Natural Mom Loves Prada

The first thing I ever talk about is the importance of using a pure essential oil. Because you can buy essential oils almost anywhere (even the dollar store) – and most if not all write on their label “100% pure” – it’s difficult to know what you are really getting.  Do you really believe that an oil that can be sold in a dollar store is 100% pure? There are a lot of factors when it comes to oil purity. Where it was grown, when the plants were picked, how it was extracted or distilled…all factors that the average normal consumer like myself and likely yourself can not verify, or know just by looking a bottle on a shelf.

The fact is that most essential oils on the market are diluted with a solvent. The solvent is usually a chemical like alcohol. You have to consider that if only a few drops of lavender can make a positive difference in your body what could a few drops of a chemical do in a negative way. What’s in or not in your oil matters!! My intention is to help parents learn how to use essential oils so I’m not going to tell you which oils to use but I do have recommendations.

When I started using oils, I purchased them from a direct selling company and used that brand for just over 7 years. At that point, as a regular consumer, I felt like it was the best I could find. I have likely smelled every brand sold in stores – I’m always checking – we have been a one income family and my loyalty is to purchasing the best product I can for the least amount of money. So far I have never found any store brand that even comes close to that brand.  About 1.5 years ago I was introduced to doTERRA and knew immediately upon smelling them and listening to the company philosophy that I would be making the switch that is how different the aroma was from my current brand. I also was happy to know that each batch of oil is third party tested for purity.  After only using them for a short time I was amazed at how powerful these oils were, the results were knocking me off my feet and I had used oils that I thought were the best – these were truly at a new level for quality and potency.

d?TERRA’s Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils are guaranteed to be 100% pure and natural and free of synthetic compounds or contaminates. They are subjected to rigorous mass spectrometry and gas chromatography testing to ensure extract composition and activity. d?TERRA’s 100% pure essential oils represent the safest and most beneficial essential oils available today.

There is another brand that I feel comfortable recommending, ONEgroup,  as they are certified organic and I use most of their other products and even though I do not have any concerns about the oil being 100% pure – I suspect that it is not as therapeutic as my doTERRA oils. (Normally at this point in the meeting I would pass both bottles around to let everyone smell the difference – everyone is always quite surprised by the difference). I encourage everyone to contact the company they are considering for oils and ask if they do third party testing of the oil. I will also say that in my experience most products that are sold from a direct selling company have higher quality than anything you will buy in a store (that’s why I buy almost everything from personal care products to spices from them) – so that is where I would start looking if you are doing research.

Ok, so you have decided on which oil to use – let’s cover some safety issues.  NOTE: These are safety recommendations when using a therapeutic grade essential oil – if you choose to use an oil that is not considered therapeutic, the side effects are numerous and unknown.

• If you happen to get oil in your eyes – dilute with a carrier oil like olive or coconut oil – NEVER water. Water makes the oil spread and will make the discomfort much worse.
• Oils do not go in eyes, nose, or inside ears.
• With small children, I recommend most oils be applied to the feet and then put their socks on so that they don’t mistakenly touch their feet and then rub their eyes or face.
• If you have sensitive skin, you should always do a patch test with any new oil you introduce.
• If skin becomes irritated or uncomfortable dilute with a carrier oil like olive oil or coconut oil.
• doTERRA essential oils have a dietary supplement box on their bottles of oil that are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) for internal use. ie: peppermint.  If your brand does not have a dietary supplement box, always consult a reference guide.
• Headaches: If using a therapeutic grade oil – you can get a headache if you are a new user because the oil delivers oxygen to your cells and this can be overwhelming. You can also get a headache from using a therapeutic oil because of toxins in your body. Essential oils do a great job of purging toxins, but headaches and rashes can be unpleasant side effects. Open a window, and just start by using less – in time you will be able to use them at your leisure without getting headaches.  If using a non-therapeutic grade, it could be because of the solvent used to dilute the oil or other chemicals that were on the plant when harvested.
• Drink lots and lots of water when using essential oils. Even the most healthy of us have toxins in our body and as I just mentioned, essential oils do a great job of ridding the body of them. If you don’t drink enough water and you have a load of toxins that is being cleared hit your liver, you will end up with rashes. Some might consider this to be a sign of a reaction to the oil, but most of the time it’s just a sign that you need to detoxify and drink more water and decrease the use of oils till the rash is gone.

Essential oils are fun and easy to use. Most people can use them with little to no problems but I like to address some of the concerns that I have had myself (remember my headache when I was sitting there smelling all those oils for the first time) or have heard from other people.  When starting to use any natural product you have to take time to learn how that product is going to react in your body and what works for you – the way our body uses or reacts to a natural products will be unique to you – that’s the great thing about it – you can customize it for your own personal make up and needs. It takes time and trust.

Now we are ready to get into the fun stuff – the oils!!! My next post will be about how oils work in the body and then I will be covering the oils in the Family Physician kit that is offered by doTERRA because it’s a great place for beginners. Follow along and have fun with your oils!!