How to use Essential Oils... Let me count the ways!

How to use those oils....

The moment is here. You open your mailbox and there it is.... Your first order of essential oils! Yipee! You open the bottle and breathe in the aroma - mmmmm. Then you think, "what exactly do I do with this stuff?" Good question. There are several ways you can use essential oils, and you just did one of the most basic without even thinking!

Aromatic use:

Just smelling oils from the bottle can be very therapeutic. There are multiple studies that confirm the health benefits of inhalation of essential oils. Here is one, and another, and another. You can search on Pubmed for more.

You can diffuse (put them into the air so you can inhale/smell them) oils in several ways. You can use passive forms of diffusing such as putting a few drops of oil on a cotton ball and keeping it in a jar or other container so you can open and smell at will. You can place a few drops on a pendant such as these, or on a stuffed animal or a hankie. 

You can also actively diffuse in a cool mist diffuser such as these.
You don't need to stand over the diffuser breathing in the mist (but that is nice at times too). However, the diffuser should be located within the same room as you and as close as possible. For example, on your desk when you're working, in the kitchen when you're cooking. I keep one in the kitchen, the hub of my home. I also keep one by my bed to get the beneficial effects while I sleep. It soon becomes understandable why you might want more than one diffuser :)

I love the aromatic use of essential oils for fighting germs, congestion, cough, moods and more. Even when there is "nothing" to be treated, I like to have the diffuser running with a season smell, or mood ,or focus enhancing oils.

Topical use:

Another way is to use oils topically. This means you apply them to your skin. Your skin is your largest organ and oils that are rubbed into the skin will be absorbed by the body. You will need to use some care in which oils can be used "neat", which means as they are, out of the bottle, without diluting them. Some oils are "hot", and should be diluted with a carrier oil (such as coconut oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, hemp seed oil) or they can irritate the skin. *** Essential Oils should never be put into the ear or eye.

To use topically you take a drop or 2 or 3 and rub topically over the area of concern. Often times a carrier oil or salve comes in handy to help the oil cover a larger area. As I have said in other posts, EO use is very intuitive. Trust your body and what it is telling you.

If you have a headache, place the oil over the spot on your head that hurts. If you have a tummy ache, use it over the part of your tummy that hurts. Arthritis, place it on the joints. Back pain - it goes on your back (usually with a carrier oil to spread further). Wherever you put the oil, make sure to take a few minutes to massage it in. This gets the blood to the area to absorb and transport the oils - plus it feels good! Get the idea?

There are a few other good locations for general use. The bottoms of the feet have large pores and can absorb things quickly. This makes it a good spot to put oils you are taking for general systemic relief. For example, Jeddy's for ADHD/anxiety/Focus is great on the bottoms of the feet. Cold and Flu bomb is good on the bottom of your feet as your whole body is fighting the virus/bacteria. Dream sleep blend when you are trying to fall asleep works well here. My kids prefer to use this location for daily Jeddy's, cold and flu bomb, or other use. They can put their socks on and no one at school can smell they have oils on.

The base of your skull, your brain stem (where your neck meets your hairline in the back) is also a good place for getting things into your head - literally. I put my headache blend here as well as my LXR for anxiety and my Jeddy's for focus.

Finally the navel is a good place to get oils through the body, into your core. You have a high concentration of blood vessels here and they can move oils quickly. When I eat something my body doesn't like or I'm having a general allergic reaction to say, my dog. I put the LLP for allergies in my navel. Get it?

Rollers work great for this type of use.

I like topical use for just about any ailment. I find it can be very focused relief.

Dietary (internal) use:

There is controversy and caution about this one. First, let me say that you should only do what you are comfortable with and what suits you. To each his own. I will say that I do, regularly, take Spark Naturals essential oils internally. I do not recommend taking just any essential oil internally. You need to trust that any EO you take internally is pure. However, I feel the same way about topical and aromatic use. All of your oils need to be of the highest quality,  they end up internal eventually as well!.

There are a few ways to take oils internally.  You can put a few drops in a "shot" of water or juice. One of my favorites is a drop of peppermint in a shot of water or almond milk to kick heartburn. Works like a charm - immediately! You can put oils in a gel capsule. I take a capsule of 6 drops LLP daily. I also use cold and flu bomb in a capsule to fight sickness.  There are some great ways to use them in cooking. A drop of wild orange in brownies is to die for and a drop of cilantro in your salsa is mmmmm. Spark Naturals FB page regularly posts recipes for cooking with essential oils. I've also made this great recipe for cough/immunity drops, and will drink Shield tea when I'm avoiding the sickness that is going around that week.

