Every Day Life with Oils

“How do I incorporate oils into my every day life? Sure, I use my Peppermint for my headache when I get one, but I have all these oils and don’t know what to do with them!” This is probably something I hear the most, people have no idea about the endless ways to incorporate essential oils into your every day life.

If you have been following along with my blog, or know a thing or two about essential oils, you know there are three ways to use them, topically, aromatically and internally (3 Safe Ways to Use doTERRA Essential Oils). Within those three ways, there are so many creative ways of having oils apart of your day to day life! Oils don’t have to be used for just a specific health concern or ailment.

Topically
Other than applying essential oils directly to your skin, there are a lot of creative ways to use oils topically such as lip balm, makeup remover, beard oil, all your shower needs (shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sugar scrub, bath bombs etc..), acne gel, wipes, facial toner, perfume, bug spray (All Natural Bug Spray with Essential Oils), hand soap, deodorant, I could go on, but you get the idea!

Aromatically
This past Christmas season, one of my favourite ways to use my oils aromatically was to put a drop or two on a few of my felt tree ornaments or on my knit scarf before leaving the house! Some other nice ways to use essential oils aromatically other than putting oils in a diffuser or inhaling them straight from the bottle are to make a linen spray for your pillows and sheets, make an air freshener, a litter box spray, shower melts, shoe spray, or maybe a car diffuser! You also have all your cleaning products you can make, I have a general cleaning spray, a spray for the kitchen and washroom that is a little more heavy duty, dish soap, dusting spray, toilet bombs, laundry detergent and dryer sheets (or dryer balls), dishwasher tablets – any product you use in your house, I guarantee there is an all natural, non toxic alternative you could make to replace it!

Internally*
 The main ways people tend to use essential oils internally are to add a few drops to your water or to use an empty veggie cap and make your own essential oil pill to take. Another way to ingest essential oils would be to incorporate them into your cooking and baking! You only ever need one or two drops, and it adds so much flavour to a recipe without the hassle of having to make sure you have those actual herbs or spices around. doTERRA has so many oils that are amazing for cooking and baking such as basil, black pepper, cilantro, peppermint, wild orange, lavender, cinnamon, clove, oregano, ginger, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine, thyme, rosemary – and more! One of my favourite flavours is lavender, so I love using lavender in my baking, like in this cupcake recipe.

Once you get into the habit of using essential oils daily, it is so easy to find new ways of having them be apart of your lifestyle! If you are ever unsure about different ways to use your oils or want to look up a recipe, Pinterest is a great resource, as well at doTERRA’s recipe and DIY section of their website – doTERRA DIY and Recipe blog

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out using the contact page on this blog.

xo Katie

*the only essential oil brand that I personally feel comfortable using internally is doTERRA. The purity of doTERRA’s oils make them safe to ingest. Infants and children should never use essential oils internally.

Photo by Kate Hahn Photography

Top 10 Oils to Start Your Journey

This time of year can leave your body feeling all kinds of mixed up! From the stress of cooking for a big crowed, trying to find the perfect gift or fitting in 3 different family get togethers in one day, to your stomach feeling bloated and gassy from what you’ve put in your body at all those holiday celebrations or maybe it’s your sleep schedule from your children waking up at the crack of dawn from excitement (let’s be serious though, you couldn’t sleep Christmas Eve either…).

Essential Oils are an amazing support when hitting that body reset button and getting into detox and restore mode! I love to recommend starting with doTERRA’s top 10 oils, at least one of our top 10 oils will be a great support for your health concerns! In this post, I’m going to touch on each of the oils that are in our top 10 and how they can support your body and mind!

