How to Diffuse Essential Oils

Many essential oil resources recommend diffusing essential oils into the air. Diffusion means to move molecules from a place of high concentration to an area of low concentration. So basically you want to move the molecules from your bottle into the air so you can continually breathe it in. Diffusing oils, of course, makes your home smell wonderful, but it is also a very good way to prevent and treat illness depending in the oil you choose to diffuse. You can look for future articles with some diffusing ideas but for now let's discuss some options on how to diffuse your oils. Below I will list all the ways I have tried to diffuse oils and I will give you the pros and cons of each.

• Pot of Simmering Water: You can add drops of essential oils into hot simmering water
  and stir to combine then just keep it simmering on your stove for the day. As the water turns to steam the molecules will be lifted into the air. The Pro: Inexpensive!! The Con: Due to oil and water not mixing very well the scent you achieve in the air will be faint at best, plus unwanted heat in your home is no fun in the summer. You can mix the oil with some Epsom salt and then add it to the water to better combine the oil and water, however I still only achieved a faint smell.
• Spray Bottle of Water and Oil: You can use a glass spray bottle (oils will erode plastic) add purified or distilled water and then add drops of essential oils. Pro: Inexpensive to start, Wonderful Smell!! Con: This method gives you a much better scent in the air, however you will use a lot more oils going this route. Due to the molecules coming out of the spray bottle in a much larger form it will take many more drops of essential oil to achieve the results you are looking for. Also the water can settle places you would rather not have it, such as on your bed. I would use this method to replace air fresheners in your home in places like the bathroom.

Heat Diffuser: At many health food stores or aromatherapy stores you can buy a heat diffuser. Some you plug in and put the oils in a metal cup, some you put on top of a candle. Pro: The most inexpensive diffusers you can buy. You can buy one at Whole Foods for around $19-$25 or a candle burner is even less expensive than that. The candle diffusers are also really fun to have in your home as decoration. I have several around the house. Con: This method will also only give you a faint scent of the oil and the scent will only really reach the area of the room right around the Diffuser or Candle Burner. I also had several oils get scorched and have a burnt smell. Another problem is constantly having to replace the T-light candles that you use in the candle burners.

Cool Mist Diffusers: Pro: These are my favorite kind of diffuser. It most closely leaves the essential oil molecule intact as it distributes it into the air. All cool mist diffusers have a well in which you add purified or distilled water and the oil, then plug it in and the diffuser will blow t

he oil and water mixture out into the air in fine molecules. They will spread the oil farther and one diffuser can easily scent an entire room with a rich aroma. Con: Price is a very definite con. These are the most expensive, however with the savings you will have in oils, and the health benefit, it is a home appliance you will never regret spending the money on.

I currently own a Young Living diffuser which is my favorite. I have never found a diffuser from any other place that worked as well and while they are expensive they are competitive with other prices I have seen online. They have four different diffusers and I have used two of them. The "Essential Oil Diffuser" works very well, however it has a glass fluke that is very fragile and it did not stand the test of time with children in the home. I currently own the "Home Diffuser" which is sturdy, has color and time settings and works wonderfully!! The Home Diffuser gets my 5 Stars.

How about you? Have you used another brand successfully or do you use a method I haven't listed?

Written By : Cara Hembd

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Your Essential Oil Shopping List

I thought I would share the oils I use the most that are on my "shopping list". I use these oils so often that I am continually replacing them. Next to each oil I will share what I use that oil for the most.

1. Peppermint: Headaches, muscle pain, cleaning

2. Spice C: Illness prevention, teeth brushing, cavity protection

3. Lavender: Burns, scars, bruises, relaxation

4. Deeper: Muscle soreness, sprains, strains, relaxing baths

5. Lemon: In shampoo, kitchen cleaning, remove stickers

6. Clove: Apple Cider ingredient, mouth pain, cleaning

7. Frankincense: Lung building, skin care, depression

8. Wake Up: Get moving in the morning, stay awake when sleepy, diffused

9. Chrystal Clear: Concentration, diffuse during school or study time

10. Rosemary: Cleaning, soap ingredient, add to conditioner for shine

Each of these oils do so much more for my household, however these are my most common uses of these oils. I hope this helps you all to start building your home oil supplies.

