If you have any access to the internet or friends or family that care about their health and living their best life then you have probably been hearing A LOT about essential oils! These are not new but have been growing in popularity because people are wanting to take a preventative approach to their health rather than reacting and relying solely on conventional medicine. 

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Discovering the world of Natural Healing with Essential Oils has truly changed my life, and the way I approach my health care. Essential oils help me live more naturally by allowing me to reduce exposure to chemicals that disrupt hormones and by replacing chemical laden cleaning and beauty supplies with essential oil products that I have made myself. I also use them to reduce the need for over the counter drugs and medications (although there is a time and place for these when necessary!).

 

But the best thing for me about essential oils is the ability to have more control over emotions and managing stress and to set the tone for my day by using aromatherapy to create higher level states of mind. For example, when I need to get major work done I go to lemon for focus. When I want to feel happy, uplifted and calm I diffuse some orange essential oils. When it's time to relax, I love vetiver, sandal wood or cedar wood with lavender. Your brain begins to associate these smells with your desired emotion. It's life changing. 

 

As a Holistic Nutritionist, I advocate healing for the mind, body and spirit. I believe this can be done through, eating local, sustainable foods, keeping the digestive system functioning optimally, being physically active, doing things we love in life, managing stress and keeping the body "clean". By keeping the body "clean" I am referring to reducing exposure to chemicals in our environment, food, body and home care products, and medicines.  Essential oils provide a solution and incorporating them into my practice was the next step for me, to help achieve balance in the body and reduce toxin exposure for my clients and myself. They offer a better way, a natural solution, for all the chemicals we are exposed to, and I am so grateful to be sharing this information with YOU!

 

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What are Essential Oils?

 

Essential oils are naturally occurring aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant but they also possess natural healing qualities that make them so truly amazing. They have opened a whole new world of natural healing for me and my loved ones!

 

Essential oils give plants their distinctive smells, play a role in plant pollination and protect the plant from microbes. In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Today, I use essential oils to encourage natural healing within the body, aid in emotional balance, combine with other natural ingredients to make cleaning and beauty products and replace over the counter medications with natural solutions without side effects! Pretty amazing stuff!  

 

I also use essential oils to empower others and to help them be an active participant in their own health care. Through educating others on the power and benefits of this natural health care solution, I am able to be a part of a health care revolution that is changing the world! Essential oils are becoming so popular now, because we are greatly in need of better options for our health care, body care and household cleaning products. They provide an alternative that is toxin free, natural and compatible with the body while assiting the body in healing itself, rather than contributing toxins which further harm our bodies. Please contact us if you would like to learn more! We will send you our DIY Essential Oil Recipe guide for body care and home care products, and you can even book a private class for you and your family, friends or colleagues. --> Check out our contact page here  to book a class or request your DIY ebook!

 

Brief History of Essential Oils

 

Essential oils have been used for 1000s of years, throughout recorded history, for a wide variety of wellness applications. The Egyptians were some of the first people to use aromatic essential oils extensively in medical practice, beauty treatment, food preparation, and in religious ceremony. Frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh and cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were sometimes exchanged for gold.

 

In modern times, the powerful healing properties of essential oils were rediscovered in 1937 by a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who healed a badly burnt hand with pure lavender oil. A French contemporary, Dr. Jean Valnet, used therapeutic-grade essential oils to successfully treat injured soldiers during World War II. Dr. Valnet went on to become a world leader in the development of aromatherapy practices.

 

There are a growing number of products claiming to be or to contain essential oils. They range in price and quality and are found in skin care, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and other products. However, many of these products do not use 100% pure essential oils and often use fragrant synthetic chemical substitutes to dilute or replace more expensive essential oil extracts. It is important to choose your essential oil brands wisely.

 

Ways to Use Essential Oils

 

Aromatically

 

Our sense of smell influences many physiological pathways including the stimulation of hormones and other metabolic processes. Aromatherapy is founded on the body’s predictable response to specific olfactory stimuli. Certain essential oils, when diffused in the air, can be very stimulating while others can be calming and soothing. Beyond emotional benefits, diffusing essential oils can purify air of unwanted odors and some airborne pathogens. Low or no-heat essential oil diffusers are recommended as they do not change the chemical structure of the oil being diffused. Essential oils can also be used as cleansing and purifying additives to laundry and surface cleaners throughout the home.

 

How do they work?

• Inhale through the nose

• The molecules in the oils will hit the olfactory cells (nerves) in the nasal cavity

• Essential oil molecules bind to receptor cites

• Olfactory cells send signals to the limbic area of the brain

  • The limbic area regulates: memory, emotions, hormones, blood pressure, heart rate

• Elevation of endorphine and neurotransmitter release ie. seratonin & dopamine

• This is why essential oils are so impactful on our health, moods, stress levels, and sleep!! Truly amazing stuff!

 

Topically

 

Due to their natural molecular composition, essential oils are easily absorbed by the skin and can be safely applied topically when diluted, and in some cases dilution may not be necessary depending on the quality and specific essential oil (for Children always dilute essential oils).  Application of essential oils can have immediate, localized benefit to the target area of application. They have restorative and calming properties and can be used effectively with massage and beauty therapy. They are also natural disinfectants. The chemical structure of essential oils also allows them to be absorbed into the bloodstream via the skin for internal benefit throughout the body. *Not all essential oils are equal! Some essential oils have chemical additives by manufactures and can be harmful to skin, or they just happen to be a more potent oil that requires dilution! Always check your labels and directions for use, and choose good quality oils. When in doubt, dilute with a carrier oil like coconut oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, or jojoba oil.  Applying to  the bottoms of my feet  to be absorbed for their benefits and through my DIY body care products is my favourite way to use essential oils topically! They have helped me reduce so many toxins from products that I use on my skin, hair and face, giving me a glowing, radiant appearance!