The Truth About Essential Oils
What's the Deal with Essential Oils
Let's start with the basics...
-Essential oils are aromatic liquids harvested from plant material, the end result being fragrant liquid (not really oily) full of the essence or the "essential" part of the plant.
-Essential oils are not new! The are definitely coming into their own and people are straight nuts about them, but they have been around for centuries.
-Good quality essential oils are pricey!! In all the research I have done on the subject, the old saying "You Get What You Pay For"...Definitely applies here. Now, if you want essential oils just for the smell, that can definitely be achieved in a cheaper, lesser quality oil, however if you're truly wanting to use essential oils for wellness, you need to get a quality oil.
What People Aren't Telling us About Essential Oils
If you google essential oils these days you come up with thousands of entries. Some good, some bad, some ridiculous; everyone has their own opinion and everyone is biased (YES, Everyone!!).
Knowing that everyone is biased, how do you get the TRUTH about essential oils?
You've got to piece it all together, weed through the dramatic and land somewhere where you're comfortable...or... consult friends who you trust. Even if that friend is a representative, distributor, wellness consultant, whatever for a specific company, if you really trust them, then they must have chosen that company for a reason, right!?!
Despite, what some people tell you, essential oils are not for everyone--GASP! I know and I'm a huge advocate for essential oils, but the reality is that if you do purchase them and only use them occasionally, then they really aren't for you. Similarly, to exercise, whole foods, real-food...Essential Oils are a lifestyle change and are best when used regularly.
Can you exercise once in awhile and expect benefits? Not really. Can you eat whole foods occasionally and reap the benefits? Probably not. Same with Essential Oils, yes you can use them once here and once there, and probably receive some benefit, but ultimately the most benefit will come overtime as they become part of your routine.
Essential Oils and the Rules
So I wanted to add some information about the current state of essential oils, since this wasn't always the case...
In recent months, the FDA has become increasingly aware and diligent about safety of essential oils and the usage by the general public. Specifically, the big companies if essential oils such as Young Living and Doterra, needed to make huge changes and overhaul to the language and literature surrounding essential oils.
Previously, you could scour the interwebs and find lots of outlandish and maybe true claims about the benefits of essential oils, however, slowly, but surely Pinterest boards are being removed, sections of essential oil websites are now password protected, Facebook posts are being removed, etc.
So what's an uber researcher, like myself to do? Well you either join them, or you just keep digging. Eventually, you can find enough information to make an informed choice about Essential Oils.
The reality is this- Nobody should have been making those claims in the first place! The average oil user is not a doctor and therefore cannot treat or diagnose disease, which is exactly what they were doing!! YIKES!
Kind of surprising that it took this long, for the FDA to crack down on wording. Do I believe the hype? Yes and No...Essential Oils are highly concentrated and should be used with caution and care, but in our family I have seen some awesome results using oils. Can they cure disease like people used to claim, NO!
But let me explain (in extremely short terms)--When you start to understand how essential oils work in the body you realize the oils themselves cannot cure disease, however, they do work in such a way that they help optimize cell function and when cells are functioning optimally, there is no room for disease in our body.