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Safety Tip: Essential Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy

Essential oils can be very helpful during pregnancy for treating morning sickness, stretch marks, and mood swings. It can also be very beneficial during labor for pain, relaxation, tearing and bleeding. However there are some safety cautions to follow during pregnancy.

First avoid all oils that have hormonal or estrogenic properties such as: clary sage, sage, calamus, aniseseed, myrtle, wild tansy, fennel, blue tansy, tarragon, and cypress. A woman's hormonal balance is very important when pregnant especially in the early stages. I would personally avoid these in the second half of your cycle after ovulation if you are trying to get pregnant as well.

You will also want to pay extra close attention to the other oils you use. As you research the oil in your reference material see if the oil is abortifactant. That term means that the oil can cause spontaneous abortion. So avoid those oils.

Lastly, use caution with all oils you use. Remember your body is different now so oils that you didn't react to before may work completely different on you now. I would start with only half of what you used to use and evaluate your reaction and build from there. I would also suggest sticking with blends where possible. Blends contain all the oils you need to treat a problem, but in smaller doses.

Congratulations on the new life growing inside of you!!!! I encourage you to look at how oils can help you during birth and look forward to hearing your testimonies.

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Essential Oil Side Effects

Essential Oil Side Effects

You get your bottle of essential oil in the mail and start applying it and immediately get a pounding headache, kidney pain or a nasty rash. “What happened?” “I want my money back!” Well let’s look at two possible reasons for your reaction and how to avoid future reactions to essential oils.

The first reason you may experience side effects involve a trigger of a cleanse. Essential Oils because of their chemical structure often trigger your body to cleanse of toxins. This release of toxins can cause kidney pain, headache or a rash. If you experience this effect slow down on the essential oil usage to allow your body to naturally and slowly detoxify. Try using a little less oil and mix it well with carrier oil. Also drink lots of water to aid your system of ridding the poisons from your body. Most negative reactions to essential oils fall in this category.

The second reason would be a simple allergy to the plant the oil was derived from. Essential Oils are very concentrated plant materials so you may have handled a particular plant before without a reaction, but when exposed to such a concentrated dose your body may have triggered an immune reaction. Allergic reactions are rare and usually mild for essential oils.

If you have side effects from the oils assume first that it is your body detoxifying and slow down your use of the oils. Remember little is much with essential oils. If you decrease the amount of the oil and try it over several days then you can assume that you are allergic to it.

Please remember to use your oils responsibly. Start small and build up to what your body needs.

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Methods of Using Essential Oils Part 3

Methods of Using Essential Oils Part 3

Water Methods

There are many wonderful things you can do with essential oils by mixing them into water, however there are also some cautions to use.

Bath: To add essential oils to your bath you will first mix the essential oils in with about 1-2 cups of baking soda or Epsom salt. After completely stirring the oils into the salt you can then pour the mixture slowly under the running spout to quickly dissolve the soda or salts. Never pour the oil directly into the bath. Oil and water does not combine very well so when you pour it directly into the water it will float on top of the water and when you get in you will get a high concentration hitting your skin all at once possibly causing irritation. Using oils in the bath are wonderful for relaxation (oils such as tranquility), skin irritation (lavender), increasing libido (Moonlight), bronchial issues (breezy) and fevers (peppermint). Be cautious when mixing in peppermint. I have had great success with peppermint bringing down fevers in a bath, but if you get too much it can sting your sensitive regions.

You can use the same method of mixing the oils and water as above to create a foot bath. Depending on your oil you can use a foot bath to relax, detoxify and to stimulate your immune system.

Shower: To use oils in the shower turn on the hot water and get it running nice and warm. Then add drops of oil on the floor of the shower. The hot water hitting the oil will displace the molecules sending them up into the air. This is wonderful for colds and flu. Use an oil like breezy or peppermint and see a clearing of your lungs and sinuses.

Mixing oils with water is a very effective method of use for essential oils, just make sure to heed the cautions given. I have made a few of the mistakes noted above so I pass them on to you to prevent you from some of those uncomfortable side effects.

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Safety Tip: Little is Much!!!

Safety Tip: Little is Much!!!

