Essential oils are aromatic, volitile liquids distilled from roots, flowers, leaves, trees, shrubs, bushes and seeds.
Essential oils help support every system in the body including the immune system, respiratory system, digestive system, endocrine system (your hormones), skeletal system, muscular system, and circulatory system. Oils can also be used for emotional support. An oil in a diffuser can help soothe a child after a hard day at school or create a peaceful atmosphere after a stressful day. Oils can replace everyday household cleaning and beauty products, helping you create a toxin-free lifestyle one oil at a time.
Essential oils can be used in three ways: aromatically, topically, and internally.
Aromatic Use- Essential oils are volatile oils, which means the molecules that make them up disperse immediately when exposed to the air. That’s why when you open these oils or put them in a diffuser, you can almost immediately smell them. Essential oils are highly aromatic and therefore many of the benefits can be obtained by simply inhaling them. This can be done by breathing in the fragrance from the bottle, or by diffusing them into the room. Inhaling an oil is also the quickest way to affect your emotions and to reach the pineal and pituitary glands in the brain (which control the production of feel good hormones like serotonin and dopamine).
Topical Use- Essential oils can be applied to the skin to be absorbed into the blood stream. The skin is our largest organ. Some of my favorite places to apply oils are the wrists, neck, chest, forehead, and bottoms of the feet. There are certain areas on the feet that correspond with targeted parts of the body; this is called the Vitaflex Technique. Some essential oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil (V6, coconut oil, almond oil, etc.) but some can be applied “neat”, which means undiluted. The labels on the bottles will tell you if you should apply neat or add a carrier oil. Roller bottles make it easy to use oils topically, just add essential oils and carrier oil all to one bottle and roll onto your skin whenever needed. Another great way to use oils topically is to add them to a bath by mixing 3-5 drops of oil with epsom salts and mixing them in your bath water.
Internal Use- Using oils internally comes from the French school of thought. Many of Young Living’s essential oils can be taken internally by simply putting a drop on your tongue. I also like to make capsules filled with oils or blends to address certain needs. You can also add your favorite Vitality oils to your water or other drinks for a refreshing taste! Always use glass or stainless steel containers, essential oils (especially citrus oils) can eat through the plastic and Styrofoam very quickly. There are also lots of oils that you can cook with to enhance the flavor of foods. Young Living also offers oil infused supplements!
The best way to get started with oils is the Premium Starter Kit, for more information on the oils included in this kit, go here!