Benefits, Dos and Dont’s and Common Misconception of Therapeutic Oils

This post would be about the questions that I have once asked myself and found answers and information that was passed down from friends who have taught me about essential oils, and from what I learnt from the YL workshops. ( I will add on to the list as time goes on and have more to share)

Why essential Oils? How good are they?

Essential oils are the essence of the aromatic plants which help them to survive and fight with diseases etc. I would say it is like the “blood” of the plants and very similar to human blood. They both help fight infection and form a significant part of the immune system. They both have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.

The aroma of the oils you like will help to strengthen you. If you are neutral about the aroma of the oil, means you probably don’t need it. the aroma that you don’t like shows that your body is lacking it and rejects it, meaning that you need that oil.

Benefits of Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils

1) They can quickly penetrate the tissues of the skin, lipid-soluble and are capable of penetrating cell membranes.

2) They stimulate blood flow, which increases oxygen and nutrient delivery.

3) Detoxify the cells and blood in the body.

4) Promote emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.

5) Powerful antioxidants as determined by the ORAC test developed by Tufts University. Antioxidants are know to slow down aging process.

6) Contains antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, antiseptic properties

 

Dos

1) always store your essential oils in dark colored bottles. Light can damage your essential oils.  That’s why you never see do put in clear bottled.

2) always store your essential oils in a cool and dark place away from light if possible to enhance the lifespan of the eo. An essential oil doesnt have an expiry date if kept well.

3) always dilute “hot” oils with a carrier oil such as v6 vegetable oil. Hot oils are Thieves, Peppermint, Oregano, Thyme, Lemongrass, Clove.

4) always test a the essential oil on a small area first before your first use especially for those with sensitive skin.

5) essential oils help to detox our body, hence plenty of water is important!

Dont’s

1) never let your essential oils touch plastic.. there are people who drop essential oils and put in aircon vent and burned their plastic. because yl eo are very concentrated. they eat away the chemicals found in plastic.

2) never use  the essential oil with heat. For example, do not use an oil burner. Heat will cause the essential oils to lose their therapeutic effect, although you will still get the fragrance.

3) Always apply essential oils on a clean skin. Do not apply the essential oil after you have applied any lotions or creams, because the oils will push these synthetic materials into the skin. Similarly, you cannot use water to wash away these oils because water and oil do not mix and the water will help push the oils into your skin. Therefore, when oils irritates you, always dilute with a carrier oil. Or if you do not have any, any cooking oil at home will also help.

4) If you are drinking essential oils with water. Never use a plastic cup to drink essential oil, use a glass one.

5) Do not mix essential oils when using in diffuser or applying topically. When applying topically, use the layering method. Apply the first oil, wait 1-2 minutes till the oil is absorbed then apply the second oil. If layering with peppermint, always layer it last. Peppermint has the ability to drive the oils in.

Common Misconceptions. (FAQ answered here)

This is the first impression most people have when I try to share to them about essential oils.

1) Sorry, not interested in aromatherapy. (especially men)

Young living oil is not aromatherapy. It is more than that.  Aromatherapy uses fragrance oils or perfume grade oils. Young living oils are therapeutic grades, they are safe to ingest and do not add any synthetic materials, unlike fragrance oils are usually diluted with ethanol/alcohol.

2) I don’t like the lavender smell from yl, I prefer those I buy outside which smells better.

Young living oils are 100% pure without adding any synthetic material. Other oils, they try to make the oils smell nice (being a fragrance oil, the smell is important right?) by adding other stuff in it.. It may write pure essential oils but they may not be 100% pure.

“You are what you eat”. What you apply on your skin, abosrbed by your skin (creams, lotions etc) should also be safe to be ingested. If it isn’t safe, that is because it contains synthetic materials which is harmful to your body. Young Living oils are safe to ingest because is 100% Pure without adding any synthetic stuff in it”

3) I don’t have a diffuser, and I don’t wish to spend money to buy one.

As mentioned, yl oils are not fragrance oil, you do not need a diffuser in order to enjoy the goodness. Depending on the area of concern, we can apply or ingest the oils as well. For example, if you are having a congestive cough, you can apply RC onto your chest. If you are having a stomach discomfort, you can rub peppermint onto your tummy. You can even drop 1 drop of peppermint into your tea (1 drop of peppermint eo = 25 cups of peppermint goodness). You can also apply thieves, one drop onto the sole of your children daily to keep them protected from germs.

4) I already have a water air purifier at home, can I drop YL oils in the purifier?

Unless you are very sure that the purifier is made up of quality plastic (high grades of 6 and above), then do not take the risk, as it may damage your purifier, plus who knows some melted material might have dissolved in it.

5) Young Living oils are so expensive!

