As I type this post, it is Saturday evening. It has been a good day to take a breather from things, listen, read, and just be. What a blessing! Having time to rest and recharge is so very important! Of course, part of resting for me is using essential oils. The lymbic system of the brain that recognizes smell and memory is so very interconnected! When we smell a certain fragrance, our minds remember certain times, people, places and the circumstances involved around those memories and we experience pleasantness or disdain for those scents. When I want to relax, I usually use Stress Away (think "vacation in a bottle!"), Lavender, Copaiba, Peace & Calming or a new oil to me that I hadn't thought of before.
Now, on to the all important question:
What are essential oils?
Simply speaking, essential oils are distilled or cold pressed from plant juices. They come from herbs, flowers, stems, roots, leaves, bark, berries, and rines. They are the most aromatic part of the plant.
Why do I need to use essential oils?
Everyone needs Essential Oils. Each one of us has a variety of needs in our own lives that could use support from regular use of essential oils. They help with every system of your body--endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, skelletal and more! For me, I've decided to use essential oils to help with my various maladies first before going to the Dr. I work at getting good foods in to my body to help from the health perspective. From the breathing standpoint, I use Eucalyptus Globulus, Peppermint, and Breathe Again to help me. Why those 3? I vary the ones I use so that my body doesn't get use to one oil, but I mix it up so that the variety of oils meet with different receptors to help my body recouperate quicker.
What type of issue do you have to have to use essential oils? If you eat, breathe, or move, you could use essential oils. Oils for digestion, cuts and bruises, muscle sorness and a host of other things! When I bought my Premium Starter Kit in 2015, I also bought a Reference Guide for Essential Oils. I proceeded to put tabs on every single page to mark an oil that I knew someone in my family would benefit from. I loved researching and gradually building my oil supply to make sure I had the basics on hand to help whenever something came up.
What about the purity of the oils we get over-the-counter?
Well, your "Big Box Stores" have what they're calling essential oils on their shelves, but do you know where they come from? Do you know the growing practices of the farms where the plants were grown? Do you know if they use chemicals for fertilizers or chemical extenders? Can you visit the farms where the company's plants are grown? Can you see their distillation process?
Probabloy not. If you call their customer service number, you'll likely get someone who doesn't know the answers to these questions. If you do find a company who can answer all these questions, let me know! As far as I have experienced, only Young Living has farm tours Monday- Saturday. They welcome you to take a look at their fields, growing, fertilizing practices (they're the little white puffy dots in the fields!). They are transparent about everything, with 1 exception: the independent labs they use to test the oils. In years past, Young Living's founder Gary Young had trusted some of his closest friends with his practices and recipes, and they turned and formed their own company. Young Living is tight-lipped about their processes to make recipes which the labs have and rightly so.
All of the oils in the world fall into one of four categories:
1). Authentic--Authentic means the oils are 100 percent pure, with no added synthetics and no additives in the bottle. These are Young Living oils!
2). Manipulated--Manipulated means the final product has been made to smell more pleasing and less earthy. Some of the heavier molecules have been stripped out, or another additive has been introduced, to enhance the aroma.
3). Perfume--Perfume oils are not pure. They are mixed with synthetics to enhance the aroma. These oils have no therapeutic action. Frequently, solvents are used to extract the plant.
4). Synthetic--Synthetic oils are not true oils at all. They smell nothing like the original plant and are typically labeled “scented products.”
Authentic is the only true, pure oil.
Synthetic oils would be like opening your fridge, taking a glass of orange juice, and diluting it 95 percent with chemicals before you drank it! It wouldn’t have the same benefits of a full glass of pure orange juice. That’s why you want authentic oils. Before you purchase, check to see if the company grows their own plants, has Seed to Seal, and controls the entire process from the farm to the sealed bottle. Pesticides, pollution, previously farmed land… all of it can affect the quality of an oil.
Why go the extra step of using an oil to get away from a chemical, to use an oil laden with chemicals? It makes no sense.
(S.Harnisch)
Can I use oils safely? Yes!
There are 3 ways you can use oils:
1). Topical--Directly on your skin, with a carrier oil as needed--olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil.
2). Aromatic--Place a couple drops in a diffuser with water and let the oils fill the air with a lovely scent that is non-toxic, supports your immune system, and helps your breathing.