If you have ever heard the Christian Hymn “Little is Much When God is In It”, then you know the perfect rule of thumb for essential oils. With your pure therapeutic grade essential oils you need to start with a little. Don’t put on your first oil application with more than one drop. Start with one drop of essential oil diluted with one drop of carrier oil and see how your body reacts. If it is not enough then slowly increase the oil and keep notes on how your body is reacting.

Some side effects from too much oil can include rashes and headaches. Some oils trigger a detox of your system which can cause unwanted side effects. If you start with a small amount your body will detoxify at a rate that is more comfortable, where if you use too much oil you could become extremely uncomfortable.

So with essential oils “Little is Much”.

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Safety Tip: Essential Oil In My Eye!!!!

Getting essential oils in your eyes is a very painful experience, one I hope you don’t have to experience. There is no essential oil you should ever apply to your eyes so, how would you get it in your eye you ask? Completely by accident. When applying essential oils, it is often difficult to get them completely off your hands even after washing. If you have applied an oil and then not gotten them properly off your hands and touched your eyes, you will feel that burning sensation immediately and great discomfort/pain. Children are also very susceptible to getting oils in their eyes because they my rub an area you applied oils to and then touch their eyes.

First, do not wash your eye with water, it won’t help. The oils will not bond with the water and wash out so you will just end up with a wet face and painful eyes.

The best method I have found is to take olive oil and gently (with clean hands) rub it around your eye underneath and on the lids. This will help draw the oil out of your eye and will soothe the irritated skin and eye. So far, this method has worked for our few accidents.

If this does not work, you can wash the eye with olive oil and the essential oil should bond to it and be carried out of your eye.

As with any natural remedy, make sure you keep your oils out of the reach of children and wash your hands thoroughly after each use.

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Carrier Oils

A common question asked when beginning to use essential oils is, “What are carrier oils and why should I use them”. Carrier oils are very important to getting maximum benefit from your essential oils so understanding and using them correctly is important.

Carrier oils have three main purposes but the most important is for dilution. Most essential oils are so concentrated that they need to be diluted with a carrier oil before applying to your skin to prevent irritation and also to make your essential oils last longer. If it only takes one drop of your essential oils for your treatment but you need to use 10 drops to spread it around the area, then you are wasting your precious oil. Most essential oil guides will give you a dilution rate for your oil based on how concentrated it is. If no dilution rate is given, then a safe rate is 50:50. Meaning 1 drop of carrier oil for every drop of essential oil you use.

The second purpose of carrier oils is to reduce evaporation of your essential oil. When you apply an essential oil on your skin you are entering a small time race with evaporation. Your goal is to get your skin to absorb as much of the essential oil as possible before it evaporates. The carrier oils act as a conduit for the essential oil. As it is absorbed into the skin, the essential oils are trapped with the carrier oil and absorbed as well.

The third purpose is to aid in the ease of application. If you are using an oil and the directions say to apply it to your abdomen that is a pretty large area to cover. If you only had one or two drops of essential oil and tried to apply it you wouldn’t get very far. However, when mixing with a carrier oil you are then able to cover large areas of skin and evenly distribute the essential oil.

Carrier oils can include almond, coconut, apricot, olive, vegetable, grapeseed, jojoba, safflower, avocado, black cumin, and calendula oils. You can safely use any of the above oils to apply and dilute your essential oils, however some are better than others.

The best all around carrier oil I have found is Almond Oil. It is inexpensive, has no aroma, a long shelf life is light and easily absorbed. Coconut oil would be my second choice. It has a pleasant aroma, is light and easily absorbed. The only drawback is it will often turn to a solid in colder temperatures.

Olive Oil, Jojoba, and Avocado oil would not be my top choices for your everyday use of oil due to their long absorption time. Due to their thicker properties their rate of absorption far exceeds that of almond or coconut oil therefore allowing more of your essential oil to evaporate. These oils do have wonderful, nourishing, properties and in many instances have healing properties of their own. It may therefore, be best to combine the healing properties of the heavier carrier oils with your essential oil, for maximum benefit.

Don’t be tempted to pre mix your carrier oil and your essential oil. Doing so will rapidly break down the therapeutic properties of your essential oil. Instead mix the carrier oil and essential oil in your hand and apply immediately . If you use your carrier oils effectively, you will see that your essential oils will last much longer and you will see greater healing as you are able to get more of the oil into your system.