Many people do not understand why the high price. YL oils are therapeutic because they are from the first distillation. So what if it is first? many people don’t understand how that affects the price. Here is a good example, when you brew a herbal chinese medication, the first brew is the most potent and most concentrated. When you brew again the second time, the medication is lighted and more diluted. Young Living oils are from the first distillation only, making it them very concentrated and have therapeutic effects. Unlike other companies who just wish to maximise their quantity and to meet demands of the market, they will distill it a few times and then mix everything together. Also they may add synthetic material as well.

Young Living do not compromise on the quality of their oil and they a batch of oils are did not meet their standards, they will be discarded. They grow they crops organically and do not rush the growth of their plants (like chickens, we inject hormones to make them grow fatter), that is why sometimes we run out of stock on certain oils.

6) I applied Young Living oils and started to see rashes.

Young Living Essential Oils help our body to detox and pushes out these toxic out of our body. Like all other detox program, water is very crucial to help remove these toxic out of our body. When there isn’t enough water, these toxic will try to escape from your skin. There was a member who used the oil and started to have phlegm, this is because the body is trying to remove the toxic that was accumulated before. Perhaps this member has taken many medications that has suppressed the phlegm in the body in the past and the oil is helping to push it out.

7) Can I use the oils on infants or children?

Yes of course! There are some oils blends specially formulated for infants or children. For example, Gentle Baby, Peace and Calming. Other oils can also be used with proper dilution with V6 oil. There are also oils for older children who needs to improve on concentration, for example Peppermint, Brain Power.

“A 2002 research study at Wheeling Jesuit University by Bryan Radudenbush and colleagues found that peppermint improved clerical productivity”

Essential Oil Pocket Reference (5th Edition)

Pretty impress with this book, good for a beginner like me. This pocket reference is a simplified version of the Essential Oil Desk Reference. The publisher is from LSP Life Science Publishing, shipped all the way from US. Just a quick glance through, the book sorts mainly by the essential oil types (chapter 4 and 5) and also sorted by the symptoms (chapter 6). I am just so amazed at the different kinds of symptoms it can help with.

For example, it talks about men and women issues. Eg impotency, infertility, menopause, menstrual and hormone issues, ovarian and uterine issues, sexual dysfunction), it includes those big illness like AIDS, cancer, stroke, thyroid problems etc. I love especially the part they have for irritable bowel syndrome which I suspect I have. (Pardon the poor pictures, I will tried to get better ones to replace them when I have time!)

 

Basically on the content page are 7 chapters.

Chapter 1: Yesterday’s Wisdom, Tomorrow’s Destiny

Plants not only play a vital role in the ecological balance of our planet, but they also been intimately linked to physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of mankind since the beginning of time. An essential oil is that aromatic, volatile liquid that is within many shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds that is usually extracted through steam distillation. The chemistry of an essential oil is very complex and may consists of hundreds of different and unique chemical compounds. They are highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs.

Essential oils are not simple substances. Each oil is a complex structure of hundreds of different chemicals. A single eo may contain anywhere from 80 to 300 or more different chemical constituents. Essential oils derived from a second or third distillation of the same plant material are usually not as potent as oils extracted during the first distillation. Yet with certain oils, there may be additional chemical constituents that are released only in the second or third distillation.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of essential oils are adulterated, engineered, or “extended” with the use of synthetic-made compounds added with the oil.

This chapter also talks about the different schools of application which I shall discuss more in my future post.

Chapter 2: How Essential Oils Work

This chapter talks about the chemical constituents of essential oils. There are 13 categories of essential oils constituents which I will not discuss here as it is too technical.

The chemical constituents can be affected by a vast number of variables including the part(s) of the plant, soil condition, fertilizer (organic or chemical), geographical region, climate, altitude, harvesting methods and distillation process. The key to producing a therapeutic-grade essential oil is to preserve as many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the essential oil as possible. The plant material should be free of herbicides and other agrichemicals which can react with the essential oil during distillation to produce toxic compounds. Because many pesticides are oil-soluble, they can also mix into the essential oil.

Essential oils have a unique ability to penetrate cell membranes and diffuse throughout the blood and tissues, When topically applied, it can travel throughout the body in a matter of minutes. 98% of essential oils produced today are used in the perfume and cosmetic industry. Only 2% are produced for therapeutic and medicinal applications.

Then it goes on about the standards and testing of YL’s oil. It also discuss about adulterated oils and their danger.

This chapter also talks about the powerful influence of aromas and the limbic system which i will discuss in future. The 3 models were also discussed.

Chapter 3: How to safely use Essential Oils

This chapter talks about basic guidelines for safe use. I will do up a post on the FAQ for this and also guidelines on how to use them.

Chapter 4: Single Oils

This chapter describes over 80 single essential oils, including botanical information, therapeutic and traditional uses, chemical constituents of each oil, extraction method, cautions and application instructions.

