Giving Wellness

Funny how much has changed in the 7 months I've been using essential oils.  Over this past holiday weekend, I diffused oils at my parents house, both to clean the air and to make it smell holiday-ish (I diffused a blend called Christmas Spirit which I LOVE!!)

I brought a travel bag of oils with me that I wasn't comfortable leaving home without, including Thieves, Lemon, Deep Relief, Sleepyize, and Stress Away.  I can honestly say that we used all of them as well as several others in the short weekend we were there.  And I learned, when my sister spattered her favorite shirt with bacon grease, that you can use lemon oil or eucalyptus oil to get out grease stains.  Who knew??

Anyway, I am excited to share wellness with my friends and family this year as gifts.  I have a bottle of Stress Away and Christmas Spirit to give the sitter, Stress Away Roll-Ons for the teachers, Mister for my husband, and Gratitude for myself.  And apparently I'm talking about how I use my oils non-stop, because suddenly several friends and family members are asking about buying oils and signing up for memberships.  I'm so grateful for these oils, and how they've changed my life and my family's level of wellness!  I can't wait to see what they do for us in the upcoming year!

Supporting your Endocrine System

This one is near and dear to me, as someone who has an auto-immune disease of the endocrine system (Graves's Disease).  For years I was on medication for my condition, but have been determined to be "in remission" now for the last 2 years.  My various thyroid levels keep checking out ok, so I don't need my medication anymore, but I still occasionally experience some of the symptoms that accompany Graves and Hyperthyroidism.  I support my Endocrine System with many of the oils listed above, in particular EndoFlex, Cinnamon Bark, Rosemary, and Progessence Plus.  These oils smell wonderful, whether in the diffuser or used topically (I don't diffuse Progessence plus as it is a serum, not an oil), and I appreciate having them to help keep the symptoms at bay. . . 

 If you have any questions or would like more information about anything I have discussed in a post, please send a message.  And if you are interested in a membership that allows you to purchase essential oils, supplements and beauty products of exceptionally high quality, at a 24% discount, click here to get started!

Reminder: I am not medically trained, and the information I write in these posts are based on my experiences with essential oils.  If you have questions about oils for medicinal purposes, please talk with a trained medical professional.

Online Product Catalog

Here is the link to the online version of the Young Living Catalog.


If you have any questions about the products, let me know.  If you would like to get wholesale pricing on Young Living products, join here.

Day 9: Thieves Oil

Oh my goodness, I don't know if there are enough word to describe how amazing Thieves oil is!!  It smells like fall and holidays and baked goods.  It cleans wonderfully, and it is a great support to your immune system.  Thieves was one of the first oils that I learned about when I was just starting to discover essential oils, and it's easy to see why it hooked me!  I love using Thieves, diluted in carrier oil, on my children and myself at night, as we're working to avoid the back-to-school-bugs that we're all being exposed to.  We put it on our feet and up and down our spines.  As I type, I have Thieves diffusing in the kitchen.  I have added it to warm water with honey for a delicious and comforting tea, and I have added it to my washing machine to freshen our clothes.  

This is an amazing oil, and one that every oil user I know loves!  If you would like help getting this or other oils, please send a message.  And if you want your own PremiumStarter Kit (which includes all of the oils we're looking at during this challenge) click here to get started!

Reminder: I am not medically trained, and the information I write in these posts are based on my experiences with essential oils.  If you have questions about oils for medicinal purposes, please talk with a trained medical professional.

Day 7 - Purification

I am not exaggerating when I saw that not a day goes by when we don't use Purification in our house!  It is a fantastic oil and has a fresh, clean smell.  It works wonderfully to deodorize - shoes, garbage cans, musty basements, bathrooms, you name it!  It makes a great addition to DIY deodorant, and it gets rid of "left over cooking smells" that hang around long past the end of the meal!  I add a few drops of Purification to my dryer balls to help my laundry smell fresh and clean.  I put a cotton ball with several drops of purification in a plastic bags with my shoes if the're needing a little freshening, and we diffuse this in the car with a USB diffuser to clean and freshen the air in there.

