Purchasing Oils

Essential oils companies seem to be a dime a dozen. Many claiming only they provide the purest and most therapeutic oils. Some make no such claims, but offer similar products at a super low price. When starting on your essential oil journey, you can get a migraine reading the back and forth about which oils to use. This was me not too long ago. I did my research and wasn't impressed with some of the more expensive companies, because although they made bold claims about their oils' purity and quality, never did they actually offer any data on why their oils offer more. So, for years I just went to my local Sprouts Farmer's Market and bought the cheaper oils there. After using them for several years, the only thing I was ever successful in using them for was improving colds. Now I know that the reason they didn't work is because they lacked the potency necessary. They were also not appropriate for internal use.



 Finally, I became introduced to a new essential oils company that is revolutionizing essential oils: Améo. Améo travels the world to find the best sources of plants for oils, only uses first distillations, and makes each and every batch pass rigorous testing. This testing includes making sure each oil enters human cells and works within them. No other essential oil company on the market does that. In addition to ensuring that the oils do in fact work, Améo shares the results of all the tests completed on each batch with you. These are not made up certifications that other companies have placed on their oils, but actually scientific tests! Dr. Joshua Plant (who has a PhD from Harvard Medical School), Vice President of Research and Development at Améo has explained what these tests are. You can find this explanation here.

(To see the tests conducted on my personal bottle of Améo's True Lavender follow the directions in the picutre)

After I began using these oils, I have realized I am never going back. The results I have seen have been phenomenal. In additional to the rigorous standards that Améo has, they are the most affordable quality oil and have many different ways to purchase them. So here's the breakdown:

Wholesale pricing:

Wholesale pricing is the best option for purchasing these oils. You get 25% of retail prices and returning customers can earn reward points for free product. There are several ways to get these benefits when purchasing your oils.

Option #1 is to purchase a start-up kit. There are a few different options, but all kits include a free wholesale membership (worth $20), a free diffuser (varies from $66-160), a free enrollment kit ($18), and discounted oils. After your initial kit purchase you can order whenever you like, with no monthly or yearly commitments. You can also earn extra reward points by setting up a monthly autoship and have your oils delivered to you automatically every month. 

Option #2 is to purchase a wholesale membership for $20. This lasts for a year and you can purchase your oils as you please. The downside is you don't get all the free stuff from the kits, but you still have the option of autoship, earning reward points, and no minimum monthly or yearly order. 

Option #3 is to purchase 250 product value and then be awarded a free membership. This choice is really for individuals who want to create their own kit, by choosing their own oils. 

Option #4 is to become a return order customer. A return order customer is a retail customer who gets wholesale pricing by setting up an autoship. You order whatever products you want each month and can order as little as one oil per month. This is a great option for those who don't want to pay a membership fee, want to earn reward points, don't have money to pay for a kit upfront, and have a little money to set aside for oils every month. If you fit any of those qualities, this is the best option for you. You can cancel any time, but you will lose your reward points and will then become a regular retail customer. 

Retail pricing:

Becoming a retail customer is not the most recommended option, but it may be appropriate for certain individuals. You will pay the full price of each oil, but you can order whenever you want. Just order from your distributors website and they will be shipped directly to you.  

No other company has so many purchasing options to make oils more affordable. To further demonstrate the difference between the three largest companies see this following picture:

To learn more about Améo or to purchase your oils go here.

Part 2: Healthy Eating and Journaling

After pondering my goals this year in regard to eating healthy, I have found a pretty cool tool to assist me in making better overall choices. There is an app called TwoGrand:Visual Food Journal and I am really impressed with it. Logging your food seems to be the biggest key to eating healthy that I have found and research supports this. We are more mindful about our eating habits after keeping track of what we eat throughout the day. However, with a one-year-old infant and a million other things to do, I can never remember to write down what I ate. TwoGrand has made this process so much easier for busy individuals, like myself. All you do is take a picture with your phone. You can add a description if you want, but you don't have to. It takes less than 5 second of your time and you can log snacks, drinks, water intake, meals, your weight, exercise, etc. It is also set up like another form of social media, so you can get together with a group of friends and follow each other and others on TwoGrand to keep up with your goals and get ideas from others. The app even has a meal idea feature. I can't say enough about it and I hope to continue to use it to keep up with my goals this year.

Hiccups In the Plan and Staying Positive

I have noticed that few things in life go according to plan. Despite all my good intentions, most of my goals so far this year have gone to the wayside. So many things get in the way. Right now, it's primarily school #gradschoolproblems (yes I just used a hash tag in a blog post). One thing I am going to do throughout my failures, is to not get negative about it. I typically continue to fail because I get frustrated and angry at myself and then stop working toward my goals. Life changes always come with hiccups, and if we recognize that when making life changes (be it diet, exercise, mental, etc.) there will always be lapses. However, in order to keep from going into a relapse, we need to recognize the lapses for what they are: a small set back but not a permanent road block. Lapses don't mean we have to wait until the beginning of the next week to start new, you only need wait until the next moment. So from here on out, when things don't go according to plan, my mantra is "start again".

To update on my progress so far, after having to start my immunity cleanse over, I am now on day 3. After 24 hours I noticed that my eczema from an allergic reaction I had to soap had begun to heal significantly. By 48 hours in it had healed completely. So I know it is working at least in one way. Yesterday I spoke with my doctor about using oils to treat my reoccuring infection and she was completely on board with it. So now that she has helped me come up with a plan of attack, I started using Tea Tree with her suggestions last night. It's too soon to tell if it's helping, so I'll report back on that later.

