My Journey to Essential Oils

When I think back to why I wasn't hesitant to try essential oils, the origins are surprising. One summer day, I was in the garden section of Fred Meyer and discovered some delightfully scented herbs. I bought a lemon balm and pineapple sage just because they smelled amazing. Once home, I planted them in pots and simply enjoyed their fragrance.

As these herbs grew, I decided I should find out if I could use them for tea. It turns out that not only can they be dried and used for tea, but lemon balm has proven anti-viral properties. So the next time I started to feel a cold sore coming on, I drank lemon balm tea by the gallon. Whether that particular cold sore was just a small one, or the tea worked, I was happy.

Lemon balm blossom; Image credit, Jess Beemouse.

Fast forward quite a while to the autumn of 2013, I was pregnant and working in a public school. This resulted in cold after cold, I was miserable. Mostly because I couldn't just take nyquill and get a good night's sleep, so the colds seemed to linger. A friend of mine had just started using essential oils and had some recommendations for me. I decided to dive in since there are many more essential oils that are safe for pregnant women to use than common pharmaceuticals. Plus, I figured in the worst case scenario, I would end up with some lovely scented options for lotions, lip balms, etc.

I started using lavender essential oil in the bedroom at bedtime, peppermint essential oil to knock out headaches, lemon essential oils as a refreshing addition to my water (and as cuticle oil since it was winter), and melaleuca essential oils if I got a scratch from the kitty. All of these were wonderful additions to my day to day activities, so I decided to order more to see what other joyful concoctions I could come up with.

Stay tuned for more of my personal favorites, and if you would like to learn more please check out the Intro to Essential Oils section of my essential wellness store!