Essential Oils – Love it or Hate it?

I wanted to write about this because there seem to be a craze over the use of scents and essential oils to help with children’s illness or to help cope with stress etc. Many moms are taking a holistic approach instead of traditionally giving oral medication.  I am not trying to promote any certain brand of oils, but mainly stating my own reviews and usage. Please note that these are not miracle oils and if necessary, please consult a doctor if your child is persistently sick.

My relationship with the Young Living Essential Oils started when my twins started to fall sick one after another and kept re-infecting each other. We had to go through more than a month of battling flu and cough and needless to say, they lost a substantial amount of weight. I was getting desperate and that was when a few friends suggested I try the Young Living  essential oil since it worked very well for their own children. I was skeptical and still am today to a certain extent, but some oils did seem to help alleviate some of their flu symptoms. I do not allow my children to consume the essential oils, because although some of the users do that, I have seen labels indicating that it isn’t for consumption so it’s strictly a NO for me. As usual, I will not bore you with the details of the sign up, but if you are interested in signing up as a member or buying some oils to try out, I can direct you to some of my friends who are doing this as a business and who will be more than happy to assist you on your questions. Alternatively, you may join the FB group called ‘One Drop’ to find out more.

Here’s a list of oils I have: (I know it’s not a lot, but a few good ones are all you need)

·         Valor

·         RC

·         Purification

·         Peace & Calming

·         Citrus Blend

·         Lavender

·         Lemon

·         Peppermint

Valor is my personal favourite and I use it as a scent more often than its intended uses. This oil supposedly instills courage and keeps one grounded. I apply it behind my ears and on my chest because I carry my babies so often when we are out and when they sleep, they do like to fall asleep in my arms so I don’t mind if they smell this instead of the synthetic perfume smells. I stopped wearing perfumes since I gave birth except for the occasional outings without the babies. I love to inhale this scent when I am feeling frazzled or floaty and can’t seem to concentrate. (1 drop on palm, rub together, cup over nose and inhale deeply) I don’t know if it’s because I do the deep breathing thing or because the oil really works. I tried to rub this oil onto Reagan’s feet and spine when he is ultra cranky, but this has never worked for him. LOL. *Bangs head*

RC is a blend of essential oils mainly to help with respiratory issues. I will not go into theory on the oil but this is a must have for me at home. Whenever the twins have flu, I will rub this oil on their chest, their back and on their feet then cup my hands over their nose to let them inhale. I will also diffuse this oil or Eucalyptus oil(Bioaire brand) when they have stuffy noses and it clears the mucus so they sleep a little better. I also do a bit of suctioning before their bed time. Sea salt spray and Nose Frida to suck out all the nasties. Get the one that you can have to manually suck out (like a straw like tube) instead of the dropper like thingy. It doesn’t work. Those SUCK. (pun intended)

Purification. Hmm, Usually I just diffuse this in my room because it smells nice. I don’t see any benefits from it. Not too sure what else I can use it for, but I am happy just diffusing it.

Peace & Calming. Initially I bought this because Reagan is a poor sleeper. He has frequent night terrors and it disturbs everyone’s sleep with his horrifying wailing. I tried to put a drop onto the base of his feet but it doesn’t really seem to have much effect on him. I tried diffusing this, but I end up sleeping a lot better than him. The smell can be a bit strong so I guess this oil isn’t for all. Does it work? Hmm, you have to try it out for yourself for this one.

Citrus Blend is a blend of citrusy fruits (duh) so you know that it is a very uplifting scent. My sis says it smells like a cheap toilet deodorizer, but I diffuse this whenever I want my kids to focus better and for myself, a perk me up.

Lavender is one of my ‘can’t do without’ oils because I use it for just about everything. I use it for pimples, (very effective) sunburn, (moderately effective) and cuts or stings. Not long ago Janelle had a lot of reddish spots on her back and we wondered if she has sensitive skin. After applying a teeny weeny bit of the oil, the redness disappears completely. The smell can be a little overpowering so I never tried it for calming because it makes me feel choked up even if it’s one drop so I wouldn’t recommending applying it too near your nose area. Other than that, it’s a pretty decent oil that does its job quite well.

Lemon & Peppermint was recommended by my friends to help bring down a fever. Lemon was applied at the base of the feet every 20mins and peppermint can either be diluted with the V6 oil or mixed a drop of it into normal water for sponging. I like to use the sponging way and it seems to be the most effective method to bring down a fever. Janelle is proned to fever fits, so I always have to give Paracetamol regardless. As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a miracle oil and the effects are not instant so don’t expect it to straight away bring down a fever. Sponging with or without the peppermint seems to very quickly bring down a fever, so concentrate on the forehead, neck, armpits and near the groin area. I have tried just using Lemon purely for bringing down the fever but it did not work. So we are sticking to Peppermint for now. I will probably use Lemon for other uses but most likely will not replenish this oil when it is finished.

So these are the oils I have, and how I have used them on my babies. A little common sense will be good here, should the fever persist, please give them medication. If your child has been coughing for a week and despite using essential oils, please go see a doctor instead. I will not say that the oils have 100% worked for me or my babies. But I do love some oils and will continue to use those. I diffuse oils very often because I love a nice smelling room so I am also exploring other blends and brands. I know of friends who swear by this and friends who feel that it is too over rated. Personally, I don’t see any harm in trying out the essential oils, but please do not go all crazy over it at once. Buy a few, try and see if it works for you. If it does, great, buy some more other oils. If it doesn’t, just use it to diffuse and you will have a nice smelling room!

In my next entry, I will be talking about some of the essential things I must have in my room for baby needs. You can use the entry as a guide and prepare for baby’s arrival!

 

Till the next entry,

Xoxo,

J