2: What Are Essential Oils & My Top Five Oils Artwork

Cultivating Abundant Life

A healthy, joyful, abundant life doesn't just happen. It takes an intentional mindset and willingness to learn more about our amazing selves and this wonderful world we live in! Join me as we talk essential oils, emotions and emotion release, clean eating, homeschool, gardening, and learning to take care of ourselves so we have more to give to others.

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Cultivating Abundant Life

2: What Are Essential Oils & My Top Five Oils

March 28, 2022 • Kait Palmer • Season 1 • Episode 2

Welcome to the Cultivating Abundant Life Podcast I’m Kait Palmer and I am passionate about helping people cultivate better lives physically, mentally, and emotionally.Today I get to share with you WHAT essential oils are, and if I could only have 5 essential oils with me stranded on a deserted island…WHAT would I choose? Honestly, it was REALLY hard to narrow it down! I know I said last week I would do an oils 101 but I figure this is a time I can really explain a bit more about oils so I’m narrowing it down to 5.

So open up your notes app or grab a notepad and pen if you’re old school like me, and let’s start learning!

First I want to start off by sharing a product I’ve been very thankful for this past week. This past week I’ve been thankful for and using the Cel-Lite Magic Massage Oil. This oil blend features Grapefruit, Cypress, Juniper, Cedarwood, and Clary Sage essential oil diluted in Young LIving’s carrier oil V-6 —a rich, moisturizing combination of sesame, sweet almond, wheat germ, sunflower, and olive oils. This massage oil works with your skin to improve the natural skin barrier and improve the appearance of skin tone and texture. It does have the word “magic” in the name! It is also FANTASTIC for your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is a network of vessels and organs that regulates the amount of fluid in your body and defends it against infections. It’s a part of both your circulatory and immune systems, but unlike the circulatory system it does not have a dedicated “pump.” Your heart keeps your blood moving through your body, but you need to actually move (or have your body moved) to get that lymph flowing. Think of your circulatory system as a border collie–always ready to go! And your lymphatic system? It’s like an English bulldog. It needs a LOT of motivation and prodding to get some movement! Our neighbors have two English bulldogs and if they’re trying to take the dogs on a walk, sometimes the dogs will just sit down and refuse to move! So exercise like jumping jacks or bouncing on a trampoline or running, getting a massage or using a fasciablaster (ooooh…I’ll do a podcast on that later!) or dry skin brushing–all these things help move your lymph.

Right now I’m doing a sort of “Love your Lymph” challenge for 14 days where I’m incorporating dry skin brushing, those exercises I mentioned, taking citrus fresh vitality internally, using citrus fresh and cypress topically over lymph areas, detox baths every few days, and of course the Cel-Lite Magic Massage Oil. I usually use it while fasciablasting after a shower, and love the improvements I see in my skin! I also had a massage last week and had my masseuse use this oil and it was fantastic! You can even up it’s lymph-loving factor and add in a whole bottle of ledum essential oil!I challenge you to take a week or two to focus on a healthier lymphatic system and note what changes you feel and see!

Ok moving on to your basic oily toolbox.

With things like cancer, infertility, and other health challenges on the rise, there is no time like the present to kick all those nasty harmful chemicals in your everyday products to the curb. If you.ve listened to my story, you know how I saw that my body improved after I learned to clean up the toxic burden in my everyday products. It is time to give your body what it deserves: clean products that support your body rather than make it work harder.

With clinics on every corner and around 6,000 registered hospitals in the US, we are armed and ready to be sick. But what if we as a society made a shift, and were better at HEALTH care than we are at sick care? If you’ve been around the past couple of years you might have witnessed a serious lack and suppression of talk of HEALTH care.

So often we react to issues versus coming at them prepared and ready. Being proactive with our healt

Welcome to the Cultivating Abundant Life Podcast. I’m Kait Palmer and I am passionate about helping people cultivate better lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. Today I get to share with you WHAT essential oils are, and if I could only have 5 essential oils with me stranded on a deserted island…WHAT would I choose? Honestly, it was REALLY hard to narrow it down! I know I said last week I would do an oils 101 but I figure this is a time I can really explain a bit more about oils so I’m narrowing it down to 5.

So open up your notes app or grab a notepad and pen if you’re old school like me, and let’s start learning!

