Essential oils are much more powerful than herbs—it takes 5,000 pounds of rose petals to distill into one pound of rose essential oil, and one drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea. Essential oils are literally the life of the plant, and we use the plants as medicine. However, when plants are dried up for tea or to make supplements, 95 to 97 percent of their essential oil is lost. By using essential oils, we are getting the complete chemical profile in every drop.

Essential oils are composed of very small molecules that can penetrate cells, and some compounds in essential oils can even cross the blood-brain barrier. They differ from fatty oils like those in vegetables or nuts that come as large molecules because those cannot penetrate our cells and are not therapeutic in the same manner. For instance, most vegetable oils will stay on the skin and may even clog pores because they are not small enough to get into our system, but essential oils will soak right into the skin. Essential oils placed anywhere on the body are transdermal, which means they can actually pass through the skin.

From the time of application, it takes three seconds to get in the bloodstream, 20 minutes to reach Every cell of the body and two-and-a-half hours later, they have been completely metabolized. So for best results, it’s good to apply them every two to three hours.

Lavender, one of the most versatile of all essential oils, is a good one to start with. Therapeutic-grade lavender is highly regarded for the skin and clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. It may be used to cleanse cuts, bruises and skin irritations. The fragrance is calming and balancing physically and emotionally.

There are many benefits of incorporating the use of essential oils into our daily routine.

For more information, contact Young Living Essential Oils Distributors Denise Morales at 551-655-6007 or DMorales.MarketingScents.com; or Eileen Fernandez at 973-650-1965 or EFernandezMmarketingScents.com.

A Few Everyday Uses for Lavender Essential Oil

• Rub on the feet for a calming effect or apply to the palm of the hands and inhale.

• Rub a drop on the palms and smooth onto a pillow or diffuse overnight to help sleep.

• Put two or three drops on a minor burn to stop pain. Be careful: oil that is not therapeutic grade has chemicals added to it and will deepen a burn, not heal it.

• Mix with coconut oil and frankincense in a small glass jar and create your own facial cream (five to seven drops of each).

• Put a few drops on a wet cloth and throw into the dryer to scent clothes, deodorize and freshen laundry.

• Diffuse to alleviate allergy symptoms (pair with peppermint).

• Add a few drops to the bath for a calming experience (can add Epsom salts too).