felt like a horrible mom, which is just silly.  He had a cough and I thought it was just a cough.  Then one morning, he came in our bedroom.  REALLY EARLY.  Crying and saying it hurt under his arm when he would breath.  :(  SCARY.  So Hubs got up and took him to the ER.  He was admitted and x-rays were taken.  It was pneumonia and he had to stay and get antibiotics through IV. The whole shebang.  

I mean seriously.  It's just the saddest thing.  

Anyway, he stayed in the hospital for three days.  While he was there, my friend offered for us to use her oils and diffuser.  So I said SURE!  The diffuser just puts the oils in the air, mixed with water.  Kinda like a humidifier.  He perked up and we continues to use it at home for a week after.  And his cough was GONE.  The doctors said it would take a few weeks to a month for his cough to be completely gone and he would get winded running around.  Nope!  I was so relieved!  And sold on the oils. 

So now, we use them for everything and anything. And it's been great!  We use Young Living because they are therapeutic grade.  Which are the only kind of oils that will benefit you and that you should use.  

The ones that are our must haves at all times:

Lavender:  "Lavender is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy. Therapeutic-grade lavender is highly regarded for skin and beauty. It may be used to soothe and cleanse common cuts, bruises, and skin irritations. "  It's amazing.  I have used it on cuts and burns.  It always amazes me when I use it on a burn.  Usually from cooking and accidentally touching the pan.  I just grab my lavender and drop one little drop on it.  The pain stops almost instantly and heals the skin.  No scar, no red spot that's sensitive.  I also use it in baths, just to help our bodies relax before bed.  It's great for your skin.  Kels gets chapped lips REALLY bad!  I mean, cracked, bleeding, peeling.  She can't stop licking them once it gets started.  A drop of lavender and she's good to go.  It doesn't taste the great so she stops licking and it heals the skin so nicely.  It's great for diaper rash too!  There were a couple months when we weren't using cloth diapers on Allie.  We were using disposables and she got a terrible rash!  Her little skin is just super sensitive.  I tried all the diaper rash creams that we swore by before and they would help but it just wouldn't heal.  Then I remembered my lavender oil and it was GONE the next day.  I could go ON and ON about lavender.  You don't want to be without it.  It's one that if I don't know what oil to use, I just use this.  Infections, scrapes, moods.  Whatever.  :)

Peppermint:  Great in hot chocolate. ;)  Natural pain reliever.  Yup, you can use it for anything you need a pain reliever for.  As well as fever reducer.  And tummy issues.  It relieves my headaches within minutes.  Sore muscles, rub it on em.  The last time we had the flu…which was a WHILE ago, (we RARELY get them now)  Kelsey had a fever and was vomitting.  I rubbed the peppermint oil on her stomach, and Thieves (another must have) on her feet along with the peppermint.  She was running around and ate dinner that night.  I'm serious.  I can't make this stuff up.

Lemon:  A natural mood booster and also disinfectant.  I like to diffuse this in the house.  It smells so fresh and happy.  I also keep a spray bottle with water and about 10 drops of lemon in it.  The best all purpose cleaner I have ever used.  It also tastes super yummy in water.  

Thieves:  "Thieves was created based on research about four thieves in France who covered themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims. This proprietary essential oil blend was university tested for its cleansing abilities. It is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health."  We brush our teeth with Thieves. (Hubs and I, it's too strong for the littles) If someone comes over that has had a cold or runny nose or anything of the sort, I diffuse it.  It's great for tooth aches.  Lots and lots of things. 

These are just very few examples of what things we have used oils for.  The list is literally endless.  And the stories from others are amazing.  Even other stories we have ourselves.  I love my oils. I'm no doctor, so PLEASE don't take this as advice for your own health.  But I really can't say enough good things about them.  

I can't wait to use them in some DIY beauty products.  Like chapstick and body butter.  So exciting!  If you want to get your hands on some, please let me know!  I am happy to help!  Remember, the only ones that are safe for use in this way are THERAPEUTIC GRADE.  If it says, not safe for internal use, you should not be using it.  It is not the purest form of oil.  

I'd love to hear if you try these!