Let’s talk. Are Essential Oils a fad?
Chevron decor, tatoos, and skinny jeans – plus a bunch of stuff I’m not aware of because I just don’t keep up very well. Those are kind of fads, right? I mean, chevron is the way to decorate right now – but in a few years we’ll all be sick of it just like we got sick of our peach and teal southwestern wallpaper of the 80’s (raise your hand if you remember this delightful decorating era).
We went from flared jeans to skinny jeans – as if we all sorely missed our pant legs and want to now hug them close. I’m not opposed to tatoos, but I do wonder if people might eventually get tired of looking at the very same thing on their arm for 60 straight years. This is why I didn’t decorate my new bathroom in chevron – because I’d get tired of it eventually. Clearly there is a direct connection in my logic between chevron, bathrooms, and tatoos. It all makes sense.
And then there are diets. I’d love to think that the “low fat” trend is on its way out. I mean, it is if I have anything to do with it. Eat real food fats like butter and coconut oil! Balance this with other real foods! You have nothing to be afraid of! There, I’m doing my part. (Yes, you’ll still fit into your skinny jeans.)
So let’s talk about Essential Oils. They are all the rage. Are they a fad? Or are they the real deal?
It’s easy to discover a product and declare it to be the be all and end all. The product that cures everything. The thing that heals what ails you and cleans your toilets too. Got naughty toddlers? There’s an oil for that. Feeling sluggish? There’s an oil for that. Need to sleep better? Oil!
Is it for real? This is what I think:
1. Essential Oils aren’t new. We just think they are.
They were the first medicine. There are 188 references to oils in the Bible. Oils were found in King Tut’s tomb. Oils have been around for a very long time, but I certainly never heard of them until just a few years ago. That’s why it seems like they are the latest thing. Perhaps there’s a lot of hype going along with oils now because they seem new to so many of us. But they aren’t new – and I don’t believe they are a fad. I guess to some people they might be – as in they’ll get excited about them for a while, then brush them aside when something else comes along. But I plan on using them forever (she says, as she takes a whiff of peppermint oil).
2. Oils work. I can attest to this.
They’ve helped our family with countless issues. Our family has experienced their work many times over. (That was me, being very vague and non-specific because the FDA doesn’t allow me to say much more.) :)
3. Oils are easy. I love this.
I do not have to run my kids to the doctor every time they have an ailment. Essential oils are a perfect remedy to try first. I love having them in my cabinet so that we can often experience immediate relief when we begin to feel yucky. At the very least, they give temporary relief as our bodies do their job to fight off sickness. And there’s no “wait four hours before using again” like conventional medicines. Need to rub some on fifteen minutes after the first application? No problem.
4. Oils are not the be all and end all. Nothing is. Okay, well – Jesus is. C’mon now.
This summer our 13 year old, Elias, got his shoulder yanked out of its socket at church camp. Unfortunately, we didn’t know that was the problem at first. He just said his “shoulder hurt.” (He is a man of few words.) I oiled him just as Asa always does when he has a sports injury. Whereas Asa usually finds relief immediately, the oils didn’t even take the edge off Elias’ pain. I tried other oils. Nothin’. That’s when I finally looked at Elias head on and saw that his arm and shoulder looked funny (and by funny, I mean so not funny). Off to the chiropractor we went, where his shoulder was put back in place (also not funny). Oils are great, but they couldn’t put Elias’ shoulder back in its socket. There are doctors for this.
What are your thoughts?
I’d love to hear your experiences with Essential Oils! Do you use them? In what ways have they worked for you? Which ones are your favorites?
Jill says
The great thing about being American is that we have choices, including choices in how we manage healthcare and hygiene issues. I love using essential oils, but I also love that when I’m super desperate for relief or truly don’t have time to find a recipe and drive to the healthfood store for supplies to make my own potion, I can pop a pill, toss back a storebought syrup, see my doc, see my chiropractor, see an acupunturist, have surgery and more.
We are so blessed in this country to have choices – one of which is EO’s.
Janet says
I have two experiences with Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) that have convinced me of it’s healing properties.
Back in February a wart started growing on my left shoulder, right under my bra strap. After 30 days of consistent application of Tea Tree Oil under a bandaid (yes, it would sting a bit), the wart dried up and there is no scar.
More recently in July, my plantar fasciitis acted up. The shoe inserts no longer helped and I was in pain every day, limping noticeably. I started massaging my heal with Melaleuca and Black Pepper Oils twice a day (morning and evening). Within days the swelling went down and the inflammation decreased. I can now walk with minimal pain and I continue using the oils. I know the oils helped because after a weekend when I did not use them, my heal was swollen and extremely painful by Monday morning.