Your lymphatic system is a network of vessels and organs that regulates the amount of fluid in your body and defends it against infections. It’s a part of both your circulatory and immune systems, but unlike the circulatory system it does not have a dedicated “pump.” Your heart keeps your blood moving through your body, but you need to actually move (or have your body moved) to get that lymph flowing. Think of your circulatory system as a border collie–always ready to go! And your lymphatic system? It’s like an English bulldog. It needs a LOT of motivation and prodding to get some movement! Our neighbors have two English bulldogs and if they’re trying to take the dogs on a walk, sometimes the dogs will just sit down and refuse to move! So exercise like jumping jacks or bouncing on a trampoline or running, getting a massage or using a fasciablaster (ooooh…I’ll do a podcast on that later!) or dry skin brushing–all these things help move your lymph.

With things like cancer, infertility, and other health challenges on the rise, there is no time like the present to kick all those nasty harmful chemicals in your everyday products to the curb. If you’ve listened to my story, you know how I saw that my body improved after I learned to clean up the toxic burden in my everyday products. It is time to give your body what it deserves: clean products that support your body rather than make it work harder.

With clinics on every corner and around 6,000 registered hospitals in the US, we are armed and ready to be sick. But what if we as a society made a shift, and were better at HEALTH care than we are at sick care? If you’ve been around the past couple of years you might have witnessed a serious lack and suppression of talk of HEALTH care.

So often we react to issues versus coming at them prepared and ready. Being proactive with our health can be highly beneficial if we’re willing to do the work. Trust me, I’ve had to learn this in reverse! Might I add, that disease does not happen overnight. Body systems do not fail overnight. It happens little by little, day-by-day, choice-by-choice. Everything you do either fights disease or contributes to it. You can’t “oil your way” out of poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.

So I ask you, are you ready to put your health first so you can have more days with your loved ones, your babies, your grand-babies? This class will show you just how simple that is. Ok I’m putting my mama bear side away and let’s have some fun!

I know that making healthy lifestyle choices isn’t always easy. Do you struggle to order the salad over the burger? Been there! Maybe you struggle with choosing to exercise regularly or maybe it’s hard for you to get solid sleep. Maybe your house is filled with questionable products and you don’t know where to start. Been there too! The first book I got on the issue was called Green Living and reading through all the toxic things I should replace completely overwhelmed me! I still have that book not because I really reference it anymore, but because I like to flip through and see how far I’ve come in the past 15 years.

Making these changes do NOT have to be overwhelming. And making them is MUCH easier than it was 15 years ago! There’s a better option than making a vinegar cleaner and stinking up your whole house! You can take small steps that really add up to big ones.Ditching the chemical-filled, hormone disrupting cleaner for a SAFE, plant-based cleaner infused with the best essential oils is a GREAT start. Then maybe you decide to ditch those toxic facial products and switch them out for ones that are made from ingredients that are truly safe for you. Then maybe you move on to replace your laundry soap and so on. Small changes lead to big results.

So What are essential oils & how does Young Living compare?

Essential oils are the liquids extracted from plants. Think of them as plant concentrates. They are distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, fruit, rinds, and resins.

Oils consist of over 100 different, natural organic compounds. Essential oils help the plant stay healthy, and they can do the same for us.

Since there’s just a tiny amount of essential oil in a plant, it takes a TON of work to cultivate plants needed for oil. For example:

There’s over a pound of peppermint in a 15ml bottle of oil!

It takes over 75 lemons to make a bottle that same size!
–It takes 60 THOUSAND rose blossoms to make just one ounce of rose oil

–Lavender is more abundant, but it still takes 220 pounds to make 7 pounds of oil

–Jasmine flowers must be picked by hand before the sun becomes too hot on the very first day they open, thus making it one of the most expensive oils in the world! It takes 8 MILLION hand-picked blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil! (Take note—that 30ml bottle for $12? CAN’T be pure!) Ylang ylang is another night blooming flower and you can probably still find a Youtube video of Gary Young explaining the harvesting process–it’s awesome!

–A sandalwood tree must be 30 years old and 30 feet high before it can be cut down for distillation

But a little goes a long way. Most oils are $10 to $33 a bottle–I actually just countied and there are 88 right now! A 5 ml bottle contains about 90 drops, and a 15 ml bottle contains about 250 drops. Each application is one to three drops–or less if you just put your finger on the top of the bottle, tilt, and use that oil, meaning even a small bottle will get you 45 to 90 applications (or more).

