How I use Essential Oils for My Every Day Health

​Just over two years ago, I bought a few essential oils to help my daughter with an ear infection that kept returning.  We were at the end of our rope with antibiotics for my then four year old and I knew we had to do something to try and prevent infection.  It seemed that at the end of every single cold an ear infection followed.  

A blogger I had followed for quite some time had started using essential oils at home with her family and I had kind of written it off.  I didn't’ really get the whole idea behind them, and I didn’t really believe that they could work.  But with my sanity on the line, I bought a few and started using them for her ears.  

They did end up helping with the symptoms, which I was really excited about.  You know when your kids are in pain, you’ll do just about anything, and in a way, this is what pushed me into essential oils in the first place.

I didn’t move fast with adding new oils to my self care or daily routines.  I need to add things gradually instead of just jump right in.  Eventually, I realized that I really needed to amp up our immune system to truly stop these dreaded seasonal colds, flues and ear infections.  Again, I had heard about Thieves, but didn’t really buy into it.  I decided though, to give it a try and just SEE if it really lived up to all it’s been touted to be.

This was my game changer.  Thieves Essential Oil literally changed my entire life.  I started just using it when there were colds going around (let’s be real -- this is pretty much EVERY. SINGLE. DAY in a preschool room).  It seemed to help.  My girls started to have reduced symptoms when they would get sick.  And they seemed to miss out on a few of the bugs going around.  

A few months later when kindergarten started for my oldest daughter, I had read about how important consistency is with these oils, and I started using them daily as part of our morning routine on my kids.  Again, I saw life change in a positive way.  This drastically reduced the amount of times my girls were sick and drastically reduced the cold and flu symptoms in my kids.  This also meant that my husband and I were much healthier this season too.  We all know the domino effect of one child bringing home a virus…...eventually the whole family gets it. 

This was my first experience with essential oils, and it literally changed SO much with my family’s routines and life.  Over the past two years I’ve gradually added on to my routines and found other ways I love to use my oils.  I know most people will have really strong opinions either for or against these little bottles of goodness, but I wanted to share with you some of the ways that I use my oils every day to support emotional and physical health.

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IMMUNE SYSTEM

​You can probably already tell that I’m in love with using oils to support my immune system.  I am going to go out on a limb here (with just two weeks left of school) and tell you that my kids have had ZERO sick days.  Zero.  And we’ve been surrounded by a ROUGH cold and flu season here in the Midwest.  

I’m not telling you my kids didn't get sick at all.  They did.  They both had a minor sniffle or two during the winter, but it was so mild and short lived that they could go on with their daily routines without missing school.

Before I share with you HOW I use essential oils for my family’s health and to support their immune systems, I must BEG you to understand that these oils are powerful and not meant for use on everyone or every age.  You literally just need a few drops of an essential oil to make a HUGE impact.  Oils are a extremely concentrated  and are obtained by extraction and distillation of plants.  Make sure you do some checking on what is appropriate for amounts and uses around kids and pets.

To support our immune system, I made a roller with 10 drops of Thieves Essential Oil, 10 drops Frankincense Essential Oil and 10 drops Copaiba Essential Oil.  In the really intense winter months I might add 1 to 3 drops of Oregano Oil too.  I then pump in fractionated coconut oil to the roller and fill it up to the top.  I put the cap on and shake it up to mix the oils together.  

Every morning we roll this on our feet and spine before we head out the door.  And like I said, we’ve had ZERO sick days this year.  I give credit to a combination of things, but I really feel like essential oils is the game changer here.

Sometimes I will also diffuse Thieves if I’m feeling like we need some extra support.

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SKIN CARE

​My skin has benefited SO much from using a few key essential oils.  I don’t go super overboard or make it really complex, but I have added just a few little gems to my skin care routine and seen a lot of the fine lines that had been starting (thanks kids!) to disappear.  

I’ve also had luck minimizing those blemishes that pop up every once in a while with the help of essential oils. Skin care is such a personal thing and many of us have VERY different types of skin -- me included! That being said, not every oil or carrier oil (the base you mix the essential oils with) are going to work for every different skin type.  

