How Essential Oils Saved Us

2:15 PM

Picture this: It is 11:30 at night. One of your children is throwing up for the 11th time since 5:30. Your other child is in her crib with a 104 degree fever and strep throat. There is an ice storm outside, and your street has been closed for hours because it is a solid sheet of ice. The doctor tells you over the phone to get child #1 to the ER as quickly as possible.

Fast forward 2 months. Child #1 is vomiting again. Every 1/2 hour. Your spouse is away for the weekend, so you frantically call for back up. 2 hours later, child #2 pukes all over her crib. And the cycle begins again.

You can say that I was at the end of my rope. Or tissue box.

This year was the first year that I put Jane and Emma into day care. They were exposed to a whole new bag of germs, which meant that they were sick every single week. Whether it was simply a yucky cough and some green snot or one of the above scenarios, I can tell you that my kids spent more time sick than healthy this past school year.

On top of that, I was at my own all-time high for sinus infections. I have literally never had so many infections before. I was running to the Emergi-Med every spare second I had when one of the twins wasn’t sick to grab some antibiotics. And fuggedaboudit with Hershey. He used a whopping 15(?!) sick days this year, all for himself!

I had become desperate. I posted on the local Mommy Facebook group that I follow that I needed some help for my children’s respiratory issues fast, and a mom in the neighborhood wrote back that she had some miracle essential oil that she used with her LO, if I wanted to stop by. I drove there, in a snowstorm (I know, this sounds like some ridiculous movie, but it is MY LIFE, people), and picked up a tiny little container with a thimble of coconut oil and 6-7 drops of “Breathe” essential oil. I went home, said a little prayer to the EO gods, and smeared some of this stuff on my kids’ feet. And I can honestly say that they slept easier that night.

I then went trolling. I looked into several different brands of Essential Oils, and finally found one that I liked. I believed in Young Living. I did some research, read some testimony from a few of my favorite bloggers, and started to realize that this stuff was EVERYWHERE. Literally everywhere I turned, someone was talking about the healing powers of Essential Oils. So I bought in.

I can’t say that Young Living essential oils have cured all of our ailments, but whenever we need a little extra boost, this is where I turn. Maybe it’s the whole “mind-over-matter” thing. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s therapeutic grade. Maybe there’s just something more to it.

I now use essential oils for everything from clearing the air to scrubbing the counters to concocting immune boosting teas to drink when I start to feel a bug come on. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to my new oily life. So what’s up with the hype?

How to Know the Difference

Here are 8 questions to ask whenever you’re considering purchasing from an essential oils company (source):

1. Can this company guarantee that the land used to grow their plants & herbs is free of residual herbicides, pesticides, & chemicals?

2. Does this company own their own lab to test an oil’s composition?

3. Does this company ever purchase oils from outside suppliers? If so, does the company visit the farms and oil distilleries to observe the process and make sure that there are no added chemicals to the distillation of the oils and that the herbs and plants are grown completely free from contamination with herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers?

4. Does this company only use crops that were harvested at their peak time? And if so, does the grower test to make sure that the crop is at its peak time for harvesting?

5. Does this company continuously monitor the process of distillation to make sure that the oils produced from the distillation contain all of the correct therapeutic components?

6. Can this company guarantee that oils are discarded and not sold if mistakes were made during the distillation process that affect the quality of the oils?

7. Does this company’s oil suppliers use extra solvents during the distillation process to extract extra oil from the plants?

8. Can this company guarantee that nothing is added to the oils during bottling?

Young Living answers all 8 of these questions in a way that made me feel comfortable using their oils with my family, especially with Jane and Emma.

So how do you get your OIL on?

When I signed up through Living Well, Spending Less, I was enticed by the fact that I could just sign up and get the member discount (24%!) and not have to actually sell anything to anyone. All I had to do to keep getting my discount was to buy $50 worth of products per year. I began with the Premium Starter Kit, and upgraded my diffuser to the bamboo diffuser, which I use most days (and some nights!).

Here’s how to sign up:

1. Go to the Young Living page here and fill out your information.

2. BE SURE the “Wholesale Member” option is checked so that you don’t end up paying retail prices.

3. BE SURE the “Sponsor ID” and “Enroller ID” say 2626103.

4. If you do not feel comfortable putting in your social security number (this is only for tax purposes if you decide to turn this into a business) then you can get an EIN from the IRS in just a few seconds here and use that number instead (the IRS just needs to be able to connect some number with you for tax purposes). They need a Social Security Number or an EIN because if you make $600 or more per year selling Young Living products, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail (which is required by law). Young Living will never share this info with anyone.

5. Select which starter kit you want. My recommendation would be the Premium Starter Kit. Those are the most popular and easiest to EASE INTO oils that you will use the most.

6. I normally recommend skipping the Step 3 (Optional) part of the sign-up process and doing that later.

7. Go through the checkout process. Young Living accepts most major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

It is really that simple. We have been using the oils in the Starter Kit for MONTHS and still have plenty. And I promise you that we feel better overall.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please confirm any information obtained from or through this website with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.