I'm on a journey to find health and happiness through a more holistic and green lifestyle.

I find the world to be abrasive. =) That is to say, I feel the need to armor myself, physically and emotionally, in order to face life. Don't we all? Maybe. For whatever reason, it has become a priority in my life to rid my immediate environment of irritating things. And I'm sensitive! So there is much work to be done. But. I have thought for a long time that the things I come in contact with every day, and the stuff used to clean and maintain these things, need to be gentle and non-toxic. I have had eczema my entire life. For a long time I just dealt with it, and accepted that sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not, and that it will fluctuate a lot. Gradually over time I have come to find that certain things, fabrics, cleansers, materials, are more irritating to my skin than others. Stress can exacerbate it. In more recent times, I have realized that every aspect of my life improves when I improve conditions for my skin. Hah! What a concept! Thus my (long time) interest in going green, and my more recent desire to live a more holistic lifestyle. (I think I've felt a desire for a long time to live in a harmonious way with myself, my surroundings, and nature, but didn't have a name for it.) Anyhow, this blog is a journal of my trials and errors, and basic crooked path to find a balanced and peaceful existence for myself and my family. Thanks for your interest! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Essential Oils

Well, it seems that I have really come to appreciate these tiny little bottles full of essential oils. I rather impulsively bought a bunch from Young Living some months ago. I did so out of curiosity and a need to do something a little goofy and risky, not out of any experience with the oils or much knowledge of what they do or what they are for. I am learning.

I just went to check how long I've had them. It's been four months. I would have guessed longer! I use them every day. Every day. Now I was a skeptic when I bought them. So why did I buy them? I wanted them to work. I wanted them to replace some of the chemical, artificial stuff we have become so dependent on. I didn't think they would.

Since that time, I have become dependent on Bergamot essential oil to manage my (life long) eczema. I use a blend of EOs as a bug spray on the kids and myself. I use peppermint oil very often for a whole slew of things, including headache, sinus pressure, energy, hives and room freshening. I use lavender oil very frequently, for diaper rash, in the bath for relaxation, for bruises, etc. And I dabble with several others as the need arises.

I just placed my second order with Young Living. Although the kit I ordered back in February came with quite a few "starter" oils, and I have purchased a couple other ones locally, I found the pull to order some more from YL.

I'm not sure why, because let's face it, Young Living is expensive! And their marketing direction is to really encourage shoppers to "earn" points towards "rewards." One way to really "earn" points is to sign up for the "essential rewards" program, which requires you to purchase a minimum of $100.00 worth of products each month, and to have them "auto-shipped" to your home. And if you sign up as an independent distributor, which I did, you receive a discount on future purchases. And if you convince other people to sign up using your member # as a referral, you receive benefits. And so forth. It seems like a lot of work, honestly. For me, anyhow. But I do like the oils they make. I've had good experiences with them.

Essential oils are certainly available other places. You can find them online easily, along with loads of information. I refer to the internet often to find uses for the oils I have that aren't listed in the literature that came with them. And I appeal to others who use them also. You can also purchase oils at local health stores. And the other day, I found the two "essential" essential oils, lavender and peppermint, in our local grocery store!! I was surprised, and happy. Of course this is not great news for distributors like YL (and there are others out there) who have to rely on their claim of having the purest EOs and so forth. But they seem to do ok....

Anyhow, I'm hooked. On the oils, not the company. But I do like the blends that YL sells (i.e. Purification, Peace and Calming, etc.) and am about to try the Thieves Household Cleaner concoction. I'll let ya know. =)

2 comments:

  1. I LOVE essential oils, but haven't even scratched the surface on how to use them. I've used them so far in my mopwater, my cleaning sprays, and hmm..that's about it. I love having them though, because I've run across so many uses for them. Looking forward to hearing more about them, Dais!

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  2. What I love about the EOs is that there are so many uses for each one! I love discovering new uses for the ones I have. I am about to try about Thieves Household cleaner (made by Young Living) and will blog about it. They can be used for bug sprays and tick repellents, which I love. And so many other things!

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