My Daily Oils

I have three oils that i would be very very sad not to have every day.  Peppermint, Lavender and Lemon.  I know there are many that i will soon add to that list, but i'm still such a newbie!  Okay, here's why i love those:

Peppermint: as soon as i'm feeling headache-y, nauseous or generally "bleh", i'll rub peppermint across my forehead, behind my ears, across the back of my hairline on my neck and on my temples.  It feels incredible and easily calms, if not takes away any poor feelings i was having.  I now carry peppermint everywhere i go with a little rollerball on the bottle for easy application, also, it smells amazing.  Last night i had an upset stomach, I put the oils every where i normally do, then added some to the top of my stomach and in my belly button.  I know, sounds crazy but i easily went to sleep without needing pepto or anything else.  Boom, awesome.

Lavender: I still diffuse 5-10 drops every night while we sleep, i recently have added 1-2 drops to the tops of our pillows, LOVE it.  I don't feel like the lavender is a fix all, we still have nights of restlessness, but the frequency of those nights are much more rare, i need to remember to add lavender to our feet when that happens!  A few weeks ago i was having some ingrown toenail issue (sorry, tmi). I did what i was supposed to and "dug it out", the next day it was hurting like crap, so i dropped a few drops of lavender into that toenail, the next morning it felt SO much better and by that night there was no pain.  HELLO!  Awesomeness.

Lemon: for months i've been using a high-ish end cream for my face, and although lots of people have had great results, i haven't felt like it's done enough to make it worth the money.  So i started using lemon oil on a cotton pad morning and night, and i also put it on my three inch scar on my neck from a partial thyroidectomy (from almost 2 years ago).  The other day my mom said how all of a sudden my scar was looking really good and the color was lightening.  I hadn't told her i had been doing anything differently, so the comment was completely random! It's working!!  I feel like it is also lightening the acne scars i have on my face.  I'll give it a couple more days/weeks and see if i can get a good before/after photo. I take a daily acid reflux medication, whenever i feel like it's not working, i'll put 2-4 drops of lemon into a small glass of water and i'll down it.  The heartburn goes away, not kidding! I'm still doing more research on whether it's wise to ingest the lemon daily. 

All three of these oils are in the premium starter kit that i originally purchased, but have since bought more of each oil.  I'm considering doing an oil party, if anyone is interested in smelling the oils i have and asking questions.  Would anyone be interesting in something like that?

Yay for natural ways of healing!

-nat

Honest Train

Recently I've been posting about Young Living Oils, giving my "reviews", asking if people wanted to order, etc.  I want to be clear on a few things!

1: MONEY MAKER?: I AM a distributor of YL.  I signed up as one because that way I could buy a big sample pack of different oils, since I have no idea what i'm doing and needed to sample several.  i didn't want to buy a bunch of big bottles of something that i may not even like the smell of or would never use.  Since i am a distributor, i can get a discount in buying them, whether anyone buys them from me or not. I care most that me and my household gets a discount!

However,  i did not get into it to make money or to push a product on all my friendlies, i think it's just as annoying as you do.  Of course, (honest train) if people want to buy some "under me" or become a distributor and i make a buck in the mean time, than cool beans.  BUT i'd rather no one bought anything from me and bought them on their own (or not at all or from someone else) than for people to think I'm not being honest in my "reviews", or getting on your nerves about talking about them.

2: OIL EQUALITY: I have no idea if all oils (and brands) are created equal.  The main reason i chose YL is because I've read that they are the only company that makes ALL of their oils therapeutic grade, making them all safe enough to ingest.  My mom has been looking into Native American Oils, and if any of my friends are into other brands or types, i want to learn from you!  The reason i'm blogging about the oils is NOT because i am any kind of authority on oils (that's for sure), but because several people asked my my opinion on what i found, and i figured this would be an easy way to tell everyone at the same time, and i don't mind being a guinea pig.

