I was first exposed to essential oils in 2016. I had heard a little about them and was curious but I did not know anyone who used them or could tell me how to use them. One day, while shopping at a local boutique, I came across a small doTERRA brand starter kit with Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint essential oils. I purchased that little kit with the best intentions to use the oils, but they were quickly relegated to a shelf in my bathroom linen closet. See again, I did not know anyone who used essential oils or could tell me how to use them.
In the Fall of 2016, I was invited to an essential oils class at the home of a friend’s family member. I was happy for the opportunity to go and excited to learn more. When I got there, I discovered that the oils were again doTERRA. I learned a lot during that class and ended up leaving with a wholesale membership and having ordered an enrollment kit. When the oils arrived at my door step a week or so later, I again did not know what to do with them and they ended up mostly unopened and hanging out in another closet.
To be honest, I had a real reluctance to use the oils. See, in February of 2016 I suffered a miscarriage. The loss of that child hurt me in a way I had never experienced. It is a heartbreak I would not wish upon anyone. My excitement for these new oils was tempered by the fact that I was now pregnant again and I did not want to do ANYTHING that might potentially harm my unborn baby. Now, let me be clear, I am not saying that essential oils would harm a pregnant woman or her child. I know many women who used essential oils throughout their pregnancies and they have great experiences in doing so. Looking back now, I wish I had been familiar with and already in the practice of using my oils prior to becoming pregnant. They could have enhanced my pregnancy, as well as been an ally post partum. What I am saying is I did not know enough about essential oils at the time to understand that they would have been safe to use.
I’m “that girl” while pregnant. I’m that girl who read all the books, had pregnancy apps (yes, plural on apps) on my phone and researched eeeeeeeverything online. Ad nauseum. If there was even a question mark surrounding the safety of a pregnant woman doing it, I just said no quicker than a D.A.R.E. campaign. Lunch meat? No thank you. Sushi? Don’t even offer it. Soft serve ice cream and the possibility of listeria? I shall not partake. (On a side note, you should know that I love all of those foods I just mentioned. I’m a sandwich fiend. My first meals after welcoming both of my sons were Jimmy Johns sandwiches. Eliminating those items while pregnant was a sacrifice!) But I was “that girl” and I knew I was that girl. God forbid, anything be wrong with my child, I would have immediately flashed back to the homemade ham and turkey sandwich I ate at six months pregnant and known with absolute certainty that this is why my child was colicky. Or not sleeping through the night. Or why he had two heads. I was so paranoid of anything going wrong with my pregnancy following my miscarriage that I stressed over a lot more than I should have. But, all that is to say, I was nervous to start using my essential oils because I was unsure of how to properly use them. I know if I had been confident in my knowledge and use of my oils, I would have happily used them without a moments hesitation throughout my pregnancy.
I first started using my doTERRA essential oils with regularity on my oldest son about one year after attending that class. I would roll Lavender on the bottoms of his feet and spine before bed. He fell in love with the lavender and I fell in love with the fact that it helped him sleep. He would even remind me to put his Lavender on before bed and it comforted me that he liked the oil as much as it helped him.
Slowly, over the course of about another year, I started incorporating doTERRA essential oils into my everyday. I loved diffusing Elevation or Peppermint and Wild Orange in my family room for an uplifting aroma. I started putting Serenity on the bottoms of my own feet and diffusing Lavender and Cedarwood at bedtime. I made blends for my boys when they were teething or had a diaper rash. I used Peppermint and Frankincense to cool a fever in my toddler that Motrin did not abate. I made a believer of my doubting Thomas husband, who use to refer to the essential oils as my “snake oils”. I concocted rollerballs to help him with an array of issues that popped up; a bad reaction to a bug bite, back discomfort, a headache. I saw again and again the proof in these oils. I was constantly amazed by how fast they went to work on an ailment and how well they provided comfort or vanquished the problem.
doTERRA became a lifestyle. The more I utilized the oils, the more I fell in love. I read and researched, and my knowledge grew. I began to rely on myself to figure out which oil or oils would work best for an issue at hand. As I succeeded in helping myself, my family and my friends, my confidence rose. My confidence in the oils. My confidence in me. Knowing I can count on myself to better my life and the lives of those I love is an amazing feeling. These oils are empowering. These oils are freedom. These oils are miracles in amber bottles. I count my blessings every day that they found their way into my life.
That first doTERRA kit I purchased with the Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint did get used eventually. And while a part of me wishes I would have realized the beauty of these oils earlier, I know that they are here to stay in my life and that’s something pretty amazing all its own.