Thieves cleaner is made of plants only and costs about $1.50 a bottle to make. You can’t even get that in the organic section at the grocery store! It replaced a multi-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and floor cleaner. The organic versions of those can run you $4 to $6 a bottle.

An oil in a diffuser can soothe a child’s tough day at school and provide a calming effect when you’ve had a stressful day at work. Oils can be used as an alternative to toxic cleaning chemicals in the home.

The thing is though… not all oils are created equal. How do you know which one to choose?

Well, for me, it all came down to something called Seed to Seal and Young Living is the ONLY company that provides this. Seed to Seal is a quality commitment unlike anything else; they have control of the ENTIRE process, from the seed to the sealed bottle. These are some of the strict guidelines they abide by.

plant material that is grown on corporately-owned farms or carefully vetted partner farms (that you CAN visit!I’ve been to the farms in Utah and Idaho)
sustainable farming and sourcing practices, providing the purest oil
great care taken to preserve and protect natural resources
hand-weeded fields and ZERO use of pesticides
oils that retain all their natural constituents and therapeutic properties
use of food-grade distillers with state-of-the-art design and distillation methods
low pressure and low temperature distillation, without the use of solvents or synthetic chemicals
rigorous testing on each batch by internal labs and third-party facilities
oils that are carefully reviewed through every step of production in order to meet or exceed industry safety and purity standards (beyond organic!)

And the best part… if the oils do not meet these high standards they are rejected and will not be bottled as a Young Living product. Check out more info on their Seed to Seal promise at www.seedtoseal.com.

How do you use essential oils?

Before we dive into the these oils I want to explain how to use them.Anyone can use essential oils – no aromatherapy training needed. As Gary Young said, there’s no wrong way to oil. Let go of the idea that oils are prescriptive…x amount a drops x amount of times per day. Just get your hands on your oils and start using them!

You can use oils topically by applying oils to your wrists, neck, back, feet, etc. Just keep them out of your ears and eyes, directly. If you get oil in your eyes, don’t rinse it with water. Instead, apply a fatty carrier oil around the area.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some oils are gentle enough to put directly on your skin without diluting. If you notice it getting hot or making your skin a little red, just throw some carrier oil on (coconut oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, etc.). For kids and elderly people, dilute it more heavily. Don’t overcomplicate it; keep it simple!

Another way to use them is aromatically. Crack open a bottle, and breathe it in. It can be that simple! Add your oils to a diffuser and enjoy the therapeutic benefits from diffusing. Put a drop in your palm, rub your hands together, and cup your hands over your nose. Breathe deeply and enjoy! No matter how you do it you still reap the benefits.

You can also use essential oils internally. Add a drop (or more) of a Vitality oil into an empty vegetable capsule, a cup of tea, or a glass of water. You can even cook and bake with them! Try some Lemon Vitality in your yogurt or a toothpick tip of Oregano Vitality in your next batch of spaghetti sauce. One of my favorite things to do is add 4 drops of Peppermint Vitality to a box mix of brownies! One thing to note: citrus oils can break down the petrochemicals in plastic so it’s safer to use stainless steel, glass, or ceramic when adding oils to your dishes and drinks.

Now, before we go any further… I want to make sure you know the difference between a Vitality oil (white label) and the “regular” oils (solid-color label). The Vitality oils are labeled for internal/dietary use so they can be ingested. The solid-color bottles are labeled for aromatic/topical use. However, they are the SAME oil. The ONLY difference is the color of the label. It just makes it easier for us to know which oils can be safely ingested. Does that make sense?

OK lets talk oils!

First up… Lavender, which is probably one of the most well-known essential oils. They call this one the “swiss army knife” of oils because it is extremely versatile and can be used for so many things! Being that I am not a doctor and cannot diagnose, treat, or prescribe anything to you, an essential oil reference book comes in handy when getting to know your oils. Be sure to connect with me after you take a listen to know my favorite resources!

What’s so great about Lavender?

It may promote feelings of calm due to its balancing properties that calm the mind and body.
It fights occasional nervous tension.
It may help cleanse and soothe minor skin irritations.
It may help reduce the appearance of blemishes and support aging skin.
It can be very soothing to the skin after a day in the sun.

