How I lost 25 Pounds in 3 Months and Kept it off without any Gimmicks: Part 2 of 2: Staying on Track

Before

After

This post is the shorter section of my two part series. If you haven’t read part 1: Getting on Track, you can view it here.

We have all been there. You work extremely hard to eat right and exercise and you FINALLY get those pounds off, maybe it was 5 lbs; maybe it was 50 lbs, regardless of the number, you reached your goal! Everyone is so proud of you and you feel GREAT! Then it happens, you let your guard down, you maybe visit the gym 2-3 time/month instead of the 2-3 times/week you were doing. You decide to indulge a little bit… every day. And then suddenly, you realize it: that new wardrobe you just bought yourself… it’s getting a little tight! Millions of people struggle with this cycle of dieting, losing weight, and then putting the weight right back on! So how do you keep it off? Read on to find out…

1.    Tell yourself that this is a lifestyle change

I mentioned this concept a bit in part 1 of this series. The only way you are going to continue staying fit is if you don’t stop doing the things that worked for you. In order to do that, you have to have your mindset on this lifestyle as being a permanent change. All around me, I hear friends who are trying to lose weight saying things like, “3 more weeks of this and then I will be done” or “Only 2 days until my cheat day, man this is miserable.” While the lifestyle may truly feel miserable, those are not the words that should be coming out of your mouth. Even if you feel that way, allowing yourself to say it ingrains that attitude into your brain and helps you start to believe it. This attitude is setting you up for failure! If you tell yourself, “3 more weeks,” you are encouraging your brain that after the end of that time period, you don’t have to keep up the great habits that you have worked so hard to create!

When you feel the urge to complain, instead, remind yourself of how far you have come and keep this idea in your head: This is the new you. Not just your body, EVERYTHING! The eating habits, the sleeping habits, the working out, ALL OF IT is part of the new you and once you reach your goal, it doesn’t need to stop. If you have trouble being positive about your new habits, write these thoughts down, put them on your mirror, car, work computer, anywhere that you will see them. It will remind you to stay positive and help keep you on track.

2.    Stay Accountable

One of the most important parts of your weight-loss journey will be the friend/family member that you choose to share it with. If you don’t already have someone with similar goals in mind, I suggest you find someone. They will help you by sharing their success and it’s sooooooo much easier to work out with a friend! However, we often stop calling that accountability partner once we have both met our goals. There is more than one reason you should not do this:

1. When you start to gain weight (if you have been naughty), you probably won’t want to share that information with your accountability partner, but that’s why you need that person. If you have the dread of telling your friend that you gained 5 pounds last month, this will be enough motivation to get you back into your good habits.
2. If this person wasn’t already your best friend, you have most definitely created one as you shared this journey with each other. Why would you let this relationship that you built go to waste? Value the time that you have spent getting to know each other and supporting one another. You can continue spending time working out, but now, it might also be good for you to simply spend some quality time together. Reward each other with a spa trip, vacation, lunch without the kids; Whatever you can afford!

3.    Celebrate Yourself

As you continue your journey you will start to learn the value of reward systems. We use basic reward systems every day: disciplining our kids, training our dogs, even in our spousal relationships. You will soon learn that you can effectively use reward systems on yourself. Here are some suggestions:
Side Note**If you have terrible self-control, you can also give a friend or family member the power of this job so that you only receive rewards when you actually deserve them!

