Okay. So, those of you that have been following me for a while know that I really value living life mindfully, and that I consider clean living, eco-friendly living, and natural living important components of that. I’m always on the lookout for ways to live a life with less toxins, chemicals, and harmful waste and byproducts. You also know that as a dental doctor, I value western medicine, but as an educated human being, I also value natural remedies (found in whole foods and nature) and alternative medicine (acupuncture, massage, yoga, meditation, etc.). So it may not totally surprise you when I started doing a lot of Instagram stories about essential oils. I mean, it kinda came outta left field. So, here’s what happened.
Long story short, I had a need, and Young Living Essential Oils filled it—naturally, toxin-free, and safely. The longer version is this: I became a mom, and when my baby contracted a little bug, I felt helpless to his cries and misery. Being sick stinks for all of us, but when you have the ability to talk, you can at least tell someone what’s wrong and get help. Not a baby. They just cry. For hours and hours on end. Miserably. It breaks your heart—and your sanity. And when they’re so small, there aren’t really any meds you can feel safe giving them. Even though my husband is a pediatric critical care doctor, he was very cautious when giving our kids anything pharmaceutical at all unless it is absolutely necessary.
My little 8 week-old boy was fine after a rough few weeks. Even so, the experience of having my newborn child be sick for the first time was so scary and frustrating. I still wanted to be able to do something for my kid when he was sick, other than of course snuggle him and hold him. But what could I do? That’s when my massage therapist told me about Thieves Oil. ( Huh? What’s that?) She told me that it was a safe, proprietary blend by this company I’d never heard of, Young Living, meant to help kill germs naturally, and for prevention of getting sick in the first place. I was pretty skeptical, so I just kept it in the back of my mind. But the whole conversation got me thinking—if food is used as medicine because of specific vitamins or compounds that they contain, essential oils that contain plant-based compounds have got to have a place, too. But what do you do with essential oils? You can buy them anywhere! Why are they so cheap in some places, and so expensive in others? I had so many unanswered questions. I got so overwhelmed I just walked away from the whole thing.
Well, it wasn’t long before my family got sick again. With my husband and I seeing patients all day long and my son in Montessori school, the germs were all over the place. I decided to give this mysterious Thieves Oil a try. So, I ordered some from my massage therapist. She gave it to me with instructions to diffuse it (Ummm, what?) And to apply it on our chests diluted with a carrier oil (Again—what???) It didn’t help us kick the bug faster (It’s not a magic cure.), but it DID make our nasal passages open up, and it made me feel like I was doing something to help make being sick a little bit more bearable. And that was honestly the best part of all.
When everyone at my brother-in-law’s house had the flu except my sister-in-law and newborn nephew, I took the Thieves over to their house. My nephew didn’t get sick, and neither did my sister-in-law. I started to think maybe this may have some validity. Maybe. (By the way, diffusing something means you place the oil in a little machine called a diffuser with some water, and the machine aerosolizes the oil and water mix into the air so you can breathe it in. A carrier oil is something that you use to dilute the concentrated essential oil. It can be anything from olive oil, to grapeseed oil, to almond or coconut oil, jojoba oil….the list goes on.)
From then on, I used Thieves here and there when I thought someone was getting sick, and in my homemade cleaning products, but that was about it. Until recently. I met some really interesting bloggers when I started my own blogging account, and they were all about Young Living oils. “That’s cool, I like Thieves…” I thought. But I mean, other than maybe lavender oil, what was I going to do with a bunch of oils? What could I possibly use them for? No, thanks, I don’t want to get a Premium Starter Pack with all these oils and another diffuser and blah blah blah. I don’t need any of that. And though the Thieves worked, how efficacious could these other oils really be? Just no, thank you.
Fast forward to six months later. I am a HUGE Young Living fan. I use these oils every single day, for a variety of reasons. My kids do, too. What happened? My cheap-o, off-brand diffuser I ordered online was on it’s last leg. Instead of cheaping out, I thought to myself, I’ll buy a quality of Young Living diffuser. They look beautiful and look like they’re good quality. So I reached out to one of the essential oil bloggers on Instagram. When I asked if I could just buy a diffuser, I got a little frustrated that her response was something about a Premium Starter Kit and “joining her team.” Ummm, hello? I just want my diffuser, thanks.
