…Or any pain really! Happy Friday friends! Any fun plans for the weekend? We are embracing the first weekend of fall with open arms. Apple picking and harvest fests are on our agenda for the weekend.
So, I’m not really sure when I first heard about essential oils. I remember someone at work was talking about it and saying, “Who would pay that much money for oils?!” I still didn’t really think anything of them until I was on a girls trip a few months ago and one of my friends brought along her diffuser and oils.
At this point, I became a little bit more intrigued because I was getting really stuffy at night and was looking for an all-natural alternative to help me breath and sleep better. Still, I was having a hard time spending $180 on a starter kit for something I didn’t really know too much about.
Enter Google. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. The world of essential oils is filled with lots of (sometimes contradicting) information. I spent weeks and weeks researching blogs and consulting Amazon reviews before I made my first oil and diffuser purchase.
I wasn’t looking to spend a fortune. I just wanted an oil and a diffuser that would help me breath at night. I ended up purchasing Respir-Aid by Plant Therapy & this diffuser from Amazon. I decided to go with these two based on the reviews and blog posts I had read. Also, if they didn’t work or I didn’t care for them, I wouldn’t be out a small fortune.
The diffuser was only $26 and while it does its job, the quality of the product shows. My biggest complaint about this diffuser is the light…it never shuts off! If I have the diffuser run continuously, the light is red and doesn’t really bother me. But if I have it on an intermittent setting to run a little longer through the night, the light is set to green and it gives off a good amount of light in our room, so much so that I’ve had to wear an eye mask to bed. And even though I wash it out every single day, the lid can sometimes get stuck and tricky to get on.
The glowwww!
The respir-aid oil worked really well and smelled amazing. I added about 8-10 drops to the diffuser. It did help keep my nose clear though and on nights when I didn’t use it, I could tell a difference in the morning.
From there, I started researching essential oil usage & aromatherapy in labor and delivery…game over. A lot of the blogs had mentioned Young Living’s Valor as a must have for all-natural labor and delivery. I messaged my friend (who is a Young Living Rep) asking her about it along with some other “must have” oils for labor. After doing some research on the company I decided to finally purchase a starter kit which included 11 essential oils, a diffuser and a bunch of samples for $160. I figured that would be the most cost effective way to get started and to stock up on different oils and as a wholesaler (<—referral link), you get a discount. So far, it’s been the best investment I’ve made in awhile.
I decided on Young Living because I felt I was getting the most for my money when it came to the starter kit & I had read plenty of reviews of other women who had used Young Living oils while pregnant, so I knew they were safe to use. They also grow and cultivate their own seeds on their own farms. So if you are comparing prices of essential oils between different companies you will notice that Young Living is by far the most expensive. BUT I think of it this way: It’s like buying meat from the farmer’s market. When you buy from directly from the farmer you know what you are getting and most often, the meat is more expensive than if you were to buy it in the grocery store, where they get the meat from different farmers/distributors. Young Living is the only essential oils company that I have come across in my research that has their own farms. While I’m not opposed to giving other oil companies a try (I was pleased with the Plant Therapy blend), Young Living is definitely my go to for oils that I’m using on myself or with Madelyn.The diffuser I received in my starter kit is amazing and puts my $26 amazon purchase to shame. It is nice to have multiple diffusers though. I keep the YL one on hand to move around the house and keep the Amazon one in our bedroom. I’d like to buy an extra YL one and give keep the Amazon one for the kiddos when they need it since the lights change color.
Since Pinterest is the best place to go for inspiration, I came across a few muscle rubs that looked interesting and useful for not only labor and delivery but for any time something hurts. I’ve been having some lower back pain with this baby, so I was looking for something to help with that.
I made a very easy pain cream at the beginning of the week and tried it out immediately on my lower back and within 5 minutes the soreness was gone and without the stinky, overpowering smell of a typical muscle rub. Two nights ago, hubs gave me an even better back massage than I was able to give myself, and I felt good as new when it was over. I wish I would’ve made this sooner and I honestly can’t wait to use it when I got into labor.
Recipe for Pain Cream
-10 drops of Valor
-10 drops of Peppermint
-10 drops of Panaway
-1 Cup of coconut oil
I put everything together in my kitchenAid mixer and whipped away.
In less than 10 minutes I had an all natural pain cream to help alleviate all the aches and pains that come along with late pregnancy.
I’m always looking for a more natural alternative to medicating and I’m looking forward to learning more about essential oils and how they can help our growing family.
Do you use essential oils? What for and what brand do you tend to favor? Have a great weekend! I’ll be back on Monday with a pregnancy update!
Real Foodie Runner 