Why Essential Oils? We all have a starting line for wellness. Here’s the story of my oily journey.

WHY I ditched chemicals and choose Essential Oils from Young Living
After reading my last post about “WHAT are Essential Oils”, I want you to know WHY I choose Young Living.
The WHY is what makes a seed grow to a sprout!

My WHY came in several layers – here are the highlights:
*Because I don’t like to see toddlers with skin irritation and rashes!
In 2013 we were blessed with a spirited little girl and this was the first time I thought about the chemicals in our home. We washed her clothes in Dreft and bathed her in Johnson & Johnson – I was uneducated about chemicals at that time and thought I was protecting her by buying name brand bottles with a picture of a cute baby on the front – but this was ultimately a failure (more about this later!)  Fast forward to summer with a two-year-old. She’s a mermaid at heart so I stocked up on sunscreen to protect her baby skin in and out of the water. Then this —

She developed a rash that covered her arms, chest, and legs (A fine prickly rash that turns red with any scratching and in the heat). This meant a trip to our pediatrician who told me this rash was more prevalent each year, with several cases of this same rash already this summer. She said, “I bet you use Coppertone Water Babies sunscreen”. I was shocked – “yes…” (but how did she know that?!?!) She went on to explain that sunscreen companies have been increasing the number of known allergen ingredients, one specifically called “Oxybenzone”. The chemicals cause irritation, rashes, and other disruptions. I was a little skeptical of her quick diagnosis, but the rash was localized on the places we applied sunscreen all weekend. Hum… On the ride home I kept thinking, “this doesn’t make any sense, I’m buying the name brand, and higher cost, sunscreen – how can this be?”  A few quick Google searches later and I was astonished. Apparently, the product I was rubbing into my child’s skin was hazardous – I had NO idea. But I was determined to learn more.
* Because I can not trust a product to be safe just because a store sells it! 
Next, I downloaded the Healthy Living App by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and a couple of other similar apps. I love these apps because they allow you to scan the barcode of products in your home and see an overall score of the safety of the product. The apps also list out the individual ingredients and rate each ingredient. So, I scanned our sunscreen bottle and found this:

This sunscreen, marketed for babies and children, contains chemicals I wouldn’t want on my own skin! That led to me scanning lotions, shampoos, bubble bath, hand soaps, body wash, laundry detergent, shower cleaner, dishwasher detergent, all-purpose spray cleaner, face wash, hand sanitizer, air freshener, candles, and eventually every product in our cabinets, on the sink, and in the shower.
I began to realize that a label of ‘gentle’ or ‘natural’ or even ‘dermatologist tested’ means NOTHING about the safety of the product or ingredients.
I sat feeling tricked and frustrated by these high-priced household products- but I emerged feeling determined to find better and safer options for our family.

* Because if other countries have banned the chemicals, then I’m banning them from our home! 
I began reading more articles and studies shared by the EWG (their website and Facebook Page keep me informed) and the more I learned, the angrier I became. Other countries have banned over 1,000 chemicals from everyday products – the US has only banned 11 -yes eleven!!!! AND the US allows companies to ‘hide’ chemicals in our products because they consider “fragrance” to be a proprietary blend that doesn’t have to be disclosed. Remember that Johnson & Johnson soap that I was using on our child? That exact bottle of soap was banned in other countries because of the harsh ingredients! AND the companies know this and in order to distribute their product overseas, they make a safer version – but continued producing the cheaper and hazardous version to sell here in the USA. WHAT?!?  [I should stop here and say that since 2013, some companies began changing the formulas for the USA. Read about Johnson & Johnson making changes here]

Want to know more about products and ingredients that are banned overseas but sold in the US?  Here’s an article from SafeCosmetics.org and another from Beauty Counter   And – if that’s not frustrating enough – you’ll hate to know that sometimes looking at a label isn’t enough.
For an eye-opener about candles www.worldwatch.org where they report an independent lab studied 14 common air fresheners including “sprays, gels and plug-in air fresheners” and found big problems. “Independent lab testing confirmed the presence of phthalates or hormone-disrupting chemicals that may pose a particular health risk to babies and young children, in 12 of the 14 products- including those marked as ‘all-natural.” Furthermore, “none of the products had these chemicals listed on their labels.”  Ugh!! So without hesitation, I’ll swap those air fresheners for my oils to freshen and purify the air.  

*Because there’s a better way
While at a friend’s house for a cookout, the bugs began showing up around dusk as they do in Kentucky. As the children ran in the grass playing, I began dreading the complaints of itchy spots that would happen tomorrow. I didn’t bring any spray with me, but even if I did, I wasn’t sure if was better to expose them to bug bites or chemicals. Then a friend called her children over and pulled out a brown glass spray bottle and began spraying their legs. She caught me staring and said – “Oh, if it’s okay I’ll spray you kiddo too”. I must have looked confused because she quickly began explaining that her spray is a mixture of water, witch hazel, and essential oils. She began telling me about oils, some of the benefits, some of the products she makes with oils, and then about Young Living’s Seed to Seal promise. The smell was nice, and the best part was the lack of itching the next day! Hum…These oils definitely warranted more research.    

