Post #2: Beginner's Guide to Essential Oils

                                                                                           

My journey with essential began with Torey. She’s a work friend but I’m proud to say I feel like an additional daughter to her.  Torey’s been my guide to everything essential oils. I chose to purchase my starter kit from Young Living not only because of the amazing things I’ve heard but because I was very interested in starting my journey to a healthy, chemical free life.

At first diving into essential oils I was a little skeptical and very over whelmed. There’s so much to learn. First things first, what are EOs?  Young Living’s essential oils are extracted from plants whose seeds have been verified for their EO potential by Young Living experts, partnering with University experts. The plants are then grown on farms across the globe that are dedicated to best growing and harvesting methods. Young Living’s then distills the oils by gently steam extracting the most effective oils, as well as cold pressing and resin tapping select oils. Their distillation process is important because it determines their therapeutic value. All of Young Living’s oil is tested to guarantee they contain optimal levels of natural bioactive compounds.

It’s important to use 100% pure and natural, therapeutic grade oils. Additives and adulteration can be harmful to the body and greatly reduces the effectiveness of the oil.

Now that we’ve gone over how EOs come about, how do they work? Essential oils can be used in three ways, topically, internally, and aromatically.

• Applying EOs topically allows for the active chemicals to be absorbed into the skin. The same way pharmaceuticals such as therapy cream works.

• When ingesting essential oils you need to be sure you’re using the highest quality oil to ensure its safety. Young Living’s seed to seal guarantee allows them to confidently choose to ingest their EO’s.

• The final way is inhaling essential oils. Doing so directly influences the control center of the brain, the hypothalamus. This sends instructions through our body concerning sleep patterns, mood, behavior, appetite, and the release of certain hormones. Not only do they interact with the Olfactory System but also the Limbic System. When odor molecules travel through the nose and affect the brain through a variety of receptor cites, one being the Limbic System commonly referred to as the “emotional brain”. The Limbic System is directly connected to parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance. This helps explain why smells often trigger emotions.

For my next post I’m excited to start sharing my simple recipes for replacing products in my every day routine with all natural chemical free substitutes.