Happy Friday! I am so excited to have a guest “speaker” on the blog today! Tiffany and I worked together a few years ago and bonded over our mutual love of Jesus and all things crunchy (aka holistic)! It is my honor to have her share her journey and knowledge of essential oils with us today! Enjoy!

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Essential Oils 101 with Tiffany

Essential Oils have been part of our family for over a year and I can’t imagine going without them! Hi! My name is Tiffany and I am wife to Jay and the mother of four young children! I have always enjoyed learning about natural living and pursuing a healthy lifestyle. I often hear from my husband, “Do we really need the organic version?” to which of course my answer is “YES!”.

I really believe prevention is the key; giving our body everything it needs to function well and keeping out the things that tax our bodies.

So: what are essential oils? How are they made? How can they help my family? Stay tuned! I hope to answer some of your questions!

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?
Essential oils are the most powerful part of the plant. They consist of over 100 different, natural, organic compounds. Essential oils are not new, they have been used for centuries and are mentioned in the bible over 1100 times starting with Genesis 37. They were also given as gifts to baby Jesus (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh).

HOW ARE ESSENTAIL OILS MADE?
They are distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, fruit, rinds, resins and herbs.

HOW CAN THEY HELP MY FAMILY?
They can provide support for every system of your body: your skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory and immune system, they can also support your endocrine system and help regulate your hormones. They can be inhaled, applied topically, and ingested. Tests have shown that, when inhaled, oils reach the heart, liver and thyroid in 3 seconds! When applied topically, they are found in the blood stream in 26 seconds. Powerful stuff!

DO ESSENTIAL OILS WORK?
They key is to find a company that produces PURE therapeutic grade oils. This can be a challenge to find for several reasons. The FDA has very loose regulations on essential oils. They fall in the 4 categories, Grade A, Grade B, Grade C and Grade D. HOWEVER, to be considered Grade A it only has to contain 5% of essential oil! The rest can be anything like alcohol or a carrier oil.
This was my struggle, going to different stores trying to determine the difference between the $15.00 oil and the $8.00 oil! Is the 15 dollar oil a better quality? Who knows!?

Do your research on the company and their process of growing and distilling the oils. I have found a really great company, and I am happy to recommend what we use in our family.

HOW DO I USE OILS FOR MY FAMILY?
I would challenge you to look in a few cabinets in your home and check the labels. Do some research on the ingredients and see if that is something you want to smell or apply to your skin. Did you know that average women applies over 300 chemicals a day to her body just through soaps, makeup, shampoo and hair products! It is so important to read labels and do our own research because the FDA doesn’t always have our best interest at heart. Many chemicals have been banned in other countries, but not here in the USA! We are the gatekeepers of our home; we can use oils in place of many of these products and reduce our chemical contact. Take baby steps, replace that chemical plug-ins or candles with diffused oils. That’s how I started!

Here are some other ways that we use oils every day:

FAMILY
I often diffuse Lavender and Cedarwood to create a soothing and comforting home. When sickness is in our house I use a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary to purify the air. I also use this blend in my cleaning products and use it in every room of my home! My husband and I take oils internally. Peppermint and DiGize blend for digestive support, and Copaiba for overall wellness. We also use oils in our smoothies and when baking! One of our favorites is flavored water, adding a drop of Lemon or Tangerine, or even Grapefruit oil really helps me enjoy drinking our daily water recommendations. I sometimes add stevia to my water to really make it fun!

CHILDREN
We diffuse oils in our childrens’ rooms at bedtime. This has really helped created an atmosphere of calm! If I forget, they will remind me! I use a blend of Tea Tree, Lemongrass, and Rosemary on a cotton ball to put in the kids shoe bin: oils don’t just cover up the smell like other products, they kick it to the curb! I use this same blend in a spray bottle when we go outside for a nuisance- free outdoor experience!

FOR ME
I often use bergamot oil in my morning tea. I use Frankincense, my favorite oil, during prayer and Bible study to help with focus and concentration. Frankincense is also great for promoting smooth skin, and I add a drop of this to my daytime and nighttime moisturizers. I use Valor at bedtime on my feet; it’s a blend of Black Spruce, Blue Tansy, Frankincense and more! It helps me unwind after a long day and it has a warming and affirming scent. I also make lots of DIY’s with oils, bath bombs and salts, lotions, and roll-ons to take with me in my purse when I need a moment to collect myself! Four children can do that to you! Haha!

THANK YOU!
Thank you for letting me share my passion with you! I hope you have gained new knowledge of essential oils and that it empowers you to make healthy choices for your families, as it did mine. Again, if you have more questions on how to use oils to help your family wellness goals, contact me, I’d me happy to talk with you and send you information or samples to help you reach your goals!
GOD BLESS!

Tiffany

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Thanks for such great information, Tiffany! I know essential oils are so powerful: one example of many is that I drank water with a few drops of Peppermint oil in Uganda when I felt a stomach bug coming on and it disappeared within 15 minutes! They are so effective and don’t have side effects! Win/win!

Tiffany works for an outstanding company called Young Living and is happy to talk to anyone with questions! You can reach her at TiffMRobinson@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about getting started with essential oils!

Alright, friends! Thanks, as always, for reading! Have a great weekend and don’t get the flu! Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Ang