Taking charge of one’s health with essential oils
WITH the world still under restricted movement due to the coronavirus pandemic, it all the more vital to maintain healthy home environment for the family with sheltering in place still encouraged by governments around the world.
This in mind, homegrown Filipino essential oils company Young Living conducted an online workshop dubbed #CompleteCare, which sought to guide participants on how to promote holistic wellness in their homes. In other words, the lecture went beyond tips on eating right, taking vitamins and regular exercise achieving overall wellness of body, mind and spirit.
Author and educator Jen O’Sullivan defines essential oils as “the volatile and fragrant molecules in a plant that actively work to help promote systematic regulation and healthful modification of plant cells.” They have the same effect on humans when breathed in via diffusers or aromatherapy) and when applied on affected body parts via massage.
Moreover, according to Young Living, besides enhancing a positive emotional state and physical wellness, essential oils are also able to “purify the home.”
Meet an advocate
Mom, entrepreneur, composer and all-around creative Geri Gil led Young Living’s workshop as a longtime advocate of essential oils. She shared how she acquired adult asthma and after a battery of tests was told by her doctor that her illness was triggered by her immediate environment.
Looking for a more natural alternative in addressing her condition, Gil went on to make major changes at home. Besides changing all their cleaning products to organic alternatives, she embarked on researching what else could give her relief. Essential oils found their way to the top of her list.
Given her personal experience with essential oils and the day’s health crisis, Gil advised workshop participants to begin “making mindful choices” to promote overall health.
“We need to start taking better care of our body by healthier and switching to natural products such as essential oils,” she elaborated.
She then provided a crash course on the variety of essential oils available and their benefits.
Generally, flower-scented oils are ideal to use on the skin. Fruit-based oils are effective in tempering moods, while herbscented oils promote overall wellness.
“Two drops of essential oils in a diffuser prompts mental clarity, cleans the air, and boosts energy,” Gil noted.
Some of the best known essential oils are lavender, lemon, and peppermint.
Lavender is good for the skin and helps with relaxation and sleep. Lemon is also good for the skin and hair, and improves mental focus and one’s mood. Finally, Peppermint’s strong aroma helps to cleanse the body from toxins, regulates body temperatures, and improves mental focus and one’s mood.
Blends
As the use of essential oils start to become popular, so have specific blends been made to address more specific conditions.
Young Living for example offers the Thieves blend of lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon and clove, which gets rid of toxins when applied directly to the body, while purifying the air with a comforting scent when diffused.
The RC blend, on the other hand, features myrtle, pine, eucalyptus, lavender, cypress black spruce and peppermint, which together refreshes the senses and clears up breathing when applied to the chest. When diffused, it promotes a night of restful sleep.
To survive the intense heat of the summer, Gil recommends a cooling mist with 15 drops each of peppermint and lavender and a teaspoon of witch hazel. Mix all three essential oils in a 30mL spray bottle then fill with distilled water. Chill and use as a facial spray to soothe and restore the skin while cooling down.
Finally, as handwashing is advised as the No. 1 protection against contracting Covid-19, Gil suggests mixing 15 drops of the Thieves blend and 10 drops of lemon essential oil with a liquid soap base and distilled water to make for a germ-killing yet aromatic hand wash that is gentle for repeated use.