Lavender:
-Used for its calming and relaxing properties
-Soothes skin irritations and helps skin recover quickly
-Eases muscle tension
-Soothes minor burns
-Used for sleeping issues

Lemon:
-Cleanses and purifies the air and surfaces
-Cleanses the body and aids in digestion
-Supports healthy respiratory function
-Promotes a positive mood and cognitive ability

Peppermint:
-Promotes healthy respiratory function and clear breathing
-Alleviates stomach upset
-Used for oral health
-Cools and soothes – great solution for headaches
-Energizing and uplifting – amazing way to wake up in the morning or replacing that 2nd cup of coffee
-Repels bugs, especially spiders (my #1 favourite quality of Peppermint!)

Frankincense:
-Helps build and maintain a healthy immune system
-Promotes cellular health
-Reduces the appearance of scars and stretch marks
-Helps promote feelings of relaxation and balance mood
*Frankincense is known as the “King of Oils” – When in doubt, use Frankincense*

Tea Tree:
-Renowned for its cleansing and rejuvenating effect on the skin
-Promotes healthy immune function
-Protects against environmental and seasonal threats

Oregano:
-Powerful cleansing and purifying agent
-Supports healthy immune system
-Supports healthy respiratory function
-Supports your body with antioxidants and promotes a healthy response to oxidation and free-radicals
-Supports healthy digestion

On Guard:
-Supports healthy immune function
-Protects against environmental threats
-Cleanses surfaces
-Purifies the skin while promoting healthy circulation
-Energizing and uplifting

Easy Air (Breathe):
-Maintains clear airways and breathing
-Supports overall respiratory health
-Helps minimize the effects of seasonal threats

ZenGest (Digest Zen):
-Aids in digestion of foods
-Soothes occasional stomach upsets
-Maintains a healthy gastrointestinal tract
-Reduces the feeling of motion sickness
-Relieves symptoms of heartburn and indigestion

Deep Blue (Ice Blue):
-Soothes sore muscles and achy joints
-Supports healthy circulation
-Relieves migraines and tension headaches

So those are our top 10! As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out with a comment or email. I am always happy to answer any questions whether it’s how to use oils, you want to hear more about an oil I haven’t mentioned yet, you’re curious on how to get started – whatever it may be!

Happy holidays and don’t forget to enjoy these last few days of 2017!

xo Katie

3 Safe Ways to Use doTERRA Essential Oils

There are 3 ways to use doTERRA essential oils, applying them topically onto your skin, taking them internally and inhaling them aromatically.

Topical Use
Applying oils topically is just one of the ways to use essential oils and experience their benefits. Using oils topically is great because it allows for localized effects to the area in which you apply it in addition to whole body support.
Dilution
Diluting essential oils is the process of mixing them with a carrier oil. A carrier oil is a pure vegetable oil that helps to “carry” the essential oils onto the skin. The purpose of using a carrier oil is to increase the surface area of absorption, prevent sensitivity responses and enhancing absorption through dry skin.There are 3 classifications of oils for topical use, neat, dilute and sensitive oils.
Neat: Oils that classify as “neat” can be applied topically without dilution because of their exceptionally mild chemistry. Frankincense, Lavender, Melaleuca, Melissa, and Sandalwood are examples of “neat” essential oils.
Dilute: Oils in this category have very potent chemistry and should be always be diluted with a carrier oil before topical application. “Dilute” oils include Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Oregano, and Thyme.
Sensitive: “Sensitive” oils are those that should be diluted before being used on infants and children or sensitive skin. Bergamot, Black Pepper, Eucalyptus, Ginger, and Peppermint are examples of “sensitive” oils.
Ways to apply oils topically

• Face: Use essential oil as part of your regular skin care routine to promote a clear, healthy looking complexion (stay tuned for a blog post all about essential oils and skin care)
• Neck/Forehead/Temples: These areas are good to target feelings of tension and stress.
• Abdomen: Apply essential oils, especially over major digestive organs, to help support healthy digestion and ease stomach discomfort.
• Arms/Legs/Back: Massage onto the arms, wrists, legs, feet, or back after physical activity.
• Roof of the Mouth (Soft Palette)/Base of the Skull: Applying oils to these areas is an excellent way to help transform your mood and balance your emotions.
• Chest: Rubbing oils onto the chest help all sorts of respiratory and sinus issues.
• Bottoms of Feet: The feet have large pores that rapidly absorb essential oils, making this an ideal application site for generalized effect. (Quick Tip – If you don’t like the smell of a certain oil, apply it to the bottom of your feet and put your socks or shoes on right away!).

