So if you had mentioned essential oils to me a few years ago I’d have said “I don’t use that kind of stuff”. I really knew nothing about them at all and just thought they were only used “by those hippie people”. Honestly, I don’t even know what I thought that even meant! Well now whatever it means, I guess I’m one of those hippie people because I love my oils!
About two years ago I began working with a friend who is all about her oils and anytime you mention any type of ailment or concern around her she quickly says “do you want oils?” It took a lot of persuading but I finally said yes. When working where we did and the working the amount of hours we did, well headaches and stress quickly become part of the norm. I can tell you for certain that I grew to appreciate her oils whenever I was dealing with any sort of pain.
So for quite a while I used her oils when at work but never broke down and actually got any of my own. Then this year when I got put on night shift that changed everything. I was having the hardest time getting my sleep regulated and she came right to the rescue with the perfect two oils for me to combine in a diffuser to help me out. She refilled those bottles for me several times and after some more persuading I finally got my own “starter kit”. Since then I have become a firm believer and have been slowly growing my own collection. My husband, always quite the sceptic himself, is getting on board with me now too.
I spend a lot of time looking to see just what I can use oils for, what I can make with oils and how they can help me. I’ve also done quite a bit of reading and research on different brands of oils. I am currently a member of Young Living and so far definitely love them. I am thrifty though, so certainly will be the first to say they are pricey! I have found them to be on the higher end of the price scale and I also do not like that even as a member I have to pay shipping. It also seems like shipping takes forever. Maybe that’s just me and maybe I’m just spoiled by amazon shipping speeds, but I really dislike getting my order in and then waiting a week for it to arrive.
That lead me to start looking more into what is out there. I did my own research but also started asking other friends what they use. I have only tried buying locally once. I was out of what I use in my diffuser at night time so thought I’d save money and time by buying the version carried at Walmart. Believe me I will never, ever do that again! It certainly was cheap enough but the next morning my room smelled like must and mildew. Gross!! I’m sure I could have returned it but honestly it wasn’t worth the time for the small price I paid to begin with.
Another coworker recommended the brand Revive to me and I checked out their website. They seemed to have decent reviews and certainly had great prices. You also can’t beat the free shipping. I placed one order. The price was right, the shipping was free and my order arrived in two days! The single oil that I got smelled great but I was definitely unimpressed with the blend I ordered. It was a pre-diluted blend for stress. While it smelled good it didn’t roll on well at all. It had a very sticky consistency that I thought may get better with use but it didn’t. In fact, the roller ball ended up falling out of it! I’m glad these oils are working for my friend but I don’t think I will try them any further. I have no doubt I could have contacted them and gotten a refund but again, not really worth the time. I’m researching what will work for me so I’m okay with taking a loss while doing that.
I had another friend recommend two brands to me. Her top choice is made by Plant Therapy and sold on Amazon while her second choice is 365 Everyday Value sold by WholeFoods. She told me that she has used pretty much every oil brand out there but those were her top choices and she hadn’t wavered in years. I feel like I should also add she is the most hippie friend I have and I have complete faith in her recommendations 🙂 I spent some time today on amazon checking out Plant Therapy doing comparisons by price and size. I have several oils that I need and figured this would be a good time to try this particular brand. So I’ve got my cart filled and I am ready to order. I will give you guys an update down the road on what I think of them.
I’ve learned that oils are just like anything else, you can ask for people opinion but you really need to try them yourself to decide not only if you like them but also which ones you like. One thing I know for certain is that I LOVE essential oils. We have found them to be so useful for so many things. I also love the fact that I can avoid taking medicines or using chemicals. In the coming days I will get a list typed up of all the different uses/recipes that I’ve discovered and loved so far. I will also get that posted along with links to the recipes.
I guess the moral of the story is pretty cliché, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!
Have a good week ya’ll!
~Carla~
Arise and Glow 