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Butterfly Xpress: Affordable Essential Oils

Choosing the company you purchase essential oils from is one of the most important steps in bringing natural healing into your home. Due to the lack of efficient, accurate, regulations regarding essential oils, you should have a trusting relationship with your essential oil provider. After detailed research, I have concluded Butterfly Express to be the best provider of essential oils.

My first criteria for choosing a provider was the purity and quality of the oils. Butterfly Express contracts with farmers and oil dealers throughout the world to purchase pure, essential oils. They ensure in their contracts that no pesticides, fertilizers or any chemicals are used on the plants and herbs as they are being grown. Upon purchasing the oils, they receive written specification sheets guaranteeing that the oils are pure and undiluted and are not mixed with chemicals or fillers. Butterfly Express does their own in home testing as well and they are confident that they are selling pure, therapeutic grade, oils. Upon using their oils, I have seen no indication that the oils lack in purity or are not of the highest quality. The same ailments I treated with Young Living oils, I have likewise treated with Butterfly Express at the same level of healing.

My second criteria was affordability. As I have mentioned in a previous article, I was unable to supply my family with the oils we needed, on a limited budget, going through other essential oil companies. However, with Butterfly Express oils, I am able to supply all of our families oil needs and we are able to be liberal with our usage. Butterfly Express retail prices are far below their competitors. If you purchase the oils through my website at www.butterflyxpress.com you will receive an even greater discount off the retail price. I was so blessed by the oils, I decided to become a distributor for their company and I am able to set my prices anywhere above wholesale I choose. I wanted to set my prices to be as affordable as I could, while still paying for expenses, so you will see that my website is currently the least expensive provider online of the Butterfly Express brand.

The third criteria was customer service. Butterfly Express is dedicated to customer service and has been providing support for oil users for 17 years. When you call them on the phone you will not speak to a random operator in a large call center like other oil providers. You will likely speak to one of four people including, the owner and her husband. They will always take the time to answer your questions and give you oil suggestions. Mirroring that dedication to customer service on my website www.butterflyxpress.com you are able to contact me with any questions about essential oils you may have. While I don’t have the length of experience Butterfly Express does, I do have most of their resources and I can share my personal experiences or give you advice from the resources I have. If you have an issue or question I can not answer, I will either call Butterfly Express with your question of give you their direct phone number.

Having been a customer of Butterfly Express for almost 3 years now, I believe they are truly the best oils for the price. They are effective, pure, therapeutic and affordable. We are all dedicated to providing you with the support you need to use your oils confidently and start healing your family.

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Young Living Essential Oils… Are They Worth It?

I was first exposed to Young Living Essential Oils in 2006 when I was at a friends house and got an excruciating headache. She pulled out a little bottle of Cinnamon and put a drop on my tongue and had me push it to the roof of my mouth. It worked and I was amazed, but natural healing was a brand new concept to me and I was still of the mindset that a pill was what you took when you were sick or hurt. So a few months went by and I broke a bone in my foot. My same sweet friend gave me a whole batch of oils and a regimen of application and I decided to follow her advice means we were without insurance and couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. To my amazement, I was on the crutches less than a week and the oils really decreased the pain in my foot and from that time on I was sold. In early 2007, I became a distributor for Young Living and I love their oils. They smell pure, crisp and they were effective on most all the ailments I used them to treat. I think their oils are wonderful. However, my problems with Young Living started as soon as I bought the Essential Oil Desk Reference.

The EDR is an amazing book filled with detailed information about all the oils and a listing of ailments and application methods. When I saw the amazing amounts of sickness that can be helped with essential oils I began to see that in order to switch completely to natural healing I would need an arsenal of oils. Here in lied my problem with Young Living. Being a single income family as I stay home to raise my wonderful children, we don’t have an excess of extra income. Young Living’s prices were so high that I could only afford to obtain one or maybe two oils a month. I found that with the more common oils, such as Peppermint and Lavender, I was going through close to a bottle a month so I was replacing those monthly and had no money left over to get other oils to treat other illness or ailments. I also found I was conserving oils. So my children would come to me with a stomach ache and I would really assess the pain level and only if it was above a certain level would I use some of our precious oils. This was a frustrating balance in our family, but I loved the oils and the healing we were able to have and so I was resolved to keep at it.

