When my husband and I were engaged we went over to his sister's house. She had a diffuser running which glowed a blue color and created a fog-like mist in her front room. She had a whole slew of tiny brown bottles, each one holding a precious, unique liquid. I knew then and there that hola-balloo wasn't for me. Which is pretty hilarious considering the fact that I pound echinacea, garlic, and zinc when cold and flu season sneaks up, to ward away any virus.
Mentally, I stashed essential oils away into the "Big Foot" category of my brain. I learned the definition of 'placebo' in middle school and I was pretty sure these essential oil people must have missed that lesson at their school...
Then, something happened that threw me from my high horse. Desperation. Some of you might remember my sick baby post last summer. I was an extremely sleep deprived momma when I came crawling to essential oils for help. To make a painful story short, I decided to try using the Doterra Oil 'Breathe' to help my little baby breathe through her nose. I was also using a boogie bulb and nose drops, so after my little lady recovered I appreciated the oil, but I wasn't gaga over it. However, this was the first step I made in the oil "voodoo" direction. ;)
Now for the real kicker. Since I didn't learn my lesson the first time and truly become converted to the essential oil way, essential oil karma came back for revenge. When Eric and I moved back from Dallas in August, Kirra stopped sleeping. Ok, that's a little dramatic. She stopped sleeping as well. She went weeks without sleeping longer than three hours at a time. I was dying. Once again, I was one sleep deprived momma. Lucky for me, I had solace come in the form of a sweet lady at church. My mom suggested I talk to her about Kirra having trouble sleeping. She has a vast knowledge of many things and oils is one of her areas of expertise. She is a Butterfly Express Supplier and helps many people in town with their essential oil questions and needs. This sweet lady asked me how often Kirra woke up and what she acted like when she woke. After chatting, she suggested I try the 'InsideOut' oil. Because Kirra was arching her back away from me when she would wake up throughout the night and crying inconsolably, I was given the advice to use an oil that would sooth her tummy. The ingredients include: anise, cardamom, cilantro, fennel, juniper berry, kana, lemon, lemongrass, patchouli, peppermint, tarragon, and thyme. My husband totally snubbed the idea when I came home with the oil. "Ugh, it stinks." Were his exact words after rolling his eyes. (It doesn't stink by-the-way) Haha. The first night I rubbed it on her belly before I put her to bed and she slept 8 hours. When I woke up the next morning, (with a spring in my step) I was elated about how the night had gone, but 50% of me still chalked it up to coincidence. The next night I may have had a few lingering doubts, but I still put that oil on her tummy before putting her down in hopes the same results would surface. Guess what folks, MY BABY SLEEPS NOW!!! I put that oil on her tummy every night (mixed with a carrier oil as directed) and she sleeps 7-8 hours before waking up. When my doubting husband saw the results and relished in the sleep our family was finally getting, he started to half-way believe in this oil... Then, he had his own oil trial when he had digestive issues about five days after I started using the oil on Kirra. In the middle of the night he asked me where the oil was. I got it for him and applied it on his stomach. The next morning, he was a believer. He said, "Voodoo or not, that stuff works." Haha. He is a goober.
I'm not going to claim that essential oils are cure-alls, but I will say that there is something to them. If you read about essential oils online you will find that they were used as early as 1188-1248 A.D. They have been historically used for medicinal purposes. It makes sense that the oil harvested from a plant would contain the healing characteristics of the plant (like an herb). After my success with the InsideOut oil, I started putting one drop of lavender on Kirra's feet after she gets out of the tub to help her calm down for bed at night.
Call me creepy ;)
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