When I first started using essential oils, I was skeptical of its benefits. A neighbor, who is my consultant and go-to person for all essential oil questions, first lent me a hand with essential oils for the primary purpose of relieving the discomforts associated with fibromyalgia. My goal was to use them to experience the benefits firsthand in order to answer the questions my readers were asking.
Disclaimer: Please consult with your physician or healthcare provider for health care and treatment. The information in this website is not a substitute for professional medical nor healthcare advice. Any advice I give is strictly personal opinion based on what I feel has worked for me.
Essential oils do not claim to cure anything, but rather they aid in a more comfortable way of living. Because of this disclaimer, I will not use any medical terms or diagnoses but instead will guide you on how to ease several different discomforts associated with fibromyalgia.
Some links are affiliate links which means I will earn a commission should a purchase be made through the link, but at NO extra costs to you. For more details, please read my disclosure policy.
What are essential oils?
My experimenting began in Spring 2016 when I wanted to relieve the discomforts of fibromyalgia, and now I am a firm believer in the healing properties of essential oils. I use them as in all areas of my home – relief of symptoms, cleaning, recipes, and more. My family and I use them topically, internally, and aromatic. In fact, I have a diffuser in my office, my room, and one in each of the kids’ rooms.
Essential oils come from the compounds found in all parts of a plant – seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts. They are harvested by experts and distilled to extract the oils by using precise pressures and temperatures. These precise measurements protect the plants and oils from being oxidized or destroyed by heat.
Does the authenticity or quality of the essential oil matter?
Yes, the authenticity or quality of the essential oil does matter. There are no regulations of essential oils, so it is up to the consumer to be aware of its origins. Many products falsely claim to be an essential oil or contain essential oil. Often times, there are fragrant synthetic chemical substitutes to dilute or replace the authentic extracts.
How can we tell the difference between the real thing and a false essential oil?
There are a few ways to tell the difference between an authentic essential oil and a diluted essential oil.
- Components: “Essential oils are comprised of only three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. [They] are volatile organic liquids. There are no vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, or hormones in essential oils. Any claim of such ingredients simply reveals the impurity of the product.” *
- Price: Genuine, authentic, pure, and potent essential oils are more expensive due to the rigorous and strict standards required to distill essential oils. If a product is larger in quantity and less expensive, the chances of it being diluted and not pure are greater.
- Smell: The purer an essential oil is, the sweeter and pure the aroma of the oil will smell.
- Source: Look for labels that list the quality and purity of the oil available to the consumer. Distributors are responsible for labeling their products according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) standards.
- Labeling: Look for labels containing the words 100% natural, 100% pure, or 100% complete.
How to Use Essential Oils
There are three ways to essential oils. Some essential oils can be used all three ways while others cannot. Look for uses or warnings on the labeling of all essential oils. When in doubt, contact the company’s website.
Note: Never apply oils directly to the eyes or ear canals. Avoid exposing the area of application to sunlight for 12 hours after using citrus oils topically. Always refer to the company’s website for other precautions of essential oils.
Note: Use caution when using oils on infants or children. These doses should be drastically cut back. Refer to the company’s website for children and infant’s dosage amounts.
- Aromatic: Essential oils can be used through aromatherapy. Techniques for this method is direct inhalation (breathing in the aroma through the nose), diffusing (evaporating essential oils into the air through the use of a diffuser), and spray bottle (mixing oils with water or alcohol and sprayed into the air). Avoid the direct inhalation technique with infants and children.
- Topical: Essential oils are fat-soluble and can be applied directly to the skin because their compounds can be readily absorbed and enter the bloodstream (this is another reason why the quality of oils is important). Applying topical can be through the feet, massaging, bath, or moist cloth compress.
- Internal: Some essential oils can be ingested because they are fat-soluble and readily delivered to the organs of the body. Various techniques of internally ingesting are under the tongue, in a gelatin cap, vegetable capsule, in a tea, in food, or in water. Other techniques can be a vaginal insertion, rectal insertion, or suppositories. Caution: Some oils are not safe to ingest such as cypress or pine. Check the labeling on the bottle or the company’s website.
Caution: Some essential oils require a carrier oil when applied to the skin for dilution in order to avoid evaporation or irritation of the skin. Check the labeling on the bottle for information or the company’s website.
Fractionated Coconut oil *
- Feather-light emollient provides a soothing barrier without clogging pores.
- Ideal for combining with essential oils before applying topically to the skin.
- Completely soluble with all essential oils; odorless, colorless, and non-staining.
- Find it here.
Other carrier oils include:
*These oils contain nuts and should not be used if you have a nut allergy.
How to Store Essential Oils
The compounds in essential oils need to be preserved and kept away from light, heat, air, and moisture. The longer the oils are exposed to air, the more chances that the oxygen begins to break down and change the chemical makeup of the oil. The best place for the storage of oils longer than a year in the fridge.
Essential oils can be flammable and should be kept clear of open flame, spark, or fire hazards.
What type of essential oils do I use?
For further questions about which oils we use, please visit my website.