1. Set up daily rewards! Buy a small bag of treats. These can be candies, chips, ice cream, etc. Determine the amount that you could eat at the end of the day that is worth 50 calories or less. If you have a great day in eating/exercising, reward yourself in the evening. My favorite rewards were these little coffee caramel chews. One was 27 calories, and goodness, when I had a good day, these little rewards were the best part of my day!
2. Have weekly/monthly rewards set in place for the times when you reach your weekly/monthly weight loss goals (1 lbs/week, 5 lbs/month, whatever your goal is). These types of rewards require a little more planning. My biggest suggestion (from part 1) is to give yourself a cheat day. These days of increased calorie consumption can help keep your metabolism high and serve as effective rewards to help keep you on track. In addition to these, you can reward yourself in other ways:
   1. Have your family/friends support you by having surprise rewards ready for you when you meet a small goal (examples: gifts, tokens, flowers, notes of encouragement, or one of my favorites: a custom trophy!)
   2. Have a party for yourself. No, I am not talking about inviting large crowds into your home, cooking and decorating, and expecting people to bring you birthday presents. A party for yourself can truly be anything that you want it to be. If you have a family that is supporting you, maybe you can turn on a favorite song and dance together. This will help your children learn the power of encouraging one another, and for an added bonus, you will burn some extra calories that day!
3. This is it, the big kahuna! You have worked so hard for months on end. You have endured the miserable outings and gatherings in which you turned down the delicious looking treats that were offered to you several times. You exercised your butt off (literally) and you no longer crave that sweet soda like you used to. You met your weight loss goal! You look great, you feel great, and everyone is so impressed with you! This is the exact time that you need to give yourself a huge reward! You earned it! Some suggestions:
   1. A trip with your accountability partner. This can be a weekend deal or maybe a week-long paradise excursion. Whatever you desire and can afford. Bonus: Planning this trip ahead of time will be a great incentive to help you stay on track throughout your journey!
   2. Give yourself a personal day. Maybe you are not in the position to drop $1,000 or more on a trip. That’s okay. Ask a family member to watch the kids for the day, take your spouse/accountability partner (or just yourself if you prefer) and have a day to yourself. Maybe you go to the spa, get that mani/pedi, go hiking, go shopping (you’ll need new clothes anyways), or do absolutely nothing! Just do something that you love and that you will look forward to.
   3. If you really want to feel like you are being rewarded, you could consider this: Ask your supportive friends and family to commit to donating a small amount of cash ($1-5) to you when you reach your goal. Many people value money way more than other things. Keep up with the running total and when you reach that goal, cash in your reward. Now you’ve easily made $50+ and no one had to break the bank for you!

All of this sounds great, right? Great! If there is anything that you get from this post, please remember this: nothing can combat the power of having your friends/family supporting you. I asked my husband to help keep me on track. Even now, after reaching my weight-loss goal, he continues to remind me of my bad decisions. While I might find it annoying at times (because I really wanted that ice cream) I know he is doing for more than one reason:

1. I asked him to.
2. He loves me and wants me to stay happy and healthy. He has seen how proud I am of this goal that I reached and he continuously reminds me that I don’t want to back-track to where I was.

I highly suggest that you ask your friends and family to support you and help keep you accountable. If they are on board (which they will be) ask them to support you in other ways: like the reward systems I mentioned. Finally, don’t forget to tell yourself positive things. This is a permanent life-style change. If you are negative about it, then you will NEVER be able to create a habit out of it.

Keep persevering! You CAN do it! When you have a set-back, it’s OKAY! Remind yourself WHY you wanted to lose the weight and who you are doing it for. These things will help you, I promise!

Do you have a success story that you want to share? Give us your suggestions or tips in the comments below!

How I Lost 25 Pounds in 3 Months and Kept it off without any Gimmicks; Getting on Track

Part 1 of 2: Getting on Track

To anyone who has struggled with the task of losing weight and attempting to live a healthier life style, you know how difficult it can be. Eating out, your social life, finances, stress, and family affairs can all have HUGE effects on your stress and health. You may have found it extremely difficult and overwhelming with all of the different fad diets and get-skinny-quick gimmicks. You may be feeling the need to give up now and just enjoy life without a care about your weight or your health.

However, you know that medical science is showing us the importance of living a healthy life style. We know that if we want to live a long fulfilling life, we need to be focusing on our weight, as well as our food choices and activity levels, but with all the fad diets going around and expensive weight loss products being advertised, how can we seriously know who to trust?

I am here to tell you, that I did it! I lost over 25 pounds in 3 months and 60 days after reaching my goal weight, I am still keeping it off. I did it without any get-skinny-quick formulas or secret ingredients and I am going to share my journey with you in this two part series. In Part-1 I am going to share how to get on track to live a healthy life-style. It can be done cheaply and as quickly or slowly as you want it to be. Read on to find out more about my journey!

1.  You are going to have to go on a diet

Oh the dreaded, luminous, hated word: DIET! I promise it’s really not as bad as it seems. The first step to dieting is keeping track of what you eat. The basics of losing weight is a simple as eating less calories in a day than what you need to survive. The best way to determine this number is to find a good food tracker. I have used two in the past that have both worked great for me: MyFitnessPal  and LoseIt. Both have paid and FREE versions and they exist as apps that can be downloaded to your phone. My main recommendation is to try out MyFitnessPal, first. In my own experience, I feel that the system is more focused on helping you reach your goals in a healthy and sustainable way. It even has goal settings that include losing inches rather than pounds if you would rather track your wellness in that way.