It’s great for those little cuts and scrapes and accidents we are all sometimes prone to have! One time I was lifting a roast chicken out of the Instant pot with tongs, when it fell apart as I was transferring it! Instinctively I reached out to grab my precious organic free range chicken and caught it in my left hand and—realizing it was BLAZING hot–I opened my and it rolled down my arm! I’m telling you…I’ve had three natural births but this was INTENSE!!!! After washing it in cold water I immediately slathered the thing in lavender, and then in peppermint. Over and over. I was shocked when there was no blistering or anything other than some redness on my hand right where I caught that bird. That definitely made me a believer in lavender!

Did you know? Lavender also comes in a Vitality version (same oil, different label). It can improve sleep quality for occasional sleeplessness, supports general wellness, and contains cleansing and antioxidant properties. Lavender Vitality supports the integumentary system, nervous system, and cardiovascular system when taken as a dietary supplement.

During the spring, I often take a capsule full of lemon vitality, lavender vitality, and peppermint vitality to help with those seasonal changes.

As far as emotions go, lavender is tied to feelings of abandonment, criticism, and fear of unfoldment. If you feel those emotions resonate with you, try diffusing or swiping on some lavender! We’ll go over emotional release much more in a future podcast, but when in doubt…lavender!

Peppermint Vitality

Speaking of peppermint–let’s talk about that one! The longer I keep this oil around the more uses I find for it! It has a strong, clean, fresh, minty aroma. This oil can be considered a hot oil when used topically, so I would recommend starting with it diluted or having a carrier oil on hand. Personally, I love that cooling sensation! I’ll use it on my temples (watch the eyes), the back of my neck, or even a few drops in a foot bath. This oil has such a COOLING effect–you can even test it yourself if you’re feeling a little warm! I did this a few months ago with my daughter and we were amazed at the numbers on that thermometer! If you have a kid who’s feeling overly warm, you can apply some on the bottom of their feet and put some socks on. I’ve even used this on my dog’s paws when he seems to be really hot after a summer walk.

When I was pregnant with my second and third babies this was a LIFESAVER! I was throwing up 5-6 times a DAY with my first pregnancy. Second pregnancy I had a bottle of peppermint in just about every room, my purse, and one lived in my car! I threw up 6 times total my second pregnancy, and only once my last pregnancy…but I blame that on a Carl’s Jr. craving…So that worked really well for me! But remember, all of our bodies are different and I have a mama friend who couldn’t stand the smell of peppermint while pregnant!

Living near lots of windy mountain roads we STILL keep a bottle of peppermint in the car!
And remember, with the white label we have peppermint vitality, too!

What’s so great about Peppermint Vitality?

It supports gastrointestinal system comfort.
It enhances healthy gut function.
It maintains efficiency of the digestive tract.
It may support performance during exercise.
It reduces feelings of discomfort after large meals.
It provides a refreshing, minty flavor to food and beverages.

How awesome is that?! Peppermint is SO much more than a flavor – when you get the real deal. Just like other Vitality oils you can add this one to food like brownies, cakes, cookies, candies, fruit dishes, etc. You can also add it to drinks like water, tea, or protein shakes… You can also take a few drops in a veggie capsule as a dietary supplement – whatever works for you!

If my head is feeling tight or stuffy here’s a great tip–get some oil on your thumb and hold it on the roof of your mouth! You might feel a bit silly but trust me–it works!

Emotionally peppermint is tied to feelings of failure, fear of dependence, restriction, and rigidity.

Thieves Vitality

Thieves is a most amazing blend of powerful oils: cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary. This is an AMAZING one to diffuse in your home…especially in winter…and spring…ok year round! I like to add some orange to it for a yummy fall scent!

You can swipe this bad boy on the bottom of your feet before heading out the door, or even use it on a splinter, cover with a bandaid, and see what happens! This is considered a hot oil because of the cinnamon and close, so if you use it anywhere besides the bottom of your feet you may need to dilute.

Did you know? The name ‘Thieves’ was inspired by the legend of four 15th-century French thieves who formulated and wore a special aromatic combination of clove, rosemary, vinegar, and other botanicals that they believed provided protection while they were stealing. The story goes on to say that when the thieves were caught they were offered a lesser punishment if they would divulge to the king the secret to their immunity, despite being exposed to a highly infectious, deadly disease. Pretty interesting, huh??

What’s so great about Thieves Vitality?

