How Essential Oils improved my family's well-being

Last 4th of July we invited our family and friends over for a BBQ. My sister-in-law had just participated in a Young Living Essential Oils workshop at her work-place, and she was beaming. "This oil makes my kids chill-out! This one got rid of my husband's seasonal allergies! This oil blend got rid of the ants in our kitchen!" and on and on. Pretty quickly a few of us gathered around my laptop and signed up right then and there for the Young Living Starter kit. Signing up for the starter kit is the only way to become a member and to order products for wholesale prices, and it also qualifies you as a "distributor", meaning other people can use your code to become members by ordering their own kits. 

So yes, it's a multi-level-marketing company, or MLM, or Pyramid. Such a structure surely has its problems, such as a steep cost (several "upstreams" make commissions from each order, which drives up the cost), the occasional pushy salesperson (since each person they sign up is a potential for continual income), and more. 

But hand-over-heart I can tell you that the oils I have been ordering for the past 10 months have made a great contribution to my family's quality of life. Coming from a scientific background and having a fascination with plant medicine (Bach remedies, Ayahuasca, etc.) I have greatly enjoyed studying the origins and effects of these oils, plus the stream of different lovely fragrances around my home has been a huge added bonus. So I will share here a few of my favorite oils/concoctions/product, and I will also share some of the products which I found disappointing. There are still many products I plan on trying, so stay tuned for future posts on this matter. 

1) My #1 choice of essential oil- Copaiba. Copaiba has been used by healers in the Amazon for many years, and has an interesting scent in addition to many healing properties. Rubbing Copaiba on my toddler's aching gums (be sure to check the age specification) has helped his teething pains when no other remedy was effective. This reason alone makes it a treasure for moms. In addition, I used it on my own gums following a root canal and have felt the pain-relief first hand. 

2) Thieves oil blend. Thieves is a combination of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon bark, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary. It is highly anti-microbial, and is called Thieves due to the fact that 15th century thieves rubbed it on themselves while robbing the belongings of people who had just dies from the plague, in order to avoid contracting the illness themselves. I found that diffusing it or wearing it topically has kept my family members healthy, even around sick people or around large crowds in enclosed spaces. I'm a fan!

3) Insect repellent (includes ticks, ants, mosquitos, and more). I follow a recipe from my Essential Oil Facebook group and make my own Insect repellent. I use a 15ml Cobalt Blue spray bottle (I buy them in bulk on Amazon), I add purified water (3 parts), Witch Hazel (1 part), and 10 drops of each: Lavender, Peppermint, Citronella, and Purification blend. It is possible to use a spray with only the peppermint oil added for repelling ants (this worked wonder in my house when we had an ant invasion). Most importantly, it isn't toxic so it's great to use around kids (for pet safety check the specifications of each oil). 

4) For sleeping assistance I found that the following blends help my toddler sleep more soundly:
*Diffusing the Gentle baby blend- it smells amazing as it contains Jasmine, Geranium, and Rose, among other flowers. 
*Applying topically the Peace and calming 2 blend mixed into a carrier oil. I place 4 drops in a 10ml Amber glass roller bottle, mixed with Sesame oil (but many other oils can be used). I apply the oil behind his ears and on this wrists, and he loves to sniff his wrists and exclaim "oil! Ahhhhh" with a huge smile on his face. 
*Diffusing a mix of Lavender and Cedarwood. Cedarwood smells awful on its own, just a heads up.
*Diffusing the Kids blend SleepyIze, which contains Lavender, Roman Chamomile, and Tangerine, among other flowers. It smells lovely and creates a peaceful ambiance.

5) For enhancing my Hypnotherapy sessions and workshops I love to use the Envision blend. It contains Black Spruce, Geranium, Orange, Lavender, Sage, and Rose. It stimulates intuitive abilities, creativity, and focus, while assisting in overcoming fears and blocks.

Products I wasn't a huge fan of include the Mirah hair oil (didn't see much of an effect) and following the recipe for DIY laundry detergent using the Thieves all purpose cleaner. To be fair, I have yet to find a good, natural DIY laundry detergent recipe, and also to be fair, I love the Thieves all purpose cleaner for all other purposes. 

​This concludes my mini-review of some of the Young Living Essential Oil products, but please feel free to write with any questions. Also, please contact me if you wish to order the starter kit or even just one or two products. 

Blessings and good vibes from me to you,

Sharon