Essential Oils 101: Getting Started
Learning about the amazing and powerful benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils is fascinating, but it can also be overwhelming. One oil may have dozens of common uses, and trying to keep it all straight can, at times, seem daunting.
Fortunately, getting started is easy, and learning quickly becomes a discovery rather than a chore.
Once you begin building your own natural remedy stash and using your essential oils regularly, you’ll become familiar with the names and uses quickly. Soon, your confidence in using essential oils to support your family’s health will grow!
Be sure to utilize a good essential oil reference book to explore the many uses for your oils. This will expedite your learning and get you well on your way to confident “oiling.”
Storage
It is always best to store your oils in a dark place, away from light, especially sunlight. Because sunlight and other kinds of radiation can compromise the potency of therapeutic-grade essential oils, Young Living oils are always shipped in dark, glass bottles.
Also, essential oils “eat” petrochemicals. We recommend that you do not store your oils in metal, plastic, or clear glass.
Spoilage
Most therapeutic-grade essential oils do not spoil. In fact, essential oils were discovered unspoiled in excavations from ancient tombs in Egypt. Because of the amazing protective properties of essential oils, they are often used in other natural products as preservatives.
General Use
Each 15 ml (0.5 oz) bottle of Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil contains approximately 250 drops. Essential oils may be applied topically, inhaled, or used internally. Click on the links to jump to any section in this post. (General cautions are listed at the end.)
Young Living essential oils that are labeled as “supplements” are GRAS (“generally regarded as safe” by the FDA) for internal use. This may not be true with other brands, as lower quality oils may be toxic. We use and recommend only Young Living Vitality essential oils for internal use, because we trust their quality and purity. (Learn about Young Living’s “Seed to Seal” quality guarantee.)
Young Living Vitality oils are labeled as “supplements” and may be ingested by putting directly onto the tongue, placed in a capsule, added to recipes or tea, rubbed on the gums, or added to a glass of water. The amount used depends upon the essential oil.
Essential oils may also be used in suppositories to help with the relief of various discomforts. Be sure to use only therapeutic grade essential oils internally.
Essential oils may be applied “neat” (undiluted) or diluted with a carrier oil (any organic fatty oil, such as, almond, vegetable, olive, coconut, Young Living’s V-6 oil, etc.). Pour a few drops into the palm of your hand. Dip the index finger of the other hand into the oil and apply where needed.
Most therapeutic-grade essential oils are safe to use neat. However, be very careful with the “hot” or “spicy” oils. Hot oils may cause a burning sensation on the skin. Depending up where the oil is applied, it will most likely need a carrier oil. For instance, your face is usually more sensitive than the bottoms of your feet. Most people recognize hot oils from their kitchen spice rack: Oregano, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Thyme, Lemongrass, Clove, etc. Some Young Living oil blends are also hot because of the oils they contain (such as Thieves).
It is always a good idea to put a very small amount of the oil on your inner arm and wait to see if it causes a reaction before you use it liberally. If you use an essential oil and then have an unwanted reaction, do not use water to wash it off. Water tends to spread oil instead of diluting it. Use any fatty oil that is handy to dilute the oil first, and then wash with soap and water.
Of course, if you want to intensify a desired effect (on occasional sore muscles, for example), water can help drive the oil deeper into your tissues. Apply the oil followed by a hot compress or get into the bath or shower.
Do not pour essential oils directly into a bath, because the oils will float on top. Either apply the oil to your skin before getting into the bath or shower, or add a few drops of oil to some Epsom salts and add those to the bath.
Essential oils easily penetrate the skin and enter the blood stream because of their extremely small molecular size. One drop of essential oil used on the skin may be in every cell in the body within 20 minutes of application (this is one reason it is so important to use only therapeutic-grade oils).
Consult your Essential Oils Desk Reference or your Essential Oils Pocket Reference for specific direction, but, in general, you may apply the oil to specific body locations or on the corresponding Vita Flex point on your feet. A Vita Flex point is an area on the bottom of the foot where the nerve endings from various organs and other parts of the body are located.
For example, if you are targeting the liver, rub the oil on the abdomen over the liver and on the Vita Flex point for the liver on the bottom of the right foot. See the Vita Flex foot chart is included in your reference guide.
Diffusing essential oils into the air is another very effective means of experiencing their powerful effects. It is important to diffuse the oils without using any heat. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are purposely distilled at low temperatures to preserve the fragile therapeutic components. Applying extreme heat to them when diffusing can destroy some of those components.
Young Living has several ultrasonic diffusers to choose from. When you become a wholesale customer by purchasing the Premium Starter Kit, you get a FREE Home Diffuser to get you started ($84 value)!
You can also simply put some essential oil into the palm of one hand, rub your hands together, cup your nose and mouth with both hands and inhale.
- Keep essential oils away from eye area – dilute with whole milk or vegetable oil if any should get into eyes. Do NOT dilute with water.
- Avoid contact with mucus membranes.
- If drinking water with essential oils in it, do not use a plastic or Styrofoam cup! The oils will break down the plastic, which will leach into your drink.
- Do not put essential oils inside the ear canal.
- If pregnant, consult with your physician or midwife before using essential oils.
- If you have Epilepsy or a history of seizures, you may want to check with your doctor before using Fennel, Sage, Hyssop, or Basil.
- If you have high blood pressure you may want to check with your doctor before using Pine, Hyssop, Rosemary, Sage, or Thyme.
- Consult your physician if you are on blood thinner medication.
- As a general rule, if you are on prescription medication, always consult your physician and/or pharmacist before using essential oils.
- Keep all essential oils out of the reach of children.
- When using essential oils for the first time, it is always best to do a skin test to make sure there are no sensitivities. If redness or skin irritation should occur, dilute area with vegetable oil.
- All citrus oils (lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, bergamot, etc.), and any blend containing those essential oils, are photosensitizing. Avoid sun or tanning bed exposure for 12 hours after applying these essential oils.
- I do not recommend using “hot” essential oils in a bath or with a hot compress: Peppermint, Clove, Cinnamon, Thyme, Oregano, Thieves, Black Pepper, or Marjoram.
- Avoid these oils with Homeopathic Remedies: Rosemary, Eucalyptus, and Peppermint (menthol and camphor may antidote homeopathics, making them ineffective).