Learning how to leverage the power of essential oils in your home or business doesn’t need to be a daunting or overwhelming task. There are tons of resources available!
SAFETY
The first thing to know is perhaps the most important – ONLY use doTERRA oils, and ONLY use doTERRA oils purchased from doTERRA! When you purchase oils from random places on the internet like Amazon or Walmart (even if they have a doTERRA label) or you purchase off-brand oils at a “discount”, you are not getting a pure product.
The second thing to know is that from a safety perspective, doTERRA’s oils are very safe and there’s relatively little that you can do with them to cause actual, lasting harm.
Here are a few simple safety rules:
- You will not love your life if you get oils into your eyes or sensitive areas. You will also be pretty irritated if you get undiluted “hot” oils (like Oregano, Lemongrass, or Cinnamon) on your skin. If either happens, coconut oil or any cooking oil, applied to the area, will help to reduce irritation. Be sure to supervise children.
- Use the “rule of thumb” for dosing. You’re going to use way less for a ten pound infant than you would for a 250 pound man. Getting a guide like Modern Essentials will help you determine which oil to use, how much, how often, and what precautions you should take.
- Read the label! doTERRA’s label will tell you if an oil has photosensitivity or sensitivity issues. You can also tell if an oil is safe to take internally (there will be Supplement Facts). If there’s no Supplement Facts, it’s not labeled for internal use and you should thoroughly research before doing so.
- Pets can usually be helped with essential oils, but not all oils are safe for pets. Tea Tree (Melaleuca) in particular can be problematic for cats and sometimes for dogs. There are some great resources available to learn how to use oils with your pets.
- Some oils don’t mix with sunlight and can produce photosensitivity or even phototoxicity. Most of our citrus oils are in this category. Avoid sun or UV light exposure for 12 hours after applying. During the summer, we apply oils “Where the sun don’t shine” or we wait until we’re off the beach.
- Surgical sites with stitches are not a good application site for oils. Go an inch or so around an incision for best results; wait until the wound is fully healed before applying oils.
- Storage: Remember oils come in glass bottles that can and will shatter if dropped on a hard surface. I once lost an entire bottle of Melissa oil when it rolled onto the tile floor! Also remember that if spilled, oils can sometimes stain or harm surfaces (especially porous or plastic surfaces).
- Oils are POWERFUL! So are prescription drugs. They don’t always work well together. Essential oils can increase or decrease efficacy of certain drugs. Often, this can be mitigated with adjustments in timing or in dosage. If you are taking regular medication, do some research and if necessary, consult a physician who knows about essential oils as well as pharmaceuticals. You’ll have to look around, but they exist!
Want more? Here’s all you need to know about essential oil safety!
CHOOSING OILS
doTERRA has a wide array of starter kits for all kinds of needs. You can also just pick and choose the items you like (and still get my discount!) I recommend keeping it super simple with one of these three kits:
GOOD: The Healthy Start Kit is where I got started (back in those days, we called it the “Family Physician Kit”). It’s ten of the most popular oils plus a diffuser. I do recommend that you add a small bottle of Fractionated Coconut Oil (for dilution) and Veggie Caps (fillable capsules for taking oils internally).
BETTER: Harness the full power of nature with the Foundational Wellness Healthy Start Kit – it’s those same ten oils and diffuser PLUS the best vitamins in the whole world. Seriously, I promise, the best. You’ll also get to choose a free gift with your order!
BEST: If you’re ready to live well naturally, the Natural Solutions Kit is for you – the best vitamins in the whole world PLUS an array of oils PLUS a selection of other healthy essentials (like our Deep Blue Stick, Toothpaste, first aid cream, and more!).
GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR KIT
When your oils arrive in the mail, be sure to let me know! We can hop on a Zoom and unbox it together and I’ll help you get started! You can also refer to doTERRA’s Get Started Guide! There’s tons of information on how to use your oils for all sorts of purposes.
You can use oils in three main ways –
- AROMATICALLY (sniff them from the bottle or your hand – mist the air – diffuse)
- TOPICALLY (apply to skin, dilution is usually needed to reduce skin irritation and increase absorption)
- INTERNALLY (add drops to water, use under tongue, put in a capsule and swallow, or cook with oils)
THE BEST WAY TO BUY
Real Talk: Oils are meant to be used. You didn’t just make this investment for the little brown bottles to just sit on a shelf. When you’re using them, you’re going to find that you have favourites that you use up more often than others. I go through a bottle of Breathe Essential Oil just about every month, because it helps me to keep open airways and not feel panicked in certain tense situations. I also use it to increase oxygen when I run or work out! I also buy the very best vitamins in the world every month. Plus my laundry soap, dishwasher pods and soap, bath bars … all the things. If I can buy it from doTERRA, I do, because I trust in the purity and efficacy of the product and I love the price.
Here’s how I look at it:
- I’m going to buy all of that stuff from somewhere. You can’t live without cleaners and toothpaste and such.
- I’m NOT going to subject my family and myself to cancer-causing, hormone-disrupting chemical crapstorms that I can buy at the Big Box Store. I can’t even bring myself to go into the laundry and cleaning product aisle at the store – the smell gives me such a bad headache!
- I could purchase products from more naturally-focused stores. Those tend to cost more and be way less effective. They are also frequently WAY less natural than advertised. Plus, when I do go into those stores, I tend to by “eye candy” stuff that I don’t really need.
- Even if I do buy stuff from stores, I don’t get any sort of discounts or rebates.
The solution? doTERRA Rewards! Not only do you get a 25% discount off retail, when you order regularly you earn points that you can turn into free products. You also get perks like free shipping, VIP status, gifts, and more. It’s amazing to open my monthly wellness box and realize that I got so many freebies!
CONTINUING EDUCATION
There is a never-ending stream of research and information about essential oils and our nutritional products. There’s so much, in fact, that it can feel overwhelming!
I counsel people all the time that it’s way more important to know THAT something works than it is to know HOW it works. You don’t need to know the exact molecular structure of Frankincense to know that you should reach for it at the first sign of a headache, and the relief you feel when you apply Deep Blue after a workout isn’t dependent on you having researched every single ingredient.
But I get it … it’s fun to learn! There’s tons of resources, so dive right in!
Start here with my team’s insider Facebook groups, Drop by Drop and Metabolic Makeover. These two groups exist to support you on your journey! Every month there are a number of Continuing Education opportunities announced in these groups, and you can also scroll through and find replay videos from past workshops.
Check out doTERRA’s blogs: DIY, Recipes (YUM!), Healthy Living, Product Spotlights, and Science (all the geeky stuff can be found here!)
Then when you’re ready for a deep dive, doTERRA offers courses online. Most of them are free! There are also some paid courses that offer professional certifications. You can also learn about building a stream of income with doTERRA (completely optional but highly recommended!). If that intrigues you, let’s talk and I’ll help you get all the info you need.
YOU STILL WANT MORE?
I get it! I’m there myself! I always want to be learning more about my oils. Shoot me a message with specifics and I’ll connect you to resources!