This blog post will help guide you into beginning your essential oil journey and also answer some of those questions you probably have bouncing around in your head such as: What is the best brand of essential oils? Dow do you know if they are pure and good quality? How do I start using them? How do I create an account to get the oils at wholesale price?

First things first!

Why Do We need Essential Oils?

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, it’s now estimated that 1 in every 2 Canadians will develop Cancer in their lifetime. 1 IN TWO! Thats INSANE! It means that if you and I are sitting in a room, 1 of us will end up with Cancer. That is just UNACCEPTABLE!

Our skin is our largest organ and anything that comes into contact with it is absorbed into the blood stream within 26 seconds and can then travel to any part of our body such as our liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and ever brain!

There are over 80,000 toxic chemicals in our environment that did not exist 100 years ago and over 3,100 toxic chemicals found within the category of ‘fragrance’ alone. It’s incredible how much poison we put on our our skin daily through shampoos and conditioners, to deodorants, feminine hygiene products, makeup products, facial products, home cleaning products, etc! Our bodies are being bombarded. Toxic chemicals are turning up in breast milk and umbilical cords of our babies and it’s now estimated that indoor air pollution is WORSE than outdoors as a result of the products we use on a daily basis. We can’t keep going at this rate. You are the gatekeeper for the products brought into your home and as consumers, we vote with our wallets everyday. Where you shop and put your money lets companies know what the people want. If you want industry to switch to more natural products, you need to stop supporting them and their toxic ones.

I am hoping that I can help open your eyes a bit more to the reality that is our toxic planet and hopefully help encourage you to get on a natural and toxin-free life that is actually GOOD for you not HARMING you !

So, What are essential oils?

Essential oils are powerful ‘earth medicines’ distilled from plants, flowers, roots, shrubs, trees, bushes + seeds. They are anywhere from 100 to 10,000 times more concentrated than natural dried herbs. (One drop of peppermint essential oil is equivalent to 28 peppermint teas)

Therapeutic grade essential oils can be used to alleviate sore muscles, assist with coughs, colds, flus, headaches, skin irritations, digestive discomforts, sleep, hormonal imbalance, emotional support and more. Their scent can also provide a relaxing and calming environment, making them the perfect tool for people who find themselves stressed or anxious.

Plants that grow outdoors develop a strong immune system while living through the elements of nature, protecting themselves from disease, insects, and extreme. As a result, essential oils are extremely complex and can contain anywhere from 100 to 1,000 different natural chemical constituents (this is why each oil can help treat a variety of symptoms.

How do Essential oils work?

Essential oil molecules are similar to human cells and easily absorbed into the body, influencing us on a physical, mental and spiritual level. When inhaled, essential oils affect a part of the brain called the limbic system (which is commonly referred to as the “emotional brain”). This section of the brain helps control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, sex hormones, thyroid hormones, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance. Our sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic As a result, essential oils can directly combat stress, emotional trauma,    anxiety, depression, fear, anger, joy and other emotions. This explains why scent is often strongly associated with memory – certain smells can remind you of the smell of your grandmother’s baking, an ex-boyfriend’s cologne etc. because of how scent affects the limbic system. Certain essential oils can also be ingested or applied topically to absorb through the skin or intestinal lining giving us a host of benefits.

History of Essential Oils

Records show that essential oils have been used for more than 5,000 years, in every corner of the world, including China, India and Egypt.The Egyptians were masters of essential oils – they used them extensively in the recipes for their herbal-infused oils and creams that have been discovered throughout the tombs of many legendary Egyptians, such as Cleopatra. Many ancient texts make reference to essential oils, including the Bible which contains over 200 references of them. An example is frankincense and myrrh being given to Jesus at birth.

Purity: Not all oils are created equal!

The essential oil industry is unregulated and therefore, there are major problems when it comes to labeling. Essential oils labelled as ‘organic’, ‘100% pure’ or ‘natural,’ have basically been ‘green-washed’. The ‘organic’ label on essential oils only pertains to how a plant is grown, but during the distillation process oils can be adulterated, diluted or extracted with synthetics and chemicals such as hexane or butane. These oils are still labelled as organic despite their processing methods. If a bottle of oil contains just 5% essential oil, by law it can be labeled as 100% Pure Essential Oil!! Many companies are capitalizing on the huge growth within the essential oil industry, using questionable practices in the process. They’re sourcing plant material from third parties and brokers where they have no control over the planting, growing or harvesting process. Harvesting and distillation should be an exact science. Many plants are sprayed with pesticides, not harvested at the right time of day or distilled for the appropriate length of time.

