So you are new to the oils and you wonder how to get from zero to hero on zee oils?
When I first started using the oils, I got flustered too. So many oils, so many usages, what the-…. I was struggling to remember them all! The joke then was that I would always mix up the usage for Copaiba and Helichrysum. Hell, I couldn’t even pronounce the names then. (FYI, it’s KO-Pa-Eee-Ba and Hell-Li-Chris-Ssum.)
So my struggle is your gain. Here’s 10 ways to get up to warp speed on the oils and have a great oiling journey!
1. Know that with the YL oils, you are empowered to make your own decisions. There’s no doctor to tell you what to do. And learning while keeping an open mind is very key to your oiling journey.
There’s a lot of information that you can google up – factual, interesting, empowering and on the other end, scary, disturbing (hands up if you have read articles on the dangers of using essential oils) and sometimes downright inaccurate.
My own experience is that no two essential oil companies are alike and if an article is quoting essential oils in general rather than referring to YL oils, I tend to ignore. It’s not so much as the brand for me, but it’s the painstaking details that Young Living goes into to ensure that the oils are of a top notch grade for our healths. You can read up on the details in http://www.seedtoseal.com.
2. Each oil is multi functional unlike our Western meds. No oil is singular function so if you are worried that your kid may react to eucalyptus or peppermint, use something else! Dorado Azul, Myrtle are great oils for young ones. Which is why you need to…. (see third point below)
3. Utilise ALL offline and online resources on Young Living.
Some great resources are:
a. Your uplines. Don’t know who the person is? Login to your account and click on Update My Profile. Your enroller and sponsor (also known as your uplines) are listed there. If you don’t know them personally and don’t have their contact numbers, request YL to provide. I know some would say “I don’t know them and I am embarrassed to make first contact.” Don’t be. They wouldn’t bite and who knows, they may open a whole new world of oils to you. 🙂
b. Books. I like these two – Essential Oils Pocket Reference and the Higley’s Reference Guide for Essential Oils.
c. Mobile application. In fact Higley came out with a cool application for Android and iPhone / iPad now. Search for “Reference Guide for Essential Oils” for Google Play Store on Android or “Ref Guide for Essential Oils” on the App Store for iOS. It’s about SGD10 for the application but it’s also cheaper and definitely easier to carry around than the book. And very very handy as it covers oils for most conditions, information on the singles and blends too. If you don’t have a specific oil, rest assure that your uplines / books / mobile app / FB groups have a whole list of alternative oils for you to try.
d. FB groups. I love ONE Drop: Public for continuous education on using the oils. And of course I am biased but my own FB group, Let’s Add Oil have a lotta awesome info too. 🙂
4. The oils work… but they shouldn’t be an excuse for a poor diet and lifestyle.
You might find well meaning oilers telling you to look at your lifestyle (or your loved ones’ lifestyles) when you are using the oils. The oils help you to clean your body from the inside and assist your body to balance to wellness but your body needs your assistance too in these areas:
a. Are you drinking enough water? We need a minimum of 2 litres daily.
b. Is there a lot of caffeine, sugar and dairy in your diet? Also known as the 3 poisons which can tip your body into hyperacidity, create inflammation and lead to a whole new host of health problems.
c. Do you have enough sleep?
d. How’s your stress level?
5. Should I dilute or not with a carrier oil? What’s the recommended dosage for a baby / child / adult?
Diluting simply means using a carrier oil to slow down the body’s rate of absorption of the essential oil. You can if you want to or use this guide:
a. Newborns to 6 months old – I only use my thumb, swipe off the top of the bottle and apply to their SOLES only. That’s less than a drop. And that’s ok because they are so young and teeny.
b. 7 months to 1 year old – I take a drop and rub it together on my palms first for 5 seconds then apply on their soles. It’s still less than a drop for them since you are absorbing it first. And its ok for you too. You can try on their chest but check for any skin sensitivity reaction. If redness shows up or your child is uncomfortable, dilute with a carrier oil or V6.
c. Toddler – I take a drop and apply on wherever it is needed.
d. Teenagers and Adults – If the person’s lifestyle isn’t very healthy, I use only 1 drop. If they are pretty much used to the oils, I have gone from 2-8 drops depending on the condition and location. E.g. if I am oiling a large surface area like the back, I would use about 4 drops. If you are not sure, use lesser first. And if case of skin sensitivity, please grab your carrier oil or V6 and apply to ease.
6. Where do I apply the oils?
Easiest way to remember is to target where the condition is at. For a respiratory condition, it makes sense to apply on the chest / back to target the lungs. For muscle pain, apply where it hurts. If you are unsure or want to confine to soles, google “sole vita flex” and apply on the spot for the organ. Our soles, hands and ears are micro systems of our bodies but it is a lot easier to apply on your soles. For oils to work on your emotions and state of mind, I like them over my heart and my brain stem (soft spot at base of skull at the back of my head).
7. Hot oils! Confine to soles.
Some common hot oils are thieves, immupower, cassia, oregano, thyme, basil, clove. Some find that lemon, lemongrass, peppermint (well it’s not hot really but pretty minty), Raven are hot too but it depends from individual to individual. This is where you can check out the % of phenols in each oil. Chances are the higher the %, the hotter it is.
8. Layering vs Blending
I like to offer 2-3 oils as a buffet for my body to pick to balance to wellness. So how do I do it? I layer, i.e. I apply one oil after another on myself. Some people say you have to wait a while before applying the second oil but I tend to just do it straight one after another. The choice is yours.
Blending is basically mixing the oils in a certain ratio in your palm or in a bottle and then apply / ingest. One good example is the LLP formula (lemon, lavender, peppermint in equal parts) for both applying and ingesting.
When would you layer or blend? I would layer when I want to experiment on a few oils for a condition. I would blend if I am following a specific formula or recipe.
9. Ingesting oils… safe or not?
The choice is up to you… BUT please only do it with YL oils. I don’t know how other companies create their oils but I would only trust YL for injesting. You can buy empty capsules from TCM halls or from YL USA and add the oils inside, cap them and swallow with some water.
I would ingest in capsules if I want the oil to work from my digestive tract onwards, e.g. the antibiotics blend or the oil taste terrible or is too hot, e.g. lavender, oregano.
I would ingest WITHOUT capsules for e.g. if I need to support my respiratory.
10. NO OILS ON THESE PLACES EVER….!
Never never drip oils directly into your EYES, EARS, NOSTRILS. NO NO NO. You wouldn’t have permanent damage but just don’t. It’s gonna be excruciating. But in case you got some into these parts, use a carrier oil or V6 or something fatty (like milk) to wash it out. If you don’t have these, grab the cooking oil from your kitchen. NO WATER. Water repels oils and push them quicker into your body, so its double the agony.
I hope you find this guide useful! Let me know what I can include or improve on, in the comments section below. 🙂
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School of Young Living (Singapore) 