A candid look into what my journey with using essential oils has looked like //

If you’ve never heard of Doterra, you’ve probably at least heard of essential oils. And you probably have some sort of preconceived idea of what they are or what they represent based on your exposure to them. Maybe you’ve had an old acquaintance reach out to you trying to sell you them. Maybe you’ve dabbled in them but aren’t quite sure why you’d spend your money on them.

Or maybe these are just the experiences I had before I decided to really explore them on my own.

Either way, I thought it could be helpful to offer my experience with them now.

Let me first start off by saying this: I have no skin in the game as to whether or not your purchase essential oils from Doterra. I’m not a brand representative, I do not make any money off of this post. I’m only sharing my impartial personal experience candidly in hopes that you might benefit from it in some way. So with that disclaimer clearing the air, let’s get right to it.

I first started dabbling with oils in college when I worked at an organic cold pressed juice bar (the best one ever IMO) called Native Cold Pressed. We used Doterra in some of our recipes and to be honest I just liked the way they tasted and smelled. I never really understood the appeal at the time and I wasn’t super sure I really believed they could have any meaningful impact or change in my life. There was one day that I was having severe stomach pains and my manager suggested I rub a few drops of their Digestzen oil on my belly, and it miraculously poofed away my pain in a matter of minutes. So that sparked my curiosity a bit more about the whole deal.

I later bought my first diffuser (from Big Lots I think) because those Yankee Candles were making me feel nauseous so I knew something wasn’t right there. Turns out I was correct: there’s been a flood of research that’s come out about the toxicity of artificial fragrance in candles as well as so many other commonly used substances. It has been shown to increase the risk of cancers (?!) among other diseases. According to an article published by the Huffington Post,  “More than 95 percent of the chemicals in synthetic fragrances are derived synthetically from petroleum, forming a classification of compounds called petrochemicals. These chemicals are known, studied, and peer reviewed as being capable of causing cancer, birth defects, nervous-system disorders and allergies—some of which are cited on the EPA’s hazardous waste list". The writers from Huffington Post go on to say that “Environmental Working Group (EWG) researchers found more than 75 percent of products listing the ingredient “fragrance” contained phthalates (THAL-ates) which have been shown to disrupt hormone activity, reduce sperm counts, and cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Studies by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, link fetal exposure with autism, ADHD, and neurological disorders”.

Needless to say, after learning this information, I felt pretty good about my diffuser decision. I figured diffusing random brand oils I found on the sale rack at Whole Foods was loads better than lighting a killer candle, so I just sort of dabbled in the random brands for a while because they claimed to be 100% pure essential oils...what else could that possibly mean? Turns out a lot of the time that’s just another cute marketing scheme, much like when food brands will make loose claims that their product is “all natural” or 100% whole grain (you guys know those don’t really mean anything right?).

So okay I was obviously anti cancerous candles and whatnot. However, I had yet to be convinced that oils were really necessary, other than the occasional bottle of patchouli for diffusing good smells + good vibes (just the visual of a puffy cloud of gently diffused water and oils is a whole vibe). I kept hearing all these oil selling people be like “use this as a sleep aid”, or “use this for anxiety”, or “use this for energy”…and it never resonated with me. I don’t need (nor do I want) to rely on any substance for sleep, I do not identify as one who struggles with anxiety, and a cup of coffee provides me with more energy than I need. Also, I don’t have kids. And parents seem to be a huge demographic they market their content and products to. So, I never pursued oils in any serious way.

Fast forward a couple years and I am no longer in college. Instead I have a job and cutie little house to tend to and all of a sudden I find myself getting very excited about new cleaning products (you don’t understand this phenomenon until you’re there, and even then, I’m a little unsure why I now enjoy it so much). Anyway, being already relatively aware of the harmful effects of chemicals and synthetic fragrance, I started buying the more natural brands, which is fine. However, I found that a lot of them just didn’t have the same cleaning power as the chemicall-y stuff, which is not fine. So then I was stuck because I wanted a product that worked like magic without sacrificing quality, sustainability, or health. THEN — I started to do some research and I kept seeing recurring references to “OnGuard cleaner concentrate” as well as “Thieves cleaner”, the Doterra brand cleaner and Young Living cleaner respectively.