Cypress essential oil (which is often used for circulation) is a great example as to why timing is so important with the distillation of oils. Cypress has 280 known chemical constituents and all must be present in order for cypress to have healing potency. If distilled for 20 hours, only 20 of 280 properties are released. If distilled for 26 hours, no properties are released. The proper time for distilling cypress that releases all 280 constituents is 24 hours. Most companies in North America distill cypress for a mere 3.5 hours, rendering its therapeutic properties useless.

What Brand of Essential Oil is Best?

In my opinion, young living is the best brand because of their QUALITY and potency of their oils. If you are going to use oils and ditch the toxic products, may as well do it right and know that the oils you’re bringing into your home are GOOD and CLEAN!

YL has been in business for over 20 years – the company was started in 1993 and was THE original essential oil company in North America. Gary Young (the founder of Young Living) truly understands the science of essential oils – he trained and learned from some of the best aromatherapists in the world, studying in France and touring ancient distilleries throughout Egypt. Young Living is the only company that has what is called the “Seed to Seal” promise, or anything like it. This means the company controls every single aspect of their production line:

They are the ONLY company that owns their own farms, located all over the world, and works with partner farms where they lease the land to help local farming communities thrive. They plant their own seeds and cultivate their own crops. The plants are harvested at their peak and hand-weeded. There are no pesticides, no chemicals and no weed killers. They use essential oils on their plants for pest control and for the cleaning of equipment. Young Living oversees everything, literally, from planting the seed to sealing the bottle.

YL is incredibly transparent – any one of its members can visit a farm to witness and/or take part in the planting, harvesting and distillation process. Young Living has many of its oils classified as ‘Natural Health Products’, meaning Health Canada has reviewed and determined that there is sufficient scientific evidence to substantiate that these oils can help restore, maintain or improve health. YL is more than just an essential oil company – they are a lifestyle company offering healthy alternatives to many of the conventional products people use every day (toothpaste, hand soap, cleaner and more.) Young Living even offers makeup now with the December launch of its makeup line, Savvy Minerals and most recently, a baby line called Seedlings which consists of wipes, creams and more. This makes it incredibly easy to transition home and personal personal care purchases you’re were buying elsewhere to Young Living. The company also   offers an amazing program called Essential Rewards which helps you transition the products you use every day to clean products, while earning rewards points for free oils and other products (Just like getting a gift card!).

How to Get Started

STARTER KIT: The best way to get started using pure essential oils, is with Young Living’s “Premium Starter Kit.” This wellness box is by far the best value, consisting of the top essential oils to stock your home with.

The kit is $199 and provides you with 11 of the most popular oils for getting started, PLUS a home diffuser, two packs of Ningxia Red, Young Living’s antioxidant drink, plus a bottle of thieves hand sanitizer.

GET STARTED NOW!

Your purchase also gives you a wholesale membership account where you receive all future oils at 24% less than retail and access to our private community called Pure Culture. Pure Culture offers members ongoing support through information, testimonials, recipes, resources and more. We have lots of resources to help support you on your wellness journey. I think lack of support and uncertainty around how to go about   making changes is one of the biggest roadblocks to people embracing healthier habits. Would you agree?

Now we’re going to dive into the eleven oils found in the kit and show you all the benefits they can have in your life.

Starter Kit Oils, Uses, and Benefits

LAVENDER

• We refer to lavender as the ‘Swiss army knife’ of essential oils – it’s very versatile.
• Promotes relaxation and helps alleviate stress.
• Aids in sleep – great diffused, massaged on the bottom of the feet or added to a cup of epsom salt for a relaxing bath.
• Helps with skin irritations associated with cuts, rashes, burns, dry skin,  dandruff, bug or cold sores.
• Acts as an antihistamine, making it great support for seasonal allergies, hives and/or bug bites that swell up etc.
• Diffuse to create a calming and comforting atmosphere.
• Add it to your favourite hair, body and beauty products for some longer lashes, better hair.
• Our entire family uses lavender for so many things every single day, as a result it’s almost always included in our monthly wellness box.

FRANKINCENSE

• Referred to as the ‘King of All Oils’
• Considered more valuable than gold and used to treat every known illness to man.
• Fun fact: Young Living is the ONLY company allowed to farm and harvest Frankincense in Oman. They have a fantastic relationship with the country/locals and have earned their place there.
• There are more than 200 studies illustrating Frankincense’s efficiency in treating many health concerns
• Frank promotes feelings of calm and balance, while increasing spiritual awareness.
• It’s been heavily studied for its effects on boosting mood, helping with depression and recovery after traumatic brain injury.
• Incredibly anti-inflammatory, helping to alleviate pain.
• Great boost for the immune system, often included in immune support blends.
• Frank is amazing for the skin! Whether aging skin, mama’s pregnant belly, stretch marks, acne, reducing the appearance of age spots, scars, the removal of skin tags or warts, Frank is the oil you want! We often add Frank to our homemade face toner or add a bit extra to our other Young Living skin care products such as the ART line.

