introduction to essential oils.

last year i met a girl named chelsea.  she was sweet and kind...and so, so funny.

the first few times i was around her, she would occasionally mention essential oils.  for example, someone would mention that they had a cut...or couldn't sleep.  or maybe that their child had eczema.  i even once heard someone comment on the headache they were bound to have from the wine they were drinking.

and she would say, "you know i have an oil for that....".  and that was it.  that's all she said.

i did a little research and looked into these oils.

let me start by saying that i'm a total granola girl.  i buy organic everything i can afford.  milk, apples, carrots, etc.  i try really hard to shop the perimeter of the grocery store.  i try not to buy bagged snacks for the boys.  i bought honest products for a good long while to make sure there was nothing weird in my cleaning products.  if you ever start to really look at what is in the purple kaboom that i loved so much...you would know why it does such a bang up job of cleaning the bathtub.

and if you google the ingredients, you'll then know why after a bath, your kids have itchy spots everywhere.

now.  a disclaimer.

i'm nuts.  crazy.  totally crazy.  so it might not have anything to do with the kaboom.  but you'll never convince me of that.

but life often gets in the way.  and the good Lord knows i'm far from perfect.  and so we fall back to the walmart stuff often.  but more than not, i wanted something safe.

enter young living essential oils.

now full disclosure: there are several types of essential oils for sale.  you'll find them at health stores.  and other places.  the kind i chose are young living.  i chose these because of their seed to seal guarantee. and i believe these oils are the best on the market.  young living has a website, click here.  and you can read all about them.  their founder.  their story.

and yes, when you order oils, i get a small percentage of what you pay for the oils.  but that's NOT why i sell them.  please know that.  the percentage i get might buy one organic honeycrisp apple.  hahaaaa.  (kroger, i'm looking at you.  you know they are overpriced).

i use them because i believe in them.  and if i can share with you what they've done for us..maybe you'll find that they work for you too.

so the basics.

what are essential oils?

so you know there was this one time when this baby was born.  his name was jesus.  and there were these really wise men who came to see him and they brought him gifts.  ever heard this story?  remember what the men brought the baby?

gold.  and frankincense.  and myrrh.

while i can't help you find gold...although i can give you the gold nugget necklace my boyfriend in the 8th grade gave me...i still have it, i think.  that's all i can do for you about the gold.

but the frank and myrrh.  oh.  those are essential oils.  like, i use frankincense when i have a headache.  one drop on my finger...pressed against the roof of my mouth.  and bam.  no more headache.  or for age spots.  because i love the sunshine.  and one day, a long, long time ago, i loved swimsuits.

so essential oils are liquids generally distilled (most frequently by steam or water) from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. essential oils, contrary to the use of the word "oil" are not really oily-feeling at all.  if you want to get into the science of it all, i'm your girl.  after all, i WAS biology major in college.  i mean,  just last year i learned that bulls have testicles.  so they are boys.  because i didn't realize that all bulls were boys.  that's a fact, you guys.  my alma mater is so proud.

so maybe i shouldn't talk about science.  but i'll just say that essential oils aren't really "oils" because they lack fatty acids.  i should just stop here.  well, i should have stopped before the testicle comment.  but you know, i overshare.  it's ONE of my faults.

pure, unadulterated oils have a therapeutic potential for so many people.  and while i know that my doctor friends...and pharmacist friends are rolling their eyes and searching for studies to prove this...i'll just say this.  i don't need a study.  if they are safe, that's enough for me.  i'll try them and see what i think.

in december, i had a patch on my face that popped up.  it was dry.  and flaky and looked a lot like dermatitis.  i had a prescription steroid cream that i ended up putting on it.  within a day or two, it was gone.  two days later, popped back up again.  more steroid cream...gone.  i did this for a month.  until january 3rd when my husband and i were on a trip and i didn't have the cream.  i woke up on a saturday morning and you guys.  the dermatitis was in my laugh line and ACROSS MY CHIN.  and it looked like acne.

after googling, i figured out it WAS perioral dermatitis.  and it was a result of overusing the steroid cream.

now.  i'm all for some good medication.  my oldest started amoxicillian yesterday for what we think might be strep.  (we may discontinue it today if the culture comes back negative), but had i had another option for that small spot of dermatitis, i wouldn't have had the rash.  ALL OVER MY 35 YEAR OLD FACE.  it has taken a over a month to get it under control.  and it's still not gone.

i've used that steroid cream on the boys.  that's why i had it.  for max's eczema.  i panicked when i realized that this same thing could happen to max.  and so that's when i really got serious about the oils.  that's when i really starting paying attention to their benefits.

and that's when i stopped caring about studies.  i don't need a study.  i just need to see it with my own two eyes.

how do you use essential oils: 

one. topically.

many oils are safe to apply directly to the skin.  sometimes diluting them with a carrier oil is necessary.  a carrier oil can be coconut oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, etc.  young living also sells a carrier oil that can be used.

popular areas of topical use are the temples, ears, soles and tops of feet, abdomen and upper back.  you simply place a drop or two into your hands.  then apply it to the desired area.  massage it in.  reapply when necessary.

two. inhalation.

well.  see this graphic...

you can do this one of three ways.

