Essential Oils 101 Young Living 2019

Why I Use Essential Oils:

I love how oils support my creative process, well-being and emotional happiness.

I diffuse in my studio, on location and on the go.

I continue to be amazed at how well oils support my entire family, Ages 1 - 84 years.
I use essential oils 3 ways:  Topically, Aromatically and Ingesting.
I have found the benefits to be endless!

Because of my experience with essential oils

I wanted to create a resource hub for you!

ESSENTIAL OILS SHOULD BE SIMPLE AND FUN, RIGHT?

Learning about essential oils doesn't have to be boring...

Join my essential oil community here.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?

They are the most powerful part of the plant.

They are distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, fruit, rinds, resins, and herbs.

Oils consist of over 100 different natural, organic compounds.

In humans, many provide support for every system in the body: your skeletal system, muscular system, circulatory system, endocrine system and your hormones, respiratory system, and immune system. They support brain health and a healthy weight. They are used extensively for spiritual support in your prayer life. They have been used for thousands of years as beauty aids and for emotional support. An oil in a diffuser can soothe a child’s tough day at school and provide a calming effect when you’ve had a stressful day at work. Oils can be used as an alternative to cleaning chemicals in the home. You can literally start swapping out every single chemical in your home to live a purer lifestyle, and you can do it without breaking the bank!

There are about 300 oils on the earth, but you only need ten to twenty of them to build a good kit.

You do not need to be an aromatherapist to use them. In most cases, just rub it topically into the skin. There are three main ways to get oils into your system: the English apply it topically—rub it on the skin; the French ingest and cook with it; the Germans diffuse and inhale, which is the most effective method because it doesn’t have to pass through the digestive system.

How do they enter—and how long do they last?

Tests have shown oils reach the heart, liver, and thyroid in three sec- onds when inhaled; they were found in the bloodstream in 26 seconds when applied topically. Expulsion of essential oils takes three to six hours in a normal, healthy body.

ESSENTIAL OILS HISTORY

They were first mentioned by name in the biblical book of Genesis, chapter 37, when Joseph was sold to the slave traders. They carried spicery, balm, and Myrrh! Genesis ends with the burial of Joseph’s father, anointed with Myrrh. There are over 1,100 direct and indirect mentions of essential oils in Scripture.

Some of the oldest cultures on earth used essential oils. The Babylo- nians placed orders for Cedarwood, Myrrh, and Cyprus. The Egyptians used essential oils for beauty and embalming and they have the oldest recorded deodorant recipe made with essential oils. Pakistan and Rome used essential oils in the communal bath houses.

They were even used by Christ! Jesus was given gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Frankincense is sometimes referred to as “the coconut oil of essential oils,” because it has over 10,000 uses.

Essential oils were used by the Medieval Europeans, many of whom brought oils back during the Crusades.

It was only after World War 2 when essential oils were “rediscovered,” and the science on their uses grows with every single year.

DO ESSENTIAL OILS WORK?

I have used oils for six years. Lavender smelled nice in my bath, but never had any significant effect on my body. I bought my lavender for $4 a bottle online, at farmers markets, or at bulk foods stores. In the United States, there is no rating system for essential oils. It would be wonderful if there were—because then you’d know what you were buying! If you walk into a grocery store and look at a box of cereal, you’ll see nutrition facts on the side. There are no “nutrition facts” on the side of oils. That means you have to trust the source. You have to know the company you are purchasing from. What sets Young Living aside? Seed to Seal. It’s our promise of purity. You can learn more about Seed to Seal at seedtoseal.com. All of our oil is shipped from around the world to Spanish Fork, Utah, where it’s run though vigorous 8-point testing to insure purity. Those tests are run in triplicate; at the farm, at Spanish Fork, and a third time before bottling. It’s why Young Living has never had a recalled essential oil in 23 years of business. You can trust the integrity. Seed to Seal is based on three pillars: sourcing, science, and standards. Young Living’s oils are tested by scientists with over 180 years of combined lab experience. They also do third party testing with two accredited, respected, independent labs.

Young Living is a global leader in essential oils, with over 1.5 billion dollars in sales annually. Those that use the oils keep coming back! There are 3-thousand global employees, 600 life-changing products, 16 corporate and partner farms, more than 20 international markets, 50 highly trained scientists, 12 independent partner labs, and four million global members. What does that mean? The testing is thorough and exact. It’s why I don’t buy from a mom and pop oils shop—they don’t have the team to do the testing that’s needed to stay on top of hundreds of oils and blends.

