Common Questions About Essential Oils
WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL OIL?
Essential oils are the volatile liquids derived from the leaves, bark, roots, flowers of plants. To put it more plainly, essential oils are the life-forces that keep a plant alive, healthy, and disease-free. When you use an essential oil, you are using the most valuable part of a plant to help heal yourself. Think about it. How long have lavender plants been on this earth? Why have they be able to survive all this time?
Essential oils are one of the very first medicines humans used to help heal themselves. Many believe the first essential oil use dates back thousands of years ago, to the time of the Egyptians.
ARE ALL ESSENTIAL OILS CREATED EQUAL?
In the United States, essential oils can be found in three different grades: synthetic grade, food grade, and therapeutic grade. This cannot be stated without also mentioning that there currently is NO STANDARD in the United States for regulation and labeling of essential oils. (There is regulation, however, in Europe and other countries. France often sets the bar in this field.)
If you plan to use essential oils for medicinal use, I believe it is important that you select an oil that is of therapeutic grade and one from a reputable company that has a long-lasting positive reputation in the world of essential oils. Oils you find at the grocery store are often not for use at a therapeutic level and will state on the bottle "not for internal use". I only use Young Living essential oils as they are held to the European standard of what is therapeutic grade and can be taken internally. Please do your homework before selecting what oils to use with your family.
HOW CAN I PURCHASE YOUNG LIVING OILS?
If you are interested in purchasing Young Living oils you must first contact a Young Living Distributor. I am a YL Distributor and can assist you in setting up an account so you can order oils at your leisure and have them shipped directly to your door. Please send me a personal message to find out more or CLICK HERE TO ORDER OILS.
I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OILS. HOW CAN I DO THAT?
If you would like to learn more about oils, I would be happy to meet with you for a one-on-one class in your home or at a local coffee shop. I am also able to host essential oil classes for you and your family, friends, or local interest groups. Please also visit my Education page for more information about where I am leading classes within the community.
WHAT IS A CARRIER OIL?
A carrier oil is any edible oil used to dilute an essential oil so that it can be safely applied to the body. Oils such as: coconut, olive, grape-seed act as excellent carrier oils. It is recommended by me that you use organic oils whenever possible. Carrier oils are a must-have when applying oils to infants, babies, children, and even adults (when applying oils for the first time). Essential oils are powerful and applying them directly to the skin can result in a reaction.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO APPLY AN OIL "NEAT"?
Applying an oil "neat" means applying an essential oil directly to the skin without using a carrier oil.
WHERE DO I APPLY OILS?
Young Living essential oils can be applied externally and internally. It is suggested that YL oils be diluted with a carrier oil first (for external use) to check for skin sensitivities. Below are a few examples:
*Externally, three most absorbent places on the body to apply an oil are: the wrists, behind the ears, and on the bottoms of the feet.
*If people are feeling pain, they often rub an essential oil diluted with a carrier oil right onto the area where pain is acute.
*Internally, YL essential oils can be dropped into water, placed on a cracker or
piece of bread, or dropped right into the mouth.
ARE ESSENTIAL OILS SAFE TO USE DURING PREGNANCY?
This is a question I am asked over and over again. There are varying opinions in the world of medicine in this regard. My research has led me to answer that YES, essential oils are safe for use during pregnancy. There are a few oils that should be avoided during this delicate time in life, but for the most part, essential oils can offer tremendous relief to pregnant women where otherwise there few other options available.
If you have questions about essential oils and pregnancy I urge you to review a couple of documents:
1. Gentle Babies by Debra Raybern N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A.
2. The International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) has issued a document entitled:
Pregnancy Guidelines: Guidelines for Aromatherapists Working With Pregnant Clients.
Essential oils are the volatile liquids derived from the leaves, bark, roots, flowers of plants. To put it more plainly, essential oils are the life-forces that keep a plant alive, healthy, and disease-free. When you use an essential oil, you are using the most valuable part of a plant to help heal yourself. Think about it. How long have lavender plants been on this earth? Why have they be able to survive all this time?
Essential oils are one of the very first medicines humans used to help heal themselves. Many believe the first essential oil use dates back thousands of years ago, to the time of the Egyptians.
ARE ALL ESSENTIAL OILS CREATED EQUAL?
In the United States, essential oils can be found in three different grades: synthetic grade, food grade, and therapeutic grade. This cannot be stated without also mentioning that there currently is NO STANDARD in the United States for regulation and labeling of essential oils. (There is regulation, however, in Europe and other countries. France often sets the bar in this field.)
If you plan to use essential oils for medicinal use, I believe it is important that you select an oil that is of therapeutic grade and one from a reputable company that has a long-lasting positive reputation in the world of essential oils. Oils you find at the grocery store are often not for use at a therapeutic level and will state on the bottle "not for internal use". I only use Young Living essential oils as they are held to the European standard of what is therapeutic grade and can be taken internally. Please do your homework before selecting what oils to use with your family.
HOW CAN I PURCHASE YOUNG LIVING OILS?
If you are interested in purchasing Young Living oils you must first contact a Young Living Distributor. I am a YL Distributor and can assist you in setting up an account so you can order oils at your leisure and have them shipped directly to your door. Please send me a personal message to find out more or CLICK HERE TO ORDER OILS.
I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OILS. HOW CAN I DO THAT?
If you would like to learn more about oils, I would be happy to meet with you for a one-on-one class in your home or at a local coffee shop. I am also able to host essential oil classes for you and your family, friends, or local interest groups. Please also visit my Education page for more information about where I am leading classes within the community.
WHAT IS A CARRIER OIL?
A carrier oil is any edible oil used to dilute an essential oil so that it can be safely applied to the body. Oils such as: coconut, olive, grape-seed act as excellent carrier oils. It is recommended by me that you use organic oils whenever possible. Carrier oils are a must-have when applying oils to infants, babies, children, and even adults (when applying oils for the first time). Essential oils are powerful and applying them directly to the skin can result in a reaction.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO APPLY AN OIL "NEAT"?
Applying an oil "neat" means applying an essential oil directly to the skin without using a carrier oil.
WHERE DO I APPLY OILS?
Young Living essential oils can be applied externally and internally. It is suggested that YL oils be diluted with a carrier oil first (for external use) to check for skin sensitivities. Below are a few examples:
*Externally, three most absorbent places on the body to apply an oil are: the wrists, behind the ears, and on the bottoms of the feet.
*If people are feeling pain, they often rub an essential oil diluted with a carrier oil right onto the area where pain is acute.
*Internally, YL essential oils can be dropped into water, placed on a cracker or
piece of bread, or dropped right into the mouth.
ARE ESSENTIAL OILS SAFE TO USE DURING PREGNANCY?
This is a question I am asked over and over again. There are varying opinions in the world of medicine in this regard. My research has led me to answer that YES, essential oils are safe for use during pregnancy. There are a few oils that should be avoided during this delicate time in life, but for the most part, essential oils can offer tremendous relief to pregnant women where otherwise there few other options available.
If you have questions about essential oils and pregnancy I urge you to review a couple of documents:
1. Gentle Babies by Debra Raybern N.D., M.H., C.N.C., I.C.A.
2. The International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA) has issued a document entitled:
Pregnancy Guidelines: Guidelines for Aromatherapists Working With Pregnant Clients.