Why I am TOTALLY obsessed with essential oils

My indoctrination to essential oils started with a glass of wine and a serious need for a good night’s sleep.

 About a year ago, my husband and I went over to our friends, Tim and Candace’s, house for dinner. We had just moved into a new apartment and our neighbors were clearly nocturnal (loudly nocturnal, at that) and that our entire family was struggling to get quality sleep. It had been going on for weeks and we were all grumpy, overtired and frustrated by the situation.

 As we were hanging out (enjoying a glass of Merlot), I vented to Candace about our poor sleep and busy nighttime neighbors. Asking them to quiet down hadn’t worked and I was at my wit’s end.

“Have you tried diffusing lavender at night? Just to help you all to relax and get into a deeper sleep easier? It might even help you stay sleep despite all the noise,” she suggested, sipping on her wine.

Hmmmmm. I had not. But I was desperate and I had heard plenty about lavender being great for promoting calm and relaxing environment. I was willing to try anything at this point. Our family just seriously needed sleep.

With a sample of some Young Living lavender in hand, we headed home for the evening. After we put Alice to bed (wearing earmuffs on to stifle the inevitable noise), I dusted off a diffuser that I had gotten years ago, added some distilled water and two drops of the lavender. I wanted to try this oily trick out on Ken and myself before putting it in Alice’s room.

As I turned the diffuser on and tucked myself into bed, I inhaled the lovely aroma of lavender that quickly filled my room…..

…..and then the next thing I knew it was morning. And Alice was bouncing on our bed to wake us up. We had slept through the night. Despite the fact that my neighbors had been banging around before we went to bed, I had slept like a rock and now felt like a million bucks.

Was it a fluke? Maybe. So I tried it again the next night. And then the next. And as my sleep-filled nights continued, I became more intrigued by the power of essential oils.

So I paid Candace another visit….1) to report back about my new awesome sleep habits and 2) to ask questions about what else essential oils could do.

As we sat down (with tea this time) to talk oils, Candace busted out her own Young Living starter kit of oils and walked me through what each of them did for her.

Thieves was a blend of rosemary, lemon, clove, cinnamon and eucalyptus…all oils that were known for their natural immune boosting properties and what she rocked in her homemade cleaning products and diffused when her family was feeling under the weather. 

Stress Away is an occasional must for those days when parenthood, work life or straight-up adulting feels like too much.

Lavender…well, I already knew what lavender could do for me. And I was smitten.

While I was intrigued by her experiences, I went home to do some research of my own before I was ready to take the plunge of investing in my own starter kit.

What I found was that essential oils go so far beyond just smelling nice. They speak to the brain in a very special way. Our limbic system (that’s the part of your brain in charge of all your emotions) is strongly linked to our sense of smell. So it is possible that smelling/diffusing certain oils can be helpful in relaxing us, calming us and even provoking happy memories from our past….all things that can aide in our emotional wellness.

Not only do they make the brain happy, but Young Living essential oils can be a game changer in helping to rid toxic chemicals from our home. I found that essential oils each have their own immune-boosting, wellness promoting plant power…. some stronger than others.  By using different essential oils, I could quickly and easily whip up my own natural DIY home cleaning and care products! And after the initial investment in the starter kit, the savings would be incredible!

I worked so hard to make sure our food was clean and healthy for us. It only made sense that I put as much effort into making sure our home and environment was just as squeaky clean.

I was sold. I ordered my starter kit and have been using essential oils ever since. I have continued to educate myself on their powerful properties (something I encourage everyone to do, especially if you are using them safely around/with children and animals ).  And the more I use and learn about oils, the more I love them. I feel like every day, I find a new way to use oils that makes my life a little better.

If you are interested in walking the oily path in your life too, you can get your own YL starter kit here!