Why can’t you just buy oils at the grocery store? Purity. You get what you pay for. I have seen bottles of Frankincense for $7 at the grocery store—but it costs more than that just to distill! It’s a red flag that the oil has been adulterated.

All oils in the world fall into one of four categories: Authentic, Manipulated, Perfume, or Synthetic.

• Authentic means the oils are 100 percent pure, with no added synthetics or other species in the bottle. These are Young Living oils!
• Manipulated means the final product has been made to smell more pleasing and less earthy. Some of the heavier molecules have been stripped out, or another species introduced, to enhance the aroma.
• Perfume oils are not pure. They are mixed with synthetics to enhance the aroma. These oils have no therapeutic action. Frequently, solvents are used to extract the plant.
• Synthetic oils are not true oils at all. They smell nothing like the original plant, and are typically labeled as “scented products.” These are synthetic.

Authentic is the only true pure oil. Synthetic oils would be like opening your fridge, taking a glass of orange juice, and diluting it 95% before you drank it! (And diluting it with chemicals!) It wouldn’t have the same benefits of a full glass of only orange juice. That’s why you want authentic oils. Before you purchase, check to see if the company grows their own plants, has Seed to Seal, and controls the entire process—from the farm to the sealed bottle. Pesticides, pollution, previously farmed land; all of it can affect the quality of an oil. Why would you go the extra step of using an oil to get away from a chemical—only to use an oil laden with chemicals? It makes no sense.

Young Living’s Seed to Seal process is a promise of integrity. There are no pesticides used, no artificial fertilizers, and no weed killers. The plants are harvested at their peak. They’re then put through a vigorous testing process. Then they go from the farm directly to your home. Seed to Seal is not a slogan, it’s a promise.

WHY DO SOME OILS COMPANIES SELL OILS MORE CHEAPLY?

Most essential oils are sold more cheaply because companies cut corners to save money. If you spray your crop with pesticides, you have more crop to distill. If you use a chemical solvent to extract the oil, you pull more out. If you dilute it with a cheaper oil, or a carrier oil, you stretch the oil you have distilled, and can easily sell more cheaply.

HOW OILS ARE MADE:

It takes a great deal of work to produce a tiny amount of essential oil!

• 60,000 rose blossoms provide only one ounce of Rose oil
• Lavender is abundant—220 pounds will provide seven pounds of oil
• Jasmine flowers must be picked by hand before the sun becomes hot on the very first day they open, thus making it one of the most expensive oils in the world! It takes eight million hand-picked blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil
• A Sandalwood tree must be 30 years old and 30 feet high before it can be cut down for distillation. Gary Young’s Sandalwood trees must be 90 percent dead before they are harvested.

But a little goes a long way. Most oils are $10 to $30 a bottle. Depending on oil thickness (viscosity), a 5-ml bottle contains about 90-100 drops, and a 15-mL bottle contains about 200-240 drops. Each application is one to three drops, meaning even a small bottle will get you 45 to 90 applications. Thieves cleaner is made of plants only and costs about $1.50 a bottle to make. You can’t even get that in the organic section at the grocery store! It replaces a multi-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and floor cleaner. The organic versions of those can run you $4 to $6 a bottle.

ARE THEY SAFE?

There are certain oils that are photosensitive, meaning you don’t want to wear them and go outside. These are mostly citrus oils, like Grapefruit, Lemon, etc.

When using on your skin, always watch for redness and dilute with a carrier oil. Dilute oils on children, because their skin is more permeable and absorbs the oils more quickly. What is a carrier oil? It’s a fatty oil like olive oil or coconut oil, and its molecules are much larger than those of essential oils. Using a carrier oil with an essential oil slows down the rate the body can absorb the essential oil, because it has to ping pong through the large molecules of the carrier oil to get into your skin.

Some oils, like Cinnamon or Oregano, are rather strong, so you may not want to diffuse them.

Be wary of putting the oils topically near your eyes. Some oils, like Peppermint, can cause a burning sensation. If you are placing an oil near your eye, apply the oil to a Q-tip instead of tipping the bottle toward your face.

You can become desensitized to an oil if you use the same one day after day, so I rotate my oils every three to four days.

What about internal use of essential oils? NAHA, one of the top aroma- therapy schools in the United States, doesn’t advocate essential oils for internal use. Why? Most oils companies don’t carry any GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) essential oils. Many argue that internal essential oil use is unsafe, and I would agree, in some circumstances. You need to make sure you’re checking the labels first. Young Living Vitality oils are approved for internal use, just like a food additive. You have been consuming essential oils internally for most of your life—when you chew gum or put Oregano in your pasta.