If you haven't tried Purification Blend, I can't stress enough how versatile and effective this oil is!  Give it a try and I'd bet you'll fall in love, too.  If you would like help getting this or other oils, please send a message.  And if you want your own Premium Starter Kit (which includes all of the oils we're looking at during this challenge) click here to get started!

Reminder: I am not medically trained, and the information I write in these posts are based on my experiences with essential oils.  If you have questions about oils for medicinal purposes, please talk with a trained medical professional.

Back to School

My Fellow Teachers, School Administrators, Child Care Providers, or anyone else who spends their days around children:

I don't need to tell you that Fall and Winter are rough on our immune systems! It seems like every time we start a new school year, my husband and I (both of us teachers) immediately catch some kind of a cold or bug.  Not to mention that fall tends to mean lice season in the schools!!  This year I head into the school year with an ace up my sleeve - my oils!!  I have spent the last couple months stocking up on my favorite calming blends (Stress Away, Valor, Grounding), my cleaning oils (Lemon, Thieves, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus), my "healthy body" support oils (Thieves, DiGize, Peppermint, Oregano), and my "beat the bug early" oils ( RC, Ravintsara, Basil, Raven).  I spent yesterday making new Lemon Oil All-Purpose Cleaner, Foaming Hand Wash, and a variety of roller ball blends for my kids and myself.  I feel ready to fight off the back-to-school germs.

My kids will be ready for school, too.  We have Sleepyize to diffuse at night to help them stay well rested, Thieves to rub on their backs and feet to help support their immune systems, and Geneyus to diffuse in the morning to help us all be focused and alert.  I have my Tea Tree to put in the laundry to make everyone's clothes smell wonderful, and again, my Lemon Oil Cleaner that they can use to help me clean up without any concern for exposing them to toxins or harmful ingredients.  I am so grateful to have my oils and to have information available to help me know how to use them to make this a great start to the school year.

If you're interested in learning more about the oils I've mentioned above or about the oils I have chosen to use for my family and myself, please feel free to send me a message!  And if you're interested in getting the same wholesale pricing discount that I get for my oils, you can use this link to order your starter kit!

New Starter Kit and Wholesale Membership

In case you're just starting out in exploring oils (which was me a few months ago!) it is important to know that there are many EO manufacturers and suppliers out there.  Oils range in availability, price, and quality.  I always recommend that everyone do their own research to figure out 1) if essential oils are right for them and if so, 2) who to choose as a distributor for oils.  That being said, I have made no secret of the fact that I have chosen Young Living as my oil supplier.  I am happy to have individual conversations with anyone interested about how I arrived at that conclusion if you would like to contact me directly.  So as a result, this post is specifically about Young Living Oils and Membership.

Anyone is able (and welcome) to purchase Young Living products without any commitment or membership, simply by ordering through their website.  This is a nice feature for anyone needing just one individual type of oil, or just wanting to try one thing.  There are other options, though, for those looking for a more economical option.  Anyone with a wholesale membership with Young Living has the ability to purchase products at wholesale pricing (24% discount).  So if you want to try some oils but don't want to pay full price, you can ask a member (like me!) to order for you and ship them to you - even with the shipping cost they will be cheaper than full price with shipping.  Otherwise, you can sign up for a membership of your own.  You need to select a starter kit (ranging from $45 - $160) which includes information about the oils and the company in additional to the products (varying based on which kit you choose).  Then you have access to the same pricing and benefits as I do.  The Starter Kits are not available for individual sale.  They are only available with a membership.

The exciting thing is that the Premium Starter Kit, which is Young Living's most popular starter kit (and best value of the starter kits) has just received an update, and in my opinion the new Premium Starter Kit is a huge improvement on the old version (which I loved, too).
 (The information and images below, about each of the starter kits, come directly from the Young Living website)

Basic Starter Kit:
The most affordable of the Starter Kits is the Basic Kit.  It is available in English or Spanish and includes the following:

• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend, 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle, 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) , 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards, 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples, 
• Product Guide and Product Price List, 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge,
•  and Member Resources.  

