What are essential oils?
Essential oils are extracted from plant material through steam distillation or for citrus fruits like lemon and orange, they are cold pressed from the rind. Each drop of essential oil contains natural aromatic compounds that have health benefits. They have hundreds of compounds in each oil, which allows for us to use one oil for many different things. Essential oils address the body’s needs at a cellular level, at the root cause, which is why they can be so effective.
Not all oils are created equally.
There is no governing body over essential oils, anyone can grow lavender, extract oil, put it in a bottle and call it pure essential oil as long as 1% pure essential oil is in the bottle. Just 1% is all that US regulations require for you to put pure essential oil on the bottle?! That’s frightening. Because of this, you will find loads of essential oils on the market that say pure, but may also say “toxic”, “not safe for children”, or “do not ingest”. Or they may come with no warning at all. Please be aware of what oils you are using and be sure that they are tested and trusted. This is 100% why I only use and educate about dōTERRA essential oils.
Even if you think “I’m only diffusing the oils, I’m not putting them on my skin”... they are still going through your limbic system and to your brain. Think about it, how do you get put to sleep for surgery? You breathe something in that impacts you strong enough to allow you to sleep deep enough to have surgery performed on your body. So breathing something in can have huge effects on your body. Don’t even diffuse cheap oils!
How do you know oils are safe and pure?
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Oil harvested in a green house versus where they grow naturally, have totally different chemistry! Isn’t that fascinating? Totally makes sense though. So, dōTERRA sources it’s essential oils where they grow naturally. Our oils are sourced in more than 40 countries, our wintergreen for example is sourced from Nepal. Our frankincense is sourced from Somalia. The environmental factors play a huge role in the chemistry of the oil the plant produces. This is a huge way to know if your oils are pure and effective - ask where they are harvested.
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Since there is no governing body evaluating the quality of essential oil products, dōTERRA decided to partner with the Aromatic Plant Research Center (APRC), the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), the Sustainable Herbs Program (SHP), and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) to conduct Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) testing on every batch of essential oils produced. All of this testing is to ensure that every drop of oil meets dōTERRA’s rigorous Certified Pure Tested Grade (CPTG) standard.
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If you’re using oils that are not dōTERRA I really encourage you to research and ask questions. How are your oils harvested? Where are they harvested? Do you test your oils? Can I see the test results of your oils?
You are invited to view inside dōTERRA’s supply chain with Co-Impact Sourcing to see how local communities around the world are being impacted. Also, the testing results of every dōTERRA single oil bottle can be found at www.sourcetoyou.com.
dōTERRA is 100% transparent!
How do you use essential oils?
Aromatically - by diffusing or simply inhaling from the bottle
There are many benefits from using essential oils this way and I think they're often over looked. The aroma goes through your limbic system to your brain and can have big impact.
Best for use for emotional support.
Purifies the air.
Smells good while boosting immune system!
Use a diffuser, cupping your hands with a drop in them, or diffuser jewelry to get the aromatic benefits!
Topically - applying directly on your skin
Basically, if you can feel it, you can apply the oil there (with the exception never of putting oils in your eyes, nose or ears). If you or maybe your child has an ear ache, put Tea Tree on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball in the ear or rub the oil on the outside of the ear.
Check to be sure the oil you are applying is not a "hot" oil, like oregano, it may burn if you do not dilute it first.
Some oils can be put on NEAT (without dilution), but I think its always a great idea to dilute. When you dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut oil, it helps the oil penetrate the skin deeper and it saves you from using too much essential oil. Remember with oils, less is more, you do not need a lot of essential oil to get the desired result.
An excellent place to put oils for whole body response is the bottom of your feet because it has the largest pores on your body, so the oil will be absorbed into the cells throughout your whole body within 90 seconds!
For emotional support, put the oils in a place you can smell them such as your wrists, behind your ears, chest, etc.
Easiest way to use with your littles - by diluting in a rollerball and using topically.
Internally - in your water or a veggie capsule
You can ingest many of our dōTERRA essential oils, but not all, be sure to check your label and usage guys at doterra.com. Each oil has safety and usage guide published there.
What’s the difference between putting oil in your water, directly under your tongue, or in a veggie capsule? Well, sometimes, you use the veggie capsule simply because the taste of the oil isn't great. An excellent way to avoid that is to put the oil in a veggie capsule.
--Tip for using veggie capsules ---
Veggie capsules will dissolve over time with the oil in them, so you cannot prep them ahead of time. You must make it when you're ready to take them. Putting an oil in your water or under your tongue will allow the oil to effect your whole body. When you use a veggie capsule it makes its way to the gut before being digested so you can target your gut directly.
