Essential Oils

Some time ago I was invited to a Young Living party and decided to go and see what they had to say.  I have been using essential oils for at least 15 years and would only put pure certified organic oils diluted with a carrier oil on my skin.  I am also very cautious what oils I would use on children.  Basically, I have found lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus (specific) type to be the only ones I would use on children.  I would be cautious what types you use for pets as well.  I believe in researching before using.

I have not used oils as much as I used to so going made me resolved to start making more of my own products again.  So that was a good thing.  However, I asked if the products were organic since that is the only designation I would use on my skin and they said that they were grown organically but sometimes products are imported from countries that do not have the same labeling system as we do so they could not be called organic even though they were raised without chemical inputs.   For me personally if it is going on my skin I want it organic.

It also concerns me how much they recommend to use the oils internally.  In all of my readings in the past I have never been led to believe that you should do.  The following article was really interesting to me and I highly recommend reading it.  http://www.granolaliving.com/2012/07/why-we-dont-offer-doterra-young-living-or-other-multi-marketing-brands-of-essential-oils/

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy has a really great website for anyone interested in using oils.  The safety guidelines are essential to know prior to using any oils.

http://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety/ has been upgraded to say, “With regard to internal use, the safety concerns of this method of application will be explored in more depth by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy over the next two years.” And  http://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety/general-safety-guidelines/ “12. Do not use essential oils internally unless trained to do so.”

http://www.crunchybetty.com/21-things-you-should-know-about-essential-oils this is a great list of 21 things to know about essential oils.  One book that I have that she does not list is Aromatherapy- A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils by Valerie Gennari Cooksley.  There are some really good recipes and information in this book as well.

I like to treat essential oils and herbs like medicine.  The same one does not always work the in the same way for everyone.  Anyone can be allergic to ones that are safe for others.  I like to ere on the side of caution.  I thoroughly believe that plants were given to us for food and medicine by God and have no problem using them as such, however caution is prudent.  Essential oils in particular are highly concentrated forms of the plant and a little goes a long ways. And like anything you use you should be informed and not rely solely on one source for your information.