It provides immune system support.
It’s cleansing to the digestive system.
It contains antioxidant properties.
It provides general wellness support.

Again, because it’s a Vitality oil, it can be added to food or drinks, taken in a veggie capsule, or placed directly under the tongue–or on the tongue if you like red hots! Some people enjoy it added to oatmeal, parfaits, coffees, desserts, honey, or NingXia Red. My favorite it Thieves Vitality tea. I use a black tea, add a drop of Thieves Vitality, a bit of stevia, and a small splash of cream to give it that richness.

Thieves is connected to emotions of feeling different, sneaky, and uncertain. Again, we’ll unpack this more in a later podcast.

PanAway

This oil… MAN! This was my gateway oil…the one that changed everything! My life–and I mean that quite literally! It just makes that _____ go away, like the name implies. It has the smell of good ol’ fashioned root beer and feels like heaven when applied. (there used to be the letter “i” included in the name…see if you can figure out where)

I use this one a lot on my temples, my forehead, my neck, on my wrists after boxing, on my calves after running…get my drift? You can mix it up with some coconut oil to make a great sore muscle rub–you can even throw some eucalyptus and copaiba in there! I will say, while this is on of my “desert island” deserted island? I have come to find a lot of other oils and blends help me in that area as well. Peppermint, Cool Azul, Deep Relief, Aroma Seiz…our bodies are all different and always changing so what is a deserted island oil for me may not be for you!

What’s so great about PanAway?

With Wintergreen, Helichrysum, Clove, and Peppermint essential oils, PanAway has a refreshing, cooling sensation when applied to the skin – shoulders, neck, and scalp.
It offers a refreshing, stimulating aroma when inhaled.
It includes the naturally occurring constituents methyl salicylate, gamma-curcumene, menthol, and eugenol.
It cools the skin after physical activity.

Did you know? PanAway contains Wintergreen, which is high in a constituent called Methyl salicylate. Methyl salicylate is used as the active ingredient in many sports creams, but usually from a synthetic source. Young Living uses the real deal.

And yes, even PanAway is connected to your emotions! This deals with feelings of exhaustion, fear of emotions, and pain…sort of makes sense, right?

Ok what’s my #5? Raven? RC? FRANKINCENSE?
For me, it’s Valor

This oil holds a special place in my heart. It just calms me every time I take a whiff; I can’t get enough! Sadly my amazing story with Valor is not one I can share on here, but it involves my newborn daughter, a VERY fast birth, and advice from our pediatrician who was an MD as well as an ND. I stocked up on so much Valor I still have unopened bottles of the original formula with rosewood, which we no longer use as it’s endangered. Now the blend uses camphor and honestly is just as effective!

A reason this is one of my desert island oils is for both the physical and emotional aspect it gives.

What’s so great about Valor?

It is a unique blend of Black Spruce, Blue Tansy, Camphor Wood, Geranium, and Frankincense – a true member favorite.
It encourages a positive attitude and promotes feelings of courage and confidence.
It has a great woodsy, grounding aroma that is great for massages and perfect for wearing as a personal fragrance.
It helps freshen the air when diffused and creates an uplifting, positive environment.
It may also enhance the appearance of healthy-looking skin when applied topically.

Did you know? Valor is the first oil in the “Great Day Protocol” lineup, created by the late Young Living founder, D. Gary Young. You should google it – it’s pretty amazing!

My favorite way to use this oil is along the spine. If I can’t reach the whole thing I’ll use it on the back of my neck and down as far as I can reach. I also like to use it just after a kid bonks their head on a doorframe or slips on the stairs…it was amazing on toddler goose eggs they seem to get!

Emotions and Valor? Oh you bet…I picked this as the last of my 5 primarily BECAUSE it’s a great oil for emotions! Ready for this list? Valor is connected to feelings of aggression, defensiveness, fear of conflict, inability to cope, losing a battle, persecuted, resignation, or feeling withdrawn. If any of those pinged your heart a bit, open up a bottle of Valor.

So that’s it! Lavender, Peppermint, Thieves, PanAway, and Valor are my five desert island oils!

Join me next week as I’ll cover the next five I would take…because I had a HARD time narrowing this down! If you’re new to oils and don’t really know how to order them or use them, head to cultivating abundantlife.com and browse through my free classes, or if you’re ready click that “Get Started” button in the upper right hand corner!

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Until next time, continue cultivating your abundant life!