A friend of mine recently started using Essential Oils, and she raved about how amazing they were and how quickly they worked and how many different uses they had . . . and I was happy they worked for her, but I was still fairly skeptical as to just how well they actually worked. Then I went to visit, and I tried several of the oils myself, and my skepticism melted away. Here are a few reasons why (and these are all true stories from myself and friends):
- Elevation. This blend does just that -- it elevates your attitude and mindset when you're feeling blue and helps you stay happy and joyful, or at least pleasant. And it smells amazing.
- PastTense. This blend works wonders on headaches of all kinds, including migraines. A friend of mine gets terrible migraines, and I had her try this oil. Within ten minutes, her migraine had disappeared. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it isn't. And this one also smells amazing . . . like cool and calming peppermint.
- Balance. This blend is great for stress and depression -- both of which apply to my life in various degrees. I'm still waiting on my own bottle to arrive in the mail, but when I was testing this one with my friend during my visit, it really did help balance out my emotions. I'm looking forward to testing this out during finals, which are rapidly approaching.
- Deep Blue. Have you ever had deep, hard knots in your shoulders that no amount of massages or gels or medicine will melt away? Try this oil in a lotion. It works wonders! It soothes sore muscles, painful joints, and melts away the tight knots.
- Lemon. Breathing in lemon takes care of my runny noses within minutes.
- Serenity. This blend is for peace, tranquility, and, most importantly, SLEEP! (I'm still waiting on my bottle of this in the mail as well.) The few nights I tried this were the most restful ones I've had in a very long time. I recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping -- students, mothers, children, parents, people who keep strange hours.
- Slim & Sassy. This blend helps increase your metabolism, especially in problem areas, and also helps curb your appetite.
- Peppermint. Another "miracle" oil, peppermint takes care of motion sickness and nausea (as we discovered on a very long traffic jam) as well as giving you a "wake-up" boost if you smell it.
- Sunburn. A mixture of frankincense, lavender, melaluca, and lemon with coconut oil does wonders for sunburn. I had a pretty red burn, so I mixed this up and applied it overnight. In the morning, the burn was practically gone. You can find the recipe here: DIY Sunburn Relief.
You can also use the oils for household cleaning, for creating your own spa products such as lotions, sugar scrubs, face cleansers, etc., and as a plethora of other remedies. Pinterest has been a lifesaver and somewhat addicting in this area. You can view my Essential Oils board, or you can create your own Pinterest account here and start pinning your own oil blends.
I use the doTERRA oils. There are other brands out there available. The important thing to look for is natural and pure oils. A helpful tip is diluting the oils with fractionated coconut oil or another carrier oil in order to make them last longer. While an individual bottle may be expensive (depending on the type of oil), the power of a single drop is enormous.
Still not convinced? Don't take my word for it. Conduct your own research. Here's a helpful guide for all the skeptics out there: A Skeptic's Guide to Essential Oils. All I can tell you is that I'm amazed at how well they work for me, and I hope they work for you as well.