When you download your food tracker, it will ask you for information that is necessary to determine your calorie requirements. These pieces of information include: gender, height, age, and current weight. Be honest about this information. Only then, will the scientific data be able to help you reach your goals. It will generate a current calorie need, based on your answers and then allow you a chance to set up a goal weight. How much do you want to weigh and how quickly do you want to lose it? Set these goals and get excited about the amount of time it generates that you will be able to reach them!

2.  Start Logging Everything you eat 

Number one rule in food logging: Pay attention to serving sizes. I highly encourage that you start out by getting out the measuring spoons. Log everything: beverages, snacks, condiments, EVERYTHING! You might be surprised to find out that you are eating WAY more than what your daily calorie needs are. I was! I found that on a normal day, I was eating over 3,000 calories in a single day. That was almost over half of my needed calories for my age and height. WOW! No wonder I was gaining weight!

Once you set your calorie goal and you start to realize what foods are sabotaging your health and weight-loss goals, you may feel the need to go into over-drive! You’ll want to throw away all of your junk food and start eating leafy greens immediately. Now, let’s be real… no one EVER truly has a desire to do this. Give up all of your beloved snacks and sweets? Never!  This leads me to my next piece of information:

3.  Do NOT throw away all of your unhealthy snacks

Now stay with me. I know what you’re thinking, “How can I really stay on track if I have all of those tempting goodies in my cabinet?” I actually have more than one good reason for this:

1. It is okay to cheat every now and then! If you are legitimately telling yourself that you will NEVER eat that [insert super delicious, high calorie, treat] ever again, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You will mess up! Allowing yourself that freedom is a great way to stay on track over the long run. It is extremely important to remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day. You can do better, then! In addition, I recommend that you give yourself a cheat day. This is a form of rewarding yourself. Pick one day a week (I like to do Saturdays) and on that day, If you have had a good week, give yourself a reward. Cheat on your diet! You heard me! Eat that ice cream, have that cookie, chow down on some Doritos! It is OKAY! This cheat day will help you in two ways:
           a. It will serve as a reward to help you stay on track the other 6 days of the                 week.
           b. It will help keep your metabolism high. When you eat less food consistently,            your body gets used to it and begins to think that it is starving. Then suddenly, it          goes into survival mode. It finds ways to burn less calories in an attempt to save            your fat stores for long-term survival. Eating large portions one day per week is            enough to keep your body happy about the amount of food you are eating. It will            continue to burn calories at a normal amount so that when you cut back on those          calories, it will start eating away at the fat that we are trying to burn away!
2. You need to practice staying strong. Self-control is the number one attribute that I had to obtain in my journey of staying healthy and making good choices. If you remove all temptation from your house, then yes, you will succeed when you are at home, but as soon as you go to that party, or restaurant, or on that vacation, all of those delicious temptations are going to be there. Practice saying no at home. Only then, will you find the self-control needed to say no in a more challenging situation!

4.  To truly change our life-style, plan to lose the weight slowly

A healthy weight loss plan can only be successful if you are planning to make the change PERMANENT! We all hear about changing your life-style; the reason? It’s effective! In order for that to happen, you have to do it slowly. Most professionals recommend a healthy weight loss plan is to lose 1 pound per week. Now I chose the tough route and made it a goal to lose 2 pounds per week. Whatever you choose, remember that losing it slowly and steadily is going to be healthier and easier to keep off. You will keep it off for one major reason: Your body will adjust to the habits that you are building in a more natural and sustainable way. This will help you in keeping those habits over a longer time period.

5.  Weigh Yourself

Weighing yourself can become a healthy part of your weight loss routine. It helps you in more than one way:

1. The dread of weighing yourself after a guilty pleasure day keeps you accountable to your goals.
2. It encourages you when you stay on the right track to keep it up.
3. It reminds you of the consequences when you have had a bad day and motivates you to do better.
4. When you log your weight into your food logging app, the app will automatically adjust your calorie needs for the day. As you continue to lose weight, you calorie needs will decrease. Therefore, if you want to continue losing, then you will need to continue cutting back on what you are consuming. Weighing yourself and keeping up with that is going to help you along your journey.