So here's where I really need to improve. I am eating terribly. With my birthday this month and my husband's job requiring him to work 12 hour days at the beginning of the month, I had little energy to cook and prepare meals. I can feel how terrible my body feels from eating so much restaurant food. I haven't come up with a great plan of attack yet, so that's what I'm working on this weekend. Find a good place to get easy whole foods recipes so I can eat right with minimal effort. I know how I should be eating and I prefer to eat clean, but sometimes life gets in the way and I admit I need help from outside sources. So, at that I'll close this blog post and post again when I've got a good plan set.

Part 1: Immunity Cleanse

So anyone who knows me knows how terrible my health has been the past two years. My pregnancy was not fun and was very rough and ended with a C-section. Within the first two months of my son's life I had several mastitis infections, a bladder infection, and thrush. From there the infections continued. All of the antibiotics and other medications really have done a number on my body and have made it almost impossible to pick myself back up from everything. So, to combat this, I am making a lifestyle change and doing a major immune cleanse.

An immunity cleanse essentially re-balances and strengthens your immune system. This is helpful  if you have allergies or other autoimmune issues, a history of antibiotic use, are riddled with stress, and experience chronic infections and illnesses. I meet all of these criteria, and I venture to guess that many people reading this meet one or more as well. So here is the plan:

Items required:

Lavender essential oil

Roman Chamomile essential oil

Spruce essential oil

Frankincense essential oil

Clove essential oil

Protecting blend essential oil

Tea Tree essential oil

Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil

Fractionated Coconut Oil

Empty 5ml amber glass bottle

Pipettes

Empty Vegetable Capsules

Instructions:

For the major parts of the cleanse, I need a protecting blend (I use Améo's Proshield) and a homemade immune balancing blend. To make the immune balancing blend combine 30 drops True Lavender oil, 30 drops Roman Chamomile, 20 drops Spruce, 15 drops Frankincense, and 5 drops of Clove in a 5ml amber glass bottle.

Every day I will fill 2 veggie capsules with 50% immune balancing blend and 50% coconut oil and 1 capsule with 50% protecting blend and 50% fractionated coconut oil. I will take 1 capsule with each meal.

After every morning shower while still damp, I will mix 2-3 drops of Eucalyptus Radiata with 2-3 drops of Tea Tree and apply topically to the parts of my body that have the greatest cluster of lymph nodes.

To further rid myself of infection (to take a break from the ridiculous amount of antibiotics I've been on) I will take 1-3 drops of Tea Tree essential oil in a veggie capsule 3 times a day as the same time as my immunity cleanse capsules.

Results Thus Far:

So far I've been able to start the Tea Tree part of this cleanse and I've noticed a significant difference in my chronic infection. I am excited to get started on the other part of the cleanse.

Additional Information:

There are many ways to tailor an immunity cleanse to your needs and the oils you have on hand. I suggest purchasing Integrated Guide to Essential Oils & Aromatherapy from here: http://integratedessentialoilsstore.secureshopcart.com/. I tailored my immunity cleanse from this book.

I encourage anyone who wants to try this cleanse to only use quality essential oils that pass rigorous testing. Yes, you can purchase essential oils at health food stores and on Amazon, but those oils won't give you great results.You can purchase quality essential oils here.

A Happy New Year

So, let's be honest, I'm terrible at keeping up with a blog. Facebook is so much easier for keeping people up to date and communicating with friends and family. However, I've decided to give this blog business another try. 

I have decided to try and keep a regular blog for one main reason: I want to start this year off right. I'm not a New Year's Resolution kind of person, but with all the health issues I've had in the past couple of years, I want to start this year off with some positive affirmations and vibes. This year my word is HEALTH. So, to hold myself accountable to these positive vibes, I want to document my journey (both successes and failures) here. This isn't going to be a health blog, per say, I'll continue to post random thoughts and updates on life, but I want to include the steps I'm taking so that during hard times and set backs, I can look back and see the improvements.

So here's my overall plan:

1. I'm going to cook more and eat cleaner. The holidays really killed our family's forward momentum with eating a healthier diet and we really need to be so much better. 
2. Document my meals. I'm not planning on counting calories, instead just documenting what my food choices are. Research has shown that simply journaling your meals throughout the day makes you more conscious about your food choices and therefore helps you lose weight. 
3. Immunity Cleanse. Although I've used a few essential oils for many years, I'm really starting to expand my usage. Scott and I are starting our year off with an immunity cleanse. Our immune systems have taken a hit and we need to get it back on track. 
4. Time management. This is an area that needs major improvement. Scott does a pretty amazing job at this, but I'm terrible. I put everything off to the last minute and my excuse is always how exhausted I am. The truth is, though, that if I just managed my time better and completed what I need to get done (homework, housework, errands, etc.) first, I'd be less stressed and better rested. 
5. Relaxation/meditation. I don't do this. Ever. I think I do when I sit in the bath tub watching shows on my Kindle, but I'm technically not resting when I do that. I'm filling my mind with garbage and I'm actually just wasting time and avoiding everything I should be doing. I'm going to schedule time for actual rest, which includes resting my mind. 

This is what I have so far, and I hope to come up with more as I go. I'll post about each step as I start it. Feel free to follow my journey or start your own...or not. Really, this is more for me than anything and we all know how obnoxious some mommy blogs can be and I'm not trying to achieve that here. So at that I'll end my thoughts and comments for today. Here's to a great, happy, and HEALTHY new year!