Essential Oils

I have the aroma-whisper diffuser, also from diffuser-world.  I researched for hours before finding they had the best prices and a great reputation. Mine has a silent motor but the nebulizer does have a slight hiss like sound- not really bothersome but I can still hear it if the room is on the silent side.  I like the citrus scents for daytime use also, they are uplifting and (a bit) calming, but you couldn’t pry my lavender away from me when I need a fix. LOL I’d love a nice reference book myself- I dig around for info. online. You will find you go through oil rather quickly with a diffuser, but you can find good deals if you shop around and I find it to be worth it.  Eucalyptus is wonderful for colds and coughs as well. 

Lavendar is okay when you are up since it is used as a calming aid.  You would have to experiement with it to find his “optimum dose” – usually 1-3 drops is enough, but you play with it until you know how it works best for each person.  In reality, lavendar has over 200 components in that are used for many, many different things from pain, bites, relaxation, etc. Lavendar is called the “Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils”.  

Carrier oils can and should be used for essential oils.  There are “hot” oils like oregano that must be used with a carrier and others that are more cooling, like peppermint that can be used neat (undiluted) depending on where/how you use it.  Children, pregnant women, and people with sensitive skin generally use more carrier oil than others.  The carrier oil I use is called “Defractionated Coconut Oil” which doesn’t stain our clothing.  However, a carrier oil can be any oil you have like olive or canola or vegetable – those will stain, so watch out for those. 😉

For those with Young Living Oils, my sister uses this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Reference-Guide-Essential-Oils/dp/1937702014/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359151450&sr=1-1&keywords=reference+guide+for+essential+oils+book 

I have this book written for the doTerra Oils by this company: https://www.aromatools.com/Modern_Essentials_Fourth_Edition_2012_p/1151.htm

I use it alot.  There is a place that explains the science of the oils, then lists the individual oils and their uses and components, then their oil blends and spa products, vitamin packs, then comes my favorite part – pages and pages of diagnosis and the oils that help with them and how to use the oils effectively.  At the bottom of each page is the list of tests explaining/proving the uses listed, AND there is a page that explains which oils can be used neat and which needs to be diluted.

I do not have a list of library books for you to get since that book does all of that for me, although I do want to read and learn more.

Several people sell – sigkapoli in her earlier post mentioned that she does.  I have only sold to my family since I don’t have a lot of time to devote to it.  I can give you more information about that if you want to PM me for more specifics. I don’t want to abuse the forum with that part of the stuff. 😉

I have the same book Sheraz does, along with several general ‘natural healing’ books that discuss herbs and oils.  I can do peppermint straight on my stomach, neck, etc.  It’s too ‘hot’ for one of my son’s and he needs it diluted (fractionated coconut oil).  Some of it depends on the oil, some on the individual person.  I just use my book to figure out which ones to try neat and which ones to use with a carrier (and then experiment on each kid).  Remember, this is not medical advice…this is one mom doing what she feels best for her family.  Some will NEVER recommend you use an oil neat, I try it sometimes.  I also homeschool and make my own bread….I’m a social weirdo. 

Love the tip to use lavendar with lemon for sleep!  I will never, never, never be without Breathe & eucalyptus.  I have a bazillion other oils but those two have made the biggest difference in the duration and severity of colds.

My kids, too, ask for oils first!  We even have one for when they get bruises or cuts and that’s the first thing they scream for, “I got hurt, I need oils!”

Awww, Misty, I have so much fun making up those “I’m not a doctor” disclaimers! Especially when I get to use phrases like, “blah, blah, blah….”

@crazy4boys, if I were to spend $100+ on a good diffuser, I’m wondering how much essential oils you go through using them that way. Is it very costly? I know that a small bottle of, let’s say, tea tree oil will last a long time if you are just using it a few drops here and there for cleaning purposes (and on my son’s scalp psoriasis), but how expensive is it to diffuse it?

Well, Sue, I’m a bit of a cheater.  I take an empty bottle and fill it with (distilled) water then add the oil to that and diffuse it.  Maybe 8 to 40 drops in a bottle, depending on how strong I want the scent.  Just as an aside, when you diffuse you don’t have to smell it for it to be working.  That being said, I stuck a whole bottle of peppermint in today and diffused it for about 5 hours.  I set the controls to turn on every 20 minutes, and stay on for about 3 minutes, at the lowest output level possible.  It used about 1/8 of a bottle.  (That’s a very unscientific guess.)  The scent was plenty strong (you could smell it on the whole floor) and lasted the 20 minutes between times it turned on.  So, not the most economical to diffuse straight, but not horrific either.  The lighter oils diffuse faster and the thicker ones more slowly.  And different diffusers will use the oils at different rates.  

I just found something on a Young Living site that says a 15ml bottle will last 2 to 3 days, diffusing for 24-hours straight.  It further stated that diffusing for 15 minutes, every 3 to 4 hours, it would last one month.  Source here.

I have the Home Diffuser that YL sells. It uses water so doesn’t diffuse straight oils so it doesn’t go through the oil quite so fast. 

I have had some of my diluted roll on bottles for probably a year (or could be more) and haven’t had any issues. We usually use almond oil because that is what I normally have. Even roll ons we use more often last maybe 3-4 months depending on if we are sick or not. And so a bottle of oil lasts us a long time with just using 5-10 drops per full roller bottle and 240 drops per EO bottle. If we used a roller every day it might last a month but that is just a rough guess.

I second Peace and Calming. My 5 year old asks for it by name :o)

Blessings,

LillyLou