These are some important guidelines to remember when weighing yourself:

1. Do it regularly. Many professionals recommend to do it every day. I personally prefer to weigh myself 3-4 times per week. This is because your weight will naturally fluctuate due to a long list of variables. By spreading out my weigh-ins I am more likely to see a general trend, rather than a day-to-day fluctuation.
2. Do it consistently. The best and most accurate time of the day to get your weight is in the morning, after you have used the restroom, before you eat breakfast, and naked. It is also best to use the same scale, this will keep your measurements consistent when you are tracking your weight change.

6.  Make Better Choices

This is, by far, the most difficult part of any diet plan. I am sure that as you read this section, your guts will start to curl up and you will cringe as you start to think about it, but PLEASE! Be open-minded. I promise that if you do it one step at a time, your body will adjust, and over time, you will find that it starts coming to you naturally. Only then, will you be building habits that will be helping you support your new healthy life-style! Here are some steps to help you make better choices:

1. If you are a soda drinker, STOP! The amount of scientific research that shows how terrible sodas are for you is OVERWHELMING! If you do ANYTHING for your health, do this first. Stop drinking sodas, even the “diet”, “Zero Calorie” ones! They are TERRIBLE for you! Replace them with water or fruit infused water if you hate the taste of plain water. The internet is full of alternative beverage choices. Try anything other than sodas!
2. Start reading food labels. Simply becoming aware of the contents of your food can do wonders for your weight loss journey. Things to watch out for: Calories, Grams of Fat, Carbs, Sugar, and Protein.
3. Once you become aware of the contents of your favorite foods, start replacing the bad choices with good ones based on the following advice:
   1. Decrease your fat intake (especially Trans, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated fats these are TERRIBLE for your diet). The first thing your body does when it takes in fat, is store it in special cells called Adipose cells. It stores fat because it is a good source of energy to hold on to in case of an emergency. This characteristic comes from a time when humans did not always have access large amounts of food 24 hours per day. We stored energy to help us survive through times of drought and famine. This doesn’t happen anymore, but our bodies still store the fat, just in case.
   2. Decrease your carbohydrate and sugar intake. Your body’s first source of energy comes from sugars and carbohydrates. Think back to your biology class in high school: The process that gives our cells energy is called cellular respiration. The mitochondria (an organelle in our cells) breaks down glucose (a basic sugar molecule) with the help of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate), otherwise known as the energy molecule. When your body has used up its main sources of glucose, it starts transforming other sugars into glucose and then it moves to the carbohydrates (simple starches). After it breaks down your simple and complex starches, your body runs out of easy forms of energy. Only then, will it use its other resources: fat. In order to force your body to burn fat, you have to eat less sugar. Essentially, you are forcing your body into thinking that it is starving. Only then will it start to eat away at its stored energy in its adipose cells. This is why so many people have trouble with true dieting. Your body doesn’t like to feel like it is starving, but it is a necessity, if you want to be successful.
   3. Increase your protein intake. The most important part of my success story includes this piece of advice. I would have NEVER made it without finding food that I liked that was high in protein. Protein is an essential part of our diets. They provide the basic building blocks of our organs and muscles (called amino acids), and they take longer for your digestive tract to break down. You will be more successful if you eat more protein for two reasons:
      1. It keeps you full longer! Eating 200 calories of white meat chicken (which is mostly protein) can last me a good 4-5 hours before I need to eat something else, while 200 calories of potato chips (mostly carbs) may only hold me over for about an hour until my stomach starts grumbling again.
      2. Protein helps you build muscle. If you have opted to exercise as part of this journey, then protein will be your best friend. You will need all of the necessary amino acids to help build your new muscles and fuel your body.
   4. Drink more water—Again, I know, with the water. Water will make you feel full, keep you hydrated, help you detox, and make you feel 1,000 times better. I Promise! Just trust me, drink more water!!
   5. Find snacks that work for you and your schedule. As you start this journey, it is probable that you will get overwhelmed. Don’t try changing everything overnight. Take your time, trying out new healthier options, one at a time. When you find something you love that meets your needed nutrient requirements, start eating it! I for one LOVE Protein Meal replacement bars. They are high in protein, they satisfy me, they are relatively low in calories, and many of them TASTE DELICIOUS! Other easy options that worked for me: Low Fat Yogurt, Pre-packaged tuna or salmon, lite mozzarella string cheese, and lean cuisine meals. These options may not be in your list of desired foods, but I highly recommend getting out there, reading your food labels, and trying new things, until you find the snacks that work for you!

