Recap: Essential Oil Class 101
So I made you all a promise! ….And dropped the ball. I’m calling myself out, and I’m sorry! But, I’m here now with my promise to give you the recap on my Essential Oil 101 class! But if I’m being honest, I haven’t forgotten about this blog, I just was a little nervous.
Why was I nervous? Because speaking up about essential oils puts a bit of a target on my back. They are hard because there is so much misinformation, and people have had bad experiences with them. And it’s super uncomfortable to have that target on my back. I love being liked by people, I don’t ever want to ruffle the feathers, and I want to be easy for others. But there is also this message that I feel like I need to share, so I decided that I have to share this, from my heart, what is true for me. So here goes.
Before I begin, I need to put out a little disclaimer. These are sort of what I believe about essential oils.
They are a tool for your wellness toolbox. Not an end all-be all, not a cure, a tool.
If you are uncomfortable with them that is okay! Maybe you will learn something about them here, and I encourage you to have an open mind, but I don’t intend to force these on you.
Okay, back to the class.
I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot. (Isn’t it funny how the teachers learns?) I would do it a little differently in the future, but that’s the beauty of putting yourself out there and figuring it out as you go. I had two lovely women join me and I got to share some of my knowledge with them. I’ll share some of the information I shared with them here:
My History
Essential Oils have been in my life for most of my life. My mom has used them for a long time, and I bought my own going back about six years ago. But the best part is that in massage school, when I took electives, I got two in-depth training’s about essential oils. These classes consisted of learning about the science, properties and safety of essential oils. It was pretty intense, and I loved it. So, essential oils aren’t a new thing for me. I have a well educated back ground, and when I have a question about them, I dig into my text book to find an answer.
Before I taught the class, I actually pulled a lot of the material straight from my text book. I want to be an educated voice for all of you to trust.
What are Essential Oils?
They are all natural, very strong chemical compounds that are found in aromatic plants. Anything from lemons, to basil, to roses. The oil itself is extracted out of the plant by a distillation process. There are a few different ways to distill and the it depends on what plant it is. Note: Just because something is natural DOES NOT mean that it is safe to use in just any ol way! Make sure to always use safety measures (listed below).
Essential oils are a natural tool to help with pain, tension, sickness, nausea, anxiety, and the list goes on and on. I also use them a lot for cleaning. If you are wondering what a specific oil does, just do a quick google search, like “What is peppermint used for?” I have been using them for over six years and still don’t know all of the uses of each oil! I don’t use oils every day, and use them in more of a medicinal sense, or as needed. My most common uses are for sicks kids, tummy aches, teething, sleeping, relaxation, colds, or pain.
Quality:
One of the most important thing with essential oils is to make sure they are high quality. I can’t stress this enough, it’s one of the most important factors. I get my essential oils from Young Living, and trust them. However, there are other companies that have great oils as well. A couple include Rocky Mountain Essential Oils or Plant Therapy Essential Oils. What makes an Essential Oil great quality?
Make sure it is 100% Pure. It will usually say on the bottle. If it doesn’t, don’t trust it.
Great testing for purity. You would only know this by researching the company.
Where are the Essential Oils sourced from?
Price. If you are at the grocery store and looking at essential oils (generally not a great place to get them) and they are all $4.99 that is NOT good. Lemon is much easier and cheaper to get then a ton of rose. It will therefore be cheaper then rose by quite a bit. This is why they are priced differently. If they are all the same price, it means that the company is adding a lot of fillers to the ones that are hard to source. Fillers are not good, avoid those oils.
I got a lot of great information from this blog post, and if you have more questions, I would recommend checking it out.
How Can I Use Essential Oils?
Most commonly essential oils are used by diffusing, or by applying them topically. Some people also use them internally, and this is a controversial topic. I would not recommend doing so. There are not enough studies done to support the use of them internally, and our mucous linings are very thin and can be damaged easily. I get great benefits from just using them topically or by diffusing, and I’m good with that. With that being said, I have used a SUPER diluted mix on my babies gums for teething, but I do not put it on straight at all.
Diffusing is awesome. I will do this if my kiddos are acting crazy (Peace and Calming), if we are sick (Hello, Thieves), or just to have a yummy smelling house. One of my favorites to put in is Joy. You can get diffusers anywhere now days, but just make sure they are BPA Free and a harder plastic. I love the one I have from Young Living, it’s lasted longer then others, but is also spendier. But if you get a starter kit, it comes in that, so it’s a great way to get one easily.
Many people don’t know where or how to apply topically. You can use in lotions, sprays, or lip balms. I sell some of these, and it’s an easy and stress free way to use essential oils. You can also apply with a carrier oil. And to that, I say keep it simple. Dilute, and rub on wrists, belly button, or the bottoms of feet. You can dilute in lotion, or a great oil such as olive oil, coconut oil or grapeseed oil. Don’t use oils such as canola or corn oil.
What is Diluting?
It basically ensures that the essential oil will be comfortable to the skin, but it does not reduce the effect of the essential oil. It is safer then using an essential oil straight on the skin, as it may burn or cause a little redness because it is so strong. Lavender is one that I don’t usually dilute because it is pretty mild and gentle. My little saying is, when in doubt, dilute. It doesn’t hurt anything to dilute and ensures safety.
Safety:
I put this one in a little larger text because this is a biggy. I’ve mentioned some throughout this post, but if you follow these simple rules, you shouldn’t experience negative effects with essential oils.
•As long as essential oils are used at low concentrations, negative reactions are minimal.
•Keep out of reach of animals and children
•Use 1% concentration for kids and while pregnant (I’ll post a dilution chart below)
•Phototoxicity-some oils increase sensitivity to the sun. After using any citrus oils, don’t go out into the sun without thoroughly washing your face or waiting many hours. Citrus Oils include Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit or any blend with these in it.
•Hot water may heat essential oils. This will cause irritation, or burn. This is most applicable to doing baths with oils. Examples include: Peppermint, Thieves, Cinnamon, Clove, Lemongrass, Oregano. I would recommend skipping them in a bath.
Where to Begin:
If you don’t know where to begin, that’s okay. Most people don’t. There is a couple options.
You could grab a product from me to get your feet wet. I have bath salts, sprays, lotions and lip balms ($5-$10) in my space. If you wanted something specific, I could even make it for you.
A Starter Kit is a great way to get started. There is about 10 Everyday Oils that are the most common and it comes with a diffuser, and little booklet with some ideas on how to use each oil. This kit is from Young Living, and is a great value, and a great way to get started. If you want more information, comment below, or send me a message.
Wow! I had a lot of information here. You may be feeling overwhelmed, and that’s okay. Feel free to reach out with any questions. I also would recommend attending a class in the future so that I can go into detail and answer any questions you may have. If you want to see those dilution charts, send me a quick email at encompasstm@gmail.com. That way, you can have them to reference when needed.
Also, if you have questions about kids and pregnancy, please reach out. I think that will have to be a different blog, as this one is getting quite lengthy.
I think I will also put one out about the starter kit and how to use the essential oils in that. Let me know if you want to see these blogs!
I hope you gained some understanding!
Nikki