3: WHY: I've been wanting to try oils because I've had bad headaches for years, and I am sick and tired of taking medicine, daily... yeah, daily.  That cannot be good on my system, so I'm trying oils to attempt to be more natural, especially medicinally.  In the mean time, i'm also trying to help my stupid adult acne, acid reflux, and possibly figure a way to boost my immunity.  The more i learn about oils (no brand attached, just oils in general), the more i feel as though it truly is a Biblical way of healing.  In scripture it talks about plants being for healing.  It just makes sense!

So... I wanted everyone that is interested in oils and is reading the info i find, to know that i promise to be honest, because that's WAY better than making a few dollars a month, duh.  I have been so annoyed recently at all the soap boxes that are on facebook, it totally wears on me when all i want to know is how people are doing, what they are up to, photos etc.  SO, just know that i don't want to be a part of the crazy, I am plenty opinionated but when it comes to the millions of gray areas (like what kind of essential oils you use), do what is best for you and your family.  No brainer right?

I hope that was clear enough.  I'm not a writer or blogger, if i could perform it for you in your living room, it probably would have been a little clearer.  :-)  Love you people!  Let me know if you want me to try something and give you my findings, it's fun!

First YL Order

I'm excited about getting some new oils!  I officially ran out of Lavender a couple days ago and i've been super ready to get some more in, to diffuse every night while we sleep.  I seriously think it's a little bit of a miracle worker.  At the beginning of parenthood, i had no issue with sleeping because i was so exhausted all the time, now i'm working through worrying all the time, and the Lavender has helped keep me relaxed so i can sleep soundly, guys... it's awesome.

Okay, so this is what i'm ordering:

1: Lavender (for sleeping - and still learning all the other uses)
2: Peppermint (mainly for headaches)
3: Lemon (mainly for my face, i heard you can combine coconut oil and lemon and it'll do wonders on your complexion, so i've gotta try that, and still learning all the uses for that too)
4: Clear vegetable capsules, so that i can try using Lemon orally as a reflux med substitute.

And Basil might make it on the order list, i've read it can help increase your milk supply.

Anything you guys want, i'm going to order tomorrow!?!

Lemon

UPDATED: 2/24/14


I've heard really good things about this one when it comes to cleaning and healing, but have only tried it a couple times.

1: Joe gets really bad ulcers, and heard this would help heal them.  I probably didn't give it enough of a try, but i did nothing.  sad.

2: Used it on acne on my face and prefer Frankincense.

3: I read that Lemon can be good for reflux.  I have taken reflux medicine for years and years, and am hoping that this could be a possible solution, that would be amazing!  The suggestion i saw was to place a drop or two in my mouth, swish it around with saliva and swallow.  I tried it tonight, but i know the best time to try it is in the morning.  So far it's working well, i'll omit my meds in the morning and see if i can use the lemon in it's place.  Oh snap that would be amazing.

4: Attempted the Lemon as a reflux med (and omitted my Rx).  I put 2-3 drops on my tongue and swished around with my saliva for a couple seconds and swallowed.  I was shocked at how well it worked throughout the day, and i threw some common reflux problems at it.  Ate spicy, cheese, chocolate, and acidic. Which normally would bother me, especially if i hadn't taken my prescription Protonix.  SO, i would say that it was a very successful trial.  BUT, the weird lemony taste that it left in my mouth, first thing in the morning, was nothing to desire, actually kinda gross.  Because of that i won't use it on a regular basis, however, i've seen that you can put the oils in a capsule, which i will probably try.  First, i'll try a couple other oils that can be used as reflux meds and see if i like anything better.