* Because chemicals don’t just affect our child, but me too
I was just starting to immerse and sort out all the information about household chemicals and essential oils when we began trying to expand our family. After over six months and no positive pregnancy test, I met with my doctor and tests showed there were cysts on my ovaries. Hum…ovarian cysts were something I knew very little about, and I never experienced them in the past. So my research began! I learned that these household chemicals not only cause skin irritation but disrupt the endocrine system. Then I began a lot of research on the endocrine system and found that endocrine disorders include diabetes, thyroid issues, reproductive issues, sleep disorders, mood disorders, weight issues, and a host of other hormone-related problems. Further research led me to read “The Ultimate PCOS Detox Guide for Enhanced Fertility” (it was a great Amazon Kindle deal). The book states “Learn how to reduce PCOS symptoms and Increase Fertility by Detoxing your Diet and Environment”.

This book names and explains all kinds of common chemicals that should be avoided. Honestly – when I read this I was totally overwhelmed. The names of the chemicals seemed to be 10 syllable, unpronounceable words, and there were pages of them. How can I possibly remember these names and recognize them in an ingredient list with all the other unpronounceable chemicals in my products? I remembered my EWG and Think Dirty app and began scanning the couple products I use every day and compared the list of ingredients to the list in the book. I was relieved to find the EWG app was already locating these risky ingredients and marking them as such – so I didn’t have any additional memorization work to do! And because of the explanations in the book, I better understood the possible effects these chemicals were having on my body -but I still wasn’t ready to part with my favorite bleach cleaner and clinical strength deodorant.       
Before my follow-up appointment to check the cysts again, I finally got that positive pregnancy test. I continued life as normal, but unfortunately, a few weeks later I miscarried.
This was my FINAL wake-up call!
My WHY was apparent!
I HAD to take control and make some changes to support my family’s wellness. 

* Because we are in charge of our own wellness
Throughout this process, I learned ALOT about the chemicals in my home, and I was appalled and angry. One startling statistic says only 5% of cancers are hereditary, while the rest are results of exposure to cell-damaging factors such as chemicals. I know I can’t protect my family from EVERYTHING, but I am the grocery shopper, I paid our hard earned money and brought all these products into our home. I wanted to grab a trash bag and throw it ALL away (and I did immediately throw away a few items that I found particularly appalling). But I needed to start slowly swapping out chemicals and bringing in safer products. I decided that when a bottle was empty, I would NOT put it on the grocery list, but instead swap it for a Young Living product or something I make with clean products and essential oils.

This was the start of my oily journey! That August, right before my birthday, I logged onto YoungLiving.com and signed up for a wholesale membership, and purchased a premium starter kit. I received eleven oils and a diffuser (with lots of extra samples and info cards included) that allowed me to begin making my own products and allowed me to swap several things right away (and the diffuser is better than any candle or melt!) I quickly bought Thieves cleaner and fell in love. Then Savvy Minerals makeup, then Ningxia drink, then probiotics, and more.

So now, when I hear a friend talk about her child’s sensitive skin, husband’s sleep issues, or continued illnesses, I wonder ‘what if they knew what I know about chemicals – would their wellness improve?” Or when a friend describes her own struggle with thyroid issues and weight, reproductive issues, or the worst diagnoses of cancer,  I wonder ‘what if she knew what I know about chemicals – would her wellness improve?”   

*Now it’s time to inventory yourself and find your WHY.
What areas need improvement in your life?
Are the products you are paying for, in your cabinets, honoring your WHY and leading to the best physical and mental wellness?
We can no longer believe that everything sold in our local store (or online store) is safe. We must flip over boxes of snacks, drinks, food products, cosmetics, baby products, cleaning supplies and medications to read ingredients. Young Living is aware of the risks and does not produce products based on old procedures or cost-saving gimmicks. They are a total wellness company helping your family stay above the line of wellness. You can buy safer and organic products, but if they don’t contain essential oils, then you aren’t getting the benefits to your body systems.

Young Living also produces cleaners, detergents, soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, deodorant, baby wipes, etc. in case you don’t desire the adventure of making it yourself. (See my other posts and videos to see the products I make for our home)

Don’t just take my word, for more WHY stories and outcomes visit:
www.oil-testimonials.comYLSearch.com

Ready to start your oily journey?  
Shop at YoungLiving.com You can find a single product or a pre-compiled starter kit perfect for your home. Oils come with a learning curve, so your sponsor is there to share their experience and offer ideas to effectively use the oils.

I would love to be your sponsor! When you make your purchase, just enter my sponsor number # 10089755 or shop at: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/10089755

And don’t forget to share your WHY story!   #Swapped4YL