a. by directly inhaling the oil from the bottle.
b. by adding a few drops of oils to a bowl of warm water. then placing your face over the bowl and breathing in.
c. diffuse your favorite oil (or combination of oils) in a young living diffuser.  the diffuser is one of the items that comes in the starter kit (more on that later).  the diffuser is designed to diffuse a fine mist that can fill a whole room in a matter of seconds.  there is no heating or burning of the oils this way.

three.  internal consumption.

you can put a few drops of oil into a gel capsule and swallow with water.  you can also add a few drops to your meals.  and finally, drops can be placed in water or juice.

we make a really good "thieves tea" which is warm water, one drop of lemon oil and one drop of thieves oil.  this is good for a sore throat.  my kids drink it too.

it is very important to note that NOT ALL essential oils can be ingested.  only the young living oils labeled as a dietary supplement have been identified by the FDA as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) and are most likely safe to be ingested.  anything outside of these perimeters, i'm not sure and CANNOT speak to that.

another thing: the oils have a good, long shelf life.  as long as they are kept in their dark bottles, in a cool, dark place, they will last a long time.  in each 5 ml bottle, there are approximately 80 drops of oil.  in a 15 ml bottle, there are approximately 240 drops.  so a bottle of oil can last you several months...maybe even a year.

how and what do i order?

if you're interested in ordering something, i want you to contact me personally.  i could give you the instructions here, but i don't want to do that.

i'll say that a starter kit is a popular choice for someone wanting to try them out.  the starter kit is 150 dollars (not including shipping or tax).  currently, it comes with 11 oils and a diffuser.  let me say that this is a really, really good price.  a diffuser alone is something like 80 dollars.

here is a graphic of the starter kit.

i have samples of several oils.  i can get those to you to try.  or you can order bottles individually.

soon, i'll make a post of what each of those oils is good for.  for now, if you have questions, email me.  or text me.  or find me on Facebook.  or you can even comment here.

there are no silly questions.  trust me, i've asked them all.

i wished it too, momma.

our max has been sick a lot.

in his first year of life, he had over 9 ear infections.  his left ear stayed pretty blocked the entire year.

in his second year of life, he had strep 8 times.

at some point, when he was still crawling, he fell and busted his chin wide open. he had 13 stitches put in while i held him down. probably one of the top three worst moments of my life.

he had his first set of eustachian tubes placed at 2 years of age.  then a second set at 3.

he's puked on me plenty of times.  had fever more times than i can remember.

but last night, last night was the first time in his life...in his 3 years and 9 month life, that he has ever verbalized what was wrong.

"Momma, my tummy hurts."

just like that.  said just like that.

you might not have understood it, but this momma did.

and so i held him and rubbed on him.  and sang in his ear.

but my heart..it leapt around. and danced.  and rejoiced in the moment. in his language.  in his speech. in his attempts.

back before christmas, we all went big cedar lodge in branson.  we had gone to breakfast one morning and it had been a hard day.  he hadn't slept as much as he needed and he was in a really poor mood.  didn't want anyone but me.  that kind of thing.

by the time breakfast was over, he was better.  seemed happier.  less in his own world.

we parked and were all walking up the steps to the hotel, when he fell.  lost his balance and tumbled over backwards.  two steps.  i can close my eyes and still see it.

i ran to get him.  and in my inability to just rest, i tried to hurry up the steps to take him to the bed.  he was scratched and had a knot already forming.

but because i hurried, i tripped too.  we both fell down.  tears immediately sprung to my eyes.

i put him on the bed and tried to comfort him.  but i was totally unable.  my mom and dad immediately stepped in.  because that's what parents do.  they just step in. even when not asked.  they just know and do it and don't say anything about it.

after he was better and after i composed myself, we were leaving to go get back in the car.  pratt, who had witnessed this whole thing, walked up to me with a dandelion.

he handed it to me and said, "here momma.  i got this for you.  you can make a wish."

i said, "no, no.  you make a wish.  it's yours babe."

and he said, "no mom.  i've already made like 10 of them."

so i took it.  walked to the car with the flower and all it's seeds bouncing around.  and pratt followed me.

as i blew it, he said, "i know what you wished for."

i could feel the tears again...and tried so hard to reel them in.  i said, "you do?  what?"

and in the smallest voice, he said, "for max to get better."

i am crying as i type this.

i leaned down and hugged him. and we both just cried.

because yes.  one million times yes.  i wished that he would be better.

that he would be able to walk like the kids his age can walk.  not run.  i wasn't wishing for running or jumping or skipping or hopping.  i was just wishing for walking.  for being able to put one foot in front of the other and walk up the steps.  doesn't that seem simple enough?  is that just too much to ask for?

a few seconds later, he whispered, "i wished it too, momma.  it's always my wish.  my wishes are always for max.  so i know it's gonna be okay.  say you know too, mom."

so i did.
because deep down, i did know.

i just didn't know when.

but in moments like last night...when all i thought i wanted to do was sleep...and rest, instead, God gave me what i have wanted for so long.

for max to just be okay.

so if you're keeping up with it, my max is okay.

every single day that he verbalizes...every single day that i get a video from his PT showing him kicking a ball....all those days, those are winning days.

those are days i know that the dandelion wishes came true.