In my last post I wrote about how I found a purpose for using Essential Oils by asking myself WHY. In a nutshell, I decided that I would use my oils to take a proactive approach to managing my health and embark on a mission to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in my home environment – and the homes of family and friends if they are willing to listen. In this post I will be writing about how to take the first steps in this direction. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I purchased the enrolment kit of 10 oils. This contained 10 different oils including: Lavender, Frankincense, Tea Tree, Lemon, Oregano, Peppermint and also includes several helpful blends, and Diffuser. I didn’t realise at the time but I had a powerful mix of oils at my disposal that could be used for a wide range of household purposes. I did receive information on getting started but I was a bit confused about where to start.

You see, lots of oils can be used for a range of purposes around the house and I had lots of questions like these:

Can I mix the oils together?

How many drops of oil should I use for cleaning?

When is it safe to use an oil undiluted?

What should I put the products I make into – do I need glass bottles and where do I get them?

Where do I start to find the other non – oil ingredients that I might need?

Boot Camp

Then I was invited to attend an online boot camp that was hosted on Facebook by three very experienced oil users. This boot camp went for 2 weeks and each day we were taught about a different oil: its source, chemistry, properties and uses. I was able to ask my questions and receive advice and check out helpful websites. I also interacted with people who were at different stages with using oils. We were also challenged to complete a little DIY project using the oil of the day.

By the end of the two weeks we had created a range of simple products for household use and personal health and more importantly had the tools and strategies to explore the Essential oil and DIY space on our own. I learned how to dilute Essential Oils with a carrier oil, I made a Hand Sanitiser, an ‘Owie Spray’ to treat minor scratches and an emergency or First Aid Kit consisting of a range of oils.

A Plan of Attack!

I was off but not quite running. I needed a plan of attack to move forward, and here it is:

Step 1: Decide what products you would like to replace in your house – cleaning, personal grooming and beauty, perfumes, bug sprays, garden products etc. 

Step 2: Think about any current health and issues you might have.

Step 3: Prioritise and pick 1-2 products to research. 

Step 4: Do your research (online is easiest)

Step 5: Choose a recipe and a method that makes sense.

Step 6: Gather ingredients and containers. 

Step 7: Make the product ,try it, evaluate it and start again if not happy, or keep using if all is OK!

Step 8: Find the next priority on the list and repeat Steps 1-7 above.  

And this is basically what I have been doing for the past 12 months. It has been an interesting process that has challenged all family members in our home in different ways. As I write about my projects I will share with you some of the ups and downs and unusual responses to the change to my household routines.

You will need a little more information before you get going. I say that because I struggled with a few things like finding suppliers for ingredients and containers and I would like to help you out a bit with that first.

But it is exciting to make your first DIY product so I am giving you a recipe for something simple that I hope you will love. One of the easiest things I have made over the last few months is Scented  Bath Salts. I actually made them at Christmas as gifts and loaded them into Christmas Baubles. But you can simply use a glass jar to store them. I will give you the recipe over on our Recipe page.

These salts will have you relaxing in a hot bath in no time!

Or if this doesn’t excite you why not try using some oils in cooking to enrich the flavour! I have just written a new recipe for Thai Inspired Slow cooked Beef and would love to use it. I used Ginger and Black Pepper Essential Oils in this recipe. This is on our Recipe page too. Let me know what you think.

What Next?

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Until next time,

Gillian (and Andrew)