Oils

Immerse yourself in the transformative benefits of Nature.

There are so many health and wellness benefits to immersing yourself in Nature and using all it has to offer you. From spending time in green spaces; eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; working in soil such as gardening; walking barefoot known as earthing, consuming clean water and fresh air all have significant health benefits. Sit quietly in a park or near a body of water while sipping on water and focusing on your breathing, and reap the immense mental, physical, and emotional benefits of Nature. Include essential oils into your routine and you have just tapped into one more transformative benefits of Nature.

Essential oils have been an aspect of natural (aka alternative) health and wellness since 4500 BC. These natural oils have been used for many medicinal purposes, emotional stability, mental clarity, and spiritual well-being since ancient times.

Essential oils are made entirely from resin and plant extracts containing the most powerful parts of the plants with the most nutrients and chemical compounds. The oils contain the plant’s scent and flavor, i.e. the plant’s “essence”. The oil is extracted through distillation either through steam and/or water, or through mechanical methods, such as cold pressing. After extracting the “essence”, the oil is mixed with a carrier oil to produce the final product for use.

The process for creating the oil is important because essential oils produced through chemical processes are not considered authentic or true essential oils. There are 5 important steps in the process: Seed - Cultivate - Distill - Test - Seal that determine the quality of the oil.

There are many different types of essential oils. Over 125 according to some estimates. Most of these oils are used in aromatherapy, some as an additive in hair and skin care products, and some as food additives. It is important to know that directly consuming most essential oils can be hazardous to your health. Therefore confirm if a particular essential oil can be consumed and in what quantity.

How to Use Essential Oils

3 Common Ways to Use Essential Oils - Aromatically, Topically, & Internally

Aromatically
Inhaling the aroma from essential oils is a common method to experience their benefits. This is known as (aromatherapy. Inhaling the aroma stimulates areas of our limbic system, which is a part of our brain that plays a role in emotions, behaviors, sense of smell, and long-term memory. The limbic system plays a major role in forming our memories. You ever notice that a particular smell can trigger a memory as far back as your childhood? The limbic system also controls several parts of the human autonomic nervous system that includes the unconscious physiological functions.

Inhaling the aroma of essential oil carries micro-droplets to the limbic system then to the hypothalamus. These micro-droplets are also carried to the lungs then into the circulatory system. This leads to the medicinal benefits of essential oils.

• Rub 2 to 3 drops of essential oil between your palms and inhale.
• Inhale from the bottle.
• Place 2 to 3 drops on a cotton ball/pad and place the cotton ball/pad near a vent or space close to you.
• Place a few drops in a bowl of hot water. Place your head over the bowl and cover with a towel. Slowly and deeply inhale the aroma.
• Place the oil in a diffuser. There are many types of diffusers.

Topically
Placing essential oils on your skin is another method to experience their health benefits. Essential oils are potent and therefore in most cases should be diluted with a carrier oil (see note below) prior to applying to your skin. Always read and follow the instructions for the essential oil prior to applying to your skin.

• Rub 2 to 3 drops of diluted essential oil upon the desired area and massage into the skin.

Internally
Ingesting essential oils is another method to experience their health benefits. Like applying directly to your skin, you should always follow the instructions about the essential oil prior to consuming. Though natural, certain essential oils can be toxic to your system if ingested especially in large quantities.

• Can be consumed in vegetable or gelatin capsules, swallowed with water.
• Add 1 to 2 drops to a glass of water, juice, yogurt, or plant-based milk.
• Add 1 to 2 drops to a meal or recipe when cooking.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT USING ESSENTIAL OILS

While natural approaches to health and wellness are encouraged, it is important to know that "natural" does not mean safe. There are many natural things that can cause illness or death when touched, consumed or used improperly like mercury and arsenic. This also applies to many plants. (You may want to check out the book, Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart). With all the health benefits of essential oils, they should be utilized with care and precaution as improper use can cause harm.

Essential oils are potent and can cause irritation when applied directly to your skin. You should dilute an essential oil with one or more carrier oils before applying to your skin. Common carriers can be found in a typical kitchen like coconut oil, almond oil, and olive oil.

Avoid using any mixture that has a high concentration of essential oils around your lips, eyes, or other sensitive areas. Carrier oils can be safely applied to these areas.

As a rule, never ingest essential oils as they can be toxic.

You should always research the particular oil and/or engage a herbal professional prior to incorporating essential oils into your health & wellness routine. Check with your doctor or medical professional if you are on medication as certain oils negatively interact with certain medications.

Herbal Oils

Often confused as being synonymous with essential oils, herbal oils are a category of their own. They both come from plants but from different parts. Like essential oils, herbal oils have been used for thousand of years in medicine and healing, food preparation, and spiritual rituals.

Essential oils are the concentrated "essence" of the plant (i.e. essential) that can be obtained via several processes. The end result is just the oil and does not include all of the plant constituents. Herbal oils typically include the plant, root, stem, flower, or leaf from fresh cut or dried plants.

There are benefits to both types of oils and both can be incorporated into your holistic natural approaches for health and wellness. Essential oils tend to be more expensive. From an environmental sustainability perspective, herbal oils tend to be the better choice. Like essential oils, research the particular herbal oil and/or engage a professional herbalist.

Carrier Oils

Carrier oils like essential oils are made from plants. Carrier oils are excellent for diluting essential oils making essential oils safe for skin application. Carrier oils aid in the absorption of essential oil by your skin which improves the therapeutic effect of the essential oil, i.e. carrier oil.

Carrier oils tend be either unscented or lightly scented, and also contain many healthy properties of their own. Many carrier oils can be found in countless hair and skin products by numerous manufacturers.

Popular Carrier Oils
Coconut Oil
Jojoba Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil
Sweet Almond Oil
Olive Oil
Argan Oil
Rosehip Oil
Black Seed Oil
Grape Seed Oil
Avocado Oil
Sunflower Oil

Always test a carrier oil or essential oil combination on a patch of skin such as behind your ear or inside of your wrist before applying to any large area of your body.

Fragrance Oils
Fragrance oils are synthetically created from a mix of aroma chemicals and natural ingredients including essential oils, extracts, and resins. Resins are viscous substances that can be taken from plants or created synthetically that are used in many products and materials.

Fragrance oils can typically contain 40 to 80 ingredients with some high-end perfumes containing many more ingredients.

Since fragrances oils are synthetically created it provides the opportunity for many fragrance choices whereas essential oils choices are limited. You can usually distinguish the fragrance oil from an essential oil by its name. Essential oils are typically named after a plant or herb whereas fragrance oils have a more commercial appealing name. You still need to be careful of synthetically created oils being sold as essential oils.

We offer a large variety of essential and fragrance oils in 1/2 ounce/15 ml, 1 ounce/30 ml and 2 ounce/60 ml sizes. Our oil catalog listing our oils along with the oil benefits and prices will be available soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact us or one of our Independent Distributor for information.

Why Oils?
When purchasing oils you get more fragrance for your money! A little bit of oil goes a long way. Perfume oils normally last much longer than perfumes.

- Pure oils give you more fragrance for a lot less money.
- You can mix different oils to get your desired, signature scent.
- Oils save you money!
- Scents from oils last longer than perfumes.
- Oils moisturize your skin.

What is the difference between oils that you burn or use in a diffuser and oils that you wear?
There is no difference in the oil but more in the preferred use. Some oils are popular for burning because the aroma is more suitable for a fragrance for one's home or car whereas other perfumes are more likeable as a body fragrance. There are no rules for what oils you wear or ones you burn, it is totally a preference. Remember this rule: do not apply essential oils directly to your skin without blending the oil with a carrier oil. To maximize the fragrance include DPG (Dipropylene glycol) which is an odorless compound used in perfumes and colognes. DPG is added to a carrier oil and then to the essential oil to slowly disperse the fragrance which creates a lasting smell.

Why are some essential oils so expensive?
This cost of an essential oil is dependent upon several factors such as the particular plant the oil is extracted and the quality of the oil. It takes many plants to make a small bottle of essential oil. disperse the fragrance which creates a lasting smell.