Why Essential Oils Are Essential

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday!

So, if you follow me on Instagram or SnapChatt (Libloo), you know that I recently attended the first W.E.L.L Boston event! This event was specifically all about essential oils, the setup was wicked cute, and the hosts, Gianne (who is also the founder of Organic Bath) and Jennifer (A Holistic Nutritionist, Level 2 Bio Signature Modulation Practitioner, and a Personal Trainer) were so incredibly awesome. The entire event was filled with good vibes and they brought us the expert, Casey Von Iderstein, a certified holistic health coach and an essential oil educator, to teach us all about essential oils.

The event was called; Essential oils: Summer Workshop, Oils for the Outdoors.

During the workshop I was constantly intrigued by all of the benefits essential oils had to offer our mood, health, mind & body connection, and overall wellness! I was taking notes the entire time and thinking about all of you guys, my readers, and how I can share all of this information! (PS: That lemonade dink in the photo was the bomb.com, here’s the link to the recipe –> Detox + Chill : Minty Lemonade ).

I decided that instead of me trying to summarize all of the information I learned, to turn to the expert for help! I asked Casey if it I could interview her for my blog/my readers, and obviously she agreed because she’s just the nicest! So, without further-ado , here is the interview!

• How and why did you get into essential oils? 

I actually started using them without even realizing it to boost my immune system back when I was in college (I was taking them in the form of capsules so I never really made the connection), and was always so impressed by how effective they were. 

Years later, when I was gearing up to launch my health coaching business, I started looking for a line of super pure, powerful products that I could recommend to clients when they were in need of something outside of the standard wellness recommendations (i.e. healthy eating, exercise, meditation, etc.). I really wanted these products to be something that would empower them to take their physical and emotional health into their own hands.

After researching a lot of different brands and product lines, I was syncronistically introduced to the brand of essential oils that I use now and fell in love with them – I had game-changing experiences with them right from the start and knew they were exactly what I’d been looking for.  They’re the purest, most potent oils available, and their business is based on giving back on a global scale by helping to improve the quality of life for the farmers and artisans that grow and produce their oils. What’s not to love?

• How are essential oils beneficial (in all aspects of mind & body)?

Oh man, where do I start!  First off, I have to note that it’s extremely important to do your research to ensure the oils you’re using are made by a company with ultra-high quality standards around purity, potency, and safety.  Essential oils are totally unregulated and therefore not all are created equal (i.e. even if the label says “pure” they can be totally synthetic and packed with additives, fillers, and toxins – yikes).  

Real essential oils are like the superheroes of the plant world, providing protection against threats, and attracting pollinators for reproductive purposes.

As I mentioned above, they’re incredibly effective both physically and emotionally – and since plants and humans have similar building blocks, essential oils are in a familiar environment once they’re in our body (which is why they’re so effective).   They work on the cellular level, getting right down to the root of the problem (rather than treating symptoms, which is what many of us are used to from a Western medicine perspective).  

They’re also really versatile because each essential oil contains tons of different (natural) chemical compounds, giving them various therapeutic benefits.  It’s pretty wild to see how many different health concerns can be addressed by just one type of essential oil.

Personally, I use them to strengthen my immune system (I haven’t been sick since I started using them), balance hormones, soothe skin issues, reduce stress and anxiety, boost detoxification and metabolism, improve focus and energy, elevate my mood, soothe pain and tension, facilitate healthy digestion, cleanse surfaces and the air in my home, lull me into a deep sleep, and so much more.

• What are 3 amazing cool facts about essential oils that people don’t know about?

• If you apply one drop of essential oil to the bottom of your feet, it can enter your bloodstream within 30 seconds and service every single cell of your body within 30 minutes.
• You can replace a huge variety of toxic cleaning, beauty, and personal care products by mixing essential oils with simple organic ingredients (like coconut oil, shea butter, aloe vera, witch hazel, etc.) at home.
• One of the fastest ways to positively affect your mood/emotions is by inhaling or diffusing essential oils – they go straight into the limbic system that way!

• What company would you recommend to buy essential oils from? Why? And for those who can’t get that company’s oils, what would you recommend as alternatives? 

I use dōTERRA essential oils and couldn’t recommend them more wholeheartedly – the incredible quality of their products paired with the company’s mission and positive global impact is just amazing (if you want more info on this, Google “Co-Impact Sourcing” videos and get a box of tissues ready).  

Each of their oils is grown and sourced in its indigenous region – which is extremely important because it creates the perfect storm of environmental factors, thus creating the most powerful oil possible. Plants that are not grown in their indigenous region can have drastically different chemical makeup and therapeutic qualities.

dōTERRA also puts each batch of oil through rigorous 3rd party testing to ensure that every drop measures up to their extremely strict quality standards.  If the oils don’t pass the testing, they won’t sell them.

If anyone wants to add some of these oils to their life I’m more than happy to help – just drop me an email at connect@karmicwellness.com and I can get you set up with whatever you need (at the same prices I buy the oils at – because everyone loves a discount).

I’m so specific about the purity of the products that I use that I don’t feel comfortable recommending other essential oil brands as I would want to look closely at each individual company beforehand (there are so many out there). But if you’d like to try out a different brand of oils, ensure that you research the company’s growing, quality, and testing standards so you can rest assured that all you’re putting in your body is pure essential oil.

• What are some common misconceptions about essential oils? 

• All essential oil brands are the same.
  • Just like any product, there are huge differences in the ingredients, quality and safety of essential oil brands.  Since they’re unregulated globally, this allows for even greater quality variation issues.
• That they’re just meant to make things smell nice.
  • While they do make things smell AMAZING, essential oils have real, powerful therapeutic benefits that support our health.
• More is better.
  • In most cases, less is more with essential oils because they’re incredibly concentrated.  They’re up to 50-70x more powerful than dried herbs (1 drop of peppermint oil = 28 cups of peppermint tea), so a little bit goes a very long way.

• What can readers find on your blog? (Also about your company, Karmic Wellness!) 

I’m super passionate about simplification and detoxification (and I don’t take myself very seriously), so my blog is filled with different (fun!) tips and tricks geared to help my readers get rid of everything that doesn’t contribute to a happier, healthier life.

You’ll find easy DIY non-toxic replacements for common products, healthy recipes, mindfulness musings, and glimpses into my life.  Plus, you can get your paws on a copy of my free eBook “The First Five Favors:  Your Essential Short List to Kick-Starting Health + Happiness” here:  http://www.karmicwellness.com/free/first-five-favors

In a nutshell: as a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Essential Oils Wellness Advocate, and Certified Yin Yoga + Meditation Teacher I help women systematically simplify and detoxify their mind, body + spirit through my love of mindfulness practices and toxin-free living. It’s about stripping everything back to basics, and choosing to focus in on what really matters.

I hope you all enjoyed this essential oils intel from the expert herself! If you have any other questions about essential oils, or want to collaborate/connect with Casey, here are all of her social media outlets:

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/karmicwellness/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/karmicwellness/

Snapchat: casey_von

  W.E.L.L Boston is having another fun event this Saturday, the 25th:  Sweat and Superfoods: HIIT Class & Superfoods Brunch

There is an open giveaway going on right now on my Instagram for a chance to win two tickets to this event! enter here–> GIVEAWAY

I hope you all enjoyed this blog post/ essential oils interview! Enjoy the rest of your day!

XOXO,