But THANK GOD I heard her out. She explained that Young Living is a reputable company that holds quality to the highest standard. They make sure that their oils are 100% pure, and are harvested as sustainably as possible—check out www.seedtoseal.com for more on that. My acupuncturist and massage therapist, along with other friends who had used YL—people I really trust—also kept singing their highest praises. Knowing that made it easier to listen to what my blogger friend had to say. It made it easier to listen to how much using these oils has HELPED her, and the many many other people who actually gave YL essential oils a chance.
I really wanted a nice-looking diffuser, and so I bit the bullet and bought my kit. And honestly, when it came, I took out the Thieves and the diffuser, and went on with my life. The rest of the box sat there for weeks. WEEKS. I was just too intimidated/lazy/apathetic to bother. At the root of it, though, I’m a neat freak, so the fact that the box was just sitting there, open for all to see, drove me NUTS. So one day, I unpacked it all. And then it all sat in my cabinet for a few more days. Then I started paying attention to the resources. I have a hard time falling asleep, so I skeptically tried using the lavender and Stress Away blend in my diffuser at night. I passed out and slept like a rock that night. Nothing else was different—just the oils diffusing in my room.
Slowly, I began using more oils. Then, I got adventurous and ordered some roller bottles off of Amazon. And THAT’S what did it. I made a roller for menstrual cramps, again with a heavy dose of skepticism. I have painful periods. Really painful ones. Ones where I’m pretty much on prescription strength ibuprofen and naproxen for 5 days straight. And when I used my period roller, guess how many times I used pain meds? ONCE. ONCE!!!! I couldn’t believe it.
I started mixing different combinations, and before I knew it, I had 5 or six different bottles for myself, and I had made three for my kids and sister-in-law. I even took my rollers with me out of town–and I am a very light packer. My husband thought I was crazy, but my kids kept asking for oils to help them from allergies to headaches to being sick to just needing to calm down. Now, I’ve used literally every oil in that kit—and I’ve had to reorder the lavender and Stress Away. The best part was my skeptical physician husband telling me he feels that the oils clearly make a difference. Natural remedies for the win!
But the story doesn’t stop there. The more I connected with others that use Young Living, I learned some frightening information that made me angry, frustrated, and more cautious of the products I allow in my home. For example, did you know that in the EU, there are over 1,300 chemicals banned from cosmetic products alone?! Compare that to the USA. The FDA has only banned 8 and restricted 3. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are all sorts of harmful additives in products many use every day, from laundry detergent to household cleaners to food, clothes and so on. It’s scary. And most of us live ignorant to this fact. It’s only when you compare to other countries and start reading about this stuff that you realize how dangerous ignorance can be. I came to a powerful revelation—just because it’s sold by big name stores doesn’t mean it’s safe or okay.
For my family specifically, I already guard and restrict what products we buy. I don’t wear a ton of makeup or perfume, and I buy organic whenever possible. But I was totally in the dark about just how harmful mainstream brand laundry detergent can be. (Hit up @just.ingredients on IG for more on that topic.). And there are many other products that I’m only just now learning about.
I’m not saying that life in the US is one big conspiracy theory. What I am saying is that we as consumers have a tremendous power to protect our families, our health, AND the environment, because we have the Power of the Dollar. How you choose to spend your money holds great strength. So spend it on companies that are about making products that are natural, clean, and safe for your health. Trust me, the transition process is slow. But there’s no need to throw everything out and invest a ton of money at one time to “ditch and switch.” Take baby steps. But take a step.
Many of you want to know how I use the oils for my kids, or how I use the oils in general, but I don’t want this article to get too long. I just wanted this article to tell my “why.” I’ll be sure to post about the other stuff in another article. For now, namaste!
Ready to join me and get started on your oily journey? Awesome! Just click here.
Curious, and wanna learn more? That’s ok, too! Just click here, and feel free to e-mail me or connect with me on Instagram @seemasaysnamaste. I’ll be happy to answer your questions!
Lots of love to you all, and thanks for reading!