Are Essential Oils Really Essential?

The relaxing smell of lavender, the clean smell of lemon and the Christmas Spirit smell of peppermint are all scents we are all familiar with. But are these scents something really "necessary" or is all this mumbo jumbo about oils just that?

Essentially, you first have to decide if essential oils are really essential for you in your essential daily routines. (How many times can you put the word essential in a sentence?!) Do you associate smells with feelings? Do you associate smells with a sense of calm, hyperactivity, productivity, cleanliness or even sleep? If yes to some or even one of those, then, "YES" oils are your jam! I'm one of these people. I associate smells of all kinds with memories, feelings, and even activities.

A few years back a friend introduced me to Young Living, one of many companies out there that specialize in essential oils. Though the purpose of this post is not to promote one company over another, Young Living is the one I use. I do like their "Seed to Seal" product backing, and think they provide a pure product. However, I think all oils all great. I also think if you can economically save some money, go for it... but that's another post for another time.

So what are essential oils? According to an article I found on healthline.com, written by Helen West in 2017, " Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants. The oils capture the plant's scent and flavor, also called its "essence." Unique aromatic compounds give each essential oil its characteristic essence. Essential oils are obtained through distillation (via steam and/or water) or mechanical methods, such as cold pressing. Once the aromatic chemicals have been extracted, they are combined with a carrier oil to create a product that's ready for use.The way the oils are made is important, as essential oils obtained through chemical processes are not considered true essential oils."

How do they work? Taken from the same article as mentioned above, " Essential oils can be inhaled or applied to the skin. They may stimulate your sense of smell or have medicinal effects when absorbed." Ms. West mentions in the article that oils are not meant to be swallowed; which I have have contradictorily found you can do! If... 1) done safely and 2) with a clean/pure product.

So why would I try essential oils? Do you suffer from anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, snoring, tension, lack of focus, arthritis, migrains/headaches, seasonal allergies, inflammation, hormones or others? Then essential oils might be a great thing to try if you are wanting a more "homeopathic" method to treat your symptoms rather than traditional western medicine. Or maybe you try it out just for the smells!!

Now I don't honestly suffer from many of those things in the list above. However, like I said at the beginning of this post, I do associate smells with many things. Which means I was ALL IN when I found out it MIGHT help my husband's snoring, my son's craddle cap when he was an infant, helping me with going to sleep at night, and even just mild anxiety from being a new mom and stressed out teacher. So I bought a starter kit from my friend, and I was hooked! Now I have a laundry list of favorites I would highly recommend to anyone who will sit still and listen. (My list of favorites are below.) So it's up to you to decide if essential oils really are "essential" or not. I found that when I was in the classroom they were ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL! Now, in my home I diffuse them here and there as needed or depending the season. Happy researching and for those of you "Oilies" out there.... sniff on! (Yea... I'm coining Oilies as a group name now.)

For more information on popular oils, health benefits, how to choose the right oil and safety/side effects, click on the link to Ms. West's article. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-are-essential-oils#section7

Popular Essential Oil Companies

Young Living https://www.youngliving.com/en_US

DoTerra https://www.doterra.com/US/en

Aura Cacia https://www.auracacia.com/

Eden's Gardens https://www.edensgarden.com/

NOW Foods Essential Oils https://www.nowfoods.com/essential-oils

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Staci's Favorites

*Joy- Sense of joy and calming (I put this on my neck and wrists like perfume. If you need alot of joy...slather it on! I get alot of compliments on how nice it smells! Thanks Allena for the idea!! I also diffuse this when my anxiety is high)

*Purification- Clean smell (Diffuse this in your house or classroom for a Pinesol clean smell like lemon)

*Lemon+Peppermint+Lavender- Rub a drop of each on chest for seasonal allergies or use each individually for it's own uses. (Peppermint for headaches and lavender for calming)

*Peace and Calming- for literally that! (Rub it on or diffuse it. I used this in my classroom on the reg!)

*Stress Away- Rub on chest or diffuse to help with stress/anxiety. I would diffuse this one on the reg in my classroom also. I rub on my hands and inhale when my "hormones are in swing."

*Valor- helps with courage and eases anxiety. Also supposed to be good for helping with snoring.

*Cedarwood- not my favorite smell but good for rubbing on feet to help with sleep. Used a ton when my son was little and sleeping was tough for us all!

*Thieves- purifying (Rub on feet when feeling icky symptoms coming on or diffuse during cold/flu season)

*Digize- for help with digestion (Rub on stomach to help with digestion or upset stomach. I've seen this literally work in 30 minutes and stop vomiting with a stomach bug!!)

*PanAway- like old school Icy Hot- rub on sore muscles for relief and reducing inflammation

*Deep Relief roll on- I like even more than PanAway above for same symptoms

*Dragon Time- two words HORMOME RELIEF! Rub on your belly to help with bloating and anxiety/stress..... I like to think of using it when the "Dragon Lady" comes to visit! LOL!

*Tea Tree- seasonal allergy relief

There are so many awesome ones and some really great blends. I haven't event started to try them all and there are some new ones I definitely want to throw in some time. But the ones above are my "go-to's" and the more popular ones I keep on hand.