This is not a debate about the different companies. There's tons of that on the internet already. Personally, I don't care what company makes it/sells it/distills it as long as it works.
Basics
1. Peppermint
This is probably our most used oil. It works fantastic mixed with a little carrier oil and rubbed on the tummy for stomach-aches from indigestion and over eating. We also use it for fevers and diffuse it in the air because we like the smell. I mix it with rosemary oil and use it in my shampoo. Using too much of it will make you feel cold and always mix it with a carrier oil or it can irritate the skin.
2. Lavender
This works fantastic for burns and owies, something we've found a lot with the wood fireplace. It also works really well on our kids for getting them to calm down for bed. Especially Owen. Lavender will knock that kid out quick. I also diffuse it at night to help with my insomnia. The smell of it I am not crazy about so I usually mix it with eucalyptus when I diffuse at night.
3. Tea Tree
Honestly, we mostly use this for cuts and scrapes. Or when someone picks a zit and makes the situation worse. I also use it for dandruff mixed with Rosemary and Peppermint.
Peppermint, Lavender and Tea Tree oil are like the Holy Trinity of essential oils. There are about a gazillion ways on pinterest to use them and I recommend looking the info. up. I just listed the ways we mostly use them.
Blends
1. Thyme and Eucalyptus
Owen had a dry and persistent cough. I looked up what to do for it in the book The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. It's written by like the grandmother of essential oil uses. I highly recommend it. Anyway, she recommended this combo and it worked. Even after using oils for a couple of years now, I am still skeptical about if they will work. This seriously reduced Owen's coughs. Chris was amazed which only made me feel better about using them.
2. Respiratory Blend
These are proprietary, meaning that the individual companies make up their own blend using oils that help in breathing. Truitt is very prone to developing croup and we have used blends to help him breathe. He hasn't gotten croup since we've used oils when he starts to develop respiratory problems. I tried RC from Young Living, but literally could not stand the way it smelled. We currently use Respiratory Ease from Rocky Mountain Oils.
What hasn't worked
1. Versions of Thieves Oil
This is the blend that has the fun story about robbers during the plague wearing certain oils and not getting sick because of it. We've used it when kids have gotten sick and rubbed it onto our non-sick kids to hope they don't get sick as well. I would say for our family it is questionable. This doesn't mean it won't work for you. I have found oils to be like a lot of things- they work for some people and not for others. But we do like the way it smells and so I still put it on kids when they get sick and diffuse it in the air.
Advice I wish I had gotten
Go slow when getting oils. I went crazy and literally bought like 40 different types. I opened all of them to get the smell, and then really only use less than 10 on a regular basis. So I have quite a bit invested in oils that sit in a cupboard degrading because they're open. Life gets busy and I forget about them and don't take the time to research how I could use them in different ways and for different things.
Get a book to help you out. Again, I highly recommend The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. It is definitely my go to. Pinterest has a lot of stuff, but sometimes it's nice to not have to deal with the internet and sometimes I just question what is there. The author of the book, Valerie Ann Worwood, is a certified aromatherapist, a reflexologist, member of the London and counties society of Physiologists and lectures all over the world on essential oils and their medicinal qualities. In essence, she's legit and a lot of people on pinterest don't offer up the same type of credentials.
If you can find a store, usually a food co-op, that sells them, I recommend trying to sniff them if you can before buying. I bought Geranium because it is regularly in the top 10 list of oils to have for things, but the scent is so overpowering it makes me sick so I never use it. Similar to the RC from Young Living. I am in general not a fan of companies that sell their products through salespeople because of the mark-up you see in the price. However, it is a fantastic way to smell the oils and try them for yourself at the party to see if it works and how you would like it.
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