Premium Starter Kit Options

The best deal is the Premium Starter Kit.  There are three different versions of it, detailed below.
Premium Starter Kit with Diffuser:
This is what I started with, although it has gotten some upgrades since I bought it, and I have to say I'm a little jealous!  It is also available in English or Spanish.  Along with your membership, you get all of the following:

• Home Diffuser - you have your choice of four different models.  The one shown in this picture was the one I got with my starter kit (and I love it!) 
• Premium Essential Oils Collection: (Lavender 5-ml, Peppermint 5-ml, Lemon 5-ml, Copaiba 5-ml, Frankincense 5-ml, Thieves® 5-ml, Purification® 5-ml, R.C.™ 5-ml, DiGize™ 5-ml, PanAway® 5-ml) - I've posted about how I use many of these, and posts about the others on this list are forthcoming! 
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

Premium Starter Kit with Ninxia Red

If you've done some reading or research and you know you want a Young Living Membership but instead of the oils, you're interested in the Ninxia Red products, this might be where you want to start.

The kit (available in both English and Spanish) includes:

• NingXia Red 2-pack 
• 30 NingXia Red Singles (2 fl. oz. ea.) 
• NingXia Nitro 5-ml
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

Premium Starter Kit with Thieves

Once again, if you know you are interested in a Young Living Membership, but you're more interested in the Thieves Oil products instead of the oils, you might want to look into this option.  Also available in English and Spanish, the Starter Kit with Thieves includes:

• 15-ml Thieves Oil
• Thieves AromaBright™ Toothpaste
• Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash
• 2 Thieves Cleaner
• 2 Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
• 2 Thieves Spray
• 2 Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

All of the Starter Kits are a fantastic deal, and provide you with everything you need to get started with your own Essential Oil experience.  But what you won't find out at the Young Living Website is that there are sometimes benefits beyond the ones they offer as well.  When you enroll for a membership through an existing member, you become part of their membership organization (picture a family tree of members and all whom they've enrolled).  Most of these individual organizations have social media groups that are open only to members of that particular organization, where participants share ideas, testimonials, stories, DIY recipes, etc. This is where I do much of my learning about the oils, and where I get news and updates about new products, special deals, etc.  Many of these organizations also offer video classes, live classes, webinars, contests, and more.  Participation in all of these things is optional, but is only offered to members of that organization.

So if you're thinking about a membership. . . . let me know how I can help you.  And if you use this link to sign up for membership, you will become a part of the same membership organization as I am, gaining access to all of the additional benefits mentioned above.

Good luck!

The "Allergy Trio" - My seasonal best friend!

**The experience in this post are based on my personal use of oils.  I do not have any medical background or training, the statements I make are not intended to be taken as medical advice, and have not been reviewed or approved by the FDA.  I feel passionately about my own experiences with oils, so I want to share those experiences with others.  If you are new to oils or have medical concerns, please consult with a medical professional before you begin, and by all means, do your research!

If you've read my blog posts, you have heard me mention my affinity for the "allergy trio" of lavender, lemon and peppermint oils to help me handle seasonal allergies. Every May I get hammered with pollen allergies - I have the itchy eyes, the congestion, the scratchy throat, the cold symptoms - all of it.  I have always relied on a Claritin in the morning every day, but this year, I decided to try a more natural approach - the "allergy bomb" that I had heard about in posts about essential oil use.  I started with diffusing - three drops of each - lemon, lavender and peppermint - overnight in our bedroom.  Both my husband and I noticed a difference immediately!  He commented the very first morning that his eyes weren't puffy, and he didn't feel stuffed up.  I noticed that I didn't sneeze a dozen times when I first woke up.  A huge improvement on the "norm" for us!!

In the spring I sponsor a running club at our school - it is the long standing joke that after we finish our run, I sneeze about a hundred times.  I started taking the allergy trio - 3 drops of each - in a capsule before our runs, and I noticed that not only could I run better (I suppose because I could breathe better) but I didn't sneeze at all afterward.

Yesterday my husband was out mowing the lawn while I was cleaning inside the house.  I noticed that I was very congested and my throat was itchy.  I finally realized it was from the grass and his mowing.  I used my allergy trio, and within 20 minutes I was feeling so much better!  My husband came in and asked if it was a safe time of day for him to try a capsule for the first time.  I reassured him that this was one of the advantages of the oils - they didn't keep you awake like OTC allergy meds did, so you could take them at any time of day.  He tried it and within 10 minutes he said he was symptom free.

