In an earlier post I wrote about how overwhelming the world of Essential Oils could be. As I started to do some research about the oils I found that the terms DIY Low Tox and Green Households and Essential Oils were almost inseparable and whilst this interested me it also seemed like another mountain to be climbed.
Perhaps if I had just bought one bottle of oil and a diffuser I wouldn’t have had that feeling. But that is just not my way – I like to do the research, jump in and become totally immersed! I realise that not everyone is like me but just in case you are here is some more of my story…..
Why Use Essential Oils?
I realised that to reap the benefits of Essential Oils I had to work out what to do with the oils and how to do it! But more important I had to ask myself why? I think that we should ask the WHY question whenever something new is placed in front of us, or even when we are out shopping and are tempted to do buy something on a whim. An honest answer could save you lots of money or make you wait before a big decision is made, and this could be life changing!
The first answer to my WHY question showed that I had already failed my own test. I bought the an enrolment kit of 10 oils because I wanted to diffuse nice smelling oils and it seemed to be the best way to start at the time. In other words I could not provide a reason why I wanted each of the oils in the pack. So I dug a little deeper and realised that my interest had in fact been growing for a while because of contact with ‘oily’ people at yoga- so my decision to jump in was not totally uninformed. I felt a little better then but had to go further with my self reasoning to give me more clarity of purpose.
Andrew and I had also been doing some planning ahead for retirement and thinking about where we would live and how we would keep ourselves healthy in mind and body. So, I was getting closer to a satisfactory answer!
So what was my final and most honest answer?
I realised that I was bored with my life. I used to be busy all the time but for the last three years had very little to keep me occupied. I really needed a purpose.
So my real answer to the WHY question was that I could sense a challenge and a way to make the next phase of life be healthy, exciting, fun and busy again! Since that time I have also been on a mission to share my new found passion and interest with others to help them become proactive about maintaining a healthy lifestyle with Essential Oils and using DIY to help reach that goal.
Why DIY?
So, as I mentioned above, I purchased the enrolment kit. This contained 10 different oils including: Lavender, Frankincense, Tea Tree, Lemon, Oregano, Peppermint and also includes several helpful blends, and a Diffuser. I quickly learned that I could use the oils for all sorts of purposes from washing dishes to cleaning the shower and easing muscle aches and pains. But I still wanted to explore why I should do this.
So, why would you want to do this? Well, there’s loads of information out there about why we would choose to use Essential Oils around the home. But the main thrust of the ‘DIY Essential Oil Movement’ is to replace as many of the toxic chemicals that we find in our household environment as possible with the simple products, that often include oils. We won’t be able to remove all of the toxins and dangerous chemicals from our lives but why not try to change what we can control and take that step towards a healthier lifestyle? We can change what we put in our bodies, on our bodies and what we use to wash our clothes, clean our houses, and treat the bugs in our gardens. We can also take a more proactive approach to our health so that we reduce the risk of illness and the need to take antibiotics and other drugs prescribed by the GP.
So I was on board. Not only do I love that notion of being proactive I was also sure that joining the ‘DIY Essential Oil Movement’ would be helpful with our planning for the future i.e. our plans not to get old too soon and to stay healthy!
What DIY Products do I make with Essential Oils?
I’ll answer this question fully in my next and future posts. But just quickly here – I make what ever I need around the house including almost every type of personal hygiene product, cleaning products, products for hair and beards, products for smelly feet and annoying bugs. I really do have an oil for everything.
What Next?
So if you think you might be interested in DIY with Essential Oils ask yourself why then once you have your answer ask the What question and see where you land!
If you are ready to enter the world of essential oils and you decide to go the doTERRA way, I would love to help you get started and support you if you want some help. Here is how you can do this: go to my doTERRA website to find out about the range of oil and oil based products available for purchase. You can also sign up to become a member on this site. Once signed up you can purchase oils for wholesale prices! But if you would like some more information click on the Contact Me on the doTERRA website and I will respond to your questions.
We hope you will also join us at Helpful by Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.
Until next time,
Gillian (and Andrew)
