Can You Tell Me About Essential Oils?

We use essential oils to fight illness or lessen the symptoms of some illnesses. We also use them for stress, sleep problems, pain relief and various other situations.

I use Plant Therapy, Eden's Garden, Young Living and some DoTerra oils, but I do prefer Plant Therapy's brand above all else. I think Young Living has good oils, but they are not the "be all, end all" of essential oil purity, despite their claims. I'm actually quite disgusted by some of their taxing practices.

I have noticed a change in my son's severe seasonal allergies since we started diffusing essential oils and I've had some success with lessening PMS symptoms by using EO's.

Some interesting reading if you care to take a look! :)
http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/t...

I agree with Suz T. 100% and have had mixed results as well. I started using oils about 18 years ago and honestly, I love them mostly because they just smell so good and make my house smell good! In terms if healing and disinfecting, tea tree oil has been very reliable. I've used it in shampoo for dandruff, on mosquito bites to stop the itch and in a bath to help with the symptoms of a yeast infection. It hasn't CURED anything but it has helped with symptoms. I love to put a few drops of eucalyptus oil on a washcloth and put it in the corner of the shower to create a lovely spa-like scent when combined with the steam. Instead of a diffuser, I boil a pot of water on the stove, add a few drops of oils (combo of orange and cinnamon in the fall and winter are my fave), and reduce heat to simmer to fill the house with wonderful scent.

They are helpful but not the end all be all to all problems. They are good to support your health regimens. I know families that swear by them for allergies, sleep, fatigue and focus. Yes they are expensive and it is a continuous expensive cycle. If you do your homework and get them from reputable places that aren't pushing them such as DoTerra and Young Living. I am buying the starter member kit and then I will go to other sources for the basic oils. I do want to buy a few of the YL oils b/c they are blends. YL oils is a good start up with the diffuser and information book. Do not buy oils at Whole Foods or Central Market - they are not the same type of oils.

I absolutely love essential oils. So much so that I now make my own all-purpose lotion (excellent for moisturizing, calming skin irritations, and bug repellent - smells much better than all the "all natural" store-bought items). I am toying with the idea of making my own soap and shampoo.

I use lavender spray (distilled water & lavender oil) for my LOs hair. They have never had lice! I also use lavender on our bedding, stuff animals and closet to repel bugs and for the smell and calming effect =)

I use a dab of frankincense on my "fine lines" along with my all-purpose lotion (coconut oil, lavender, lemon grass and thyme). It's much less expensive overall than any store bought and no preservatives.

Using essential oils has been around for centuries. So many of them have multiple purposes and can be used for short-term effects (cough salve for colds/bronchitis) or long-term (lotions). There are lots of great websites.

they can be useful, but the misinformation is rampant. first off, do NOT be fooled by the MLM companies (like young living) who try to persuade you that their oils are expensive due to higher quality- they're not. they're more expensive because everything MLM is more expensive. this is from a former MLM salesperson.
that being said, you don't want to go with the cheapest. in essential oils, price is not really an indicator. your best bet is to find a small local producer who can discuss their process with you, and their sources for their oils. that's not always possible. the best big producer i've found is aura cacia. good quality oils for reasonable prices. bach's flower remedies are very popular and their quality is good, but they're pricey!
it's really hard to say whether or not they'll work for you and 7 year old. but it's certainly worth a shot. my favorite aunt swears by them, my little mumsie tried them faithfully but had no success. my own experience has been mixed.
khairete
S.

For me, essential oils have been wonderful. After tons of research I decided to buy mine from Young Living. They cost more than oils you could buy at a local health store, but (it appears to me) they're more pure and work better.

I have oils that are used to prevent colds, lose weight, cure stomach bugs, help my kids concentrate in school, calm my kids down, help us all sleep better, etc.

As far as I know the effects are more short term than long, but considering you only use a drop or two at a time, it's not like I'm buying the same oils every week. They last a long time. I probably spend $10 - 15 on oils a month, but in the year I've used the oils I haven't spent a single penny on conventional medicines - no Advil, Icy Hot, benadryl, cough syrup, nothing.

And we've all gotten sick much less, sleep better, and I've lost 20 pounds.

If you want more info, feel free to PM me. I don't sell these oils - this is not a sales pitch, but can help you get set up with the starter kit if you want.

1. Many people I know use them and are very happy with the results they've used them for.

2. Sometimes you take them orally. Sometimes you rub them on your wrist. Sometimes you diffuse them. It's the oil and for what purpose you need them.

3. ADHD is a biological illness. If you'd treat a diabetic child with oils or a child that has seizures with oils instead of medical care then I guess you could research the properties and outcomes of different oils and try them.

4. When they're being used. They don't build up and stay in your system forever.

5. It depends on the styles you like and what you think expensive is.

I think we normally get these oils in some level through our diet. As we've changed our eating habits and cut out whole food groups we've hurt ourselves and taken needed nutrients out. So supplementing the nutrients we need is sometimes needed.

During your time researching essential oils you might look at natural ways to get those same oils. For instance, if you feel need Oregano oil for some illness, it's a very good antifungal, it takes care of many illnesses and diseases.

If you eat a lot of Italian food then you might find you don't need to take a supplement.

Do some googling and see what you think.

I have mixed feelings about them. I think going to non-medical solutions is a good idea in many cases, and we've gotten so far from simple remedies and into complex, over-processed concoctions and of course the overuse of antibacterials and pharmaceuticals.

I don't agree that everything sold through a multi-level marketing or direct sales company is more expensive than what you buy in a store. Every store is marking up the wholesale items and paying huge staff and overhead and insurance and workers' comp. So they buy in quantity but then they mark things up immensely.

That said, I do get concerned when any company tells you that you have to buy one product for this and another product for that. If an essential oil company is telling you that you need 20 different oils (one for headaches, one for colds, one for stress, one for kids, one for hot flashes), then a) you have to buy a whole ton of stuff and b) you have to play "kitchen chemist" and pick out a different item or a different combination yourself.

I think there's more value in prevention than in trying to choose something after you have a problem and hope it will treat it (illness, focus, whatever). That's where all the research is done now in food science - prevention, repair of past damage, and so on.

In many cases, oils probably won't hurt much (except maybe your wallet). I would certainly ask any salesperson you are talking with to provide clinical data in addition to whatever personal testimonies they are giving you. Ask which research institutions they work with (not what studies they finance themselves), what additional clinical trials have been done, etc. There are ways to determine whether a direct sales company (if that's what you're using) is well-rated (company ethics, accounting, chief scientific officer's qualifications, etc.) and ways to determine where the products are manufactured. If their products can be sold in some other countries who have strict standards for food products, that's a huge plus. If your salesperson doesn't know and doesn't have sponsors or mentors who can help with this, walk away. If you are at a "health food" store that makes its money on selling you huge volumes of stuff they have marked up, and if you are talking to a clerk with no background in the field, walk away.

Any reputable company in the field will be able to provide clinical data (independently verified results from researchers and labs and institutions). You can also go to www.pubmed.gov to see if there are scientific papers or research being done on the specific oil you are looking at. If it's worth pursuing in research (such as for sleep, immunity, focus as you mention, or whatever other issues you are concerned with), that's a plus. That's one tool that people in food science use.