By Suzanne Johnson
Some of you may have heard about Essential Oils recently. It is certainly getting a lot of hype. I was skeptical at first and wondered if it was simply a trend, a quick fix, or a temporary fad. Oh how I kick myself now for all the time I spent without them, as the benefits my family has experienced since using them have been tenfold. Seriously where were these things 20 years ago?!
An essential oil is a concentrated liquid containing volatile aroma from plants. Well, that’s great info from Wikipedia, but in order to feel 100% comfortable using them I needed to do more research. I have a little guy with special needs (read: most adorable boy ever) so I needed to be sure I was getting a safe product that would benefit all of us. After reading many articles and reaching out to others I decided to try it, and this my friends, was the beginning of what will be a life long journey with essential oils.
Since we are in the midst of cold and flu season I want to share with you how we use oils to help us stay healthy. The health benefits were my main reason for wanting to use essential oils and the added benefit of them smelling amazing was a plus! There are oils that are crazy good at killing germs. Even during the Black Plague of the 15th century, grave robbers wore a mixture of oils and never became ill. When I know there are a lot of colds going around I diffuse oil daily and I also rub it on my our feet to help ward off flu and cold germs.
Three other oils that we use both separately and together are: lemon, lavender and peppermint. There are so many uses for these oils, but I will force myself to stay on topic! I use the following recipe whenever my little guy is stiffly or plugged up: a drop of lavender, a drop of lemon and 8 drops of carrier oil (organic olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, etc) and rub it on his neck, glands, around (never in) his ears and on his sinuses (avoiding eyes). This brings him relief almost immediately. I rub it all over the same areas and oh my, oh my I cannot explain how awesome it is whenever I feel any sinus crud or a cold coming on. I’ve found the lemon around my ears and my glands whenever I have a sore throat instantly relieves it.
This barely touches the surface of what these oils can do, but gives you an introduction. I’ll be writing about what oils can do for you each month!
Happy Oiling!!!