PEPPERMINT

• Supports gastrointestinal system comfort, assisting with relief of occasional constipation, gas, bloating, heart burn/indigestion.
• Promotes healthy bowel and digestive function
• Natural breath freshener
• Helps alleviate headaches
• Helps promote focus and clarity by supporting a healthy nervous system
• Helps relieve minor aches and pains, nausea and bring down fevers
• Encourages proper respiratory function
• Suppresses appetite (add a drop to your water!)
• Relieves itching
• Add to a spray bottle of water to deter ants, spiders, mice

LEMON

• Fun fact! It takes 75 lemons to make one 15ml bottle.
• Inhale lemon to uplift your spirits and reduce anxiety
• Lemon invigorates the mind and body; supports proper nasal function and respiratory function.
• Cleans and purifies the air
• Reduces bloating and is a great gentle detox when taken internally
• A great oil for energy and mental focus
• Flavour and enhance water, a perfect replacement for lemon juice or seasoning to flavour seafood, vegetables, beverages or desserts.
• Used for sanitization and cleaning produce (it will also help it stay fresher for longer.)
• Apply topically to reduce varicose veins/cellulite, callouses and bunions.
• Use it to remove sticky residue from stickers, or remove crayon/pen marks from walls, furniture
• Supports the immune system (is a key ingredient in other immune support products and supplements Young Living carries.)

THIEVES (cinnamon bark, clove, lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary)

• Thieves is one of the oils Young Living is most well known for
• The name is inspired by French thieves who formulated a blend of herbs and spices to use while robbing the dead and dying during the Plague. They were caught and in exchange for lesser punishment, revealed a recipe of herbs and spices that they   credited to keeping their immune systems functioning.
• Thieves supports healthy immune and respiratory systems.
• Add a drop to a toothbrush for everyday prevention.
• When diffused, thieves helps to freshen stale air + protects your home from germs. It also has a spicey/Christmas-y smell.
• Stop a sore throat in its tracks by gargling with or adding a drop of Thieves and Lemon to a mug of hot water. Even add some honey and enjoy a soothing tea.
• Apply on your kiddos feet before bed and school for added protection come the cold + flu season.
• Help combat cold sores when applied topically on location. Add to a spray bottle for cleaning.
• Young Living also carries an entire line of Thieves products, including an All-Purpose Thieves Cleaner which is super economical. You can honestly remove all other ‘conventional’ skull and crossbones chemicals from your home and simply use Thieves for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Through YL’s Essential Rewards program we were able to easily begin replacing everything from our toothpaste, hand soap, cleaner, laundry detergent and more with safe and effective products from the thieves line. Plus we earn rewards now for items we were already purchasing elsewhere.

PANAWAY (wintergreen, helichrysum, clove and peppermint)

• Reduces throbbing pain and muscle soreness.
• Great to soak in a bath with or apply topically after a long day or physical activity.
• Designed to reduce pain and inflammation, increase circulation and accelerate
• Helps relieve swelling and discomfort from arthritis, sprains, muscle spasms, cramps.
• This blend is a go-to for headaches and migraines
• In this blend, there is Peppermint and Wintergreen essential oils help to soothe sore joints and ligaments. Also found in the blend is Helichrysum, which is known for regenerating nerves and being the top dog for fighting inflammation.
• Add it to massage oil for use with occasional tension.

PURIFICATION (lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca (tea tree), myrtle, citronella)

• A fresh blend of lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca (tea tree), myrtle, citronella
• Purification neutralizes odours and purifies/cleanses the air of stubborn or lingering smells.
• Put a few drops in shoes, hockey bags, trash cans etc. to remove the stench.
• Add to a cotton ball and put in the vents of your car to help freshen stale air.
• Use it on wool dryer balls in the laundry (dryer sheets are filled with toxic carcinogens anyway!)
• Apply to blemishes directly or use as part of your daily facial cleansing regimen.
• Clean a cut or soothe a bug bite/sting
• Apply topically for sore throats and ear infections.

