What are Essential Oils and Why Should You Use Them?
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If you are interested in Real Food and Natural Living, chances are you have come across reference to essential oils. There are tons of recipes out there for natural beauty products, cleaning products and more all using essential oils. They have become staples in our house, for sure!
But, what are essential oils? What is the big deal about them? And why should you be using them?
Essential oils were mankind's first medicines. They were used in Ancient Egypt and China. There are even well over 100 references to essential oils in the Bible. The Three Wise Men brought Jesus the essential oils Frankincense and Myrrh!
Essential oils are the volatile (meaning they evaporate quickly) liquids that are distilled from plants (including parts of plants such as seeds, bark, roots, etc.). They are considered the soul or the lifeblood of the plant. The liquid is then distilled to make a pure oil-like substance.
Most people associate essential oils with beautiful fragrances but they are SO much more than that! They are powerful, therapeutic oils that can be used in a variety of ways!
Benefits of Essential Oils:
- provide immune support
- accelerate healing
- quickly penetrate the skin, bringing their benefit to the bloodstream
- small molecules that are able to cross the blood brain barrier
- antioxidant
- regenerate and oxygenate the body
- help the body get rid of toxins
- purify the air
- promote emotional, physical and spiritual healing
- enhance clarity of thought
You know that Oh Lardy is concerned about the quality of the food that we have in our homes. Well, we are also concerned with the quality of our essential oils.
There are a vast variety of essential oils out there on the market, but not all are truly pure. Producing pure essential oils can be very costly because it may require several hundred pounds (sometimes thousands of pounds) of plant material to extract 1 pound of essential oil!
Some companies use a process that uses high pressure, high temperature, chemical solvents and reactive metals to obtain the essentials in a shorter time frame and using less plant material. However, while these oils may be fine for their fragrance, the chemical compounds that produce the therapeutic benefits can be completely gone!
Want to know an interesting fact? It takes 170-250 pounds of lavender plant material to make 1 pound of oil. And guess what? France exports 100% more lavender oil than they produce. Hmmm… How is that even possible? They also use lavandin which is a hybrid of lavender…which smells like lavender and has some of its own benefits but does not have the anywhere near the same therapeutic benefits as real lavender!
Oils in your local store can be labeled 100% pure oils and only have a few drops of real essential oils and the rest of the oil can be synthetic. This explains why so many essential oils at local stores are so cheap. Look for the warning label about taking internally with these oils! You can not take synthetic oils internally!
This is why Oh Lardy has chosen to use Young Living essential oils. They are truly 100% PURE, therapeutic grade essential oils.
Why We Love Young Living:
- Steam distilled in stainless steel chambers in low temperature and low pressure
- Citrus oils are cold pressed.
- Essential oils are obtained from plants with zero chemicals on them
- They are the only essential oil company that has their own farms and distilleries – 9 farms and distilleries around the world.
- They are completely pure, unadulterated and are manufactured for their therapeutic benefits, not just their pretty fragrance.
How to Use Young Living Oils:
- Absorbed through the skin
- Direct inhalation (hold oil under your nose and breathe)
- Diffused throughout the air
- Internally (can be placed in an empty capsule, added to food or drink, or used in a suppository fashion with a capsule)
**I would definitely only use YLEOs internally as they are 100% pure!!!
My whole family uses a variety of Young Living Essential Oils every day in my house. If you are curious about how to buy these amazing oils at a discounted price, please check out our how to buy essential oil page!
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