5: For months i've been using a high-ish end cream for my face, and although lots of people have had great results, i haven't felt like it's done enough to make it worth the money.  So i started using lemon oil on a cotton pad morning and night, and i also put it on my three inch scar on my neck from a partial thyroidectomy (from almost 2 years ago).  The other day my mom said how all of a sudden my scar was looking really good and the color was lightening.  I hadn't told her i had been doing anything differently, so the comment was completely random! It's working!!  I feel like it is also lightening the acne scars i have on my face.  I'll give it a couple more days/weeks and see if i can get a good before/after photo. I take a daily acid reflux medication, whenever i feel like it's not working, i'll put 2-4 drops of lemon into a small glass of water and i'll down it.  The heartburn goes away, not kidding! I'm still doing more research on whether it's wise to ingest the lemon daily. 

Peace and Calming

1: I've only diffused this one and really liked the smell and feeling it gave me.  But i would prefer Lavender over this one.  But will continue trying it in new ways.

Joy

Okay honestly, i don't really like the smell of this one and don't know how to use it....soooooo there's no info on this one yet. :-)

Purification

1: Since it's been warmer recently, the air in the house hasn't been ciruclating like it normally would with the heat running (and i refused to turn the AC on).  It had gotten a little "stale" and mildly stinky, especially around Peter's room.  I ran Purification in a diffuser for 30 minutes and was amazed at how well the house smelled.  It smelled fresh and clean and didn't smell like the stink was just being masked (like sometimes sprays, candles and other good smelly things can do).  I'm excited about this one!

Frankincense

It was really cool smelling an oil that was used in scripture, it felt like part of the Bible came to life in a different way, through a different sense.  Very cool.

1: I've only used it in one way so far, and that was on pimples.  It seemed to dry up a zit a lot faster than a normal acne cream or just washing would have done.  But i've only had one major zit (and a bunch of little guys) since i've gotten the oils, but i will continue to try it on new ones.

Thieves

THIEVES

Updated: April 1st

This one is one of the most versatile oils, but i have a lot to learn about this one.  HERE are the supposed uses for Thieves.

1: Diffused with lavender at bedtime, relaxing but woke up with a headache, not sure if it's related.  Stuck with lavender along to diffuse at bedtime.

2: Put a drop on my finger and rubbed on my gums for a bad toothache, felt really good but didn't last too long.  By the end of the day the pain was gone (I also took ibuprofen, which normally only takes the edge off and doesn't "heal it").

3: So I've had the oils for just about 2 months.  I'm really not sure if it's coincidence or the oils, but neither Joe or I have gotten sick in that time.  I spent, pretty much the entire month of December with sinus infection after sinus infection (Joe as well), finally got well after several rounds of antibiotics.  Neither of us (including Pete) got flu shots this year either.  So any time we've felt like we were getting something, sore throat, congestion, whatever, I would diffuse thieves during the day or during the night.   SO, again i'm not sure if it's coincidence, but hey, i'll keep trying it and see if it works. 

Lavender

Updated: 4.22.14

LAVENDER

So far my favorite oil.  I'm already out of my first bottle and am about to order more, it's pretty wonderful for relaxation and smells awesome.  This one can be used without diluting, can be diffused and "sniffed", i don't know yet if it can be ingested.  I haven't ingested any yet because i'm nursing and don't know enough about the safety through breastmilk.

1: Rubbed on bottoms of feet before bed, felt good but didn't notice a difference in sleep.

2: Diffused at bedtime (diffuser runs 3 hours, then automatically shuts off), seemed to be relaxing.

3: Diffused a lot probably 8 drops and both me and Joe slept SO well.

4: Diffused 10 drops, too strong.  And rubbed 1 or 2 drops on bottoms of feet, slept incredibly well, woke up more relaxed.

5: DIDN'T diffuse and woke up more tight and unrested.

6: I still diffuse 5-10 drops every night while we sleep, i recently have added 1-2 drops to the tops of our pillows, LOVE it.  I don't feel like the lavender is a fix all, we still have nights of restlessness, but the frequency of those nights are much more rare, i need to remember to add lavender to our feet when that happens!  A few weeks ago i was having some ingrown toenail issue (sorry, tmi). I did what i was supposed to and "dug it out", the next day it was hurting like crap, so i dropped a few drops of lavender into that toenail, the next morning it felt SO much better and by that night there was no pain.  HELLO!  Awesomeness.