Louise says
Tea tree oil is a wonderful medicinal oil. I always joke that it works like bleach. All of the oils listed in the bible have great medicinal and aromatherapy properties.
Melissa A says
Hi there,
I use Young Living Essential Oils (consultant #1752941) and I LOVE THEM!! Not everything I try works, but I definitely have some go-to’s that have worked and are still working! Panaway and peppermint for my husband’s back and knee pain. Peppermint on my temples and across forehead for headache, on my throat for acid reflux, and on poison oak, (ivy, sumac). Lavender for my grandson’s teething pain. My thyroid support, wild child won’t go to bed support, and on and on. It’s great to have that quick go to instead of all those chemical, toxin laden pills and saves a ton on ER and Dr. copays. Toot toot for Essential Oils!!
Christa Upton says
Interestingly, I cannot do essential oils much right now. (Orange oil seems to be the only one that’s okay for me at the moment.) My Toxic Injury/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is SOOOO extreme that the oils are too strong for me and literally cause headaches, nausea, and even Reactive Airway Syndrome if diffused. However, I believe this is because the damage to my body by mold toxins and synthetic chemicals was so great. Soon I will be living in a house built specifically for Toxic Injury. My hope and prayer is that after I have healed some I can try some essential oils! Because of course I can’t do traditional meds for pain right now either–they are even worse for me than oils (because they are synthetic). Right now I have to use heat/ice and just bear the pain beyond that. Not fun. Looking forward to some relief someday from peppermint, etc. :) I will probably always have to be careful not to use too much, though.
Christina ( Chris) Strickler says
Love my Young Living Essential Oils. (Consultant # 2981595) I enjoy my diffuser with Lavender & Peace & Calm with distilled water. A few drops of each help me sleep thru the night. RC for colds and congestion works great too. I agree the peppermint helps to relieve headaches. I am learning so much about new ways to help my family without all the toxins. Thank you for giving us great ideas for healthy living! Love your website & blog!
Alek says
They are certainly a fad. They don’t cure anything, they just smell good. It’s bad science and it can be dangerous. Definitely don’t trust multi-level marketing companies selling supposed medical products… https://skeptoid.com/blog/2014/04/05/essential-oil-claims-the-dangers-keep-on-coming/
Missy Wainman says
Alek, I’m sorry that you feel this way about essential oils. I’m not going to try and change your mind about them. But I’d like to encourage you to discover the good things that oils do. There have been testimonials written above about the benefits of essential oils in some people’s families. I have some testimonies as well from my immediate family but won’t bore you with the details. If used properly and with the right education, essential oils are a wonderful alternative to traditional medicine. I personally would rather try my oils and other methods of treating my family than paying someone to tell me what is wrong with my family member and prescribe them some chemical laden medicine that will cause more harm than good. I also subscribe to the idea of preventing illness with oils rather than treating illness with oils. If there’s anything I can use to prevent my family from becoming sick, I will gladly use it as it will help us out in the long run. Just wanted to share my thoughts as you shared yours.
Beth says
I’ve tried essential oils for headaches, and the smell was so strong, they made my headache worse. Just like anything else, I think people need to be careful and use them in moderation as there are bad side effects to some of the oils if they are used extensively. (for example, lavender oil can mess with boys’ hormones, so should be used very sparingly on boys) But if they are used in moderation (like medicine) and help people, then great! I’m glad for them. But I don’t use them due to the overly strong smell. I have also observed people that use them ALL the time and they are more sickly than others. I think their body becomes dependent on the oils and they can’t handle “bugs” they are exposed to.
lyss says
I’ve had a few essential oils for years, but never did much with them. I guess we first bought them long ago to scent homemade soap…maybe nearly 20 years ago? And we used tea tree oil on bug bites, but that’s about it.
Now recently I’ve become interested in them. I would assume they have become more well known and seem like a fad due to the 2 MLM companies that more and more people are getting into. Just a guess! Personally, I’ll pass on those companies. The oils may be fine, but the way they push possible unsafe use(from what I’ve read…I’m certainly no expert) I’d rather get mine elsewhere. From what I understand, essential oils should rarely be used without diluting with oil or internally. Some companies encourage both those things. And perhaps I have a thing against pushy salespeople…
One question I have about oils is: how much is too much when it comes to germ fighting oils? I’ve been trying some to try to keep us well. I have the germ destroyer and immune boom from plant therapy. (I felt like we caught every last bug that went around last year, and my kids even had bronchitis this summer!) But will using them all the time make them ineffective over time? Or are they fine to use daily? Still doing my research…
I’m curious what oils you use, and how you use them? I recently got a diffuser, and like it so far. I also got a few roller bottles. They are so handy for having diluted oils ready to go!
