The low down on essential oils for winter

Because I am very open about my use of essential oils I’m often asked all kinds of questions regarding the use of oils…but because I’m basically only google certified and don’t want to have anyone injured on my watch, I thought I’d ask an expert

So I called on, mom, wellness guide and oil expert, Carlene Muilwyk to answer some questions around which essential oils we should be stocking up on during winter. (check my social media to see how you can win my favourites)

Every year winter rolls around and I hear so many fellow moms complain and share their worries about those dreaded winter bugs that seem to circulate around this time of year.

I for one am SO grateful to have found Natural Solutions for my family that really work. And now of course I want to passionately share this utter goodness with you. I really couldn’t imagine a winter without my essential oils! I love that I have something at my fingertips to support their bodies to heal naturally.

Cause let’s face it no one ever falls sick during the middle of the day when the doctors are open right, instead I’ve had it more than once where there is a little kid standing at the side of my bed scaring the living daylights out of me in the pitch black, dead of the night with tears streaming down their face complaining about ear aches, a blocked nose or a cough that keeps waking them up.

So lend me your ears my friends (or your eyes since you’re reading this) cause I would love to share with you some of the ways we support our family’s health through winter with, what I feel, are the most natural and safe remedies we could find.

Now I have been using essential oils for ages! My mom and even my gran used to whip out bottles of essential oils to make the home smell nice, a candle would be lit up and the burner would go on pumping the burnt off residue of the oil as it’s being warmed up. 

*Just a little side note, back in the day oil burners were the done thing right. Now we know better, when essential oils are heated up in a burner or humidifier it changes the therapeutic benefits of those oils. Especially in a burner you are actually smelling the burnt off residue of the essential oil rather than the essential oil itself – use a diffuser, it’s cold so there isn’t a chance you or your kids could get burnt by accident but most importantly it’s actually pumping the oils and all their therapeutic benefits into the air.

But it wasn’t until I was pregnant with my daughter and running after my son (when he was a toddler) that I actually got to understand just how powerful essential oils are for our health and well-being. I get crazy bad hormonal migraines, I always have and they are often triggered by the silliest of things, add in a pregnancy when my hormones are going crazy and I found myself on the couch daily with the TV on as my son’s babysitter just waiting for dad to come home so I could go back to bed. A friend of mine suggested an oil called PastTense  from doTERRA. I was sceptical, how could an essential oil help me and I knew that oils could be unsafe on kids and pregnancy and so I started doing my research. 

I was absolutely blown away by what I found out.

  1. Essential oils are natural and safe

Essential oils are naturally derived from plants of many kinds and from various parts; like petals, skin of fruits, leaves, bark etc So basically a true essential oils comes directly from nature. 

When an essential oil is true and pure they are safe! However, and this is a BIG however, Most companies cut, dilute or create synthetic essential oils  (actually I still haven’t found a company who doesn’t do this except doTERRA). Which means when you pop into Dischem or Clicks and grab an essential oil off the shelf  chances are you have picked up something that is not a true essential oil. Why? Well it’s cheaper for companies to do this because most companies only care about their bottom line. That means you could be adding something to your body that could do more harm that good. 

If you want to grab something that was safe and natural you have to know where your oil is coming from, every.single.step of the way. 

When you do grab something pure and natural then it’s safe and ok for use from kids to the elderly. 

2. They work on a cellular level

 Now you may be asking me why this matters when we are chatting about winter wellness. Well this is the amazing benefits of oils that keep us healthy and well all winter long. 

So let’s do a really simplified bio 101 (if you’re a medical practitioner you will be all over this). 

Around each of our cells is an oily membrane, this protects the cell from the water based environment around it (so the liquid in the water environment doesn’t move through the wall and into the cell). What does get through? Bugs and viruses. Most medications are water soluble which is awesome for all the bugs and viruses in that surrounding area around the cells. But they can’t pass through that oily cell wall, basic science right… oil and water don’t mix. 

But an essential oil can! So when your cell needs some support to fight off whatever is happening inside there you can simply reach for the oil that can support your body to do the job it’s meant to be doing. 

3. They are cost effective

Now this is going to be a really simple example of how I would use oils on the daily, and you have to know I still would use medications and doctors (although thankfully I haven’t had to see a dr in over a year and a half), I have absolutely nothing against western medicine. What these oils are amazing for is simple natural solutions, on hand when you need it most to support your body without the common side effects of most medicines. 

So let’s say for example one of my kids has an earache in the middle of the night, usually you might reach from some Neurofen or Panado – R75, then in the morning you run your kid into the Doctor – R150, then you get sent to grab some antibiotics – R144 and some probiotics to counter the effects of the antibiotic – R160.

