A Beginner’s Guide to using Essential Oils
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are harvested from farm grown and wild plants, herbs, trees, and flowers. They are concentrated plant extracts obtained by steam distillation, cold pressing, or resin tapping (depending on the plant). Genuine essential oils are far more powerful than the plants from which they are extracted, therefore a small amount goes a long way.
Suggested Usage:
Aromatically:
Use to uplift the spirit
Rub 2-3 drops of essential oil between your hands and inhale
Add a few drops of essential oil to a bowl of hot water. Cover your head and bowl with a towel, then breathe deeply and slowly
Use your favourite essential oil in a diffuser for a mood boosting room deodorizer and air cleaner
Topically:
Many essential oils are safe and beneficial to use directly (neat) on the skin
Place 2-3 drops of essential oils directly on the desired area and massage in
Use like a perfume on wrist or behind ears and back of neck or on areas of discomfort like muscles. Repeat as desired
Dilute with a natural carrier oil like almond, coconut or olive oil to apply to skin that is sensitive or on small children and pets
Food Flavouring:
Add 1-2 drops of edible oil** to a glass of water, juice, or food of choice to enhance flavour
**Young Living makes a line of “Plus (+)” dietary oils that meet Health Canada’s requirements as safe for consumption
Things to Note:
Since essential oils enter the bloodstream almost immediately after contact it’s important to know that you’re using oils that are genuine and not adulterated with synthetic substances. Genuine essential oils are grown and sourced from farms that do not use herbicides or pesticides because those chemical substances will accumulate in the oil. It’s one thing to have a single pesticide-laden lemon, but quite toxic to have 75 of them, and since it takes approximately 75 lemons to make a single 15ml bottle of lemon essential oil (with a few drops per use), the chemicals can add up in your bloodstream if you use impure product.
Genuine essential oils are very potent and may be irritating to sensitive skin because they absorb very quickly. If irritation occurs, simply apply a pure vegetable oil like coconut, almond, or olive oil to the area to dilute it. Since essential oils are fat-soluble they will penetrate the fatty oil and slow down the rate of absorption into the skin and relieve the irritation. Avoid applying essential oils into mucus membranes.
Citrus-based oils and blends may cause photosensitivity so do not place on skin that will be exposed to sunlight for several hours after application or you will attract a sun burn.
Finally, be aware that essential oils have become very popular in the world today, and as a result, most of them are adulterated to sell “more” at a lower price to the consumer to keep up with the demand. They may be grown organically, but handled up to five times by various third parties before getting to the store shelf. As a result, the organic start may be adulterated along the way with a synthetic smell to mimic the oil scent for the cosmetics industry (an industry that does not have to disclose the actual ingredients in the bottle of oil).
Redeeming Thyme uses Young Living Therapeutic Grade essential oils with their “Seed to Seal” standard of purity. This ensures that their essential oils and oil-infused products for home or personal use will be a toxin-free product for their consumers.