Essential oils have recently gained popularity since more and more people are moving towards healthier lifestyles and are looking for holistic healing approaches. Holistic approaches focus on healing the entire person – mind, body, and soul – rather than just treating specific parts, symptoms or diseases. Next to mindfulness practises like yoga, mediation, or spending time in nature, aromatherapy is a very effective way to increase physical, mental and emotional well-being. In our day and age we got so used to taking pills the Pharma-Industry is selling us that we forgot to pay attention to what remedies mother earth is naturally providing for us. I’m not saying that technological advances and chemically produced drugs are bad. Thanks to many innovations in the healthcare sector, we were, and are able to heal many diseases. Nevertheless, I think that in many cases natural alternatives can have the same, if not even better effect than many chemically produced substances. The history of essential oils dates back thousands of years and can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, China, India, and Mesopotamia. These cultures extracted essential oils from aromatic plants through various methods, including steam distillation, enfleurage (absorption into fat or wax), and cold-pressing. Essential oils were primarily used for medicinal, spiritual, and cosmetic purposes. I first got in touch with essential oils or aromatherapy during my first pregnancy. While visiting a birth prep course, one of the midwifes suggested using certain oils throughout the pregnancy to help with sleep, nausea, mood swings, but also stretch marks for example. I am a very open but also critical person, so I decided to give it a try and check it out for myself. I went to the pharmacy and bought a couple 100% pure, organic essential oils, and I had some pretty good results and kept working with oils whenever I felt like I needed to. The thing that bothered me a little bit were all the little warning signs on the bottles. Why do I have to be careful with a 100 % pure, organic natural product? The whole time I felt like there was more to essential oils, and their effect on the body, the mind, and the soul.
The game-changer moment
Then one day I had a mind-blowing experience during a yoga class. One of the instructors used essential oils in a diffuser to support the grounding yoga flow we were about to practice. The essential oils she used smelled different, clearer, and stronger, and the effect on my body during that yoga session was a true game changer. Later she told me that she was using dōTERRA oils, and would never buy any other oils. So I started more extensive research and found out that according to German law, a 100% pure essential oil bottle has to contain only 8% of pure essential oil, and the rest is just a mixture of filler substances and alcohol. dōTERRA oils are exactly what you’d expect when buying a product that claims to be 100% pure. So in a dōTERRA essential lemon oil bottle, you’ll get 100% essential lemon oil. On top of that the production procedures are strictly regulated and the oils are CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) certified. According to the company, when you use a dōTERRA essential oil, you’re using a pure oil, with no contaminants, fillers, or adulterations. dōTERRA has created a standard to ensure that their oils are 100% pure, something that didn’t exist in the essential oil industry before. Due to their pureness, those oils cannot only be used aromatically by diffusing them, but they can also be applied topically on the skin, or used internally by diluting them in water for example.
How to use essential oils
As mentioned before, you can use essential oils in different ways and application areas vary based on what you want to achieve with the respective oil. dōTERRA oils are safe to use aromatically, topical and some can even be used internally.
Aromatic Application: When it comes to aromatically inhaling essential oils the molecules stimulate the olfactory receptors in your nose. These receptors send signals to the limbic system of the brain, which is involved in emotions, memory, and other functions. This can lead to mood changes and emotional responses. Oils such as geranium, clary sage, and patchouli are believed to balance emotions. They may help stabilize mood swings and promote emotional harmony.
Topical Application: Essential oils can be absorbed through the skin, and some compounds may enter the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they can have systemic effects on the body. Systemic effects refer to effects that impact the entire body rather than being localized to a specific area. Lavender Oil for example can have a systemic effect on reducing stress and anxiety, Oregano, tea tree our eucalyptus oils are also referred to as natural antibiotics due to their antimicrobial properties and can have a systemic effect on the immune system, helping the entire body fight off infections. Some essential oils may influence the digestive system. Peppermint oil, for instance, is commonly used to alleviate symptoms of indigestion and may have systemic effects on the digestive tract.
Internal Application: Certain oils can also be used internally for more targeted effects on specific physiological systems, such as the digestive or immune systems. Lemon oil is my daily companion: I add one drop to 1 liter of water in the morning and start my day with its detoxifying properties.
How do essential oils work
Essential oils work on a cellular level within 20 minutes and can reestablish balance throughout the body. Due to their lipid-soluble nature, essential oil compounds pass through the hydrophobic regions of the cell membrane and enter the cell. Once inside the cell, the various compounds present in essential oils can interact with cellular components, enzymes, receptors, and signaling pathways, leading to physiological effects. They can support the immune system and pass the blood-brain barrier within 30 minutes. Essential oils directly reach the limbic system, the oldest part of the brain responsible for feelings, and this way influences our emotions.
On an emotional level essential oils can support us in so many ways and here are a few of those:
Mood elevation: Citrus oils, including lemon, orange, and grapefruit, are often used to uplift the mood and improve feelings of happiness and positivity. Their bright and refreshing scents can create a more optimistic atmosphere.
Anxiety management: Essential oils like bergamot, frankincense, and clary sage are known for their potential to ease anxiety and promote a sense of tranquility. These oils may be helpful in situations where you feel overwhelmed or stressed.
Stress reduction: Many essential oils, such as lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang, have calming properties that can help reduce stress and promote relaxation. Inhaling these oils’ scents can trigger the brain’s relaxation response and help soothe anxious feelings.
Improved focus and concentration: Essential oils like peppermint, rosemary, and eucalyptus have stimulating properties that can help enhance focus and mental clarity. Inhaling these scents may improve alertness and cognitive performance.
Easing feelings of grief and sadness: Essential oils like rose, neroli, and sandalwood are often used to support emotional healing and comfort during times of grief or sadness.
Relief from anger and irritability: Ylang-ylang and chamomile are examples of essential oils that may help reduce feelings of anger, frustration, and irritability, promoting a more relaxed state of mind.
Stress management during sleep: Lavender, cedarwood, and vetiver are known for their calming effects and may help improve sleep quality by reducing stress and promoting relaxation before bedtime.
Boosting emotional resilience: Oils like frankincense and bergamot are believed to have adaptogenic properties, which means they can potentially help the body and mind adapt to stress and build resilience over time.
How I incorporate essential oils into my daily life
When you’re new to essential oils it might be a little overwhelming because there’s literally an oil for everything, therefore I suggest taking your time and just being curious. Luckily there’s a lot of literature, dōTERRA guides, and helpful apps to get familiar with essential oils. I am a big fan of intention setting, so whenever I feel like I have to tackle a specific area in my life I would sit down and think about what I want to achieve and then look up which oil could assist in getting there. When using essential oils with intention & mental clarity these potent little helpers will transform your life.
As mentioned before I have also established certain routines like my lemon water in the morning, wild orange in my diffuser, lavender before I go to bed, or balance during my morning grounding practice. Whenever I feel like getting sick I prefer internal use oils with oils like OnGuard, Frankincense, Peppermint, Oregano, and Lemon internally to shield myself, and all of this absolutely changed the quality of my life. Although it’s always important to keep in mind that even essential oils are not a cure for everything, so please do not skip your doctor’s visits, and stick to the usage and dilution guidelines, because essential oils are highly concentrated, and if used in excess they might have adverse effects. Your personal lifestyle choices also play a vital role in the overall effect you will feel from adding essential oils to your life. A balanced and healthy lifestyle is my personal recommendation 🙂 I have always paid attention to living a balanced life, but adding essential oils into my routines has made it a lot easier.
Feel free to reach out if this sparked interest and you want to hear and learn more 🙂