Essential Oils for health & wellbeing

This past winter quarter I had the privilege of running a series of workshops for two special community groups dear to my heart, where I shared my knowledge and passion for bringing essential oils, natures plant medicine into our lives to support our wellbeing in a variety of ways. There is so much to learn, experiment and practice when it comes to bringing oils into your life, so I imagine there will be many more blog posts to come on this!

The topics I focused on included:

Low tox living with Oils
Benefits - research & raise your vibration/frequency
Aromatherapy to deal with negative emotions
Calming oils - Stress response, reflexology
Uplifting oils - Oil frequency, power of intention
Grounding oils - wellbeing wheelhouse & purefumes
Energising oils - morning rituals
Focus oils & Gratitude

For this post, I will focus on introducing essential oils, the ways we can use them, and some of the supporting benefits they can provide.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils embody the regenerating, protective and immune-strengthening properties of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. Essential Oils give plants their distinctive smells, protect plants, and play a role in plant pollination. Oils are extracted from the plants in a variety of distillation ways, which produce highly concentrated goodness for us to use for purity, potency, and efficacy. They have been used historically for food preparation, beauty treatment, and health-care practices.

What makes them "essential"?

Essential oils are called “essential” because they are the “essence” of the plant, being essential to help protect and nourish the plants growth and health.

They are naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds, found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They protect plants against environmental threats and provide beneficial properties for the plant as well as for us!

Ancient use of essential oils

Oils have been used since ancient times as an effective, safe, simple and natural method for managing a range of health conditions, helping to improve wellbeing and quality of life. The earliest essential oils usage evidence occurs in the period of 3000-2500 B.C.

Ancient Egyptians used oils for ceremonial & healing purposes

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that essential oils were essential for life, giving them the moniker that has stuck even to the present day.

Power of plant medicine

Long before there were big pharmas pumping out billions of pills, we turned to nature to assist us to treat and prevent all kinds of ailments.

Some places around the world are still connected to this old medicine lore, and they have much we can learn from them - to bring more natural elements into our lives. European Doctors still today incorporate oils in their treatment options with patients - they actually get offered a choice between prescription medicines or natural essential oils. Both are distributed through pharmacies across Europe! The Australian health care sector has a lot to catch up on in this!

Aromatic plants, essences and oils have been used for ages in ceremony, religious observances, beauty care, food preparation and preservation, as incense, and for perfumes.

Aromatic plants have also been the basis for herbal and botanical medicines and remedies for thousands of years. In fact, they're the root of todays pharmaceuticals.

Application Methods

There are a variety of ways you can experience oils;

Aromatically:

Diffusion - the easiest and simplest way of putting a fine mist of the oil/s in the air for inhalation. Many types of diffusers available today:

Cool air nebuliser

Ultrasonic (water vapour)

Cool air pad

Direct inhalation - just open the bottle and inhale - if you are sensitive to smell, then inhale from the lid rather than the bottle for a gentler inhale. You can also simply put a few drops on a cotton pad or palms, on paper towel, lava stone next to laptop, or a few drops on your pillow case (every night I drop a little lavender peace to help remind my mind and body its time to relax and wind down).
Hot water vapour
Fan/vent

Topically:

They can be safely applied for massage or topical therapy, their chemical structure enables them to pass through skin for an immediate systemic response.

Cologne & Perfume or purefume - natural, pure fragrance option which I like to call "purefume"!
Roller bottles with carrier oil - on wrists, neck.
Combined with alcohol (witch hazel) and distilled water for a body and face mist

Always check and make sure oil is suitable for topical use. And ALWAYS USE A CARRIER OIL when its going on skin to dilute its potency and reduce risk of reaction - fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil or primrose oil are great options, there are many more to choose from too.

Internally:

Certain Essential Oils have a rich culinary history and can be used as dietary supplements for targeted wellness. Again, always check to be sure the specific oil is ingestible and know the suitable safe amount, and most importantly, be sure you are choosing a reputable brand that can verify the quality of their product. I am a big fan of Doterra and Young Living, I have tried other brands and have noticed a big discrepancy in their quality.

Caution in using oils safely for you and your family

Just like all products we use, you need to do your homework, and be sure of what is most suitable and safe for you and your family. If in doubt, contact your GP or other health professional to be sure they are going to be a healthy option for you.

They come in a highly concentrated form and need to be carefully measured - with essential oils less is always and most certainly more!

Some notes on this:

Essential Oil products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of any Essential Oil product.

Some potential wellness benefits to be gained in using oils:

Promoting relaxation - used aromatically(smell processed with limbic system) taking less than 60 seconds, as it is the sensory system that makes the most direct contact with memory and emotions.
Have frequencies that can help restore balance and harmony. - more on this to come!
Calm tension and nerves
Uplift mood
Improve emotional health
Support muscle and joint function
Increase positive feelings
Help decrease stress
Purify body’s systems
Provide antioxidants - neutralising free radicals

Essential oils have been used since ancient times as an effective, safe, simple and natural method for various purposes, including managing emotions and promoting well-being.

There is so much to learn and experiment and grow your understanding in the application and uses of essential oils. They can really help transform your lifestyle choices, helping reduce the toxic load you bring into your home, and have a wonderful side effect - less waste, and much less plastic and synthetic products - this has certainly been true for me, and I am so passionate about the positive impact they have made on my life, I share my own experience through classes and 1:1 sessions this precious gift from mother nature.

It can be overwhelming, and unclear how to start your oils journey - I hope you find my posts a valuable source of inspiration and education to help guide you on your way with low tox options in supporting your wellbeing naturally.

Through my posts here and on social media I will share my love and uses in all the different areas of life I have incorporated them, and will offer DIY recipes and tips to inspire and make it easy for you to give them a go. You can contact us any time to find out more, or to book a session to explore specific topics.