A word of caution:When using citrus oils--orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, bergamot, or any blend containing citrus oils--use them on your skin more than 12 hours before going outside. I usually apply citrus oils at night before going to bed so there is no chance of being in direct sun light with citrus oils on my skin.
Why?
Citrus oils are photosensitive which means that the sun concentrates greater on your skin in areas where you have applied them. If you've applied them under your clothes where the sun will not shine, then you'll be fine, but be very mindful of the possibility of a sunburn if you wear citrus oils in the sun. It is not a good idea!
Babies and Children--Young Living has a KidScents and Seedlings line that is completely formulated with children and babies' needs in mind. They are already pre-diluted, so in the KidScents Roll-ons you can just roll and go. It's super easy! There's also Feather the Owl diffuser that plays white noise, lullabies, and stays on as a nightlight, too. If you'd like further information about how to effectively dilute oils for babies and children, let me know and I can guide you how to do that.
One of the BEST things about Young Living is that they BLESS you with gifts when you purchase through their Loyalty Rewards Program! Just create an account, find any product you're looking for, click "add to Loyalty Order". When your order reaches 100PV, you get points or a free product. Additionally, when your order reaches 190-250-300-400 and sometimes 500PV they have additional "Gifts with Purchase" that they give you just for purchasing things you'll already use! It's a great way to increase your oil stock pile, but it also gives you opportunity to learn about new oils and products you haven't used before. It's a wonderful blessing!
If you don't know where to start, just send me a personal message on Instagram or Facebook, text, or call and I'll be happy to help you get the most bang for your hard earned bucks!
Love and God Bless,
Regina Graham
I am not a doctor. I cannot diagnose, prescribe, or treat anyone
Chicken Drumsticks are absolutely wonderful! Not only do they make a great flavorful low carb protein, but they’re also very cost effective for a large family!
I love doing this once a month in my meal rotation.
What? Rotation?
Yes! This is my calendar reminder so I don't have to think about it until that morning!
My Mondays are always chicken. That’s what it says on my dinner prep reminder. It makes things so much easier for me to remember to take them out to defrost mid-morning. I'll gladly go over some of the other things I do because much of what you see above is very generic. It helps to have it that way for times like, "Do you feel like having store boughten pizza tonight or would you rather grab some Naan bread and make it at home?" It lends itself to weather changes and those sorts of things too. I can edit it whenever I need to, but for now this is what it looks like.
Other suggestions are chicken thighs, bone in chicken breasts, home made chicken fingers…
All low carb, of course!
Now, for tonight’s recipe…
You’ll need your seasonings, a liquid oil of choice (I like avocado oil), and 2 Vitality Essential Oils from Young Living—Black Pepper and Orange. These are the only oils on the market that have been scrutinized by the FDA and have been approved for internal usage.
Black Pepper Orange Chicken Drumsticks
In a Ziploc baggie add the following:
½ Cup Avocado Oil 1 TBSP Ranch Dip Mix
2 Drops Each of Black Pepper and Orange Vitality Essential Oils by Young Living
Rinse drumsticks and add to baggie. Make sure baggie is closed and “burped” only about half way. You need a little bit of air movement, but not a lot.
Move the chicken around inside the baggie to make sure they’re completely covered. Add to your favorite air frier, arrange so there is good air flow, pour the rest of the oils and seasonings on top of the drumsticks from the baggie, then set it to cook the drumsticks at 390ºF for 25+ minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF.
Mike's Country Rub is a wonderful blend that my husband enjoys. We found this when we moved to southern Georgia almost 6 years ago on one of our trips down to find a house. It's become a staple!
These are super flavorful.
We made roasted frozen stir fry vegetables with these drumsticks for a nutrient dense low carb meal. You could add sweet potato fries if you’d like, but if you’re trying to stay with the Trim Healthy Mama plan, try zucchini fries sprinkled with some parmesan, salt, and pepper baked in a toaster oven on 400ºF for 15 minutes. You could also add a nice green salad to this for added filling power for those with an appetite.
I love using Young Living’s Vitality Essential Oils in my cooking and baking! Stay tuned next week and I’ll share some other home-made goodness that’s super quick and super easy!
Until then, have a wonderful week!
Love & God Bless,
Regina Graham
For more information about natural living and essential oils, visit my website at www.reginagraham.net.
I am not a doctor. I cannot diagnose, prescribe, or treat anyone
We’ve all been there, staring at this bottle wondering, “How in the word do I use this? I’ve heard these things are good for me, but where do I start?”
