Skeptical? That’s ok. I was too.
Over the past several years, a lot of little things have changed my opinion about the crazy-essential-oil-mom stereotype.
Sleeping
Our family started using Young Living oils about 3 years ago when my daughter, Paisley, was continually sick and having trouble sleeping at night. My mom gave me a beautiful ceramic Rainstone diffuser and lavender essential oil; we were willing to try anything during our sleepless, blurred nights and days. I don’t remember using our diffuser consistently, and sadly, the diffuser was accidentally knocked off a shelf and shattered. 😭 I didn’t want to admit that to my momma, though (eek… sorry Mom!) We were living paycheck to paycheck during that season, so we didn’t have the money to replace it.
Cleaning
Fast forward a year - a friend sent me a bottle of Thieves household cleaner. I was willing to try it after I saw how effective it was at cleaning up raw chicken. I’ve been hooked ever since! The concentrated cleaner not only smells great and has cut down on our cleaning expenses (1 bottle Thieves = (30) 16 oz. bottles), but most importantly, I don’t worry about using dangerous chemicals. Paisley helps me clean anything & everything with Thieves! I’ve only purchased two bottles of cleaner in the last two years (🤯).
Diffusing
After Clay was born, I suffered from daily headaches. Excedrin was my BFF. I chalked it up to post-labor, spinal headaches after-effects & muscle tension. So I saw the chiropractor & drank more water. It definitely helped, but then I saw somewhere online that burning scented candles could possibly contribute to headaches because of the VOCs they emit when burned. Insert eye-roll, right? How could my yummy candles be contributing to my headaches? Pshhh…
I finally decided it was at least worth considering. Consuming that much acetaminophen wasn’t healthy, let’s be honest. 😬 So I ditched the candles and switched to diffusing oils. It didn’t cost much more than buying a couple of candles, anyway. I found some Instagram accounts to follow with popular candle “blends" and haven’t looked back since. I can honestly say, I do not miss my BBW candles (or their price tags!) Here’s some of my favorite blends. I was skeptical about candles being a health concern, until I stopped burning them and started diffusing. I haven’t had more than a handful of headaches in the last year, and I don’t believe it’s just a coincidence.
DIY-ing
Slowly, we have ditched and switched products I would have previously picked up at Target for all-natural DIY products using Young Living oils & Thieves. We stopped using Downy laundry softener a couple months ago when the bottle was empty, and made our own. Here’s the recipe. Cody was skeptical that it would actually work (I was too, if I’m being honest). We’ve been using the DIY Laundry Softener consistently, and are AMAZED with how fresh our clothes smell (even after we forget about them for 4 days)! 😅 No-rewashing needed! 😎
In summary, essential oils have helped motivate me while cleaning, focusing on work, relieving head & muscle tension, and supporting our sleep routine. Keep reading if you’re interested in Getting Started. And meet me on Instagram, where I share more often.