An Oily Adventure
I use essential oils to support so many parts of my (and my family’s) life now, it’s hard to believe that it’s been less than 6 months since I started using them! I’m passionate about spreading the word about the magic of essential oils because I genuinely believe they are for everyone. Young Living offers a wide range of oils, and products, and it’s easy to customize your usage for help with ANYTHING.
My first reason for turning to Essential Oils was general emotional support.
As my daughter got closer and closer to 2, our tried-and-true bedtime routine became a challenge. My husband works nights in the restaurant industry, but I’d never struggled with bedtime by myself until then. She was testing boundaries and having normal toddler tantrums. It wasn’t an emergency situation by any means, but we were both struggling to calm down and enjoy her routine. It was taking an hour or more for her to fall asleep once she got calm in the crib, and myself already being worked- up, I had a hard time using the free time for anything relaxing or productive. Enter aromatherapy. I had seen the Aria diffuser all over my Instagram feed and decided to do some of my own research. Essential oil use seemed to be pretty loved and backed up by science enough. I wanted to see if the trend could hold up to the hype.
I started diffusing lavender during bathtime. I got a little diffuser and some cheap oils from Target while waiting for my Young Living bundle. I was too excited to wait! I wouldn’t say it was an immediate solution once I turned on the diffuser. But, I did notice that she was curious about our new habit. And I enjoyed the calming scent. Once I got my Young Living bundle I made a DIY roller with Lavendar for the soles of her feet. and I started using it on my feet too. And I noticed things just evened out a bit. We both were able to pull through hard moments a bit faster, get back to baseline, and move forward relaxed. Over time (she a few months past two now) the bedtime struggles dissipated again.
I started following some more Instagram accounts and reading a bunch of blogs and articles about essential oils in my free time. I ordered some Cedarwood and Stress Away to add to the Lavendar to make a sleepy room spray that we could spray around my daughter’s crib together. Then I made a Stress Away roller for myself. I carried it around in my pocket and applied it constantly to keep stress away! I was on a roll and it all was too much fun to not dive in deeper. I made a facial toner and the famous glow serum and was quickly sold on Rosemary and Frankincense oils for my skin. I made room and linen sprays for all our rooms, as well as slowly added diffusers everywhere and completely ditched candles.
So. I was hooked. Now I clean the entire house using Young Living cleaners and essential oils. By simply ditching commercial household cleaner and candles, we have greatly reduced our exposure to household toxins.
So, is the oily life for you, too?
I’m gonna be real here and say that I’ve always been a big fan of self-care in all it’s cosmetic glory. Baths with bath bombs, long showers with hair masks, make-up, perfume, lotions, serums, and body butters. I’ve tried it all and loved every moment of pampering. For this reason, I think I took to what they call the “oily life” pretty fast. Researching to choose which oils I’d buy, making my own DIY products, and being able to customize basically everything became a hobby. I’ve always loved projects and learning.
When I started experiencing the effectiveness and versatility of essential oils, I tried them for home cleaning. It was amazing out of the gate, so I knew I’d be doing this forever. Before finding Young Living, I was spending money on products that, as it turned out, are more toxic than not. Consolidating where I buy most of my home and self- care products to one brand that I can trust has been a comfort and time-saver.
But, maybe you’re not looking to remake your self- care or home cleaning routine.
My first suggestion for anyone who wants to try essential oils but isn’t sure where to start would be to start diffusing. Candles are toxic and aromatherapy is a powerful and proven. Diffusing is an easy way to ditch the toxins and switch to a safer way to relax and refresh. Safer and cheaper!
I also want to emphasize that I think everyone could benefit from a relationship with the resources that nature had provided in the plants, herbs, fruits, and trees all around us.
It really is science.
Essential oils that are applied topically will be absorbed into the bloodstream, and through this pathway, they are able to benefit multiple bodily systems quicker than if you. for instance, had to wait for a pill to be digested and take effect.
Inhaling essential oils, or aromatherapy, is another way to absorb essential oils to your benefit.The olfactory system has a direct connection to brain structures involved in memory and emotion, and research has shown that through these neural connections, scents can trigger emotions and influence behavior and habit formation. When we inhale the oils the molecules can travel to the brain quickly, and the effects of aromatherapy can be immediate.
Your unique “sense of scent” is a tool that you can use to support your mindful and overall health and well-being.
Plus, the oils are all natural. Literally squeezed from the Earth. I love the fact that I can feel good about my new hobby, and that our new habits are natural and safe for our family.
Why Young Living specifically?
Young Living is an industry leader and its commitment to quality is really obvious.
Remember how I said that while I was waiting for my Young Living bundle I got a little diffuser and some cheap oils from Target? Well, I was able to read the fine print and it turned out that those oils were less than pure. Not safe for ingestion. Not recommended for topical use.
The fact is that essential oils and their production processes aren’t regulated by the government, so any saftey testing has to be initiated by the company manufacturing the oils themselves. I’m not trying to knock anyone for doing their job, but we all know that most companies aren’t going out of their way to uphold rigorous standards of purity for safety unless they are being made to.
The purity of Young Living oils starts with excellent sourcing on their farms. Their Seed to Seal production process ensures that you’re getting the purest oils and the best product. Young Living founder, Gary D. Young, patented a unique distillation process that measures enzyme levels in the plants to determine when crops are harvested for the purest oils. Also, the quality is lab-proven. They have two in-house labs (as well as other independent labs) and all the essential oils are subject to advanced purity and efficacy testing.
Young Living products do not contain
Formaldehyde • Artificial dyes • Petroleum • Mineral oil • Sulfates • Parabens
All of that said, what I love the most about being a part of Young Living are the resources and communities that I have found.
There are so many people whose lives have been positively impacted by the use of essential oils. There are so many passionate people out there, and when I was looking for help myself, I couldn’t ignore that this IS more than a trend. Essential oils are usually ancient remedies.
So, if you are considering the oily life, I suggest you turn to Instagram and check out the resources that so many loyal oilers have already shared.
You can follow me on Instagram at @oilsonclaystreet
Research for yourself! Think about what your body needs help with and see if someone else has found a remedy that might work for you too. Let the experiences of others guide and teach you.
Be inspired by a return to faith in nature’s solutions to health, beauty, and emotional well-being. Take comfort knowing that you are dependant on the plants that our planet has been graced with.