Laura says
I use peppermint most of all, because it is good for so many things. Lavender is one we use a lot, and I got M-Grain from Young Living which really helps fend off a migraine. I like citrus in the diffuser, and lemon isn’t expensive so that’s the one I usually use for that. I like eucalyptis (though I don’t know how to spell it – ha!) for respiratory stuff. We use Pan-Away for pain. And we use Thieves anytime we feel a sore throat or another illness coming on to help us fight it off.
That’s the minimal summary, as we use others too, but I’m still learning!
Melissa says
I am a member of one of those MLM companies I think you may be referring to, but I can assure you, you do not have to become a member to make money off someone else. I have been a member over a year, and I have shared my oils with family who have asked about certain ailments, but I have not tried to bring anyone onboard or be a pushy salesman to anyone. I only joined to get my oils cheaper, and I just recently got about $100 of oils for free due to my previous purchases. this link will show you how Young Living does their oils https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/discover/seed-to-seal
And as for ingesting, anyone is welcome to use them however they want, but Mr. Young has been ingesting oils for over 20 years and looks much younger and I’m sure he feels much younger, so if you can’t see the damage from ingesting, I would guess you won’t see it for more than 20 years. lol But it’s really to each his own with using or not using, ingesting or not, but I have friends and I myself have seen great results for different things using these oils.
Verity says
Testimonial from today: my husband has some severe health problems which frequently causes muscle cramps. It is agony when they flare up into charlie horses, and there has always been very little I can do. He had one this morning, and I put 5 drops of NAN’s Relieve Me in my hand with some carrier oil to help it spread and soak in, and rubbed it on his calf that was charlie horsed. In 2 minutes it released and he was able to get up and walk around instead of writhing in agony waiting and hoping it would release. I don’t usually use it that strong, I usually put about 30 drops into 1 1/2 oz of oil and use it as a massage oil, and it helps his cramps and overall pain from fibromyalgia and acute neuropathy. But when we have severe cramps of any kind, including those I get from gall bladder attacks, I’ve found it very effective at releasing them at the more concentrated levels.
I don’t appreciate the irresponsible use that the 2 mlm companies encourage, but God put stuff on this earth to help us with our health, and I believe these oils are one of them. Used responsibly they are a great blessing to us, and I am grateful for them. They often help when nothing else does.
Laura S says
I’ve used essential oils for about 15 years. They are worth looking in to because they are natural and affordable.
Jen says
Essential oils have only been around for the last 200 years or so. The ancient oils and oils referenced in the Bible are mostly infused oils. An infused oil is where the herb is put in a carrier oil. The carrier oil over time would pull the oil based constituents out of the herb. The product you were left with was much less potent and much more safe then an essential oil.
While I don’t think essential oils are a fad, many of the companies that produce them have done a great job of marketing. Even to the point of being dangerous.
Most people don’t know that many of the citrus oils are phototoxic when used on the skin. They don’t know that peppermint is contraindicated for children and especially infants. They don’t know that lots of small exposures over time can lead to a sudden and severe sensitivity reaction. They don’t know that lavender and tea trea are the ONLY essential oils that can be used neat. They don’t know that you should RARELY take them internally.
In the state of Nebraska, we have ONE certified aromatherapist who put in hundreds of hours to get educated from recognized experts in the country. The cavalier attitude of the many, many that sell them is very concerning.
Christa Upton says
Jen, thank you for this information!!! With my health/risks, now I know I must be even more cautious if I try these. At the very least, “moderation in everything” would apply. :) Am also thinking I would try infused oils first….
Amy says
I’m just getting into essential oils and I hope you have more posts and uses and information about them! I would love to know how you chose Young Living and more about what you think of them and DoTerra and if you think any other companies compare.
It’s a charged topic – but an interesting one!
Thank you for everything you do!
Joan says
I’ve been using oils for a few months now. As a cancer survivor, they’re a great way to replace home and personal products that were at least somewhat toxic with much safer ones.
However, I really became a believer with two things.
First, my hubby has had rash between his toes for like three years now. I found a recipe on line, made it and added it to some whipped Shea butter I’d made. He used a little every day and now, less than a month later-the rash is gone.
The more amazing one is the cold sore remedy. I get them when I’m sick or stressed. Last week, I felt the familiar lump in my lip. This would normally progress to the blister, scabby stage and take a couple weeks to heal completely. I have a prescription med but that only cuts a few days off the healing time. I put one drop of the mix on perhaps two or three time that day, twice the next and the lump went away. Completely. It never broke the skin, never blistered, just went away. And the following week, my 15 y/o son had the same experience. Further reading confirmed that oils are particularly effective against bacteria, viruses and fungi, as that’s what they do for the plant. But for non-emergent situations , they’re definitely my first go-to.