7.  Start Exercising

Please be aware, you do not have to be a member of a gym to exercise effectively and lose weight. Here are some easy ways to incorporate activity into your life with little-to no effort. (Remember the recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes 3 times per week!)

1. Play with your kids. This will get you off the couch, away from the TV or computer and outside. This option provides some added benefits, you will also be cultivating a relationship with your family members and you will be teaching them ways to stay healthy, too.
2. Walk your dog. We all know Fido needs our love and attention, too. Not to mention, giving him some extra exercise is already the recommended thing to do if you want to decrease the amount of mischief he might get into during the day.
3. Not a parent or pet owner? That’s ok—Find a friend or ask your spouse to get active with you. It can be as easy as taking a 30 minute stroll. You will mostly likely find that partaking in this type of activity is not overwhelming. You will soon find yourself looking forward to your time outside. You will be given the opportunity to grow closer to your friend/spouse while walking and you will both benefit from the fresh air and vitamin D.

8.  I said it once, but I will say it again: DO NOT EXPECT THIS CHANGE TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT!

Life-style changes involve building good habits. Forming any habit takes time. You may find that it is easiest to set little goals to get you started.

For example, in week one, simply set up your food tracker app, set a weight loss goal and start the biggest healthy habit, by cutting out sugary sodas and other beverages and replacing them with water.

For week two, start logging ALL of your food. Reminder: Pay attention to serving sizes and be honest with yourself. You will be surprised at the amount of food you eat in a week!

By week 3, you should be completely soda free, weighing yourself and logging that weight regularly, and attempting to replace one unhealthy snack or meal with a better option.

By the end of week 4, you will begin realizing how much easier this journey is. You will quickly start recognizing what foods are going to be bad choices for you. You will be looking for little opportunities to increase your activity levels. You will start forming healthy habits that will last you a life time. Keep it up and keep smiling!

9.  Don’t let yourself get discouraged

If you make a mistake and have a bad day, it is OKAY! You can always start over tomorrow! A lot of people find that after a few weeks of losing weight they hit a plateau and cannot go any further. Do not let this get you down either. It is extremely normal. If you get discouraged and decide to return to your old habits, then all of your progress will be lost. If you get to this point, it is also possible that you are still on track. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. If you are exercising more than the recommended amount, that is AWESOME! You need to be aware that your body will be building more muscle in this instance and muscle is denser than fat and therefore weighs more. You may be getting healthier and looking and feeling better but not losing weight. This is OKAY! Start tracking your inches lost instead. The MyFitnessPal app does have this as a goal tracking option!

Regardless of what happens, DO NOT GIVE UP! You CAN do this, but it will be difficult. Success only goes to those people who have self-control and perseverance.

If you have no trouble losing weight, but then struggle to keep it off, you are ready to ready Part 2: Staying on Track!

All About Peppermint Essential Oil

About the Plant
According to the World Health Organization in “WHO Monograph on Selected Medicinal Plants Volume 2”, the name Peppermint is one of the many common  names for the Hybrid of Mentha X piperita. The herb usually grows 30-90 cm high and exists in a perennial variation. You can find the peppermint plant being cultivated in eastern and northern Europe and the United States. It is also native to Africa.

Also found in the WHO’s volume on medicinal plants, “The major constituent of the leaves is the essential oil (0.5%-4%), which contains methol (30-55%) and menthone (14-32%)…. The structures of the major monoterpenes, menthol and menthone, are presented below” (World Health Organization, 2002).

Common Uses of Peppermint
Steven Ehrlich of UMMC states that Peppermint oil is commonly used in gum, toothpastes, and tea. Many people have also used it to sooth an upset stomach or to aid in digestion. Using Peppermint topically (when diluted in carrier oil) can be an effective way to relieve symptoms of a tension headache, skin irritations, nausea, flatulence and anxiety. Peppermint oil has many anti-microbial properties.

A list of common uses for peppermint oil include:

• Peppermint works GREAT as an energy booster. Apply it topically in the morning to wake up. You can also diffuse it when you are low on energy and need a pick-me-up.
• Take 1-2 drops internally with a enteric-coated capsule for occasional upset stomach.
• Add to your tooth paste to freshen up.
• Promote healthy respiration and clear breathing.
• Apply topically to relieve tension.
• Blend with Lavender for a soothing massage.
• Natural Bug Repellent.
• Improves focus when diffused.
• Add to shampoo for an invigorating hair massage.