Chapter 5: Essential Oil Blends

This chapter describes specific blends that were formulated after years of research for both physical and emotional health.

Chapter 6: Techniques for Essential Oil Application

This is definitely a chapter worth exploring! It includes

1) Neuro Auricular Technique

2)Lymphatic Pump

3) Vita Flex Technique

4) Raindrop Technique

It comes with detailed pictures too. Here is any example.

(I have replaced the original snap shot from the book which is in black and white to a colored version)

Chapter 7: Personal Usage

Many people think that by taking supplements, they can solve their health challenges. They do not consider the negative impact of the environment and what they can do to change it. Why? You gotta read the book to find out… too much information overloaded already!! It then talks about development your program and the methods of using the oils. And following that are all the symptons that were listed in the content i posted above.

Appendix A: Product Usage for Body Systems

Appendix B: Single Oil Data

Appendix C: Essential Oil Blends Data

Total of 394 pages bounded by a ring. Easy to flip.

 

It’s Here! Essential Oils Pocket Reference

Finally its here! Will talk more in my next post!

What makes Young Living Special?

So why is young living so special? How does it being a therapeutic essential oil help us? How is it different from aromatherapy? I am sure there are many questions you want to know…

1. Young Living oils are 100% Pure and are Therapeutic Grade essential oils.

Most essential oils you find in the market are usually fragrance oil or perfume grade oils. They are often diluted with alcohol or other synthetic substances. However, Young Living’s oils are 100% Pure Therapeutic Essential Oils. Why they are 100% Pure? Because they do not add any other synthetic substances into it, it is so safe that the oils can be ingested! While you will notice that most labels in the stores would be warning labels not to be taken. You may find some of the YL oils have added almond oil to help stable some of the essential oil blends. What do you mean therapeutic? Although there is no government bodies that do certifications for “Therapeutic Grade” but Young Living has been around for more than 20 years, and they researches have shown that these oils do help in a way. Just look at the number of great testimonials you can find on the Google and how it changed the lives of many. You wont know if it is good until you have tried it.

2. Young Living Essential Oils Aids in Natural Healing

Essential oils do not help to cure your illness. What they do is when you are sick, your body becomes disturbed and loses its equilibrium. Listen to what your body tells you and use them at the earliest stage possible. These essential oils will help your body get back its “‘balance” and when it does your body is then able to heal on its own. This is when natural healing comes into place.  When I refer to the earliest stage means, for example. Your throat feels irritated and you know it is a sore throat coming. Do not wait till your throat is all red and in pain then start to use the eo. Then the healing process will take longer!

3. Essential Oils vs Medications

So how is essential oils better than medications? When you take a panadol when you have a fever, your body absorbs the medication and your liver takes around 8 years to expel it out of your body. But then, within this 8 years you probably going to pop even more into your body. When you will never actually expel out all these and it just accumulates in your body taxing your liver. Essential oils are different, because they are made from plants from our Mother Earth, they get absorbed into the body quickly and within 20 minutes you should be able to feel the difference by within less than 1 hour, the oil who have been out of your system. That is why it is safe to apply these oils as often as once every hour!

4.Young Living Oils uses only the FIRST distillation.

Young Living uses only the FIRST distillation of their plants, which basically means they are super potent, very earthy and fresh smelling, and don’t consist of the diluted-down leftovers. Companies that use oils for scent only use the 4th and after distillation. In-the-grocery-store oil companies use the 3rd and after distillation along with synthetic additives. The compounds that are released during the 3-4th distillation would defer from those that in the first distillation. Doing multiple distillations helps to maximises the amount of oil that they can collected from the same batch of plants and of course maximizes their profits. This also explains why Young Living Oils are more expensive. It is like eating birds’ nest. The higher grades ones cost more because they are more pure and more nutritious.

5. Young Living’s SEED to SEAL guarantee. 

Young Living prides itself in its Seed-to-Seal Honor of Authenticity to produce the industry’s finest quality essential oils; and that comprises of the following critical 5 stages of preparation :

SEED: Choosing the best, unmodified seeds are the priceless first steps to investing in producing the most potent essential oils . Plant species are authenticated by Young Living experts. Species certification involves scientific research, field study, university partnerships, and on-site planting certification.

CULTIVATION: Through cultivation on the 6 Young Living farms, Young Living Essential Oils has mastered the creation of pure, potent essential oils. The company takes this knowledge around the world to co-op farms to certify that these farms’ growing processes meet Young Living’s strict quality standards. Young Living chooses to work directly with farmers in co-op farms and do not buy from brokers who may not have any involvement and understanding of the need for highest standard cultivation processes.

DISTILLATION: Young Living’s proprietary low-temperature, low-pressure steam distillation process ensures that the beneficial plant compounds in every batch of essential oil remain un-compromised during the extraction process.

Below is a diagram showing the steam distillation process used.

