Essential Oils 101 - Gift from the Earth
What Are Essential Oils?
If you have ever enjoyed the scent of a rose, you’ve experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. These naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds are found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. Essential oils provide plants with protection against environmental threats and play a role in plant pollination. In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have long been used for food preparation, beauty treatment, and health-care practices.
Steam Distillation is the most common method used to collect essential oils from plants. For plants with a thick rind such as Bergamot, doTERRA uses the Cold Pressing Oil Extraction method to extract essential oils.
Why doTERRA?
When you choose doTERRA, you are choosing essential oils gently and carefully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy.
Each doTERRA essential oil is also carefully and thoroughly tested using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® quality protocol. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize the superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade doTERRA essential oils.
How do I use essential oils?
You will soon learn that there are hundreds of ways to use dōTERRA® essential oils, including relaxation, personal hygiene, household cleaning, cooking, and supporting a healthy body. Every oil has at least one of three application methods: Aromatic, Topical, or Internal.
For Aromatic Use ~ Breathe in or use a diffuser to open up airways, improve mood, or freshen the air.
For Topical Use ~ Use a carrier oil when applying to bottoms of feet or affected areas to target specific needs.
For Internal Use ~ Drop in water, under tongue, or in veggie capsule to support mouth, throat, digestive system, or overall health with guidance from a Certified Aromatherapist or Health Care Professional.
What are some basic safety tips?
1) Photosensitivity - No sunbathing after applying citrus essential oils. Citrus oils are sensitive to the sun since they are made from the rind of fruit. Avoid direct sunlight to the exposed area for at least 12 hours of that location may have a skin irritation or burn. Oils applied underneath clothing should be fine.
2) Hot Oils - If it starts to burn, skip the water. Use a carrier oil or whole fat milk. Because essential oils don't mix with water, applying water to the area can actually drive the burn in deeper. Ouch!
3) Avoid These Areas - Never put essential oils in your eyes, inside ear canal, or up nose. However, you may apply oils around the eye bone in a C shape, on ear cartilage and behind ear bone, or diffuse essential oils.
4) Dilution - Use a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil when applying essential oils topically to avoid skin sensitization.
5) Safe Storage - The majority of all adverse reactions to essential oils by children have been as a direct result of accidental overdose and ingestion in large amounts. Keep out of reach of children. Use child proof safety caps. Contact a Certified Aromatherapist for safe essential oil usage guidelines in children and babies. Proper use is key!
What are the most commonly used essential oils and their uses?
Click on each bottle below to enjoy short informational video clips.