Primer on Essential Oils & Giveaway!

This guest post is brought to you by Jenni of Dr Mom Essentials. Jenni blogs at Dr. Mom Essentials and describes herself as a do-it-yourself, mom of six adventurous, but generally healthy kids who seem to keep her well supplied with a continual variety of minor medical dilemmas. She has a master herbalist degree and is currently studying aromatherapy. She is a distributor of Doterra essential oils.

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. If you have ever enjoyed the gift of a rose, a walk by a field of lavender, or the smell of fresh cut mint, you have experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils…Essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. – Doterra

I’m going to tell you about some basic essential oils that I use regularly. Once you know a few basics, essential oils are easy to use and extremely effective for a variety of health issues. The most important thing about oils is making sure you’re getting a truly quality product. The FDA only requires 10% inclusion of actual oil for any company to claim that it’s 100% pure oil. So find a brand you really trust, especially if you’re ingesting it.

Store products such as Vicks or Icy Hot use synthetic, chemical copies of the natural compounds found in essential oils. These unnatural duplicates are designed to produce a specific effect, but they don’t communicate with the body to strengthen and heal the way natural compounds do. Essential oils are safer then synthetics and they help all body processes to work more efficiently.

2 Ways to Use Essential Oils

1) Smell them straight out of the bottle, put a few drops in a bowl of boiling water to diffuse them into the air, or use a diffuser which is a bit more effective at spreading the oil molecules through the air.

2) Apply to skin at the location of pain or a specific problem, or rub on the bottoms of feet. The bottoms of our feet have large pores and many nerve endings, so oils applied here will be absorbed and circulated throughout the entire body. It is often recommended that essential oils should not be put directly upon the skin (in case of allergic reaction), but should be diluted with a carrier oil (such as jojoba oil, almond oil, etc – approximately 1 Tbsp carrier to 1-2 drops essential oil), but we do so occasionally as mentioned below with caution. Be aware that not all are safe to put directly on the skin. We recommend you do your research first.

Lemon

Lemon is the one I use the most because I drink it all day long. I put 6-8 drops in my water bottles (1 qt). Lemon can also be used (5 drops) in a spray bottle for cleaning and disinfecting anything around the house. It’s mood enhancing and effective (1-2 drops) with a teaspoon of honey for sore throats.

Lavender

Lavender is the calming oil. I rub a couple drops on my children’s feet or neck at bedtime or when they’re hurt to calm them down. It works well on bug bites, stings and burns.

For traveling, apply 1 drop to a tissue to calm at anxious moments and to the pillow in a new sleeping place. This gives kids a feeling of home away from home.

Peppermint

Peppermint oil is invigorating and intensely cooling. One to two drops can counteract headache pain if applied straight on the temples and neck. If the summer heat is getting to me or I want to cool down after a work out, I put a drop on the back of my neck or several drops in a small spray bottle to immediately cool down my whole body. It’s amazing!

Dilute a few drops of peppermint in 1 teaspoon of carrier or vegetable oil and rub on the stomach for tummy ache. Keep the bottle open by you when studying for increased recall power. I’ve used it while driving to stay awake on long trips. It smells like chocolate mint—it’s so delicious!

Melaleuca/Tea Tree Oil

Melaleuca or tea tree oil is well known for it’s anti-fungal properties. I combine it with lavender for cuts and scrapes, which capably prevents infection from developing. Multiple studies have shown it to be effective against antibiotic-resistant Staph, acne, and fungal infections such as thrush, diaper rash, and athlete’s foot. (Ferrini et al., 2006, Bassett et al., 1990, Bagg et al., 2006) Use a cotton swab to spread around the inside of your baby’s mouth for thrush. Add 5 or 6 drops to a pint douche of water for yeast infections.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus Radiata oil has traditionally been used for congestion, sinus infections and to help open airways. For children, dilute 5 drops with 5 drops carrier oil and rub on chest and neck for all respiratory troubles or diffuse 3 drops at a time.

Breathe

There are respiratory blends that work more effectively than single oils. We will be giving away one such Blend called Breathe made by Doterra. It’s a combination of oils that open, strengthen and fight infection in the sinuses and bronchioles. I’ve recommended this blend with great success for asthma and other breathing problems.

We don’t always need to turn to specialists to get the health treatments our families need. We can learn simple tools to be more self-reliant in our homes. Essential oils can help us be healthier and happier.

Doterra offers an introductory kit that comes with an audio CD and usage chart ($26.67 value). We are excited to offer one of these kits today for a giveaway. The Intro Kit comes with 3 basic oils as pictured above: lemon, lavender and peppermint in addition to the Breathe combination oil.

How To Enter:

1. Leave a comment below and share your favorite essential oil and what you like to use if for. If you are new to essential oils, tell us about what intriques you about them.

2. For a second entry, head over to Dr. Mom Essentials and subscribe to her blog. She shares a wealth of information on natural living, doctoring, and homeschooling that will benefit one and all. Come back and tell us you subscribed in a second comment.

Giveaway Closed.

If you want to purchase or learn more about using essential oils in your home, please read the other articles on Jenni’s website at Dr Mom Essentials. Doterra essential oils can be found through her website here.

Thank you Dr. Mom Essentials for your June sponsorship of our site!

DISCLAIMER: We are not licensed aromatherapists, so please always use essential oils with extreme caution. We recommend you consult a naturopath or doctor before using these essential oils, especially if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or susceptible to allergic reactions.