Precautions
Please note, peppermint oil should not be given to an infant or small child. Adults may use it internally by adding a drop to tea or taking it by ingesting it inside an enteric-coated capsule. In addition, caution should be taken by anyone who has occasional heart burn or is taking any medications to aid in heart burn. Lastly, women who are pregnant or nursing should consult their doctor before using peppermint oil in any way.

To learn more about Essential Oils and my trusted brand click here

Disclosure: All information on teacherlovesessentialoils is meant for educational and informational purposes only. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with their health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition or are taking any medication, please consult your physician.

What are Essential Oils?

I would like to preface this post with a link to my testimonial, just in case you missed it. In short, I am a wife, a science teacher, and a lover of essential oils. I am not an “all natural” connoisseur, I eat red meat, and I go to the doctor when I catch the flu. I have found useful ways to incorporate essential oils into my health and beauty routine and I have discovered that they can be powerful, cheap, and natural alternatives to many common household products. This post will give you some basic information about essential oils. Before you can dig into the large number of uses of essential oils, it is important to understand what they are, the basic ways you can experience their benefits, and important details about safety when using them.

The basic definition of an essential oil is a mixture of compounds that have been extracted from a plant through a variety of scientific procedures. These compounds are 100% plant extracts–they are EXTREMELY concentrated, and for that reason, they are extremely affordable–just pennies per drop (one drop of peppermint oil is equal to approximately 25 cups of herbal tea). Think of an essential oil as the life blood of a plant. These compounds are products that plants produce to protect themselves from pests, communicate with each other, and attract desired pollinators.

If you have ever smelled a rose or enjoyed the scent of freshly cut grass, you have already enjoyed the benefits of experiencing essential oils. These benefits are superficial. You can discover many additional benefits that nature can give to you by reading on:

How Can Essential Oils be Used?
You can experience essential oils in 3 ways:

1. Aromatically– As mentioned above, plants often communicate using essential oils. A plant cannot walk around or discuss its problems with its neighbor verbally. Instead, plants have adapted a way of communicating many things with each other by producing compounds that are considered volatile-this means that their oils travel by air very easily.
   By diffusing essential oils in the air, you can experience their aroma and many other benefits. Beyond the AMAZING scents that you will quickly fall in love with, these compounds can have an incredible affect on your mood and hormones. For example, a common use for lavender oil is to diffuse it at night time to help an individual experience a restful night of slumber. Inducing relaxation is a great way to experience essential oils, but it is not the only common use. Diffusing oils to promote increased brain function and focus is common; citrus oils have also been known to produce a fresh clean scent, as well. You can experience essential oils aromatically by placing a drop in your hands and cupping them over your nose, or diffusing them in a diffuser.
2. Topically– Essential oils can also be experienced by applying them directly to your skin. It is important when using essential oils, you ONLY use oils that are considered therapeutic grade oils. This means that these oils have been extracted using only the best scientific methods and they do not contain any additives. Many companies will produce essential oils that are not truly therapeutic grade. The additives in the oils will compromise their effectiveness and safety.
   Using essential oils (EOs) topically can be extremely powerful. When you apply them to your feet, wrists, chest, neck or temples, they can easily penetrate your skin cells and enter your blood stream in as little as 30 seconds. In fact, in only 30 minutes after being applied topically, EOs will have had an effect on every cell in your body. This is because of their unique properties: EOs are extremely small lipid (fat) soluble compounds. For this reason, they are able to pass through the membranes of your cells without the aid of a transport protein (think back to your high school biology course for this reference).
   When using EOs topically, you can increase their cost effectiveness by diluting them in a safe carrier oil. In fact, it is recommended to dilute all of your EOs when applying them topically (but some oils MUST be diluted). By diluting your oils you decrease the cost by making each drop go further and you decrease the rate at which the oils evaporate into the air (remember how volatile they are). This practice makes them last longer and increases their effectiveness even further. See the graphic to the right for more on diluting essential oils.
3. Internally– the third way that you can experience the benefits of essential oils is by taking them internally. The easiest way to do this is by adding a drop or two to your water. There are many essential oils that can be safely ingested, as long as you trust the company you are purchasing from and the oils is a therapeutic grade oil. As you remember, plants create essential oils as a protective measure against pests. Because of this, EOs have been found to be extremely anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal compounds. Due to this fact, EOs are very useful in helping keep you healthy internally, but I also urge extreme caution if you decide to take them internally. Before you decide that this is a necessity, I suggest doing your research on the oil in question.