My only regret is that we have a whole bottle of Claritin in the bathroom that I have not opened up more than three or four times this season. . . . I haven't taken one in about 2 months, and I feel great!  What a wonderful feeling to know that I'm managing my allergies naturally and not with chemicals!

If you have any questions, of course, please email me.  And if you're interested in Young Living oils, which I have chosen as my oil supplier, based on the quality of their product and their impeccable reputation, let me know.  If you're interested in membership with Young Living, which allows you to purchase oils at wholesale prices (24% off of retail), you can sign up here.

Lavender Oil - I thought I knew it all!!

When I ordered my everyday oils starter kit from Young Living, I figured I would occasionally use the lavender oil for sleep and relaxation, but here I am 6 weeks in, and I use lavender more than any other oil in the kit, and in ways I never imagined!

If you've read my past posts, you've heard me talk about the "allergy bomb" - equal parts peppermint, lemon, and lavender - that diffuse nightly to help both my husband and I with our seasonal allergies, and that we both take daily by capsule to help alleviate seasonal allergy symptoms and congestion without the side effects of antihistamines or OTC allergy medicines.  You've also heard me mention that I apply diluted lavender and valerian oils on my kids' feet and my husband's to help with restful and deep sleep.  As I type this, there are diffusers running in both of my kids' rooms with lavender in them to help them calm down and fall asleep.  When my older child has fits (as 6 year olds are prone to do) I can calm him immediately by rubbing some lavender on his chest.  Much more effective than a time out, yelling, or anything else we'd tried.

In my last post, I talked about how I've used lavender for skin care products as well.  I have dabbed lavender oil straight onto cuts and scrapes to help them heal, and I have learned that the horrible itchy patch on my left elbow, which never seems to go away, can be healed with lavender.  And I anticipate using lavender this summer to help with sunburns and bug bites.

As  I started researching essential oils, I saw that lavender was referred to as the "swiss army knife" of essential oils and now I know why!!

update: Recently I spent an afternoon making a variety of beauty products with my Young Living oils.  I found, not terribly surprisingly, that most of the skincare recipes called for lavender oil.  Its skincare benefits are well known, and it is mild on the skin, as well as smelling great.  After making all of my DIY products, I can now say that I am using lavender oil on my skin every single day.  I can't wait till my rosemary oil arrives in a few days so I can make a lavender rosemary lotion (which is supposed to be amazing for dry skin).  Doesn't that sound like it will be heavenly!?

If you have any questions, of course, please email me.  And if you're interested in Young Living oils, which I have chosen as my oil supplier, based on the quality of their product and their impeccable reputation, let me know.  If you're interested in membership with Young Living, which allows you to purchase oils at wholesale prices (24% off of retail), you can sign up here.

Thieves Oil - A Must Have!!

Thieves Oil tends to be one of the better known oil blends available.  It is without question my favorite oil blend from Young Living.

Thieves Oil blend originated with a legend.  This oil is supposed to have protected thieves from the plague because of its immune system boosting properties.  I don't particularly care if the legend is true or not, I will be keeping this oil close by!

This is another one of those oils that we use for personal wellness and for household cleaning.  Young Living has a whole line of Thieves products that I haven't even begun to explore yet (including a Thieves Premium Starter Kit available when you enroll as a member).  I have just been making my own versions of the home cleaning products so far.

Thieves oil blend is a combination of cinnamon, clove, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.  It smells like the holidays to me. I started with Thieves in a diffuser - I absolutely love the smell - it is a warm and cozy, homey smell that lifts my mood immediately.  However, that is not why we were diffusing it.  Thieves acts to boost your immune system, so having had a rough winter with various ailments in our house, I was looking for something to help us out.  Unfortunately, I didn't start this till March, so I just caught the tail end of the worst stretch for us, but I look forward to using it next year to help us stay healthier.

