So this post was one I shared a while back on an old blog of mine. I hope you find it helpful and feel free to share or comment. Essential Oils are all over the place these days and the benefits can’t be denied. From bug spray to baking and calming anxiety to fixing multiple ailments, Essential Oils are kind of magical. I say magical because for the longest time I couldn’t figure out how an oil could do anything outside the kitchen. Turns out there’s a science behind it and it took me far too long to actually sit down and learn about it. So what are Essential Oils? “Essential oils embody the regenerating, protective, and immune-strengthening properties of plants” What are essential oils? In scientific terms essential oils are volatile liquids derived from plant matter such as fruit, bark, leaves, seeds, roots, and flowers. Now what the heck is a volatile liquid you ask? Volatile simply means that a liquid evaporates easily at room temperature. This would be why when you twist off the cap to your oil your nostrils are quickly filled with the scent - yay aromatics! Essential oils also penetrate the cells in our body, even the blood-brain barrier, very easily due to the small molecular size of the constituents (the building blocks of oils). These two juicy facts are just a few reasons why aromatic, topical, and internal use of essential oil are so effective. Scientific lingo aside, how do you get the oils from the plant and why is quality the single most important thing when purchasing your oils? You’ve probably seen oils in your local health food store, grocery store, at craft fairs, and in your family and friends homes. But what you may not know is that there is no real legal system in place to monitor the purity of essential oils. Did you know that a bottle of oil only has to contain 3% pure essential oil to be labled ‘Pure’? THREE! That’s so bizarre to me. The rest can be fillers and liquids used to dilute. This is why I chose to go with Doterra essential oils in my roller blends. Due to this lack of regulation Doterra has taken it upon themselves to create their own testing method called Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. What does this mean to you as an oil user? It means that the oil in every bottle has gone through rigorous testing to ensure there are no fillers, synthetic ingredients, or harmful contaminants that would reduce their efficacy. Anyway, I’m getting carried away. Essential oils are extracted from plant matter by two methods:
Aromatic, Topical, InternalAll the scientific lingo aside, there are three ways to use Essential Oils and they are listed above. Aromatic simply put is inhaling either a fine mist or a vapor – smelling. Topical use is when an oil is applied to any surface on your body. Your skin really is your largest organ and believe me when I say it may deflect many things, but it also absorbs much more. (Think about the use of nicotine or birth control patches.) And last but not least is internally which is ingesting oils for the purpose of aiding digestion, mental health, and even as a flavor enhancer. This method should be done with care and only with oils that are 100% pure (CPTG oils). So as you can see, there really is a lot to know about oils but I hope that this post has helped you get a basic understanding. I plan to go into further detail on actually using the oils but that is for another day. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what your favorite way to use essential oils is. Cheers!
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Vanessa Smith
Farm wife and momma of two. Life is crazy but I'm working towards a more simple life. I hope you enjoy what I have to share and feel welcomed to weigh in or ask questions at any point. ArchivesCategories |