It's Easy.

Are you starting to wonder how to use essential oils?  Let me tell you, it is easy!  There are 3 basic ways to use them.

Topically, as in rub it on your body.  Most doTERRA essential oils you can put straight on the ole bod right where it hurts.  Tummy hurts? Put a drop or two of peppermint or Digest Zen on your belly.  Head hurts?  Rub some peppermint, or Past Tense on your forehead or temples. Breathing issues? Rub Breathe or eucalyptus on your chest.  It is that easy.  Other good places are the bottoms of the feet (think big pores for good absorption and reflexology points), back of the neck, forehead, temples and around nose, on and around the ears and down the spine.  Some oils like cinnamon, clove, and oregano are considered "hot" and need to be diluted with a carrier oil first to avoid skin sensitivities.  Also citrus oils are photosensitive so if used topically on the skin, the area should not be exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light for 12 hours to avoid severe burning. Remember with these high quality oils less is more and usually 1-2 drops is all you need at a time.

Internally, as in you drink or swallow it.  Most doTERRA oils are safe to ingest . If there is a nutrition label on the bottle it is safe to take internally.  You can do this a few ways. You can put it under your tongue although, I will be honest, this is not my preferred method.  These oils are strong and the taste is a bit much for me.  I have done it though when traveling. You can 

put the drops in empty veggie capsules and swallow them.  I like this method because you don't taste them and you can put several kinds if necessary. (ie: flu bomb).  What I have been doing lately though is shooting them.  Honestly I feel totally lazy doing it this way but it is effective and works well when holding a baby and I can't manage a veggie cap.  A couple drops in a little water, shoot and chase with water - boom, done! Oh, I would not recommend ingesting any other brand of essential oils. Most of them even say not to right on the label.  That right there is enough to keep me only using doTERRA brand.

A is for aromatically!  This is the most fun of the 3 I think.  When you  breathe in an odor molecule it enters the olfactory center of your brain which is closely connected to the limbic system. This houses your long term memory, emotional centers, autonomic nervous system, hormones, regulates blood pressure, heart rate and attention.  This is why essential oils have such a profound physiological and psychological effects. There are several different ways to benefit aromatically from essential oils.  The easiest is direct inhalation - just smell it!  You can put a few drops in your hands and cup them around your nose and mouth and inhale.  You can also put a few drops on a cloth or tissue and hold it close and inhale. That is an easy way to keep oils with you all day.  Hot water vapor is another method although heating oils may reduce some of the benefit.  You can put some in a bowl of hot water and put a towel over you and the bowl to make a tent and inhale. There is jewelry that is made for diffusing like necklaces that absorb the oils and you can wear your own diffuser and enjoy it all day.

Then there is diffusing - my favorite!  There are lots of options for diffusers (which we can discuss in more detail later) but they allow you to get creative and make new blends, and for some people, it brings out their inner chemist.  The diffuser is great when someone is sick and you want to kill germs in the air and keep everyone else healthy.  On Guard is an obvious go to for this purpose.  For respiratory issues Breathe is awesome in the diffuser.  I run it all night in the room we are sleeping to help clear congestion and sleep easier. Or if I have an especially sick little one I will put it up high near them and let them sleep under it, by wake up time they are doing better.  Mix it with a little lavender for a good night sleep or with some lime to liven it up in the day.  I put Citrus Bliss in when the mood in our house needs to be elevated, it just makes you smile.  There are numerous combinations you can use in your diffuser!  We have 2 diffusers right now.  One is the Whisper and the other is the Spa Vapor.  The Whisper I like because you can set the timer from 50 mins to 9 hours, which is great for at night and there are lights you can turn on or off.  The Spa Vapor I like because the lights change color (the kids dig) or you can turn it on and it puts out fast and will fill the room quickly.  If you follow the link for the Spa Vapor and read the description closely you will see a coupon code that makes it only $25 which is a great deal.  The Whisper is a little pricey but it is built for the long haul and is a good investment.  Aromatools has bulk discounts available so if you are interested in a Whisper let me know and if we get enough people then we can do a bulk buy and everyone can save some money.

So now that you know how to use them you probably want to know how to figure out which oil to use.  I can help you there too.  My first stop when I have questions is always http://www.everythingessential.me/index.html.  This site may look a little overwhelming but once you figure it out it is invaluable.  That blue bar about a 1/4 of the way down is where you are headed. If you click on Health Concerns you will come up with a glorious list of all kinds of health concerns.  Pick one, let's say earache...the first tab tells you about earaches and gives you a quick anatomy lesson. The tab that says "Suggested Protocols" is where the good stuff is.  It will suggest to you different essential oils and blends and an effective way to use them.  Sometimes there is even extra good stuff like videos or conference calls for extra info.  The third tab will give you testimonials from other users.

The next heading on the blue bar is Oils and Blends.  This lists every oil and blend that doTERRA sells.  Click on one..let's do Lavender (the Swiss Army Knife of oils).  On the left it gives you the properties of the oil/blend and common uses (these are not all of the uses though, just the most common).  In the middle there is helpful info and typical applications.

The rest of the blue bar I will let you go through on your own, but do, there is lots of good stuff in there! There is a mobile version of everything essential available for iPhone and Android in the App and Play store.  Search doTERRA essential oils and it is the first one.

Another invaluable tool is my Modern Essentials book.  It is an awesome resourse for all doTERRA products.  To me it reads like a text book that is very easy to use and navigate.  It has all kinds of great info about reflexology, the science of oils, in depth info on each oil and ailments and how to treat them.  Anyone who is an essential oil user should have this book.  It

was well worth the $25  I paid for it!

That should give you lots to look at for the evening.   Have fun learning!

Know more, do better.

Jen

Ready to start your essential oil journey?  Here is how.