Essential Oil Q + A: How and Why To Use Them

While I have had a long standing, loving relationship with essential oils as you can see here, here and especially here, I had been using them without a huge amount of expertise and only as situations arose that I needed them.

Several weeks ago, Audra Bassett, my wonderful friend with a lot more know-how about oils that I have, wondered if I might be interested in learning more about essential oils and using them on a more regular basis. Learn more about something natural and healthy? Of course!

She sent me this fabulous book, The Essential Oil Truth - The Facts Without the Hype by Jen O'Sullivan, which I read in about a day or two and then re-read several times after. From there, I started using oils and oil blends daily with my whole family. I am super excited to share what I have learned with YOU!

I am going to be doing a three-part essential oils series. Today is the first part, answering your questions about how and why to use them.

Let's get started:

Question #1 - Why would I use essential oils?

I could give you about a million reasons. The biggest and best is because we are in a bit of a health crisis in our country. Much of that is due to unhealthy lifestyles, scary ingredients in the majority of products sold, and people being handed out quick fixes that mask the problem. Symptoms are our bodies way of telling us there is something wrong. When we try to get rid of them with a quick chemical fix that has a slew of side effects, instead of dealing with what is really wrong with our bodies, it often just gets worse and worse.

Oils are different. They are natural - from plants. They are safe. They are effective. And they smell sooooo good. As a mom of four with a lot of responsibilities, I feel comfortable using oils to help myself, my hubby and my children stay healthy.

Question #2 - What are essential oils? Are they safe?

An essential oil is a liquid that is generally distilled from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. Essential oils are the life-force of the plant, much like our blood. They are highly concentrated, and you only need a little to go a long way. They have been used for centuries, not just for their beautiful natural scent, but for their antibacterial healing properties as well. I love using them for anything from headaches to stomachaches, from an air purifier to hand sanitizer.

They are safe when used properly for people and animals. I recommend that you always start out with a very small amount along with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Apply a bit to your skin and see how your body reacts. Always do your own research and be responsible. I do not personally ingest essential oils, but if you do, MAKE SURE you use only the very best quality and be very informed about that choice.

Basically, essential oils are natural and very very safe, especially when compared to the alternatives - pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, etc. But again, I cannot stress this enough - make sure you use only the very best quality.

Questions #3 - How do you use essential oils safely?

See my note on how to use them safely in the above question. But to expand on that, let me share with you the ways I use them. Here is a different post I wrote sharing how I use essential oils.

Oils can be used in three different methods: topically, aromatically, and internally.

Topically - This is applying the oil onto our skin. Oils can either be applied undiluted (neat), or with a carrier oil (which slows absorption). Always follow the directions on the label, and when in doubt, dilute. If any burning occurs or you get it in your eyes, never try to was it away with water. Oil and water don’t mix! “Wash” it off by adding more carrier oil.

Aromatherapy - This is inhalation of the oils. You can use a diffuser (pictured below), place your head over a steaming bowl of water with a few drops added, or directly inhale from your hands or the bottle. When doing so, you trigger aromareceptors, triggering chemical responses in the body.

Internally - This is through direct absorption of the digestive tract. Like I said before, I personally choose not to do this one. I may try it once in a great while, but have not decided to do that at the present time. Surely do NOT ingest any oil that does not say that it can be used as a dietary supplement right on the label. Again, do your own research and make informed decisions. Make sure you know where your oils are grown and how they are handled all the way to the bottle.

Question #4 - Which brand is the best? Why?

I have tried out many brands and you have probably seen me talk about them on my blog throughout the past 7 years. There is one company that I have used throughout my entire time using essential oils - Young Living. They were my first love, and after looking very, very closely at the differences between essential oil companies, I am now ready to say they are my only love.

Let me share with you why.

Did you know that you only need 5% pure essential oil in a bottle to claim it is 100% pure? Unfortunately, that is totally true. So while the labels on that grocery store brand may spout they are "100% pure" it is not what you are expecting in that bottle. Typically it's a little essential oil, and up to 95% additives, fillers, and synthetics - things that will lower the price and quality and result in you needing to use more, or worse, having a reaction to the "other 95%" they added to that bottle. You may notice the other labels say "for inhalation or aromatherapy use only". This means you shouldn't even put those brands on your skin. Some other brands will smell good and work wonders for your needs, but personally, I choose the brand that goes beyond smelling good, and has been tested for use beyond aromatherapy.

Just like I choose high-quality, organic nourishing foods for my body, I want to choose high-quality, organic nourishing oils for my body. I like to know as much about things that go on, in or around my body as I possibly can. My tips for you when choosing essential oils are:

• know where the company grows their crops

• know what they use to fertilize and treat the crops

• know their harvest process

• know their distillation process

• know EXACTLY what they are putting in that bottle

When I use Young Living, I know I am getting the purest essential oil in that bottle, nothing more. No additives, no synthetics, just pure, essential oil goodness. In fact, they have a Seed to Seal Guarantee that is unmatched by any competitor. That is why they work.

P.S. Did you know you can even go to Young Living's farms and help plant, harvest and distill crops? Yup, you can watch and be a part of the ENTIRE process. I think that just rocks!

Not all brands are created equal, and it is up to individuals to determine what is best for their family based on the research they are aware of. Do your research, no matter which oils you choose, make sure you know exactly what is in that bottle and be confident in using it on yourself and your family.