Peppermint

Updated on:  4.22.14

PEPPERMINT
(can be used on skin, ingested, diffused and "sniffed")

This is considered a "hot oil", which means it needs to be diluted with another natural oil, like coconut or olive oil.  YL has an oil to mix with it called "V6", but i want to try oils i already have before i buy into more stuff.

1: Mixed olive oil in palm of my hand with a couple drops of Peppermint, rubbed on temples, back of ears, and neck for headache. Felt amazing, like a cooling effect, for a few hours then felt back to normal.

2: Sniffed peppermint and diffused for nausea and headache, nausea got better quickly, headache and neck stress still lingered.

3: Diffused P, relaxed me and got rid of minor nausea and headache. Overall made me feel really good.

4: Diffused and rubbed on temples, back of neck and behind ears, felt wonderful and helped me relax the tension in my neck but didn't take the pressure away in my sinuses, but made me more comfortable.

5: Had a very exciting moment today. Woke up with a stiff neck, nausea, tight sinuses, headache, the works (that's not the exciting moment). Rubbed undiluted Peppermint on the back of my neck, behind my ears, and on my toes, yes toes (then put socks on). Within minutes I felt better, and I mean a lot better after hours of feeling on the verge of up-chucking and throbbing headache. I'm excited about this, because I desperately want to get rid of chemically ridden drugs. Thanks to Lauren Johnson for showing me the vita flex foot chart and suggesting undiluted peppermint.

6: It struck me the other day that I have been feeling pretty good recently when it came to headaches, taking very little to no medication.  What i realized is that i have been putting Peppermint on, neat (undiluted) at the very first early sign of a headache.  I'll put it across my forehead, temples, around my ear (jaw line), behind my ear and across the back of my neck.  Yeah, i kinda feel like i'm tacking a bath in it, but it's incredibly relieving.  I've started carrying it with me every where i go too.  Guys, this one is legit.

7: as soon as i'm feeling headache-y, nauseous or generally "bleh", i'll rub peppermint across my forehead, behind my ears, across the back of my hairline on my neck and on my temples.  It feels incredible and easily calms, if not takes away any poor feelings i was having.  I now carry peppermint everywhere i go with a little rollerball on the bottle for easy application, also, it smells amazing.  Last night i had an upset stomach, I put the oils every where i normally do, then added some to the top of my stomach and in my belly button.  I know, sounds crazy but i easily went to sleep without needing pepto or anything else.  Boom, awesome.

Young Living Essential Oils

I'm generally a sceptic when it comes to most pyramid companies, but I really do like trying different things to either jump on the bandwagon or write them off.  I've heard about essential oils for a while and wanted to try them.

A friend of a friend was/is a Young Living distributor and i was constantly seeing her post about what the oils were doing for her and her family.  I contacted her and ordered a sample pack to try about ten different oils.

I've had a couple people ask me to tell them what my unbiased findings were on the oils.  So i will begin to journal what i find here.  If you want to try some yourself, let me know.  To be candid, I did sign up to be a "distributor" but only because it'll be cheaper for me to buy the oils for myself.  Of course if anyone wants to sign up under me, it's beneficial for me, and i guess everyone because of the discount.  Just want to be transparent!  But i promise to be honest about what i find!


The pack that i ordered had ten different oils (plus a few tiny samples of others).  The links will direct you to my "journaling" of that particular oil.

1: Joy (which is a YL blend of oils)
2: Frankincense (Yeah, like the one from the Bible)
3: Lemon
4: Lavender
5: Peppermint
6: Purification (YL blend)
7: Panaway (YL blend)
8: Peace and Calming (YL blend)
9: Thieves (Ancient blend, click here for the background)
10: Valor (YL blend)

I will begin a new page for every different oil i try. Let me know if you have questions about a specific one, and i can try it!