TEST: Each essential oil must pass Young Living’s own stringent testing to ensure the optimal bio-active natural compounds are present. Young Living uses its own internal labs, in addition to third-party audits, to verify that international purity and potency standards are met and surpassed.

SEAL: Young Living completes the Seed to Seal process by carefully sealing each bottle of essential oil before shipping them to members worldwide.

(source: http://onedropsingapore.wordpress.com/about-young-living-essential-oils-authenticity-the-seed-to-seal-quality)

You will find that the smell of each different batches of essential oils will smell different depending on its harvest. Each bottle comes with their batch number printed on their labels. Because this is the nature’s goodness that we are unable to control! But they will still contain the same therapeutic effects.

Watch the video here:

6. Young Living have their own farms.

With six farms on three continents, seven distilleries on four continents, the many partners in other countries who also grow and distill for Young Living, and our hundreds of thousands of customers around the world, Young Living stands as the world leader in premium essential oils and natural wellness products. Young Living’s exclusive Seed to Seal quality-control process guarantees that each bottle of our essential oil delivers superior quality and purity.

7. Help and Support

Young Living really believes in their product and they are very happy to help every individual with the use of their oils.Whenever in doubt I will write an email/call them and they will teach you how to use. Also they conduct workshops on a monthly basis to teach their members on how to use their products and their benefits. There are simplify close to 200 over essential oils to learn from!

For product-related inquiries and concerns – info, usage, tips, etc. Write to (productinfo.sg@youngliving.com)

Phone: +65-6391-0170

My first encounter with essential oils

When I was younger, used to patronise Body Shop alot, and that was my first time I tried aromatherapy. I bought the burner and some oils to try. But I didn’t really find a fragrant I really like. My idea of aromatherapy was just something nice to freshen up the room.

Then, after I was married and moved out from my parent’s place. My new neighbor has this nice fragrance that I always smell when I walked pass her door. I wonder how did she make the smell last for so long and fills up her entire room? Because just before this, my colleague gave me her unused air purifier, which i tried, but I feel it doesn’t really clean the air and the scent doesn’t go beyond unless u are close to it. If you really want to purify the air, you should get a proper air filter.

Then just last year, I wanted to give it a try again. I wanted my house to smell nice and fresh. There was this shop at vivocity that sells designer home fragrances. They had really pretty diffuser in the form of roses, lilies, cactus etc.  The sales person recommended me the essential oil, she said unlike the other home fragrances which is just aroma, this one I picked is an essential oils which has benefits….ermmm.. for example, the one i picked up is lemongrass. I like the smell plus it can keep out mozzies. However, it was kinda of expensive for a bottle that can last arn 3 months. I really did like the fragrance, however, I feel that I couldn’t smell the fragrance when I am at the other end of the room, the smell doesnt disperse into the whole house. When my friends came over, they didnt noticed that smell either.

So I thought, i probably need a diffuser that works. I walked passed a shop that specialises in essential oils and saw they were selling those burners. Wow, after so many years, they it has become electrical. No more candles! Speaking of which I still had lotsa of them at home. But an electric diffuser was expensive close to 200 for a small sized one and their small little bottles of oil cost like 50-80 a bottle?

Then one fine day, while I was still contemplating whether to invest in aromatherapy, a friend posted on facebook about a bunch of essential oils and her freebies which included 2 diffusers and a bunch of other stuff. I was curious and asked her about it. She introduced me to Young Living 100% Pure Therapeutic Essential Oils. Wow, now this another new level of aromatherapy essential oils for me. It is not just home fragrance but these oils have therapy functions too. She recommended me some oils to try as I have a 34month boy at home who is frequently down with cough and flu and sensitive insect bites.

It was like God has planned this for me, because just before this I won a lucky draw from Cathay Pacific and that prize amount was just enough for me to start my Young Living Journey and to get all the freebies in Feb promotion.

Top: My Purchases which includede 1) Peppermint 2) RC 3) Thieves 4)Ginger 5)Ylang Ylang 6)Purification 7) Lemongrass 8)Lavender 9)Myrtle 10)Peace and Calming 11)V6 Veg Oil (Carrier for dilution)

Below: My freebies which included 1)Basic Starter Kit (which comes with a bottle of stress away, 2 packets of Ning Xia, 10 samples size oils 2) Home Diffuser comes with 5ml lemon and lavender 3) Everyday oils (consist of 10 bottles of oils) and only for the month of Feb (1) Jasmine 2)Release 3) Ceramic Diffuser with 5ml of Citrus Fresh.

The freebies I got was equivalent in price to the oils that I purchased. So literally I saved 50% of my total collection of Young Living products!

I will slowly share with you my journey of my essential oils in my upcoming post!

If you wish to start your journey to with Young Living with me, feel free to email me pskin01(at)gmail(dot)com.