Then one day in 2008, my same friend who introduced me to oils originally called and told me about a new company she had just discovered, whose oils were a fraction of the price. That company was Butterfly Express. I looked on their website and was amazed at the prices. They had, for the most part, all the same single oils as Young Living. In addition, they had a selection of blends and a comparison chart of their blends to Young Living. So, for instance, Young Living has Thieves oil and Butterfly Express has an equivalent called Deliverance and they have the same single oils contained in them but in different amounts. After viewing the website, I was encouraged by the inexpensive prices for example peppermint oil, which I paid $19.75 for from YL (wholesale) was only $7.00. That is more than half price. The first thing I did was get on the phone with Butterfly Express and ask them the standard questions. Is your oil pure? Therapeutic Grade? Is it steam distilled? When I was satisfied that they were claiming the oils were as good a therapeutic quality as Young Living I asked the obvious question. How can they be so cheap? My answer was amazingly simple. The goal of Butterfly Express is to get the healing power of essential oils into everyone’s hands so they have kept their company simple. The distributors who buy at wholesale pay a wholesale price and then resell it at a suggested mark up and that is the end of the story. There are no multilevel marketing schemes, expensive marketing campaigns, worldwide travel, expensive call centers. It is just a few people (who I am now on a first name basis with) who want to help people see personal healing. Sharon (the owner) explained to me that when I buy a bottle of Young Living oil, only a very small percentage of the money is going to pay for the oil. Most of it is going towards overhead expenses and for each oil that is sold the distributor gets a cut and all those on his upline get a cut as well and that all adds up to a lot of money. By cutting out all the marketing, overhead and multilevel distributor system, Butterfly Express can offer similar quality oils at a fraction of the cost. I was convinced, so the only thing left to do was to order some oils.

Sharon offered to send me a free bottle of peppermint and the rest is history. I have found no significant therapeutic difference between the oils in my laymen’s opinion. I still use my desk reference to get oil suggestions and my Butterfly Express oils work wonderfully to treat our families ailments. The most beneficial thing is I don’t have to be as conservative on oils anymore. I now have almost 30 oils I keep in the house so that when a situation comes up I have the oils I need on hand. I am able to give freely of the oils to my own family and I can even share them with friends in need. I now clean my house with my oils, use them on our pets, use them in the laundry which are all things I never would have been able to afford to do with Young Living Oils.

I have found for my family that no, Young Living Oils are not worth it. They are wonderful oils and I would not speak a thing against their product, but I just can’t afford to meet all our needs with them. Since discovering Butterfly Express oils, I have started a website where I sell the oils. I want to see all who need the oils able to afford them so I offer them at a discount off the suggested retail price, so you can purchase the oils from me at www.butterflyxpress.com for even cheaper than the parent company. I really believe in essential oils and I know that there is healing in store for many people who are struggling if they would only step out of their comfort zone with traditional medicine and give them a try.

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Purchasing Pure Essential Oils

There are as many types of essential oils on the market for consumers to choose from, so a common question is how do I tell which ones to buy. There are four criteria to consider when choosing an oil: purity, integrity, availability and most importantly efficacy.

Purity of your essential oils is the first thing you should consider when shopping. To gain therapeutic effects from your oils you only want to purchase essential oils labeled as pure and therapeutic grade. By pure the company is telling you that they have not mixed their oils with any carrier oils, chemicals or solvents. The cheaper quality oils you will find in grocery stores, cosmetic shops and aroma therapy shops will most likely all be mixed with cheaper chemicals or oils in order to offer them at inexpensive prices. While these may smell wonderful in your candles, reed diffusers and beauty products, they are also harmful to your health. Many of the chemicals and solvents used in these synthetic oils can not be utilized and flushed from your body by your skin, kidneys, colon, etc., thereby causing toxins in your body that can lead to sickness and have even been linked to cancers. Essential Oils also go through several rounds of distillation per plant batch. When an oil is labeled “Therapeutic”, that indicates that the oil was obtained from the first few distillations thereby retaining the compounds necessary for healing. If your oil is not labeled therapeutic grade, then the company is not proclaiming that their oil will have any therapeutic effects on your body.