Other Safety Concerns to Note

Many people have found joy in using essential oils in their every day lives. It is important to learn all of the basics before diving in, though. Below is a list of important safety tips for anyone that intends on using essentials oils in their life or sharing them with members of his/her family.

Essential oils can be used safely on kids.
The same safety concerns are echoed as above, but it is important to recognize that children are much smaller than adults and have more sensitive skin.
Any time an oil is being used topically on a child it MUST be diluted. In addition, it is generally safe to dilute the oil to half the concentration of the recipe for an adult. EOs SHOULD not be given to infants internally!  Contact me for more information about using essential oils safely on children or during pregnancy.

Some essential oils can be used safely during pregnancy. However, there is a large list of essential oils that are not considered safe for pregnancy. Most of these are during the first trimester. In addition, Essential oils can cause skin irritation (dilute them with carrier oils to avoid this). Always test a small section of skin for irritation before applying an oil to a large area of your skin. If you have any natural allergies, essential oils will not be excluded from that. For example, if you have a natural allergy to sage, then using sage essential oil in any way is probably not the best option for you.
If you need to wash an essential oil off of your skin, DO NOT USE WATER! Oils are not soluble in water. Dousing your skin in water will only drive the oil deeper into your skin. Instead you should use a carrier oil for rinsing off.

Many citrus oils can induce sun sensitivity when they are used topically. Be sure to read the label of any oil for this possibility and be aware of it before applying the oil to your skin.

In summary of my safety concerns, my suggestion is to research EVERY essential oil that you intend on using before actually using it. If you question its safety, it is probably best not to include that oil into your everyday routine. I have experienced ENORMOUS benefits from including essential oils in my health and beauty routine. I cannot wait to share more detailed uses and benefits of EOs in my future entries.
For more information regarding essential oils and to learn about my trusted brand, click here.

Disclosure: All information on teacherlovesessentialoils is meant for educational and informational purposes only. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with their health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition or are taking any medication, please consult your physician.

My Testimonial

 

I am a pretty normal person. My husband and I married at a young age, I have no children (yet), I hold a bachelors degree in biology, and I chose to teach science over researching because I love sharing knowledge with others and I believe that if we want to make the world a better place, we have to start by educating future generations. I love having a background in science. It allows me to look at things from a pretty unbiased point of view. I very rarely let my emotions cloud my judgement and I always question what people tell me, before accepting it as true.

You can assume that the first time I was introduced to essential oils, I was pretty skeptical. I have never doubted professional scientists who have been published and reviewed by their peers. I trust the methods of science and I know that there are many people fighting to make our lives better. When my friend brought up the topic of essential oils I was very skeptical. If these “alternatives” could support her claims, if they could really change my life, then how come more scientists weren’t studying them? Shouldn’t they be a huge topic of scientific exploration?

As it turns out, I was completely unaware that essential oils ARE being studied by scientists. They are not being explored by huge corporations, however, because you cannot put a trademark on a pure plant product. I learned even further that most pharmaceutical  laboratories are working diligently to recreate the miracles of nature in a laboratory, by producing copy-cat compounds of these plant extracts. In fact, 50% of our current medicines come directly from plant products, and the other half are synthetic compounds that originated from the study of plant products. If they can create it synthetically, they can begin making money from it. The catch: if they create a synthetic product, it may be similar to the product, and work in similar ways, but it will ALMOST always have additives–products meant to preserve the compounds longer–products to make the compounds go further–additives that you DO NOT want in your body. This information got me interested in learning more, but I wasn’t sold, yet. I wanted to know that essential oils would work for me.

My friend offered to make a diluted mixture of peppermint oil and fractionated coconut oil for me to use. Peppermint has been named the “jack of all trades” of essential oils. It can be used to promote healthy digestion, relieve feelings of tension, and clear your airways if you are feeling congested. It was a perfect oil for me to try out. Less than 24 hours later, I had used it to relieve the pain from a tension head ache, and then I was sold.

Immediately I started researching common uses for essential oils. I found them EVERYWHERE! So much information and so many uses! I intend on sharing more with you in my next post: What are Essential Oils?

If you would like more information about essential oils and my trusted brand, click here.