How do you know what oils are safe in what ways?

Spark Naturals labels all of their bottles as to which type of use is appropriate for that oil. It will say "aromatic, topical, or dietary use" on the bottle so there is no confusion as to what is safe.

I hope this helps those who are just starting with oils, or still have questions. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments too! 

Here's to your health!

Wendy

Where to start...

Starting Out With Essential Oils...

So the most common question it seems is "where do I start?" I get it, really I do. The world of essential oils can seem overwhelming. I've even had one person tell me it is like reading another language. I felt that way too in the beginning. It is hard to believe how far I've come in the past 8 months. You see, I am a researcher. Not by trade or anything. But I research something to death before I begin. Call it caution, informed decision, or neuroticism :). But if I have any inkling that I am going to get sucked into something, I want to know how badly I'm gonna be hooked before I commit. This is a long standing pattern in my life. (Usually) It serves me well. Starting my journey with essential oils was no different. One of the things I love about Camp Wander is how she cites reference articles in many of her posts. Facts - love it! 

I shared last week how I started with Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint, or LLP, for my allergies. After researching oils and how people use them, I decided to attack a problem, my allergies. But it doesn't have to start that way. You can just start with appreciating the way something smells. Aromatherapy. There are so many health benefits to be had while enjoying a scent from a pure essential oil. Or maybe you just need to start with a few drops of lemon, or lime, or orange, in your water. Our Citrus Kit is great for that. 

With all of that said....

I usually say to start with the Essential 4 pack  because you can do so much with it. Here is a great printable from OGT , and another. 

However, If you have any anxiety - diffusing LXR is the BEST! I also dab a little on the back of my neck, over my heart, and on my wrists.  

At this time of year I might suggest starting with a bottle of Shield  and a diffuser. It is great for killing germs and keeping the whole house healthy. 

One of the benefits of Spark Naturals is that they offer their oils in both a 5 ml and 15 ml size. I would start with the 5 ml bottles of things so you can tell if you like it. There are certain ones I knew right away my re-order would be a 15ml because I love it so much **read I cannot live without my LXR**

If you just want to jump in and buy several oils to start, than the Health and Wellness kit is the best place to start.  It is 10 - 5ml bottles of 7 single oils and 3 blends all focused on your health and staying well.

What I would have done different now that I'm "all in". 

*Buy a diffuser right at the start. I waited several months. I now realize it would have been better if I had postponed a few of the oils I bought in the beginning to redirect those funds to a diffuser. It is an investment, but well worth it and everyone benefits from diffusing. I wouldn't be without it now. Plus it is a great way to ease yourself (and family) in. I know I often post of my topical and internal use of some oils, but diffusing is very effective as well.

*Try the blends early in your journey. Spark Naturals has already done the work for you on these. They are so easy! Why reinvent the wheel.

*Try some of the single oils for their properties listed in their description on the website. I was excited to make blends at the start and always felt I was "missing" an oil I needed. I've discovered that sometimes less is more. 

*Key Point!!!  If you hear nothing else in this post, please here this. The purity of your essential oils matters. A lot! I started with a few cheaper oils from the health food store. I did not get the results I had read about. Even though they said "pure", they weren't. Scary to think what chemicals I may have exposed myself to as well. I could instantly tell the difference with the first Spark Naturals oils I ordered. I trust Spark Naturals. They are tested pure. Here is the excerpt from their web site:

Pharmagrade:

Spark Naturals  products are Certified Pure PharmaGrade – CPPG™ – a physical standard ensuring our products are of the appropriate identity, strength, quality, purity, and consistency standards used internationally for quality and purity. Our raw materials are tested and authenticated to be of pharmaceutical grade purity. 

But more than that I trust the experience of others I respect, who trust Spark Naturals too. Whatever brand essential oils you use, please make sure they are tested, high quality, pure, oils. Here is a great post of a simple way to check

.

However you decide to start, just start. It will begin to open your eyes to some great tools for health. If you have questions please contact me. I am happy to try to answer them or help you find the answer. 

Happy Beginnings!

Wendy