Essential Oils Basics

Simplifying the Basics

Achieving a higher state of health doesn’t need to be overwhelming. It isn’t complicated, and your goals ARE within reach. The body is remarkable at healing itself, when given the right environment and tools to help facilitate the process. Do you currently have specific health concerns that worry you? Do you wonder what might happen to your body as you get older? Are you fatigued or stressed more often than you want? Would you like to feel more energized? Whether your primary goals are related to physical or emotional well-being, I am here to support you in your journey. There is a lot of information out there and some of it can seem contradictory. As an expert, let me help you by simplifying the process and taking the confusion out of making lifestyle changes that will get you results. Feel free to browse my educational content written here, or view my videos. I love sharing the information with you! If you’d like, we can also work together to come up with small steps you can do, moving at your own pace towards a healthy outcome. Please reach out; I will guide you along the way and support you in your journey of creating practices that will help you maintain overall wellness and lower your risk for certain health issues. Let me help you to become the healthiest version of yourself!

HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS (3 WAYS):

AROMATIC:

The 1st way you can use essential oils is Aromatically.. did you know that under the bridge of your nose is your olfactory nerve? This nerve sends messages to the limbic system in your brain, which in turn sends messages all over the body. Sometimes people think it’s silly to say that the oils could affect the body just by smelling them, but it’s true! Let me illustrate with an example:

When you go to the hospital for surgery and need to be put-under, how do they deliver the anesthesia? They don’t give you a pill, and usually they don’t give you a shot, they ask you to breathe through a mask and count down to 10. Most of the time, people are completely out before they ever get to 10. So, when you breathe those synthetic compounds through the mask, your olfactory system is powerful enough to send signals to your body to knock you out in under 10 seconds! It’s the fastest way to access the brain. This happens exactly the same way with natural compounds found in essential oils. (When we breathe in the natural compounds from essential oils, they hit our olfactory nerve and the olfactory nerve sends signals to the limbic system, which in turn sends signals to the rest of our body. And this can all happen in as little as 30 seconds!)

One of the best times to use essential oils aromatically is for targeting mental health and emotional support, or anything that benefits the brain…certain oils, like citrus oils, have natural compounds in them that can help manage stress and uplift the mood…while others have proven to be able to penetrate the blood-brain-barrier!

There are a few ways that you can use essential oils aromatically: options include breathing them in from your hands, or you can add them to a diffuser (which emits fine mist into the air), or you can open the cap and breathe them right from the bottle. You can also make a “mister” (like a room spray) very easily (see the video below):

TOPICAL:

The 2nd way we can use EO’s is topically. You can apply oils directly to the skin. For children and people with sensitive skin, or when using a hotter oil, you’ll want to dilute them with a carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil). Don’t let the term “dilute” fool you—in many cases, adding them to a carrier oil can actually make them MORE EFFECTIVE therapeutically!! And diluting the essential oil will help you to avoid any adverse skin reaction. It can help it last longer and absorb more fully, too! A great place to apply oils topically is to the Bottoms of your feet–because the oil absorbs very quickly into the bloodstream that way (see link below showing the effect that Balance essential oil had on the red blood cells, just 30 seconds after applying a drop to the feet). It’s a great way to get oils into your system fast (within 30 seconds the oil has entered the bloodstream, and it’s circulated to every cell in your body within 20 minutes)!

Let’s talk a bit more about dilution for a minute here.. Some oils are what we call HOT, and need to be diluted more than others. In general, diluting essential oils is fairly easy. A good ratio to start with for adults is to dilute one drop of EO in one teaspoon of carrier oil..but with the hotter oils (listed here), increasing the carrier oil to a Tablespoon is recommended. Be especially careful with Oregano, Thyme, Cinnamon, Cassia, and Clove. Always dilute more, when in doubt.

WHAT TO USE TO DILUTE? I like using fractionated coconut oil (also referred to as FCO), but really you can use ANY vegetable oil. I know plenty of people who use jojoba, avocado, or even olive oil to dilute their EO’s in. The main reasons I prefer FCO are that it is less greasy on the skin, and that it doesn’t go rancid – so when I make a rollerball of something, I can just refill it when it’s low, without having to wash out the bottle. It can be very convenient that way!

SO – quick safety tip…what would you do if you got oil in your eye? …Let’s say you were trying to relieve your head tension, and somehow the peppermint got too close to your eyes (it’s happened to most of us who have been using oils for a while now, and it can sting pretty badly)–what would you do? It might be different than you think! We actually DON’T want to use water at all (that would drive the oils in and make it more intense)…what you’d want to do is reach for the nearest fat source and use that. Just pour it directly into your eye, and it will pull that EO out. You’ll find it provides instant pain relief…but expect to see blurry for a little while afterwards, until that carrier oil absorbs fully. This response also goes for anytime there is an unwanted sensation with the oils on your skin too–just use a carrier over top of them, and it will help immediately. Do not try to wash it off or apply water on location when there is an irritation!

Examples of times that using essential oils topically would be beneficial: muscle or joint discomfort, skin issues/irritations or digestive concerns (to name a few).

Here is a video that shows scientifically how the topical application of an essential oil absorbs through the skin and into the bloodstream…watch how it affected these red blood cells under the microscope:

doTerra blood cell video clip: https://video.link/w/Ucaac

INTERNAL:

The 3rd way to use EO’s is internally. Believe it or not, there are some EOs that are not only safe to use internally, they are actually RECOMMENDED because of their therapeutic benefits. With more science coming out all the time to support this usage, it will benefit you to try it! Just make sure you are using a brand that is safe. Tip: make sure to check out the label for the “Supplement Facts” box, to be sure it is approved and certified as pure, as well as that it’s a plant which has been deemed safe for internal use. And dilute it first, if necessary! (See video, below). To use an EO internally, you can put a drop in your mouth directly under your tongue, or drink them in water (just make sure it’s a glass container and not plastic you’re drinking from). If you don’t like the taste but want the benefits, you can put a drop or two in a veggie capsule (this is a great way to avoid tasting the oil, if it’s not something you’re a fan of the flavor of).

Essential Oils-Basics and Safety Considerations:

EO’s have been used for thousands of years, to assist the body in a multitude of ways…each plant providing targeted support. When grown in the right conditions, harvested at the right time, and distilled carefully into a pure essential oil (without the use of solvents), the result is phenomenal. This entire process that a plant goes through from start to finish, is both an art and a science, and can have a tremendous impact …at the same time, alterations to the essential oil can be detrimental and create a lesser-quality finished product: one that doesn’t work, or could even cause unwanted reactions. Adulterations are all-too-common in this industry today, and sadly, essential oil companies are not regulated, so they can list whatever ingredients they want to on a label, whether or not it’s true. Therefore, it is important that when we are using essential oils (especially for specific therapeutic reasons), we do our research and be sure we trust our source—and double-check that there are no contaminants, fillers, or other adulterations present. A quality pure oil will ensure that we get the results we are looking for, each and every time.