A Crash Course in Essential Oils for Preppers

Essential oils have been around a very long time. They have so many uses, which stands to reason of why they are so popular today. With more and more people looking for alternatives to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, natural oils are a really good place to start. Essential oils can be used in soaps, cleaners, lotions, lip balms, toothpaste, candles, perfumes, and when mixed with a carrier oil they have many health benefits as well.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are the product of collecting the oil from a plant. Basically, the “essence” of the plant. There are different ways that you can do this, but to get the pure essential oil, you have to do it through a steam distillation method. It can be done, but it is difficult. It is not an easy process to do on your own, but fortunately there are many sources where these oils can be purchased, fairly inexpensively.

Where Can You Buy Essential Oils?

There are companies that have very high quality oils and oil blends, but these can be expensive. Unless you join up with their program and become a distributor, or join them through a membership program.  Companies like Doterra, and Young Living have programs that you can join and then purchase their oils at a discounted price. I have not gone this route yet. I have found one retailer, Eden’s essentials that I really like, and they have good prices. But, I do like to change it up and try other products to see how they compare.

That being said, Young Living has an incredible website filled with recipes you can make using essential oils. And you can also see how much they cost, they are not inexpensive here! I have personally been using Eden’s Garden essential oils for over 3 years now, and I have been really happy with them. And they are a lot more cost effective than some of the other places.

SPP169 A Crash Course in Essential Oils for Preppers

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What do you do with essential oils?

This is the really cool part….there are so many different things you can do with these oils. And they even have health benefits too. Essential oils can be used the following ways:

• Aromatically
• Topically
• Internally

Using Essential Oils Aromatically

I mainly use essential oils either aromatically or topically. I haven’t ever used them internally, yet….unless you consider the peppermint and sweet orange oil I use in my toothpaste.

Using essential oils aromatically basically means you are inhaling the wonderful oils, and this can be done by placing oils on cotton balls, using them in a type of diffuser, or even putting them on furnace filters and clothes pins to have the scent fill your home.

Using Essential Oils Topically

Topically means you are using the oil on the skin, or diluted with a carrier oil. This is the method I suggest using, because essential oils can be strong for some people with sensitive skin. Carrier oils are wonderful on their own, but by adding a few drops of your favorite oils makes them incredible!

Carrier oils include:

• Sweet almond oil
• Avocado oil
• Fractionated Coconut oil
• Jojoba oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Olive oil

And another point, please, do not use essential oils on babies. The oils are strong, and their bodies are tiny. There are a few essential oils you can use on infants, but they MUST be diluted. Never ever ever, ever use essential oils directly on infants and small children. There are so many different essential oils, and knowing what s safe to use for children, and I am by no means an expert in essential oils. I can only share with you my own personal experiences. But I did find an incredible list of essential oils, and there is a lot of information on which oils are safe and which to avoid with children. http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2014/02/07/essential-oils-and-children/

Hopefully that will give you some guidance when it comes to using essential oils and the kiddos.

Using Essential oils internally

Like I stated earlier, I don’t have much experience with using essential oils by ingesting them. I just don’t have enough information, and knowledge to know what is safe and what isn’t. So I stick with using the oils topically and aromatically. If you were considering using them internally, I would highly recommend taking some classes, and making sure you have the highest quality of oils before ingesting them.

My Favorite Essential Oils

There are so many oils available, it may be difficult to know where to start. So I am going to share some of my favorites with you, and the benefits of each oil. Please keep in mind, I use these oils either through the air, or externally, and I do not know how they act internally, so if you are considering using any of these oils internally, please do your research!

Peppermint Oil

This is by far my most favorite essential oil ever. For your health, peppermint oil is fantastic at helping with nausea, as well as soothing digestive issues. It is an anti-spasmodic. It helps to stop muscle spasms. Can you see where this could be beneficial in other areas, like cramping, or muscle aches. It also helps with headaches, clears the respiratory track, and has antimicrobial qualities. It also helps to freshen your breath, which is why I use it when making my homemade toothpaste, as well as my homemade lip balm. You can even add a few drops to your shampoo and conditioner! It also helps with itching, so if you have a mosquito bite, or rolled in a patch of poison ivy, you can use peppermint oil to help get rid of itchiness.

And if you hate bugs, you really need to get some peppermint oil because it is a natural bug repellent. Not only does it get rid of mosquitos, but more importantly, spiders! Just put a few drops on a cotton ball, and place in windowsills, or dark corners to keep the spiders away. This also works for ants, cockroaches, mice, and even lice!

I have never seen so many benefits from a single oil, which is one of the reasons I love peppermint oil so much. It is truly my most favorite essential oil.

Sweet Orange Oil

This is another oil that I truly love. Just like peppermint oil, sweet orange oil has many benefits. Starting with the health benefits, sweet orange oil. It is an antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, and a diuretic. The other benefits? It smells great! Actually, there has been some research done on the effectiveness of sweet orange oil disrupting the lifecycle of houseflies! Talk about exciting! I have to come up with a spray to get rid of the houseflies that seem to spontaneously appear in our house!

I do use this oil in my homemade toothpaste, along with peppermint oil, and I also make a spray cleaner for our home with this because I love the way it smells.

Birch Oil

Birch oil is another favorite of mine. It has many health benefits, such as an analgesic, antidepressant, antiseptic and disinfectant, and a stimulant.  It also smells good in my opinion. I have used it to make a muscle rub which works great if you have achy, sore muscles. And it smells good, if you like a wintergreen, ben-gay sort of smell. It can also stimulate secretions, lower blood sugar, help to promote perspiration during a fever, purify your blood, and helps to battle skin and fungal infections.

This is why I have this essential oil, and use it regularly.

Thieves Essential Oil

Thieves is an essential oil blend of several oils. It includes Clove, Cinnamon, Lemon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. It came about by a story of fifteenth century thieves that stole from the dead and dying during the times of the black plague. They kept themselves safe from the plague by creating a blend of essential oils, which is where this little powerhouse gets its name.

It supports your immune system, and really does help to keep you healthy. I use this during cold and flu season in a spray form, and when I am feeling like I am going to get sick, I put a couple of drops on the soles of my feet. It has a strong spicy scent, and I love that during the winter months. I love it even more that it helps to keep us healthy when sickness seems to be everywhere.

Just as an example, I made a spray cleaner using this last year when everyone at my job was getting sick, and I used it religiously in my cleaning routine, and I didn’t get sick, nor did I get anyone in my home sick. I also don’t get a flu shot every year like many people. I choose to be responsible for my health, and do what I can to fight the bugs. And I really think this essential oil has been a main contributor to helping us to healthy through the viral season.

Essential oils are an incredible tool to add to your preparedness lifestyle which could be one of the reasons why they have gotten so popular in the past 5 or 6 years. Along with the fact that they are natural, makes them appealing to a very large group of people. They have many benefits however you do need to do research on the ones you plan on using to be sure you are knowledgeable with how to use them.