Other ways I use my essential oils topically is to add a few drops to a warm bath (adding Lavender to my bath at night is so relaxing, I also add Lavender to my 4 month old son’s night time bath and it helps him sleep through the night) and making a homemade hot or cold compress by soaking a cloth in water and adding essential oils and applying it to the area of need (doTERRA’s Deep Blue soothing blend is a personal favourite for this method).

Internal Use
Some doTERRA oils are safe to take internally and there are 5 different ways to do so. doTERRA oils are very potent, make sure you start with adding one drop and as you get to know how your body reacts to each oil, you can slowly start adding more drops if desired.

• Add to Beverages: Not only do essential oils add amazing flavour to your water or other favourite beverage, but each oil has so many health benefits to taking them internally, see previous blog post about adding essential oils to water.
• Veggie Caps: doTERRA has these amazing capsules called Veggie Caps, they are made 100% from vegetables and are a great way to take essential oils internally. People like using Veggie Caps to avoid the taste of certain oils but to get the health benefits!
• Directly Under Tongue: Although sometimes strong in flavour, it is safe to apply oils directly under your tongue for quick absorption into your bloodstream.
• doTERRA Supplements: doTERRA has quite an assortment of essential oil supplements that are a great way to incorporate oils into your life.
• Cooking and Baking: Adding essential oils to your favourite recipe is a delicious way to use oils internally. There are a number of spice and herb essential oils and you can also get creative by using some of the more unique flavoured oils.

doTERRA Essential Oils Safe For Internal Use:

• Basil
• Bergamot
• Black Pepper*
• Cardamom
• Cilantro
• Cinnamon Bark*
• Clary Sage
• Clove*
• Coriander
• Cypress
• Cassia
• Fennel
• Frankincense
• Geranium
• Ginger
• Grapefruit
• Helichrysum
• Juniper Berry
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Lemongrass
• Lime
• Marjoram
• Melaleuca
• Melissa
• Myrrh
• Oregano*
• Patchouli
• Peppermint
• Roman Chamomile
• Rosemary
• Sandalwood
• Thyme*
• Vetiver
• Wild Orange
• Ylang-Ylang
  *Dilute hot oils to minimize any mouth sensitivity when taken directly.

Aromatic Use
Essential oils are quickly absorbed by your smell receptors, which have a direct link to the limbic system by way of the olfactory nerve. The limbic system is part of the brain that supports a variety of functions including smell, emotions, behaviour, and memory. Some essential oils induce uplifting or invigorating effects, while others are more calming. One way to use essential oils aromatically is to use a diffuser, but it isn’t necessary to use a diffusor device to achieve the health benefits of inhaling oils. You can experience the same effects and health benefits by placing a drop or two of essential oil in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and then cup your hands around your nose as you breathe deeply.
Other aromatic uses include:

• Shower: Drip 2–3 drops onto the floor of the hot shower, away from the water path, and breathe in.
• Home Essentials: Add to household surface cleaners, or to a load of laundry (stay tuned to the blog for DIY household cleaner recipes).
• Bedtime Benefits: Add a couple of drops to pillows and bed linens (also stay tuned to the blog for a DIY linen spray recipe).

 

How do you incorporate essential oils into your life? I would love to hear from you! Feel free to comment or email me at katietaylor.doterra@gmail.com. If you ever have any questions or if you would like information on purchasing doTERRA essential oils don’t hesitate to contact me – I love being able to share my passion for oils with you!

xo Katie