Do's and Don'ts of Essential Oils

Natural remedies appeal to me for a couple of reasons.  One being that I believe God gave us some pretty good things on this earth to help heal our bodies.  (I think he gave us crazy awesome medical advancements too, so don't think I'm against that)  Two: the wealth of knowledge is so vast I will never learn all about natural remedies.  And that is fascinating to me.  There will always be things I can learn about this subject.  I profess to know about 1% of all this stuff, but I do have some do's and don'ts from my journey up to this point.  This is not meant to be medical advice, but to spur you to do your research and continue on a journey of natural remedies and living.

1. DO dilute your essential oils!  This is where newbies get it wrong and waste their money.  Essential oils (EO for short) are potent!  Rarely do you need to use a full strength oil.  A little 5 ml bottle is about 100 drops.  If you make a 5% solution of an oil, that would be 7 drops per teaspoon.  (This means 7 drops of an EO in 1 teaspoon of another "carrier" oil, like olive oil or fractionated coconut oil) A 10 ml roller ball bottle holds 2 teaspoons - 14 drops would be needed.   You could probably use the roller ball bottle 50 times before it ran out.  So now you've just made 14 drops into 50 or more uses.  If 5% isn't strong enough for you, you can always add more. Buy the way- who do you think benefits from people using oils NEAT (or undiluted)? Multilevel marketing (MLM) companies, that's who.  (cough cough- DoTerra or Young Living?!) You will run out faster and have to buy more and more.
2. DON'T ingest essential oils!  Unless a Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, or medical practitioner advises you to do this, I would not mess with this.  Do your own research!  I've done this seemingly innocent practice many times, but now I am more educated and realize the seriousness of doing this. I know some of you may disagree with me on this, and that's ok, I'm just being a good friend. 
3. DO consider all the pieces of the pie.  Yes, there are essential oils, but that's just one SMALL piece of natural remedies.  Maybe instead of using peppermint oil to treat a stomach ache you need to go and eat an apple.  Maybe even an organic apple.  Maybe you need to drink more water everyday so all that crap can get through your gut.  Literally.  Maybe you need some fermented foods in your diet and probiotic supplements.  
4. DO exercise and eat healthy.  This is the start of any natural remedy.  You are helping your body to heal itself and this begins with a healthy lifestyle in general.  Get active a few times a week. Skip the Doritos.  Eat raw foods.  Sprinkle a little flax seed on your yogurt.  Drink a cocktail of 8 oz water and one teaspoon of apple cider vineger.  Go ahead, I dare you.  
5. DON'T get your facts from people without the authority to give them.  Like me.  I'm not schooled in any of this.  I listen to people who are.  When I come across some mommy blog with recipes for essential oils, I check out the bio page.  Are they trained by MLM company or do they have actual training from an actual school? If a page has anything about using oils NEAT on children or babies, I roll my eyes and throw that advice in the trash. 
6. DO pray.  Seriously, open your medicine cabinet and pray.  Maybe you have a sick toddler and you need a moment to think clearly and listen for what remedy you should try.  The fact that God put plants on this planet that can heal our bodies is amazing.  Think about asking Him what do to.  
7. DON'T think essential oils are guaranteed to work.  They help, sometimes maybe a lot, but sometimes they are not the answer. 
8. DO be skeptical of any resource that is not written by a Certified Aromatherapy Practitioner, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, or medical practitioner.  I recently came across a published EO guide that had no author, authors, or credit to anyone except a publishing company.  I looked up the publishing company and they are affiliated with a major MLM company.  This guide endorses the use of ingesting oils and using them NEAT- even on children in some cases- yet doesn't mention the affiliated MLM company by name anywhere in the book.  You think you are getting an unbiased practical guide, but you are not. 
9. DO get good oils at a good price.  Sometimes this may be DoTerra or Young Living, sometimes it may not be.  If the bottles say fragrance, perfume, or list a carrier oil, you aren't getting a pure EO.  If you pay a fair price, and use the EO properly, it could last you a few years!

Whew! I'm so glad that information is out of my system.  I have been rolling around in it for days wondering if I could ever come up for air. I just chatted for about an hour with my Naturopathic Doctor about all this (she confirmed every point) and I hope you will see this advice as helpful as we all continue on a journey toward natural health together.  Hippies unite! :)