Thursday, February 7, 2019

How I Got Started with Young Living Essential Oils

If you know me well, you know I don't immediately take what someone else says as fact. I have to research on my own and see if my findings match up with what was said. Additionally, I am not quick to make decisions (understatement) AND I am a major penny pincher and stick to a pretty strict budget. All of that to say, when I met my friend Leah, who is very passionate about Young Living Essential Oils, I wasn't about to just jump in blind. If I'm super honest, essential oils were weird and confusing and didn't seem like something I needed to add in my life. PLUS, I had done some reading about oils long ago that made me terrified to ever have them around Josiah (my son with epilepsy). (Some people in some instances have had seizures after essential oil use....a topic to address more thoroughly another day, but the short of it is, I've only ever seen that documented with cheap/fragrance-only type brands that people chose to use incorrectly, but initially I didn't understand the difference, so I steered clear of them all.) All and all, I wasn't interested.


Fast forward several months and I learned more about how essential oils (EO's) work and that they aren't actually that weird -- just plant juice really -- and I care deeply about my family's health and wellness, so my interest piqued more, BUT I was still very concerned about introducing anything new around Josiah since he was (is) doing well, so I continued to pass (and research more). After reading pretty much everything I could find on the internet about EO's (the good and the bad) and talking with other seizure moms, I attended a class to learn specifically about the oils that come in Young Living's starter kit - a typical way to get started using them.
It was fascinating to learn how the essential oils from so different plants can support many different body systems. I also appreciated learning how Young Living prides themselves on their oils not having any additives and containing only what comes from the plants. It was helpful, but I still didn't want certain ones I had deemed too risky around Josiah, so I decided to look into their other starter kit options. They have a plant-based cleaner kit, but I already switched to non-toxic cleaning years ago, so I was pretty set in that area. They also have a make-up starter kit, but I was fairly content with the make-up I was using (I have since switched to some of their products), so I opted for their antioxidant drink called NingXia Red. I mean who can't benefit from extra antioxidants in their life? (I got to try a shot at the class I went to and it's like a burst of berries in your mouth AKA delicious!)
NingXia Red Starter Kit
Getting a starter kit automatically makes me a wholesale member with Young Living, which gives me 24% off their products. BUT there's no requirement to make any future purchases, so even though it was a significant price for my budget, it was a one-time cost that I could use to decide if it was worth moving forward or not.

When my kit arrived, to my surprise, on top of all my NingXia items, I also received the 10 oils that came in the typical starter kit. I immediately called my friend Leah and asked her what to do since I was not supposed to get them. She took care of contacting customer support and :::drum roll please:::....they let me keep them ALL! (I was secretly hoping they'd let me keep one or two for being honest about receiving them by mistake, but MERRY CHRISTMAS to me, I got ALL of them!) This was a quick way to earn my support. I highly value good customer service and getting free things ALWAYS wins me over. Good work Young Living!

This oil case was supposed to be empty in my kit, but it came just like this! 

I already had a diffuser my mom got me years ago (but was too scared to use due to my initial "research"), so I was able to pull that out and start diffusing some of the oils I trusted (lavender, lemon, peppermint, and frankincense).  I love that I've been able to eliminate even more toxins (like candles and air fresheners) by using my diffuser instead. Plus, there are more benefits from the oils than just making my house smell good, but going into that now would make this post far too long. I take a shot of NingXia Red daily as an extra boost of antioxidants against the free radicals that are inevitable in our world and it's a better pick-me-up than the afternoon cup of coffee I tended to grab. My family's health has been great this winter since starting this journey, and I have zero regrets taking that initial plunge.

If you're interested in starting this journey with me, here is my personal link, BUT I highly recommend you reach out first to talk through the best way to get started for your personal wellness needs instead of jumping in blind. :)