If you’re a blogger, it’s almost impossible to ignore the fact that every single other blogger out there (I would never exaggerate) is using essential oils.

And yet, ignore it I did…until last summer when my twins’ immune systems needed a boost.

I’d already heard the essential oil buzz for a while but…see note above about tuning it out. But then, it occurred to me that I had a midwife appointment that day, and my midwife was a Young Living distributor as well as a registered nurse, so I figured she would be a great one to talk to about a) the twins and b) all of the essential oil hype.

Because Melena is anything but hype-y or salesperson-esque. She’s pretty much the chillest human being that I’ve ever met. And, sure enough, as soon as I told her that we needed an immune system boost, she hooked me up with YL essential oils to do just that.

Honestly, I remember feeling a bit skeptical.

Melena explained how to administer the oil in a safe way for my then not-quite-2-year-old twins, and I went home and dutifully followed her instructions at about 9 PM.

Y’ALL.

Let’s just say that I’m believer now.

 

Shaun was intrigued too but definitely skeptical.

But then, someone who shall remain unnamed, left toast in the toaster, and it got burnt beyond recognition. It was baaaaaad, y’all. The smell wasn’t just obnoxious. It assaulted your senses and permeated every room in the downstairs of our house.

And again Melena came to my rescue. She gave me YL’s purification oil and told me how to diffuse it in vinegar to take care of the potent smell.

And it totally did.

About that same time, I started talking to my friend, Shanna, from church, who is a Young Living distributor, and also one of the gentlest, funniest, kindest, LEAST pushy people in the entire world. And she told me about how she had attended a YL informational meeting once three  years ago, but she couldn’t seem to hear any of the actual information because her baby was crying and would. not. stop. But then, the presenter asked if she could rub a little lavender oil on the back of Shanna’s little boy’s neck, and Shanna said yes, and within 30 seconds, Elijah was out cold.

And Shanna was like, “Whoa.”

So, she did her research and started “doing Young Living” with the understanding that she would NEVER ever sell it. But people kept coming to her and asking questions, and she kept finding more uses for the oils in her own home, and as people joined her team to get the discount, she was excited to get more oils for free without ever actually having to “sell” anything.

Shanna still orders oils for others at her own cost, but so many people were joining her team to get their own discount so they could order the oils any time they wanted that she was actually starting to make a little bit of money without even trying. Suddenly, she had a business, whether she wanted it or not, and after a lot of prayer, she decided to pursue turning her YL passion into something that could support their family on her income alone while her husband plants a church.

I really feel like I should emphasize again what a humble, sweet-natured person Shanna is. As soon as I finished listening to her story, I was already sold–both by her words and manner and by the results I’d already experienced.

me and shanna

{Here we are, resplendent in all of our VBS volunteer t-shirted glory. Honestly, this was like take 4 for an attempt at a decent picture of the two of us (with 10 children between us, we were always either awkwardly holding one of them or getting our hair blown away by gusts of wind or…), so even though the lighting here makes it look like I have a black eye, we’re going with it}

I signed up to be a YL distributor (for the discount) and ordered a premium starter kit for me and one for my mom for Christmas. (In case you’re wondering, that’s YL’s “best bang for your bucks” option–basically $300 of product for 1/2 that price).

I had/have no interest in making it a business myself, but over the past 9 months or so, I can honestly say that I have used the oils for a huge variety of ailments and purposes.

I’ve used Lavender to calm/soothe/support skin health, Joy and Stress Away to help Della calm down at bedtime (she’s my anxious girl), Peppermint for digestive health, Melaleuca for skin issues, and on and on. And I’ve barely scratched the surface of an understanding of what everything is good for.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on Thieves for helping support healthy immune systems. I’m all out right now and have it on my reminder list to reorder before we head into the fall and winter seasons. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Thieves when our immune systems aren’t firing on all cylinders. I like to put it on my whole family–even the healthy ones–as a preventative measure!

thieves

{I stole this picture from Shanna. My nails are never that pretty!}

I wouldn’t say that I’ve earned my Oily Mama badge yet, since I’m not constantly diffusing oils in my home or consulting my essential oils pocket guide, but I’m kind of thinking I may get there one day because I’ve been really pleased with my results so far.

Of course, it probably doesn’t really “help” me that Shanna’s so nice because I’ve done a lotof texting things like: “These are our issues. Any ideas?”

And she always texts right back with with awesome oily options to help us out. Crutch, much? Yup. The nicest there ever was.

Of course, my favorite thing about Young Living is that they both grow all of the ingredients for the oils on their own farms and then create/bottle the oils themselves. You can read all about their Seed to Seal pledge, if you’re so inclined.

SO! What does all of this means for you?