NAHA also bases a lot of their decisions on the British model, which advocates topical use only. Many of the British studies are flawed, for ex- ample, done at extremely high doses or in ways the oils aren’t used, like pouring a bottle inside the body. Young Living utilizes all three methods, British, French, and German. The French have been safely using some essential oils internally for decades. Young Living’s Vitality line has distinctive white labels so you can easily recognize which oils are safe to take internally.

ON THE FLIP SIDE…

Look at the ingredient list of what you have in your bathroom and kitch- en. Every day we put products on our skin, in our body, and breathe them; but many of these products contain damaging chemicals. The average woman applies over 300 chemicals every day to her body just through soaps, makeup, shampoos, and hair care products. Eighty of those products are applied before breakfast!

When you use Young Living’s essential oils, you’re using a product with one ingredient, like Lemon, Oregano, Tangerine—no synthetic additives and no yuck.

Is all this a bit overwhelming? Let me tell you how I started my oils journey: with a Young Living Starter Kit. It’s the only item on the Young Living website that is half off! If you’re a frugal momma like me, this is the best bang for your buck! It comes with 11 bottles of oil and a diffuser, a sample of Thieves Cleaner and NingXia, and bottles to share oils!

(Pass around the Premium Starter Kit with Diffuser, open the bottles and smell them.

• Frankincense. One of the top skin oils. Helps smooth the appearance of skin. A key ingredient in Young Living’s “Brain Power” essential oil blend. Diffuse during prayer time to help with grounding and purpose.
• Lavender. Oil of relaxation. Diffuse for a calming, soothing aroma. Unwind by adding a few drops to a nighttime bath. One of the top oils to support healthy skin. Called the “Swiss army knife” of essential oils because of its many uses.
• Peppermint Vitality. Supports gastrointestinal comfort. Pro- motes healthy bowel function and enhanced healthy gut function. Helps maintain efficiency of the digestive tract. May support performance during exercise.
• Citrus Fresh Vitality. This blend is a mix of Orange, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Lemon and Mandarin oils. It’s a replacement for chemical-based home fragrances. Spritz in rooms and closets and over linens. Dilute with V-6 carrier and use a perfume. It also helps to tone and smooth the appearance of skin and can be taken internally.
• Thieves Vitality. Helps support a healthy respiratory system and helps maintain overall wellness when taken as a dietary supplement. Add a drop to hot drinks for a spicy zing!
• Stress Away. Promotes wellness and may be an important part of a daily health regimen. One of the top emotion oils blends!
• Lemon Vitality Its citrus flavor enhances the taste of food and water. A key ingredient in Thieves and NingXia Red. May help support the immune system.
• PanAway. Apply after exercise to soothe muscles. Has a stimulating aroma. Apply to back and neck for a soothing aromatic experience. Supports the appearance of healthy skin coloration.
• DiGize Vitality. Top oil blend for supporting the digestive system. Add two drops, along with a drop of peppermint, to water for a stimulating beverage. Take in a veggie capsule internally. Use with Essentialzyme at every meal to support a wellness regimen.
• Raven. is a cleansing blend of Ravintsara, Peppermint, Eucalyptus Radiata, and other essential oils. Raven creates a cooling sensation when applied topically to the chest and throat. Diffuse up to three times daily for a soothing aroma.
• Peace and calming is one of my favorite kid oils! (Though I have been known to sneak a few drops onto my hands and enjoy it as well!) I use it to bring Peace to the chaos in my head. It’s different than Stress Away in that Stress Away is for long, prolonged use during the day and specifically for the sort of “Fight or Flight” stress that comes on fast. Peace and Calming is more for the evening to slow your mind down. Peace and Calming contains Ylang Ylang, Orange, Tangerine, Patchouli, and Blue Tansy.
• Stress Away. Promotes wellness and may be an important part of a daily health regimen. One of the top emotion oils blends! I use Stress Away before the onslaught of a heavier day. This oil contains Lime, Copaiba, and Vanilla—and is like a massage for the senses. It’s so soothing and calming.
• Valor. Valor contains Black Spruce, Blue Tansy, Camphor Wood, Geranium, and Frankincense. The Valor blend was used by the Ancient Romans in the bathhouses before they sent their soldiers into battle. Its smooth, relaxing scent is designed for courage and bravery.

How do you order? Simply go to www.youngliving.com, click on “Become a Member,” and use the number of the person who told you about oils as enroller and sponsor. It’s that simple. Welcome to the world of oils!     

 Disclaimer:

I am an independent distributor of Young Living.  Patti Friday Kennedy #12680967

***  Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to Young Living essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. If you are currently on medication, please DO NOT STOP.

Patti Friday: Reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'