Because of my prior experience with Doterra in college, I decided to get in touch with a mentor of mine that is a Doterra oily queen to hook me up with some of this magical cleaning potion. I also decided it was time I picked up my own bottle of digestzen after the little miracle I had years prior along with a couple other staple oils I had been wanting such as lemon for my water, lavender for baking, and peppermint for some wintery peppermint mochas. I ended up getting started with one of the starter kits + a bottle of the cleaner concentrate + a couple other goodies like a diffuser and toothpaste.

Here is my honest review of all the things:

Utterly obsessed with OnGuard cleaner concentrate!! You guys, it’s the perfect little miracle bottle I wanted. It smells like cinnamon goodness and it legit works on ANYTHING. I just dilute it with water and go to town on anything from the stovetop to tennis shoes and it works like magic.

Lemon oil has been a game changer. Okay quick side story — I had also at some point heard the good news of adding lemon oil to my water. So I picked up an over-the-counter lemon oil at Target and started dropping it into my water in the morning. I figured this was all well and good because it was labeled as 100% pure essential oil. But, I noticed after about a week of this that I had been experiencing some belly bloat and pain. I decided to stop using the oil to see if that was the cause, and sure enough, as soon as I stopped adding it in my water my pain went away. When I replaced it with my doterra lemon oil, I feel no pain and only a bit of invigorating flavor that makes me feel refreshed and ready to take on my coffee. I mean….my day.

Sleeping aids. With my starter kit I received a bottle of copaiba as well as the Adaptiv blend as a promo which are both used to promote calmness and restful sleep. I decided I would try using them as directed to see if they could enhance the zen status in my life. To be honest, I haven’t really noticed a difference. But like I said before, I consider myself a relatively calm person to begin with and I don’t usually have any trouble with sleep, so perhaps I’m just the wrong audience. In fact, other oil users in my circle that would call themselves comparatively more anxious than myself have testified that both copaiba and Adaptiv work wonders on their mental state. If nothing else, I absolutely love the smell of the Adaptiv blend on my pillow!

On Guard. The On Guard oil itself is amazing and its entire product line is worth the money in my opinion. As I already raved about the cleaner concentrate, I would also rave about the toothpaste. It tastes sooo so amazing, is made with all natural ingredients, and works super well. The oil blend itself makes a great smelling diffuser oil and supposedly has amazing immune boosting properties. With ingredients like cinnamon, clove, wild orange, and eucalyptus it is also wildly pleasant just to smell in your hands.

Thinker. This has become another one of my favorite products of theirs. It’s a roller blend made up of amazing plant oils like peppermint, rosemary, vetiver, and clementine that supposedly aid in focus. Placing this bad boy on my desk and applying it as I sit down to work gets me in the mood to grind out some seriously productive work. Whether it’s the invigorating smell or the power of the plants or both, I don’t really care. All I know is this baby puts me to work and I like it.

I am still new to the oily life, still learning, and still experimenting, but I can confidently say the oily life is better than the chemical life. Whether you are trying to avoid sickly synthetic fragrances, harsh cleaning chemicals, or prescription medications, there are some oils out there that will suit you and will blow your mind. There will probably be others that don’t seem super necessary or effective for you, and that’s fine too. All I know is being able to trust that they are 100% safe, healthy, non-toxic, and natural puts my mind at ease. And to be fully honest…my favorite part is still the amazing smells.

Here’s a little behind the scenes info: I’m considering experimenting with making my own candles with them. I’ve found it very difficult to actually get my hands on any candles that can claim to be made with pure essential oils and that’s it. Doesn’t it sound amazing to experience the warming comfort of a glowing candle without becoming nauseated by the fake smell? Yes please! Anyway, maybe keep an eye out for these to come in the future? Who knows.

The point is — regardless of what you think of essential oils and what kind of experience you’ve had with people in MLMs trying to sell you things, they are worth experimenting with.

I hope this was helpful and informative! Please feel free to comment or reach out if you have further questions about my oils experience. I have also linked a few helpful resources for science behind oils, fragrance, and other pertinent things below if you’d like to continue your learning on the subject.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Kaitlyn

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/five-mustknows-on-the-dan_b_4737654

www.doterra.com/US/en/science

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/aromatherapy-do-essential-oils-really-work

https://www.essentialoilhaven.com/natural-fragrance-oils/#:~:text=Synthetic%20Fragrance%201%20Essential%20oils%20are%20a%20highly,just%20as%20you%E2%80%99d%20expect%2C%20a%20chemically-composed%20scent.%20