doTerra Essential Oils

New Category!
Back in January, I joined a company called doTerra, and they distribute essential oils - 100% pure essential oils. Not all oils are created equal. Some are cut with carrier oils and still labeled as pure oil. But doTerra's oils are clinically tested and certified to be 100% essential oil with no carriers.

I had limited experience over the years with essential oils, mostly in candlmaking and soapmaking. But those were not pure oils - they were usually fragrance oils.

There is a HUGE difference when dealing with real essential oils. Yes, they cost more money - but they are SO worth it!

I am creating this category in my blogspace to promote several things:

1) I want people to know how to use essential oils in the home - for healing, for relaxing, for cleaning. Oils are non-chemically based, so are much healthier for your family.

2) I want to share recipes using essential oils.

3) I want to help people have a better quality of life and health while reducing the number of trips they make to a doctor for prescriptions.

3) I want to help people clean their homes and rid their pets of fleas and their homes of ants without using harmful chemicals.

4) I want to encourage people to join doTerra if they think they might start using oils on a long-term basis. (If you only want a bottle here and there, you can just order them from me. I'll give you a discount over what you would buy them off the website, but the real discounts come if you actually join the company. It's only $35 to join, so not a huge outlay, and you get great discounts!)

The reason I got involved:
I went to an oil party and yes, it's kind of like going to a Tupperware party, except these parties give you great information on helping your entire family for life! (Not just for keeping your lettuce fresh for a few days!)

During the course of the party, the speaker told us of the many ways she has seen various oils help people with a host of different maladies. Now, the first thing to bear in mind when dealing with essential oils is that not all oils work the exact same way for all people. A good comparison is perfume: Eau d'rose on LadyA may smell divine, while the same scent on LadyB may smell like old wine. You might have to experiment a little to find which oils work best for your specific body type. But generally, an oil for a specific use will work on a majority of the people.

The second thing to bear in mind is that essential oils are all-natural and sometimes natural remedies take a little longer to work than prescription drugs. If you are simply seeking a quick-fix bandaid for your illness, keep your doctor appointments. If you want to see if you can actually eliminate the problem, give alternative medicine a try. Essential oil use is under natural medicine - it tries to get to the root of the problem and make it go away.

I purchased several different oils to try out at home and see if any of them worked. The one I was MOST interested in was the Basil Oil because it is supposed to help heal sinus issues. My dear hubby, Curt, and I have been married 25 years. For 25 years, I have had to listen to him sniffle, snuffle, and snort - especially in the spring and fall, and a lot in the summer, too. Basically, I only had about two months or so every winter when the sniffling died down a little. It's not a little {sniff, sniff} here and there. We are talking loud, obnoxious noises every 15-20 seconds, including when sitting in church. We even had one family come up to me and complain several years ago that my husband was distracting her children. They were actually counting the number of snifflings he did per minute instead of listening to the pastor's message. She told me how many times he sniffled that morning. I even got to where I asked him if he could either sniff more quietly in church, or could he go sit in one of the classrooms down the hall from the auditorium, where he could still here the sermon, but we wouldn't hear him sniffing. These are not exaggerations and ANYONE who knows our family knows what I am saying to be the honest truth.

Curt went to an allergist. It didn't help. He tried every prescription drug on the market. Some helped a little longer than others, but the sniffling was only held at bay for a few hours at best. At worst, it didn't work at all. He became addicted to nasal sprays - to the point of getting nose bleeds periodically from over-using them.

He frequently contracted sinus infections and had to be on antibiotics 2-3 times a year. I had gotten to the point where I wanted our next tax refund to pay for sinus surgery - just remove the doggone things! Ugh!

I want to make sure you get the picture and understand how desperate his sinus problems were!

So I bought a diffuser, also called an atomizer. These devices come in a wide array of sizes and shapes and can run from 30 minutes to 8 hours, depending on the kind you buy. Prices range from the super inexpensive ($30) to the top of the line ($200+). The cheaper models often have to be cleaned after each use and may corrode due to the essential oils. I have four units now - two expensive ones and two cheap ones. They are all currently working, but it will be interesting to see which units ultimately last  the longest.

Anyway, I place a diffuser on my hubby's side of the bed in early February. Every night it ran for 1 hour. We place the recommended amount of water in it, and 3-4 drops of Basil Oil. Some nights we would add OnGuard in case anyone in the house had been exposed to a sick person, or Oregano in case someone had a sore throat or fever - this was winter, after all, and there are 8 people in my home.

So, after just a few weeks, my husband actually looked forward to filling the unit himself and putting in the oil drops. If he had to go out of town for work, he took the diffuser and oils with him. He said it was helping him breathe better.

April rolls around and my daughter is starting to have all the symptoms of spring allergies. But my husband is not. In fact, when I first realized what a great job it was doing, it was a Sunday morning. About 11:45 my husband sniffled. I jumped. Then I thought, "Why did that startle me? I've been listening to it for 25 years. Wait a minute.....that's his first sniffle this morning!"

I am EXTREMELY pleased to tell anyone who will listen to me that my husband's sniffling is down by over 90%. I cannot say he never sniffles - but it is so minimal now it's no longer even noticeable. Everyone has notice the difference. Best of all - for him - is that he can breathe better! What a blessing!

One bottle of Basil Oil, with my member discount, is $20. (Non-members pay 25% more.) The bottle lasts for a month or two. Do you have any idea how much money we are saving over going to the doctor, getting prescriptions for nasal sprays, antibiotics, etc.? No more over the counter Claritan and additional nasal sprays, netti pot mixtures, and other meds. $10 a month and he's no longer suffering! Yes, he still uses a little nasal spray from time to time - but he isn't going through 1 bottle every 4 days anymore! All those chemicals are no longer clogging up his liver and kidneys. The Basil Oil is 100% natural - it CAN NOT HURT ANY of his organs.

If you or someone you love is experience nasal issues, I strongly encourage you to invest $30 in a diffuser and $25 in a bottle of oil - see if it doesn't provide you with the long-desired relief you have been seeking!