My skin tends to be more sensitive and on the drier side. And because of this I use jojoba oil as a base for my serum.  You could also use rosehip oil as a base or even aloe as a base if you wanted.

I think the real trick with using essential oils for skin care is consistency.  When I started using them every day, I started to notice a pretty big change in the texture of my skin and the reduction of fine lines.  

The other great thing about using essential oils as part of your skin care routine is that you’re cutting out a lot of the toxins, preservatives and chemicals that are in the health and beauty products. It’s the main reason I even started using essential oils for my skin, and the benefits of this skin care routine have been just a huge plus.

​EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

​Sometimes emotions run super high. This is true of any family, but sometimes even more so with families who have littles.  I even need some support sometimes to calm my feelings, stay grounded or give me a boost.  There a lot of ways I support my emotions and my stress levels, but essential oils have really helped in positively supporting my other tactics.

I have a few key oils that I use in both diffusers and rollers that help with creating a calming, peaceful feeling.  I especially use this before we head of to school for the day to chase away those butterflies.

Valor is like a little bit like the  magic unicorn of emotional support oils.  We use it in a roller and in the diffuser whenever feelings of insecurity sneak in.

Stress Away is another oil that we use SO often.  It smells like vanilla and truly does bring the stress levels down.  I love it so much for the end of the night after dinner and you can even use it in a shower or bath to help calm your brain and body.  

And of course there’s lavender.  Lavender is probably our most used oil around the house.  We use it ad bedtime and with laundry...and in a lot of our diffuser blends.  My girls absolutely love it and the relaxing effect it has.  If you’re not into the flower smell, I love pairing it with Cedarwood to give it a more grounded, earthy smell.  It’s like my magic sleep potion. 

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MEDITATION

​So often during either journaling, devotions or meditation I love to have a few essential oils going in the diffuser.  This really helps my mind stay focused and centered while I delve deep into whatever self-care practice I’m in.  I didn’t initially think it would make that much of a difference to my time meditating or doing self-reflection.  But I still tried using a grounding blend of essential oils in the diffuser. Now, I just don’t feel like any of these internal reflections are as powerful without using my diffuser.  

These blends are my absolute favorite when it comes to creating an environment positive for journaling, meditation or self-reflection:

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REDUCING CHEMICAL EXPOSURE

​I mentioned it earlier, but reducing the risk of chemical exposure is so important to me and my family.  I started learning all about the toxins that are in cleaning products and in products I used in my home after my girls were born.

I was appalled to learn all of the products that I thought were healthy and green actually were not. What was even more disappointing to learn was that these products ended up in the air on surfaces I really never intended it to be on.  The thought of my kids getting chemicals from cleaning products in their mouths was enough to make me look into alternatives.

I started using the Think Dirty app religiously when I was buy any product for cleaning, skin or general home product.  It’s helped me understand what to look for, what to avoid and what is safe to buy. 

The chemicals that are in many of the products we introduce to our homes are toxic to our bodies and our internal systems.  Our hormone production is especially affected by the preservatives added to our home products.  (You can learn even more about how to keep your home healthy at my page Healthy House on the Block).

The great thing about essential oils is that many of them have disinfecting properties and can be used in cleaners and instead of cleaners.  For example, the Thieves Household Concentrated Cleaner has replaced literally every single one of my cleaners.  It’s one of the biggest, most positive changes we’ve made in our house.  Learn more here.

LEARN HOW TO GET YOUR STARTER KIT HERE

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​ENERGY BOOST

​Using essential oils to get me going in the morning and during the afternoon slump has been another way I never expected to use them.  I love diffusing an energizing blend to get my body moving and to refresh my mind.  It’s been such a great tool for me instead of using coffee or a snack in the afternoon.  

I used to grab a snack or make another cup of coffee in the afternoon while i was working to keep me on task, but ever since I started using a diffuser in my office, the need for these other vices is gone.  I feel  a lot better about using a diffuser because I was eating or having something to drink when I really didn’t need it.

There are so many energizing blends that promote productivity for when your working or cleaning.  I like to experiment with different blends to see what works the best. These diffuser blends are winners in my book

​Do you use essential oils?  What ways do you use them?

Want to learn more?

The Easiest Way to Start Introducing Essential Oils to Your Routine