I remember being introduced to Essential Oils 101 at the Minneapolis School of Massage & Bodywork (20 or so years ago — not sure how that happened!). It was so cool to me that our health can so easily be influenced by aromatherapy.
For years after, I tried oils from our natural foods co-ops, I tried using and selling aromatherapy products (to no avail) from a company called BabySpa, and then, to tell you the truth, I lost interest due to the ineffectiveness of those products.
What always stood me still, though, was the moment I would smell pine boughs and it would take me back to jogging through the woods while I lived in Eugene, Oregon, in college. Or the way the scent of basil would bring me back to being a nanny harvesting fresh basil leaves in the garden with littles in tow, or how dried lavender made me immediately think of a soft, chubby little babe fresh from the bath.
How Essential Oils Came Into Our Lives
Flashback to when my daughter Annie started kindergarten: I was full of the mama worry and guilt. Did I start her too early? Should I be homeschooling her? Is she too tired? Is she getting what she needs? And the ultimate guilt monger: She would be so much easier to manage if I could just shut her in her room for 30 minutes after school. Really, that’s how it was going over here … it was tough, I’m not going to lie.
30 hours a week of full-day kindergarten was hard on our little Bean Bag. She had dark circles under her eyes even though went to bed at 6:30. She was wound like a whirling dervish after school — though cuddling in with me nor running around outside did the trick. We took her to our homeopath and I shifted her nutrition protocol. It helped, but not as much as I wanted it to.
I was lamenting to a friend one afternoon in her delightfully smelling living room and got an a-ha moment: I should try essential oils. I had heard how much people loved the brand Young Living. They have a great reputation — definitely up to my standards — I just hadn’t given it a thought until then.
I shared with my friend as I had this a-ha moment, and we laughed for a long time, for as I said this, she lifted a vase, and behind it was a Young Living diffuser. This wonderfully scented room I was in smelled like it did because of the Thieves in her diffuser.
This, my friends, was no accident or coinky-dink (my mom’s official word for “coincidence”).
I went home, purchased the Premium Starter Kit and we were off into the land of the many wonderful, amazing, and helpful uses of pure food grade essential oils. I included more than 10 of my favorite uses in my At-Home Health Care Manual — the ultimate guide to handling your family’s health twists and turns from home. Be sure to download a free copy.
How I Use Essential Oils Daily
My oils regimen changes daily with my needs. It depends upon our health, the weather, the kids, stress, energy, and what I feel like wearing and want to diffuse in our house. It also depends on whether my husband is playing hockey (pew!).
Upon rising, I step into the kitchen to rehydrate. A few drops of either Lemon, Lime, or CitrusFresh go into my water bottle, and once my morning supplements are gone, so are my first 20 ounces of the day. Getting half my weight in ounces of water in daily is no problem for me.
When it comes to washing my face, I use a warm textured washcloth to gently exfoliate my skin. I follow this up with a moisturizer and a couple drops each of Frankincense and Manuka. At times I’ll throw in Lavender.
Starting the diffuser helps everyone’s morning go more smoothly, though sometimes I don’t think about it until everyone is gone on my home days. It feels like a luxury adding in my favorite oil combo at that time. Right now I am LOVING Ylang Ylang and Abundance, yum! This one I can smell on myself for hours. For some reason once I apply the oils I can’t smell them on myself but others compliment or ask me all the time what I’m wearing so apparently they can smell them.
The other combo for either the diffuser or directly on my skin is of Clarity and Bergamot Vitality. Oh man, watch out. One of my employees said she gets a serious case of the “F*#& Its” when she wears Clarity. I laughed out loud at that one — though I admittedly notice something similar when I wear it. It’s an undeniable clarity for that time — it’s almost uncanny.
For sleep or relaxation, we rely on the Tranquil roll-on, Lavender, and Vetiver. These are so perfect for deep relaxation. If I’ve got achy shoulders or neck, the Deep Relief roll on is awesome as I can reach back and apply it to the back of my neck and shoulders easily on my own. I may add some Lavender or Copaiba to drive that one in. It feels amazing. Another one I use at bedtime is Cedarwood. This one I will run through my hair and it feels super calming.
More ways I use essential oils:
- Supporting my cycle and during my period
- Cuts, burns, bug bites, and other skin issues
- Homemade laundry detergent
- Homemade dry shampoo
For our children, the calming effect for anxiety, the ease of motion sickness, and the boost of confidence has been a warm welcome. Rubbing Peace & Calming on the kiddos’ feet before bedtime or simply having the diffuser running when the kids get home from school has made a tremendous difference.
Using the oils on our dog has been fun as she normally responds to fireworks, the doorbell, and thunderstorms with shuddering and worry. She now just looks at us as we put a drop or two of Peace & Calming right on her collar or on her pillow.
In the video below, I sat down with Shaina and Michelle — two avid oil users and fellow mamas to young ones. We chatted about how oils have helped us through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, the newborn stage, and raising our kids. It’s full of ideas and stories about the positive impact oils have had for us.
Finding Essential Oils That Work for Your Family
I’m here to tell you there are so many ways to use essential oils, you just have to find which ones work for you by experimenting. I have seen the ability of essential oils to instantly shift my energy, lift my spirits, calm a nervous tummy, put me to sleep, and give me power. Aren’t you curious how they can make an impact on your family?
Wherever you start, it’s like a scavenger hunt finding out which oils to use for what. My cousin Michelle is my essential oils guru — my go-to person for recommendations and new uses. She occasionally does essential oils education for our MHB community. You can find her on our preferred partners page.
If you’re looking for a great place to start, head to our MHB shop and order your own Young Living starter kit to start playing with.
Be sure you do your research about what essential oils are and are not safe for children and pets. Here are some general guidelines.