That being said, however, a few weeks ago my older son appeared to have some kind of a stomach bug.  When he's sick, he likes to have my husband sleep in his room with him to help him during the night if he isn't doing well.  Before my husband turned in for the night, I had him put Thieves on his feet and I rubbed some (diluted in a carrier oil) up and down his spine.  We both wanted to know that he had a little extra protection so he wouldn't catch it, too.  The next day we diffused thieves in my son's room, to get whatever might be floating around out of the air and clean the room out a bit.

I put Thieves onto the soles of my feet about once a week or so to give my own immune system a boost.  Thieves is a "hot oil", meaning it burns on contact if it isn't diluted.  For many people, putting hot oils on their soles of their feet doesn't bother them, which I have found to be true for me, but if it is on my feet, I do still feel it tingling, so I know it's there!

In the deep dark months of winter, I found myself in the middle of one of my many colds.  This one included a very sore throat.  A co-worker, who is the one who introduced me to Young Living, carries Thieves spray in her purse.  One spritz to the back of my throat numbed it instantly and made the rest of the day of teaching bearable.  And another co-worker said she diffuses Thieves in her home all winter, and she swears her family had significantly fewer health issues this year as a result.

Like I said earlier, I have been using Thieves in a cleaner as well.  I made my own, although Young Living does sell Thieves Cleaner.  I combined 2 tsp. of witch hazel, 20 drops of Thieves Oil and 1/2 cup of distilled water in a glass spray bottle.  I keep it in the bathrooms upstairs so that I know they are getting disinfected and sanitized without leaving behind chemicals and fumes that might hurt my family.  I also use it in the kitchen and to spray down toys or non-wood surfaces my kids are coming in contact with.

I have read about using thieves in the dishwasher and in the laundry, but I haven't tried that yet.

Thieves can also be used as an analgesic, putting it "neat" onto sore gums or toothaches.  It can also be used to stave off cravings when trying to eliminate certain foods from your diet (I'm currently on a sugar-detox diet and using Thieves to help me through rough patches).

I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the thieves line - hand soaps, dental care, sanitizer. . .

If you are interested in trying Young Living products, or if you have any questions, please email me.  And if you're interested in a membership with Young Living, I can help you with that, too!



Please remember that I have no medical training or background.  I am speaking only of my experiences with essential oils.  Please do your research and consult your doctor before using essential oils for health reasons.

Peppermint Oil - So many uses!

**Please note that I have no medical training or background, and the information in this post is in no way to be used as medical advice.  I am merely sharing my experiences with the oils.

I literally use my peppermint oil throughout the day for so many purposes.  It was the first oil I tried, and I had no idea then that I would find so many more uses for it.  These are just some of the ways I've used peppermint over the last few months:

Right now, I wake up in the morning without being congested and puffy, as I usually am this time of year due to my seasonal allergies.  Why?  Because throughout the night we run a diffuser in our bedroom, with 3 drops each of lemon, lavender and peppermint (or as it is affectionately known among many essential oil users as the "allergy bomb").  The first night we used it, my husband and I both immediately noticed a difference.

However, when I was struggling with a cold earlier in the year and was horribly congested, I found that the ONLY thing that helped me find relief (including the OTC decongestants that did nothing more than make me jittery and nauseous) was if I took a mug or bowl of boiling water, added a drop or two of peppermint oil, and inhaled directly over the steam.  It IMMEDIATELY helped me breathe again. **I have since tried adding a drop of tea tree oil as well, which I've learned helps clear up the source of the problem while the peppermint helps ease the discomfort.

I have tried ingesting what is known as the "weight loss trio" - 2 or 3 drops each of lemon, grapefruit, and peppermint.  I didn't notice weight immediately melting off (because when does that ever happen?!) but I did notice a decreased urge to snack, which is always a good thing!  I will be exploring oils and weight loss more in the next few months.

When I have a headache, backache or sore muscles, I apply peppermint "neat" (or undiluted) to my temples, my neck, or whatever muscles feel tight.  I learned the hard way not to apply it to the sinus area, even if I have a sinus headache - my eyes watered like crazy for at least a half hour!  My husband suffers from shoulder stiffness frequently, stemming back from an injury years ago.  When he first tried peppermint oil on it, he was blown away by how much better it felt.  Now he asks for it daily.  He also wants to try to put it on before he starts exercising, to see if it helps with tightness.