Well, if you’ve been hearing tidbits about Young Living essential oils but have never taken the plunge (or even if you have and just want to get your hands on some free oils!), today is your (potentially) lucky day!

Shanna is kindly giving away 1 bottle of magic elixir Thieves oil to one happy winner.

All you have to do to win is comment, using one of the easy-entry options below. But if you don’t win or just want to get your hands on some oils on your own, you can use this link to do so. (Full disclosure: that links lets you order through me because you either have to order as a retail customer with a wholesale supplier or become a wholesale customer yourself, but I won’t be the least bit offended if you choose to order a different way).

OR if you just want to contact Shanna and ask her questions or find out more about Young Living, you can do so at: 903-three4zero-9two4five (just replace words with numbers) or email her at: sgarcia0624@gmail.com.

You can also read about her oily adventures/life on her blog!

To be entered to win, simply comment on this post, choosing either A, B, C, or D. (Heads up: if you comment A or B, you are giving Shanna permission to follow-up with you with more information. Did I mention she’s is all kinds of nice and not pushy??!)

A) I have heard of Young Living essential oils, but I would like more information
B) I have never heard of Young Living essential oils, but I would like more information
C) I have heard of Young Living essentials oils, but my interests stops with the giveaway
D) I have never heard of Young Living essential oils, but my interest stops with the giveaway

Giveaway entries close Monday, Aug. 24 at 11:59 PM. I’ll announce a winner the following day.

MAY THE OILIEST ENTRY WIN!

Or…something like that.

Happy Monday, friends! I’m off to rub a little Joy on my wrists! 😉

Hindquarters covering disclaimer: None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any illness and should not replace the advice of a healthcare professional.

0 Comments

  1. I would love to try an oil that’s actually useful to my body, unlike the slick that my face produces on a daily basis! And any little help toward preventing the inevitable onslaught of sickness this winter is welcome, indeed! So, A–I have never heard about YL oils, and I’m seriously intrigued by them!

  2. A. I have heard of YL as well as other brands and am interested. I would love to find out if someone sells mini bottles or sample packs to try. I don’t want to make a $150 investment without at least trying a couple in small amounts without breaking the bank. I haven’t found any company that has an option like this. If yours does, I’d be interested in starting there.

  3. C. I could use some wellness miracles up in the north woods. Has anyone mentioned that we are losing leaves, wearing sweatshirts and experiencing all things fall already in WI?!

  4. Thanks for sharing. I have tried some samples but would love to use oils more regularly for cleaning/health benefits. Thanks for the information!

  5. I just ordered some oils with your link. I’ve been trying to find essential oils here in Germany for a while. They do sell oils in almost every drug store- Primavera. They have a goddess on it and this is definetely something I don’t want to use. I didn’t do much research on Young Living, but I hope they are “pure and clean” if you know what I mean. I don’t want to use oils that are spiritually dodgy. Did you do research on Young Living? As far as I could figure out, they re okay. Looking forward to having them here.

  6. A! I have heard of the oils, and I would like more information. I admit that I am not in love with the prices, but I believe in the results!

  7. Since I’ve had a nasty juicy cough for virtually the whole summer (very out of character), so I would say A) I have heard of Young Living essential oils and I would like more information.

    1. Not sure why it says I posted at 2:14am because it’s 7:14pm PST right now which means it’s only 9:14pm CST. 😉

  8. C! Although, to be true, I’d want to put A, but I have a cousin who ‘sells’ (like your friend did/didn’t.) so I can ask her. When it’s in the budget. Someday!

    Thank you for the giveaway. And as always, the entertaining post. 🙂

  9. C! Although, to be true, I’d want to put A, but I have a cousin who ‘sells’ (like your friend did/didn’t.) so I can ask her. When it’s in the budget. Someday!

    Thank you for the giveaway. And as always, the entertaining post. 🙂

  10. Is E an option? J/K
    I’m an avid YLEO user and would luuuuuurve the opportunity to win a bottle of Thieves oil! And all the oily mommas throw up their praise hands!

  11. C – I love YL oils, but can’t keep them in stock due to the price range. Thieves kept our family healthy last flu season so I will be stocking up on that one again!

  12. Cool! C) – cuz I love oils already, but I’ve never had the cash to fork out for the supposedly “GOOD” oils. I’d really like to see if there’s a difference!

  13. C! I have a TERRIBLE immune system and would love to find and EO that would work for me and keep me out of the hospital and away from antibiotics!

    1. YES MA’AM!! They have a blend CALLED M-Grain just for that, but I have had success with using peppermint too (As long as I get to it RIGHT.AWAY.)
      #ThereIsAnOilForThat

  14. C for now I’ve used Do terra in the past and I really like them. it kills me though that young living has different scents. I mostly like it for the smell…. I don’t feel like do terra has done too much otherwise….. so if I won I’d definitely try it out to see if it works better.

