You’ve probably heard the hype surrounding essential oils. But how do you know if they’re for you? Ask yourself these questions to find out if they fit in to your lifestyle.
There are so many different ways we can look at how essential oils can fit into your lifestyle. Do you want to use them for health reasons? Do you want to create your own scents? Is a holistic lifestyle something that interests you?
Let’s chat a bit about each of those and more to figure out if essential oils are for you.
My essential oils journey
I began using essential oils because I could control how potent they smell. More oil = stronger smell. However, I fell in love for them when I realized they supported some of my personal ideals. Our family strives to eat healthy, live off of the land and support our bodies how they were designed by God to function. We try to get a decent amount of sleep every night. We also try to eat well, drink enough water, reduce stress, so on and so on.
My husband works in emergency medicine so we’re all too familiar with the ever-changing landscape that is health and what medical professionals have to say about it. As a family unit, we wanted a rhythm. We wanted something that would be proven effective. That would just shoot you straight. We found that with Young Living. And we’ve since grown into using more than just essential oils – we use their skin care products, shampoo and conditioner, makeup, animal products and more. We put an emphasis on family and so does Young Living. That was important to us.
We also wanted to find natural alternatives to some of the toxic chemicals that are all too common in products we use every single day. As a career fireman, my husband is at a nine percent higher risk of contracting cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from it than the general population. Mesothelioma, brain cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer, leukemia. He’s more at risk for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and marital unrest. Knowing he was in a career field that was exposing him to so much bad, we started looking for the good. We quickly found it wasn’t in our home.
What’s so bad about the products in your home?
There was aluminum in our deodorant. Why? Because aluminum helps prevent sweating. Which is great – that’s what I want my deodorant to do. But that exposure could also cause aluminum to build up in your body which can lead to neurotoxicity – read – you can become paralyzed or even develop breast cancer.
Well lets create a warm environment that will help him calm down after he’s had a stressful day at work. We’ll get some body wash he likes and maybe light some candles. Wrong again. There is study after study showing the negative effects of things like parabens, artificial colors and more found in American beauty products. And we’re using these things on our daughter? Finding out some of that information led me to look at my makeup, which I probably shouldn’t have done.
According to the FDA, “Under U.S. law, FDA does not have the authority to require cosmetic manufacturers to submit their safety data to FDA, and the burden is on FDA to prove that a particular product or ingredient is harmful when used as intended. We make these decisions based on reliable scientific information available to us. FDA can take other countries’ decisions into consideration, but we can only take action within the legal and regulatory framework for cosmetics in the United States.”
So when you see “fragrance” on the back of your product bottle, the company that manufactures that doesn’t have to say what went in to creating that perfume. In fact, the European Union outlawed almost 1,400 products from being added to beauty products. The United States has outlawed 11.
So what should we look for?
My husband and I look for four things when we’re considering some of the things we let in to our lives:
- longevity
- quality
- purity
- investment
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Longevity
Unfortunately, we lost my husband’s paternal grandmother last year. Not unfortunately, she was 98 years old. Everyone who knew her when she was younger knew her dinner consisted of vegetables she picked from her abundant garden. She lived that home-grown lifestyle my husband and I so admire.
Essential oils give us that. While using essential oils, we know we’re supporting our bodies how they were designed by God to function. However, when we’re using Young Living Essential oils, we know we’re using quality, tested ingredients that come from products on sustainably sourced farms.
Quality
My husband and I view a lot of things through how its going to impact the quality of our lives. Will it enhance it? If it won’t, we consider whether or not we want to include it in our lives.
Purity
By the time you get your bottle of Young Living essential oils, it’s been tested 100 times. 100 TIMES! Young Living not only tests their products in their own labs, but uses independent labs. Young Living also has their own farms and partners with other farms – some of which haven’t used chemicals in 50 years!
That’s not to say you won’t make mistakes when it comes to ensuring the quality of what you put in and on your body. You should have seen how much pumpkin pie I ate at Thanksgiving. And let’s be honest – it wasn’t organic.
Investment
We get one body. And we want to help it function as best as possible.
Our goal come retirement is to be as physically comfortable as possible when we’re 70 years old. Making sure that we’re exercising and sleeping properly will help get us there, but we also have a responsibility to try and avoid things that we know can cause cancer!
We break down investment in to three areas. Resources, community and time. Do I have the resources to achieve this? Let’s be real – most of us do. Do I have the community around me to help me achieve my goals? If not, join my Facebook group! I will lead you, teach you and you will grow your oily community. Finally, time. Do you have the time? God talks about breath being like a vapor. When you’re looking at your time on earth like this, how can you not make the time to make sure it’s as joy-filled, healthy and peaceful as possible?
Questions to ask yourself.
If you still aren’t sure about whether or not essential oils are for you, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you a marathon runner or a sprinter? Your health is a daily effort, not a magic pill you can take. If you’re willing to do the work every day then yes, essential oils are probably for you.
- Do you purchase only quality products when it comes to your health? Yes, essential oils are probably for you.
- Are you proactive instead of reactive about your health? Yes, essential oils are probably for you.
If you still aren’t sure about where to start, message me on Facebook and we’ll chat about how we can get you started on your health and wellness journey!
Before you go….
- Check out my Facebook class “Are essential oils for me?”
- Check out my Facebook class “What are essential oils?”
- Check out my Facebook class “Essential oils – How do I start?”
- Follow me on Instagram for more wholesome living tips!
- Start your essential oils journey with these Lavender DIY bath bombs
Check out these other great blog posts
- Practical Tips for Planning Your Meals
- Buyer’s Guide to Purchasing a New Home
- Tell Your Money Where to Go – Budgeting 101
Consider buying these products to make your essential oils journey easier
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