COPAIBA (Pronounced “co-pa-ee-ba”)

• Copaiba Essential Oil is the most powerful anti-inflammatory on the planet.
• It’s most prominent application is in reducing pain and inflammation.
• It’s what is also known as a driver or magnifier oil – it enhances anything it’s added to
• It aids in easing common digestive discomforts when taken internally.
• Rub directly on the gums of a teething baby/toddler for teething relief (or on the gums of adults dealing with pesky wisdom teeth!)
• When applied topically, it’s amazing at easing discomforts associated with canker sores et
• Great for skin health

R.C. (3 types of eucalyptus, myrtle, pine, marjoram, lavender, cypress, tsuga, peppermint)

• C. stands for ‘Respiratory Care’ and is used to open up the airway.
• Can aid in breathing and assist with respiratory discomforts associated with chest and lung infections, allergies, asthma etc.
• Rub it on your feet or chest before exercise to get you up and going!
• Massage on your feet or diluted across the chest before bedtime or when sick to encourage an atmosphere of comfort, to breathe clearly and quietly in your sleep, and to get better rest as a result.
• Apply across brow line, sides of nostrils, behind ear and across low cheek bones to relieve sinus pressure.
• If congested, add a drop to bowl of hot water, lean over with a towel over your head and breathe in the steam.

DIGIZE (peppermint, lemongrass, juniper, patchouli, ginger, fennel, tarragon, anise

• Known as the ‘Buckleys’ of the essential oil world… It smells awful, but it works!
• Provides support for a healthy digestive system and is the oil for all tummy issues.
• Blend of eight different essential oils (peppermint, lemongrass, juniper, patchouli, ginger, fennel, terragon and anise) that can be helpful in relieving bloating, cramps, gas.
• Can help alleviate nausea & upset
• Alleviates heartburn, fullness, bloating and occasional gas from overeating.
• This oil is a great travel companion to protect you from bugs and unknowns in your food + water.
• DiGize is an oil our entire family can’t live without. It’s in my purse at all times and has helped us so much with digestive issues.

NORTHERN LIGHTS BLACK SPRUCE

• Comes from Young Living’s farm in British Columbia, Canada.
• Has a rich, woodsy, and invigorating scent
• Creates a sep-like environment perfect for meditation or periods of relaxation.
• Apply topically to improve appearance of dry skin/maintain the appearance of healthy looking skin.
• Use with a carrier oil in massage
• Was traditionally used to soothe muscle discomfort after exercise
• t’s beautiful when diffused in combination with a citrus oil such as orange
• Use it to help reduce nervous tension and induce relaxation after a long day.
• Helps to reduce stressors at night so that normal sleep patterns can be maintained.

So, are you ready to take the step and begin your health journey?

Here are some suggestions when signing up with young Living!

1: Get yourself the Premium Starter Kit valued at $199 (if you’re in the US, your kit is $165). If you purchase through essential rewards, you will get money back to spend on your next purchase! It may seem like a big investment because that is exactly what it is! you are investing in your health and bringing these incredible products into your home that you can use for yourself and your family! Plus you get the stunning diffuser ! 😉 THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MONTHLY COMMITMENT AND PRESSURE TO SELL ANYTHING OR DO THIS AS A BUSINESS!

2:  Make sure to join the Essential Rewards Program when signing up.  ER is a Monthly Autoship (this is completely optional) which you can adjust. I recommend joining this so that you can get money back on all your orders to spend and earn free products! Again, there is no monthly commitment.  I  have been using essential rewards to get my favourite cleaning products (Thieves household cleaner), toothpaste and other essentials shipped to my door monthly.  You can cancel or change this at any time without any cost whatsoever!

Think: cleaning products, baby line, supplements, personal care products, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, makeup, face wash and so much more! You also get reduced shipping costs and free products/money back when on essential rewards.

How much does it cost to join Young Living?

NOTHING! There is no membership fee, no cancellation fee, no fee to join Essential Rewards and no fee to cancel Essential Rewards.

How often do I have to order?

To keep your YL account active, you will need to place one 50PV (point value) order annually. You will get a full in-depth training course through Pure Culture When you join which explains exactly how the  point system works with young livings.

What do I have to do to be on Essential Rewards?

When you create your Young Living account, you’ll have the option to join Essential Rewards right away. Essential Rewards is a convenient monthly autoship program that allows you to customize your order to fit your family’s needs each and every month. The minimum order required for Essential Rewards is 50PV per month. You will start earning points with your first order on Essential Rewards, so make sure to join when you purchase your premium Starter Kit so that you get $$$ back!

I’m ready to order my Premium Starter Kit, Whats the next step?

Sign up to become a member here, order your kit, hop on Essential Rewards if you wish, and you will receive a welcome package from me and will be added to our exclusive Facebook community with daily education, classes on topics you want to know about (sleep, hormones, emotions, cleaning, how-to’s, DIY’s and current promotions) and SO MUCH MORE! I will be here to guide you through this exciting journey and answer any questions you may have!

To enroll with me, click here and make sure the number 20804890 appears in both the “Enroller” and “Sponsor ID” fields.

GET STARTED NOW!

Love,

Marla