Alright, what’s this new term that has surfaced oily mama?
Maybe you want to be an oily mama too! Well first off, you need to know that they’re talking about essential oils. I know…it sounds a lot freak-ier than that! Just oils. Why are they all the rage the last few years? They’ve been used forever, but companies like DoTerra and Young Living has brought it all to social media. This marketing is reaching younger generations and people in general that never paid attention before to natural stuff (that was me). This is cool news though ladies! You shouldn’t look over what’s been used for thousands of years. Especially if you’re a mom that wants more natural alternatives for your children and home.
I get it, oils are sort of intimidating. Allow me to give you the gist in a simple post. Firstly, essential oils are not oils, there’s no fatty acids, and is made up of organic compounds. Essential oils are highly-concentrated and highly-fragranced compounds of leafs, roots, flowers, barks, and plants. A lot of mainstream pharmaceutical companies still use these compounds, but since penicillin came out, a lot of synthetic drugs came to light. The attention has been taken away from plant-based medicine not too long ago.
There’s different ways to extract the oils from steam distillation to carbon dioxide extraction, to cold-pressing and a few others. Steam is the most common, carbon dioxide is the least unaltered, and cold-pressing is used for citrus oils. The one distraction method you don’t want is solvent extraction, which can leave behind solvents in the oils.
5 things you need to know before you get started with EOS:
- Skip oils all together first trimester if pregnant
- There’s a 5-year shelf life away from the sun
- Never buy something labeled “fragrance oil”
- Do not use citrus within 12 hours of sunlight exposure, due to photo toxicity
- Cancer patients should avoid certain oils, so always check
When you do select your oils, you will need a carrier oil to apply safely to your skin. Some great carrier oils are almond oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, olive oil, and jojoba oil. The different methods for using oils are diffusing, aromatherapy, or therapeutically. I never ingest the oils, but some people do. When using a diffuser, certain oils can damage the diffusers. Some diffusers have special instruction on type water use, oils, and care and not all diffusers are quality. Do your homework on them. I prefer ceramic plated diffusers.
Now that you know the basics, lets jump into the main oils used. Lavender is extremely calming and great for aromatherapy. Lemon is a natural detoxifier that also boosts alertness. Rose oil is excellent for moods, and has many benefits to help aging skin. Those are just a few of my favorite oils and is perfect for beginners.
Join the conversation! What’s your favorite oils?