So I would just have spent over  R529 for an earache and my kids would have the side effects of antibiotics in their system (again I do believe there is a time and place for antibiotics but we avoid them as much as possible to keep out gut healthy).

If one of my kids wakes me up in the middle of the night with an earache I can help them straight away! 1 drop of lavender, 1 drop of melaleuca, 1 drop of copaiba mixed with 10ml of carrier oil and rubbed along the outside of their ear every couple of hours. Often by the next morning my kid has stopped complaining and it’s just a dull ache. If after 3 days there is no change then yes I would take them to the doctor but it’s actually never got there before, we prefer prevention rather than cure.

Now one drop of Lavender is going to set me back roughly R1.33, Melaleuca is R1.19 and Copaiba is  R2.07 so that’s a total of R4.59 to support my kids but without the side effects. 

If I have a bottle of lavender, melaleuca or copaiba around my house I also have about 100 extra things I can use them for and keep saving money on!

So for 1 earache I have spent R4.59 rather than R529.  I can totally see how we save ourselves so much money each month. 

* Side note I also make my own dishwasher tablets, washing powder, fabric spray, surface cleaner, toilet cleaner, bath bombs, lotions, hair wax, perfumes, nappy wipes etc So I save extra money in pretty much every room in our house!

Now there are tons of companies and oils out there to use, how can you possibly choose right?

Well when I was pregnant and did all that research to make sure I was only choosing the best and most natural doTERRA came up over and over again as the leaders in the essential oil industry. They are 3rd party tested, are the purest on the market, they ensure the farmers they work with only grow the best quality plants, they teach and train those they work with to ensure best farming, distilling and producing practices. If it says lemon in the bottle, you better believe all that’s in there is pure lemon oil. In fact you can actually read the scientific report on every single bottle produced by doterra.

Now onto my favourite oils for winter:

Lavender – Lavender is often considered a must-have oil to keep on hand at all times due to its versatile uses, including calming and relaxing properties that promote peaceful sleep and ease feelings of tension. I adore using it on red noses after too much blowing and in the kids diffuser to help them get some good quality sleep.

Melaleuca – The leaves of the Melaleuca tree were used by the Aborigines of Australia for centuries. They would crush the leaves and inhale the oil to promote feelings of clear breathing and apply the leaves directly to the skin for a cooling effect. Melaleuca is best known for its purifying properties. It can be used to cleanse and purify the skin and nails and to support a healthy complexion. Taken internally, Melaleuca promotes healthy immune function, and Melaleuca can be used on surfaces throughout the home to protect against environmental threats. Melaleuca is frequently used on occasional skin irritations to soothe the skin and diffusing Melaleuca will help purify and freshen the air.

On Guard – As one of doTERRA’s best-selling blends, doTERRA On Guard protects against environmental and seasonal threats with essential oils known for their positive effects on the immune system. doTERRA On Guard can be taken internally on a daily basis to maintain healthy immune function and support healthy cardiovascular function. It can also be used on surfaces throughout the home as a non-toxic cleaner. When diffused, doTERRA On Guard helps purify the air, and can be very energizing and uplifting.

Breathe – doTERRA Breathe is a remarkable blend of essential oils including Laurel Leaf, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Lemon, Cardamom, Ravintsara, and Ravensara. doTERRA Breathe maintains feelings of clear airways and easy breathing while minimizing the effects of seasonal threats. doTERRA Breathe can be applied topically to the chest, back, or bottom of feet, or diffused at nighttime to calm the senses and promote a restful sleep

Digestzen – DigestZen is known as doTERRA’s “tummy tamer” blend due to its ability to aid in digestion, soothe occasional stomach upset, and maintain overall digestive health. This unique blend contains Ginger, Fennel, and Coriander to help ease occasional stomach discomfort, including motion sickness and indigestion, while Peppermint, Tarragon, Anise, and Caraway aid with digestion and help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract. DigestZen is great to have on hand when stomach upset occurs and is safe and effective. DigestZen is a healthy, natural, and gentle way to soothe an upset stomach or maintain a healthy digestive system

If you are keen to get started with using essential oils then I have some fabulous news for you! 

doTERRA are launching in South Africa this winter!

That’s right any day now (we don’t have an exact launch date yet) you can order some of the best, most natural and pure oils for your home directly from a South African warehouse.

If however you just can’t wait for that day or maybe you’d like to be my next business partner and be one of the first oil educators in South Africa you can actually order them from the US today.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, need help or guidance in choosing what oils suits your family best or even just to chat through what owning your own doTERRA business could mean for you and your family.Facebook – www.facebook.com/puredropoils

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