I also like to add a drop of the oil to my water that I sip on throughout the day.  I find that it helps with digestion and bloating, it is cooling and refreshing, and it is a natural, sugar-free, sweetener-free alternative to gum or breath mints.

**There is a concern with using peppermint oil if you are pregnant or nursing, or with children.  Please be sure to do your research before using any oil.

Interested in trying Young Living Essential Oils?  Send me a message or sign up here.

My Story

Welcome! Chances are, you found this blog because you're interested in learning more about essential oils.  That's where I started, too.  I have known about oils for the last few years - a co-worker swore that putting peppermint oil in her water helped as a digestive and an appetite suppressant (sounds good to me!) and I gave it a try.  That was about as serious as I got.

Meanwhile, a couple years went by, and I went from being a person with very few health concerns and a fairly healthy lifestyle to being someone who was taking 3 prescription meds daily, fighting virus after virus, and watching helplessly as every bug out there knocked the whole family out from the first day of school throughout the winter and well into the spring!  I knew that the OTC meds we were using helped alleviate symptoms when they came up, but something more proactive needed to happen to help us get ahead of these health problems that seemed to be never ending.

About a year ago, I noticed posts all over the health blogs that I follow regularly about the benefits of various essential oils.  I marked them all to read later and moved on.  Then, about 6 months ago, another coworker mentioned the oils she is using, and I started asking questions.  I decided to just dip my toes in, having NO IDEA what the world of essential oils would teach me, and ordered my first two oils: peppermint (the old, familiar friend), and one called Stress-Away - I had been struggling with some anxiety issues and was feeling exceptionally stressed about work related issues, and was ready to try anything.

 I started putting the peppermint in my water during the day and noticed a change in how my body felt after lunch (less bloating, less feeling of sluggishness!).  I followed the guidelines for the Stress-Away oil and applied some to my wrists and neck and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with the smell! (I'll post more about Stress-away in a future post)  It was fragrant and calming, without being overpowering or offensive to others (you should know that I am extremely sensitive to smells, and am the first one to complain about other people's scents bothering me - everything from headaches to sneezing fits!)  I started using the Stress-Away more regularly and found that I started feeling like something was missing on days that I didn't use it.


Around that time, my coworker mentioned that she was ordering some more oils, and invited me to add to her order if I'd like.  I felt like I was ready to try some more, so I ordered lemon and valerian.  I had read about both - lemon as a detoxifier and valerian as a sleep aid.  The only thing I knew was either using oils topically or in water, so I used my lemon in my water, alternating with the peppermint (because I had NO IDEA you could or should mix them!) and valerian in my tea at night - NOT a good taste!  To quote my husband, "It smells like peaches and feet!".  I liked the lemon well enough, but wasn't fully sold on the valerian.  My coworker started asking about what I thought about the oils, and sharing thoughts about the oils she was using.  I asked her one day, in desperation, about what she used for menstrual cramps.  She listed a couple of oils and a blend that I was completely unfamiliar with, and I knew I needed to start doing some research.  And one afternoon, when I could barely swallow because of what I was certain was strep, she introduced me to Thieves oil and Thieves spray.  Intrigued by the effect it had when she sprayed it on my throat, I dove in to my research even further!

Not long after, I was in a friend's house and she had a diffuser running - she shared that she diffused Thieves oil 24 hours a day, and she swore that her family had been the healthiest they've ever been since she started.  For me, I still just loved the smell and didn't understand what was really happening when she diffused it.  These are both friends that I trust, and that I feel live their lives similarly to me, so I was ready to learn more.  One weekend I glued myself to the computer and read everything I could find about oils, and thus began my journey.  I have learned so much in such a short time about how to use the oils, what oils to combine in order to maximize effects, what uses the oils had beyond fragrance, and the science of why the oils worked.  I very quickly became hooked!

Look for future posts about how I decided what kinds of oils to use and what oils are now a part of my regular routine!  And if you're interesting in trying oils for yourself, email me at wkharrop@gmail.com.  If you're interested in becoming a Young Living member, click here.