Essential Oil Series: Essential Oils 101

November 29, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

I am so excited about the curiosity around Essential Oils these days. I grew up in a pretty holistic, alternative medicine using home so when I first heard about essential oils, almost 10 years ago, I was intrigued and open to the idea. The thing I liked most about them were that they were all natural, pure ingredients. Not the synthetic stuff from a lab which we are usually prescribed. 

As a pregnant mother for the first time, I also loved that they were safe enough to use on babies. There is almost nothing you can give to a baby medicine-wise, so I loved feeling like I had some control over my baby's wellness. We have been using them to support our health ever since and I am happy they are getting more and more mainstream. Kind of like green smoothies.

Essential Oils are finally having their moment and it is well deserved. We know, and love to use herbs because they are so good for us; but guess what? Essential oils are about 50-70% more potent than herbs. 1 drop is actually equivalent to drinking 28 cups of tea from the same source. Since they are so potent you only need 1 or 2 drops, it makes them very affordable overall.

WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL OIL  ____________________________________________________

But what exactly are essential oils you might wonder? Well basically, they are the aromatic compounds seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants that have made them sought after for food flavoring, mood enhancing and healing aids for centuries. In fact, most medicine is based off of the molecules found in the natural world known for their healing properties. And, their natural form provides an all-natural health option to benefit our bodies.

The most common method of extracting essential oils is low-heat steam distillation where pressurized steam is circulated through the plant material. The essential oils are extracted from the plant and carried away by the steam and then collected as the water and oil naturally separate. The more pure the essential oil, the more powerful the results.

PURITY  ________________________________________________________________________

Essential oils are definitely not created equal. Many essential oils on the market are not pure. Often, they contain up to 80% filler or other elements that dilute and alter the purity of the oil which then diminishes the healthful qualities of the oil. Just like with food, quality and sourcing matters.

Since I have researched to much into the benefits of eating clean food, I already knew I would not use essential oils from companies that couldn't prove how pure their oil is. I found what I believe is the best company producing the highest quality products and best practices. DoTerra.

"Each doTERRA essential oil is also carefully and thoroughly tested using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® quality protocol. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize the superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade doTERRA essential oils."   -Doterra Website

Doterra essentially (see what I did there?) wrote the book on essential oil purity testing. No one had or has a higher grade of pure oils than them. I love that there are quality controls in place by testing EVERY batch. I also appreciate that they source their products from small farms in the countries where those plants are native grown while paying a fair wage to the farmers and distillers. They are involved every step of the way so they know with confidence that their oil is pure.

Up next, I am sharing about How to Use Essential Oils but if you are ready to get started now click

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