The second consideration when purchasing essential oils is, the integrity of the company. Currently in the US, and really in the world, there is no regulating body for essential oils. This effectively means a company can label their product any way they choose and make any claims they choose and they are not held to any set standards. Therefore, you need to know and trust your company. Look into the character of those doing the oil purchasing and make sure you trust them to negotiate and hold their farmers to a high standard. Make sure your company will help guide you in your oil purchases and educate you on your oils. It is important to me to be able to call and talk to the owners of the company. There are many large companies involved in the distribution of oils and when you call to ask questions you get a random telephone operator, not someone experienced in using the oils on their families or who are involved in the purchasing of the oils.

The third criteria is, availability. It is important to have a source that will provide all the oils you may need to heal your family. If you are facing a particular ailment and you want to try three different oils in combination, it is unhelpful to go to the health food store to find out they only have one of the oils you needed. Find a company that can provide all the oils you are interested in. Also look for a company that does therapeutic blends of oils. Many essential oils, such as clary sage, have wonderful healing benefits but they are just too concentrated to be taken alone very safely. If your company understands the art of blending therapeutic oils, they can often offer you blends for specific ailments so that you don’t have to buy three to five oils and try to come up with the proper mixture on your own.

Finally, the most important criteria is efficacy. As with all natural healing much of the process depends on your personal body chemistry, allergies and immune system. The best way to decide on the company you purchase oils from is to try them out for yourself. When you receive your oil, smell it and see if it smells like you would expect. If you order a cedar wood oil and it has a sweet smell to it, that would be a red flag that it is mixed with something and if peppermint smells flowery you have a problem. Know the characteristics of your oil and test that against its smell and color. Next drip your oil on blotter paper or muslin fabric. A pure oil will not leave a grease stain. It may stain the fabric especially if it is a dark color but it should not leave a greasy residue. If it does you have an impure oil. Lastly, try the oil on your ailment. If you see improvement you will know you have a good therapeutic oil that is well suited for your needs. Keep in mind that all oils act differently on different people because they are natural and are metabolized differently by the body than synthetic drugs. So just because your friend got amazing results by using peppermint on her heartburn, it may not work for you, you may need to try wintergreen instead. The wonderful thing about essential oils is their versatility. If you buy peppermint, for example, to treat heartburn and it turns out not to work, you won’t necessarily be out the money because you can also use peppermint to clean, disinfect, for sinus headaches, to stay alert, to flavor teas…and the list can go on and on. If you follow the above mentioned criteria you will easily be able to obtain quality essential oils to start treating your family naturally.

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What Are Essential Oils and Why Should I Use Them?

People start using essential oils for many different reasons. Some have no health insurance or are avoiding the healthcare system and are looking for natural, alternative, medicine. Some are tired of brewing endless teas and storing large bags of herbs and tinctures. Others have heard amazing healing testimonies of people who use essential oils, and some just like the pleasant smells . Whatever your reason, essential oils are the most effective, easiest to use, alternative medicine, I have ever used.

Essential oils are highly, concentrated, plant material consisting of shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes and seeds. The oils are extracted from the plant through distillation which is the changing of the plant material into steam and the collection of the steam. Due to the highly concentrated form of essential oils it may take an entire plant to make one or two drops of oil. This is why instead of drinking two or three cups of herbal tea you can get the same benefit by one drop of essential oil. Essential oils are unlike vegetable or olive oils in that they are not greasy and will not clog pores and will not go rancid in time.

The healing of essential oils can happen through may different body systems. They can be rubbed directly onto a problem area, inhaled, bathed in, diffused into the air, or taken internally. You can use the oils on almost any ailment you would seek medical attention for and unlike over the counter prescriptions, essential oils do not have harmful side effects. They are safe (when used with common sense) and natural.

At ButterflyXpress we are here to help guide you in your purchase and selection of essential oils. We want to educate you to make healthy decisions for your family. Our oils are therapeutic grade which indicates a high quality oil with all the healing properties you need and they are low cost so you can afford to treat all your families needs with them. There are some oil companies on the market who have quality oils, but their prices are so cost inhibitive that most families can not afford to have a good stock of oils on hand to treat their family. With Butterfly Express essential oils, you can afford to keep your family in good health.

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