  15. A – I have just scratched the surface of essential oil use, but I’m loving the ones I’ve tried. (I bought the kid-safe roll-ons [aka fool-proof] from Zulily.) My kids seem to pick up any germ within a 10-mile radius of us (and then spread it through every member of our household), so I’d love to try thieves. I’ve heard lots of great things!

  16. Thanks for the giveaway! I love YL Thieves oil. =) My interest stops with the giveaway only because I already order the YL oils that I need.

  17. Hi,
    I use oils, but have never gotten a bottle of the Young Living brand. I’d love to try one. Also, your link to your friend’s blog doesn’t work.
    Thanks!
    Kim

  18. C I guess. I was actually going to just comment and say you should share more ideas/oil uses as you use them. I recently just became a distributor because of a friend that uses them for everything. I thought worst case scenario I’ll just have to get rid of these oils when I don’t use them. I was so wrong. I ordered one of the reference books and can’t wait until it arrives!

  19. B) I have thought about checking out oils for a multitude of health issues I have & for my 13 year old grandson who has psoriasis.

  20. A) My husband is suffering from terrible muscle pain that the doctors can’t help him with. Pain meds and muscle relaxers don’t work…

  21. A! I’ve got a little one (4 months old) who doesn’t sleep longer than an hour without waking up, night or day, and my husband and I have tried everything…except essential oils! We were just discussing them this weekend and how we’d like to give them a go.

  22. A! I have some off brand essential oils and haven’t been amazed with them like I want to be. I still use them often, hoping they will work.

  23. I have just completed a holistic massage school and studied essential oils. I know YL oils are very good, but the folks I have met who are selling it, are a tad pushy. I’d love to try this blend, “Thieves”… I regularly use EOs, and hope to learn more and incorporate it into my new practice soon!

  24. A) I have heard of Young Living essential oils, but I would like more information…I’m especially interested in how to keep my littles healthy!

  25. B. I’ve never heard of this brand of oils before. The fact that they grow and bottle themselves is very intriguing. I was gifted a 3 bottle set of oils from another brand and have been using them here and there. I definitely like them and see the benefits but am to dive in and pay so much when I’m still not 100% educated and sold.

  26. I have not heard of Young Living, but would love to know more about it. I love essential oils and usually purchase at a Central Market, but would like to know more.

  27. A! I’m more interested in oils than my husband, but he’s the one that gets sick way more than I do. I’d love to get him on board!

  28. C, I’m still skeptical, but I’d love to be proven otherwise. I hate needing to go to the doctor, so I’m definitely willing to try something new! Thanks for the drawing. 🙂

  29. C! Love essential oils and have a distributor but who couldn’t use more Thieves with winter coming.

  30. A) I have used many different herbal remedies/supplements in the past with great success, but have not branched out into essential oils yet.

  31. I’m a B! I’d love to try this! I have a hard time with seasonal colds and sinus issues, and because of other health conditions, I can’t take a decongestant or anything. I’d love to find something to help prevent and alleviate my symptoms!

  32. A! I’ll admit, I don’t use oils as much as I’d like, I just can’t afford them. But I’d le some information, and Thieves is one oil that I’ve been trying to get my hands on for a while! We’ve actually been using a oil “cold bomb” here the past few days those fall allergies are really getting us!

  33. C) I’ve tried several of YL’s oils, but Thieves is one on my list of “must try”. Thanks for the opportunity to win one, and good luck to everyone!

  34. C. My mom uses YL essential oils and has given me a variety over the years. Thieves is one of my absolute favorites!

  35. A :). I’m a licensed foster parent, about to take my first placement. I’ve heard of oils but the price has held me back. Many have suggested using them for different ailments when I have a baby!

  36. C- I’ve heard such wonderful things about Young Living and especially Thieves! Would love to be able to try out an oil!

  37. I guess I’m an A. I’ve heard of YL, but I’ve never researched much of anything about them. I’m thinking that the fact that I have 5 kids and the fact that I’m expecting #6 smack dab in the middle of cold/flu season would be a good reason to get a little more info!

  38. Hi- I’m a C. Heard thieves is the best! Would be neat to try with my family as we are gearing up to battle all the illnesses that get passed around during the school year! Thanks!

  39. I’m a C as I’ve investigated before and not able to make the plunge. I do love the oils and use them as the pocketbook allows. I’ve never tried Thieves and would love to try it.

  40. C) and thank you for the giveaway. It’s always half the battle trying to convince anyone (OK, me) that essential oils actually make a difference so I’m glad you’re talking a bit more about it, Abbie!

I love hearing from you guys!