Let me know if I can answer more of your questions or guide you in your essential oil journey. I am here to help! If you would like to be added to a free, educational resource full of people sharing how they use oils, ask to join the Hello Essentials. It is one of my favorite places to go to get ideas about how others are using their oils and what they love about them. Everyone is so positive and helpful. I just love it! (And no, nobody will be trying to sell you anything!) You can tell them that I (Cara Nitz) sent you over.

Next post, I will be talking about how oils have helped me when I am suffering from stress and headaches. Stay tuned...

Make Organizing Easier with CleverCrates

I received product to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

This past weekend we spent organizing. It may sound nice. And the end result was quite nice. However, during the organizing, it was quite the chaotic mess. When you have lots of small kids, you need things to be as easy and organized as possible. 

One company that helped us this last weekend was CleverMade. They create inspired household solutions for everyday life -- this means taking the basics like storage containers and making them more intuitive, visually appealing and easier to use. We used their line of CleverCrates, collapsable, sturdy, stackable crates, that come in a variety of sizes and fun colors. They pop-up and lock in place when you need them, ready to haul, store or stack, then collapse flat for tidy storage. 

These are not your average storage containers. They can be stored flat, but easily opened and used practically with one movement of your hand. Watch my video below to see how easy it is!

CleverCrates are so versatile. We have used them to help organize our puzzles, organize our garage, pick garden vegetables, use when we grocery shop and our kids use them with their free play all the time!

They can be cleaned up easily, come in different shapes and colors, and they are made from recyclable materials whenever possible. They definitely make organizing easier!

How do you make organizing easier?

How To Choose an Organic Mattress

If you are clueless about how to get started with switching over some of your conventional furniture and bedding to more natural, safe products, let me help! If you are wondering why you would ever want to switch out your beautiful furniture, check out Safer Furniture Can Make a Difference.

I started researching all of this when I had my first child almost 7 years ago. The first thing I worked on was switching out our bedding. Thankfully, we have been able to invest in organic bedding for all six of us in our family. However, with the birth of our fourth child, we had to start moving beds around between kids. This caused us to need to buy twin beds and get another organic twin mattress.

We decided to buy the same type of organic mattress that we purchased for our son several years ago. We have been very happy with the No-Compromise Organic Cotton Ultra Twin Mattress by Naturepedic. Although it is a bit of an investment, we think that it is well worth the cost. Did you know regular mattresses consist mainly of materials made by the petroleum industry (polyester, elastic and polyurethane), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PDBE) flame retardants, glues and dyes? They also may contain pesticide residues. As regular mattresses age, they become more toxic as the flame retardants and pesticide residues bind with household dust. Since we all spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping, I think it is important to make sure your bedding is safe! Organic mattresses are made from natural rubber, organic cotton and organic wool. They are hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and resistant to dust mites.

I spent a long time researching which organic mattress to purchase that would be affordable and high quality. The reason I chose this particular mattress is because it made from undyed and unbleached organic cotton, which means it is grown free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers. The outer waterproof surface is 100% polyethylene, which is an environmentally friendly plastic that is known in the food packaging industry for its non-toxicity.

This mattress also has non-toxic fire protection. Naturepedic uses a chemical-free barrier consisting of baking soda and hydrated silica that is bonded to cellulose. Hydrated silica is a primary ingredient in natural toothpaste.

I found and purchased this mattress from Thanksmama.com, which is a great site to shop from for all things healthy and natural. I have shopped from them several times, and I am always happy with their service and products!

If you are on the fence about whether to start switching over your mattresses to organic, take a little time, read up more on it, and start setting aside a little money each month for the purchase. I know I sleep better just knowing that my family isn't breathing in toxic flame retardants and other harmful chemicals.

Home Improvement Safety

This is a sponsored post written by Cara. All thoughts and opinions are 100% her own.

Being a home owner, I understand firsthand that sometimes owning your own home isn't the most fun thing. Pipes leak, mold grows, washing machines break, light bulbs need to be changed, grass needs to be mowed, furniture needs to be replaced, and the list goes on and on. Some of this can be very back-breaking work, so it is important to remember your safety and health is number one when taking care of these projects.

Recently, our washing machine stopped spinning the clothes. That presents a problem when you have a lot of stinky cloth diapers that need to be washed pronto! Of course, we forked over the cash for a new washing machine. Then, came the heavy work of getting the old washing machine out and the new one in its place. That can be back-breaking work.

Many people hurt or strain themselves while trying to do some of these DIY projects at home. As a personal trainer, I often hear stories of people hurting their backs or necks or pulling muscles from doing home projects. Not to mention, my own husband hurt his low back badly while lifting a heavy water heater at work.

Instead of trying to lift these heavy things yourself, why not use all the ingenious tools that take most of the load off. Hand-trucks, casters, and sliding boards can enable even the slightest person to move large objects and items with ease.

You will probably even find what you are looking for from a local store and be able to easily rent or purchase these needed accessory items. If you can't find the appropriate sized or priced products from local moving retail sites, transport service providers, or other home improvement venues, you may want to consider online alternatives.

The best way to find durable hand trucks and casters (in case you didn't know, caster is a wheel that will transform any object into an easily moved item instantly) is through searching reliable retail venues that offer customer satisfaction. These are a low-cost way to get a hold of devices that will make tough tasks manageable and expedient and keep your body from bearing more of a load than it can handle.
Maintaining your own home can be a lot of hard work, so make sure you take a load off when you can!