Essential oils – what’s the deal?

So, guys, here is the truth.  I was wrong about essential oils.  In all my skepticism I was missing out on what they could do for my family and I.

Because the truth is, the little bottles of oil are helping us with minor health issues.  You know, those issues you get that aren’t bad enough to land you in the hospital but have you not feeling as good as you could be?

If you have any of the following:

Health concerns

A desire to use non-toxic products in your home

or a desire to scent your home without the harmful chemicals in candles

ESSENTIAL OILS CAN HELP YOU.

Look, I’ll even show you my rusty, very rough looking medicine cabinet (because spending money on health is worth it, spending money on medicine cabinets, well, that can wait.) that has completely changed since switching over to essential oils.  This cupboard used to be full of store bought lotions and potions.

Just take a look here at the Doterra site where it gives you a ton of ideas and recipes on what you can do with essential oils.

But don’t think using essential oils means you have to “make” a bunch of lotions and potions.  You can use them just as they are!

Essential oils may help you with:

• Sleep issues

• Sore muscles

• Boosting your immune system

• Tension

• Respiratory issues

• Skin irritations 

• Digestive issues

……and so much more!

I’ve used:

• rosemary, lavender and tea tree oil for dry scalp.

• We pull out the eucalyptus and diffuse it when we are congested and it helps clear our sinuses (not to mention make my own vapor rub). 

• I’ve diffused orange and peppermint in the mornings when I just don’t want to get out of bed and need that extra help.

• I’ve made fluoride free toothpaste.

• I’ve made hand lotion for my son’s extremely dry hands, and laundry fragrance booster, and all-purpose cleaner.

• I’ve used oils for my gut-health ( I am a colitis sufferer and so any support for my digestive system is definitely something I want!)

Guys, I have used these for a million and one things.

Let’s talk about my favorite way so far.  DoTERRA has this oil called “Whisper”.  I thought I’d never give up my favorite perfume, but I have because Whisper smells AMAZING and it’s non-toxic.  Yes, please!

Years ago when I was dealing with some health issues I continually reached for the ibuprofen.  I was just a mom trying to make it through the day taking care of my kids and so in an effort to suppress my symptoms I over-medicated.

Well, three or so years ago I developed NEW health issues from all that ibuprofen.  So, it’s very important to me to minimize the use of over the counter medication.

Now, I’m not going to say I never reach for ibuprofen now, but because I am supporting my health with consistent use of essential oils, along with other things like eating more whole, natural foods and trying to get enough sleep, I rarely take ibuprofen or other over the counter medications for that matter.

I have also been able to better manage my symptoms from all that medication since making these various life changes in the past year.

*Wondering what all the hype is about essential oils?  Do you have questions?  Why not join my Facebook group, The Essential Oils Village, where you can ask all your questions and learn more about essential oils!

Look, I’m going to be straight with you when it comes to the oils.  Over on this blog we talk a great deal about frugal living.  So of course I would imagine your first question or comment is going to be, “how is THAT frugal?”

I get where you are coming from. If you’ve been around this blog long enough you know I have a ton of experience of living off the beans and rice diet.  Not just in adulthood, but as a kid too.  I’m a pro at it.

I am never going to be that person that tells you that you should buy something no matter the cost and that you should just find a way.  I know what it’s like to live off of whatever I could buy at the time to make ends meet.

If you are having to choose between paying your mortgage or buying groceries, then this post may not be for you – at least right now, unless you are paying high costs to manage your health issues and want to try something more natural.

BUT –  if you are in a little bit of a better position, these oils can be a good option when it comes to investing in your health, which, as I said above, we eventually pay for our health one way or another  And let’s be honest, they’ll make your house smell nice too!  (I can’t be the only one trying to mask the smell of sweaty kids, a tradesman husband, and a dog.: ) )

HOW CAN I SAVE MONEY ON ESSENTIAL OILS?

If you are interested in oils but you want to be as cost effective as you can, let’s talk about some ways I have saved money.

Let’s talk about what products I’ve replaced with essential oils.  Because, that’s where I’ve discovered it isn’t as expensive as I originally thought since I’ve stopped buying the following products:

vapor rub

face moisturizer

hand lotion

toothpaste

laundry soap

Ibuprofen (I still keep a bottle at home just in case, but I RARELY use it, when at one point I used to use them almost every day)

perfume

cleaners for my home

scented candles

muscle rub

And the list continues to grow the longer I use essential oils.  In some case I only use my essential oils for my needs, but for other things, like some of the ones in the list above, I may buy a few ingredients that last an insanely long time to mix in with the essential oils.  It can still be very cost effective for me to do so.

When it comes to affording something in an already tight budget, you often have to make trades.  What do I mean by that?  Well, for our family to afford essential oils, it means we are cutting back somewhere else.  For me it was important to finally do what I could to make some changes in my health, and this was one of them.  The trade was worth it for me.

When I bought my first batch of essential oils, I bought the cheapest kit I could that included multiple oils to try instead of paying more money for individual oils. I knew I needed a diffuser, but I also knew my budget didn’t allow for any of the bigger kits.  The kit included the diffuser along with so many useful oils that I have used for a ton of things. I would have paid more for each oil if I bought them individually.

The Healthy Start kit is the one I bought, but lots of people like to start out with the Home Essentials kit as well.  With the Home Essentials Kit you start out with 15 ml bottles (aside from Deep Blue which comes in the 5 ml bottle) as opposed to the 5 ml bottles in the Healthy Start.  

I signed up for a wholesale account.  Whoa!! Slow down, Amanda! Let’s not be hasty signing our name up for something.

I get ya.  I really do.  I am very careful at what I sign up for.  But I promise you this is actually a GOOD thing.  Think about it like a membership to Costco.  You pay an annual amount and then you get discounted products ALL YEAR LONG.  There are no strings attached to this membership.  You can cancel at any time.  Also, when you buy an enrollment kit your wholesale membership is waived!

Signing up for a wholesale account is the most affordable option by saving 25% on the oils then if you were to just pay retail for them.

But – you don’t have to sign up for a wholesale account if you don’t want to.  The oils are just cheaper that way.

WHY BUY DOTERRA?

Because there is something to be said for quality.  And investing in quality products, whether it be food, household items, or essential oils, can actually be a wise financial decision.

There are some amazing Doterra essential oil benefits.  I chose to buy DoTerra because they do some serious testing, and they believe that purity is of utmost importance when it comes to our health.  If I am going to be buying items that will support my health, I want to make sure there is the best chance that it will because it is a quality product.

Let’s not forget to mention that these tiny bottles can replace other items in your house like I stated above all the things I’ve been using them for.  You can use them to clean your house without the chemicals, and hey, how awesome would it be to reach for something like peppermint oil instead of ibuprofen when you feel a headache coming on?

I will never be the person who shuns modern medicine.  There is a place for it.  If my child is severely sick I will not hesitate to take them to a doctor.

But….if there are things that can help at home with symptoms, why not use them?  If there are things I can use that will compliment modern medicine, why not?  If there is something I can use that may PREVENT our family feeling under the weather with seasonal threats, it is completely worth the money.

DOTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS: HOW TO USE THEM

You can use Doterra essential oils aromatically, topically, and even some internally (the bottles say which one.)

It’s pretty amazing all the ways you can use them, and how they can help.

Some of my favorite oils are: