It won’t be zombies that take over the world but rather it will be little brown bottles. Perhaps we can use these little brown bottles to ward off the zombies?
Little brown bottles are everywhere you look lately. I saw them in the pharmacy section of the grocery store the other day and heard that Wal-Mart is coming out with their own essential oil brand. My imagination started to run a little crazy when I heard this and I started envisioning the names of a Wal-Mart essential oil line up. (future stand up comedian bit there!)
When it comes to essential oils, does it matter what you use?
Do you need to only use one brand of them?
I would answer both with a question – as annoying as that is.
WHY ARE YOU USING ESSENTIAL OILS?
Depending on your answer, then it could really matter what you use and which brand you choose.
Are you using them because it’s trendy?
Are you just experimenting to see how to use them and if they really work?
Are you interested in reducing chemical and synthetic products in your home?
Are you interested in augmenting medical care you are receiving with a natural alternative?
Do you really believe essential oils enhance and improve your health and well-being and that of your family?
Trends and Experimentation
My initial use of essential oils was when I started going to a new hair salon that gives a fantastic scalp massage just prior to shampooing. They have their own essential oils and I really liked the blend my hair dresser always used on me. I believe it made me strut out of the salon all the way to my minivan feeling like the top runway model of the suburbs. Why wouldn’t I want to spend $40 on a bottle of their oil so I could repeat that feeling all the time? I know I rock a minivan model look like no other momma with that superpower strength wrapped on me like a red silk cape.
Their products are plant based so I felt confident the oils I was purchasing were of a good quality. Unfortunately, the company changed their formula and did away with the blend I liked. The oils they now use are not the same and left me disappointed. When I researched hoping to find a replacement I found the oils I was using did have some plant based ingredients but they also contained fillers and synthetics. Personally, I’m not a fan of having chemicals rubbed on my scalp.
I did experiment with other brands to try to recapture that blend and it was only recently I have found something very close. (Recipe below)
Reducing Chemical Exposure and Use
Week after week, we purchase cases of chemical cleaners for our homes. I at one point counted 7 cans of Lysol in our house. 7! We were armed and ready for any germ that thought about stepping foot on our doorstep.
After I started learning about how to use essential oils and doing some kitchen experiments of my own, I have been gradually replacing chemical cleaners with ones I make at home. Granted, it’s taken a while to finish off 7 cans of Lysol but we’re getting there. It may seem time-consuming to make your own cleaners but it’s not. Many I just mix on the spot as I need them.
Another reason we did this is cost. There is a drastic difference in cost. For $4.18 we can purchase 1 bottle of Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner or for $2.26 we can purchase a box of baking soda (.46 cents), gallon of white vinegar ($1) and 10 drops of doTERRA Purity essential oil (.80 cents).
Guess what!
The toilet is clean, we used a whole less chemicals to do it and saved almost $2!
Try it yourself and let me know what you think.
If you’re going to invest in essential oils and use them to reduce the chemical products you use in your home, why would you invest in an essential oil that wasn’t at least an authentic essential oil?
Check the ingredients and sourcing of the oil you are buying. With a little research you can easily find what’s contained in your little brown bottle. Essential oil is expensive and a waste of money if you’re not getting what you expect in that little brown bottle.
I use doTERRA because I know exactly where the plant came from that’s in the little bottle I’m using. It’s free of chemicals, pesticides and insecticides from the time it was planted until the time it was put in the bottle. Can you honestly say same about the oil you’re using? Or anything else you use in your home?
Alternative Health Methods
We hear antibiotics are no longer effective due to overuse, failures of the flu vaccine due to growing super strength strains of the illness, childhood immunization concerns for what is contained in those shots. So many of us know or have experienced ourselves the devastation of diseases for which there really is no cure. How do we change these situations? Can we really improve our health and the health of the Earth and environment we live in while reducing this vicious cycle?
Modern medicine and science is a wonderful thing and we are blessed to have it but I don’t think all answers lay there to cure our illnesses. It can’t. At some point we have to take responsibility for our own health and living standards.
There are days I’m really thankful there is a Tylenol in the cabinet I can take to feel better. However, if there is an alternative natural method that I can use on its own or compliment to an over-the-counter or prescription medicine then why not? If one or both make me feel better isn’t that the goal?
Ancient medicine was based on the use of plants, trees and things found in nature. These same elements continue to exist and be just as effective. Perhaps, in concert with modern medicine we could actually eradicate diseases with no cure, reduce illnesses and be healthier and happier while actually improving the condition of the Earth we live on.
Isn’t it worth at least considering?
Essential Oils – Is it all just hype?
I believe there is something to natural living and medicine that is worth investing in for our health and homes. I’ve seen how it helps me and my family. It’s changed how I look at things I purchase to care for our family and home. I believe it has helped us be a little healthier and aware of what we’re using.
The hype is the mass production of cheaper renditions of supposed essential oils that are just little bottles filled with overpriced synthetically or chemically based fillers and a sprinkle of manufactured scent. Essential oils, regardless of brand, are expensive so if you’re going to invest in them, to experiment or just appear trendy to your friends, then at least do so with something that is really an essential oil and not stale river water with a pretty label in a magic brown bottle.
Super Model Momma Hair
In a rollerball bottle mix:
10 drops doTERRA Patchouli
5 drops doTERRA Sandalwood
5 drops doTERRA Serenity
Fill rest of bottle with coconut oil
Apply to damp hair and massage to ends
Dry and style to your liking
Interested in Essential Oils
If you are interested in learning more or have questions about essential oils please let me know. I’m always happy to talk about oils and how I use them.
You can contact us via our blog or dragonspitapothecary@aol.com