Essential Oils: My Story
As a plant mom and gardener you guys know I truly believe in the power of plants and not only how therapeutic caring for them can be, but also using them to their full potential. As farmers, my family lives by the saying “food is medicine,” (first said by Socrates!) or basically, choose wisely because what you put in your body has the power to either heal you or do the opposite. This notion couldn’t be more true and I’ve seen it play out in life many times.
Now what was that about essential oils?
Essential oils are basically plants in a different form – oils are distilled from plants and harness their potent benefits in a nice little package! So naturally I found myself extremely intrigued by them; I discovered it was basically like having my own extra-powerful garden right inside my home.
But I wasn’t always a believer in essential oils…
In the spring of 2010 I was 23 and studying for my masters in Florence, Italy when I came down with Shingles. There is nothing you can really do to cure Shingles, as I learned, so local doctors recommended I go to an apothecary. An apoth-a-what!? I had never heard of such a place but I had nothing to lose and the shingles were PAINFUL, plus finals were coming up, so I took their advice.
I met the sweetest Italian apothecary owner and explained my dilemma (all in Italian!). She was so empathetic as she too had suffered from shingles some years ago. She sold me a simple blend of essential oils, lavender and frankincense, that I was to apply to the blisters as often as needed for relief. Sounded like witchcraft to me🤣 But again, I was desperate, it couldn’t hurt right!?
To much my disbelief as SOON as I rubbed the oil on the pain subsided significantly. I was shocked. I kept using it and day by day not only did my pain subside but the blisters actually started healing! How could modern medicine not have a cure or relief for me but these magical oils were seemingly healing!? I was so grateful, the experience was incredibly eye-opening and had completely changed my life.
Upon my return from Italy I was fascinated and instantly hooked on essential oils! I started using oils in making soaps, tinctures, balms, sprays and serums galore, we used them in our home and giving them away to friends and family. I still make all the soap bars my family uses to this day and essential oils have become a major part of our low-tox lifestyle!
Quality & Purity Count
As far as the oils went it wasn’t until I got pregnant with my first child that I started researching the highest quality essential oils out there (alongside researching other low/no-toxin products for our home). Not only did I want to know the ingredients going into my products but now I wanted to make sure they were also the absolute highest and purest quality I could get my hands on. It was actually appalling and shocking to find out how fake and adulterated some oils are when they claim to be 100% pure, especially if purchased through a third party like Amazon.
So time and time again I kept coming back to Young Living. I resisted for a while but decided to try a starter kit, then I went for some household products and soon I was hooked. The quality was like nothing I had ever experienced in an essential oil!
Plus as a farmer, I deeply respect their transparency on their sustainability practices and standards. You’ll find all the information you need to know reading about their Seed to Seal promise, their sourcing/farming, testing/science and overall sustainability standards go BEYOND organic and you won’t find another company like that. Side note, I’m always down to nerd out about farming and plant science as well if you ever want to discuss or want more information!
Check out this short video for more info about Seed to Seal!
My Journey to Toxin-Free Living
That was in 2018 and I’ve never looked back.
Slowly I started replacing all of our household cleaning products, making my own DIY recipes and investing in YL brand (CLEAN) products I knew I could trust. As a new mom my anxieties were put to ease because I knew I had begun creating a safe, toxin-free environment for our family.
My eyes also opened up to the world of how awesome oils could be for my baby – lavender + chamomile in the diffuser for sleeping, copaiba on the gums for teething, lavender on the belly for gas, a gentle baby roller for general soothing. Plus, Young Living has an entire line of baby products, Seedlings, which quickly became our favorite!
Naturally as a blogger, I share things. So when something works or I like it, I talk about. I mean if oils were working for me why couldn’t they work for someone else right?! So that’s what I’m doing and I’ve realized so many people struggle with the same things:
- emotional & mental health support
- hormone regulation
- sleep/fatigue
- headaches
- inability to focus
- immune support
- support for babies
- finding toxin-free products
I want to share with people the relief, support, comfort and confidence that I get from essential oils because it has been truly life changing.
I could go on and on about the benefits of essential oils and why I chose Young Living for my family but I hope to share more of our journey (and our DIY recipes!) in blog posts as we go.
Some of my favorite ways to use oils:
- In the diffuser
- Rollers, especially my calming rollers for anxiety and grief💗
- Sleep support
- Immune system suport
- Garden pest sprays
- Bug repellents
- Face serums/skincare
- Foot massages and sleep routines for Luca!
- Cooking & in drinks
- Cleaning & laundry
The list is endless!
When I ordered the starter kit (12 most common oils + diffuser) I didn’t realize how much it would impact me. It sounds kind of stupid, yes I know, but really – I didn’t! I thought I was just getting something that would make the air smell nice and help me fall asleep faster. And while it did those things, boy did it do so much more!
If you want to hear more about my oils journey and how I use them daily, follow my oils instagram account @christinemcovino. I share everything from daily routines, to DIY ideas/recipes, how to use oils, and so much more.
If you want to grab your own starter kit and join me – head to this page and order! We also have an exclusive facebook group for my entire community to learn, share, and support one another while we’re using oils. It’s like one big happy family and SO much fun to connect with people from all over! I’ll also send you a welcome kit with info + goodies to start out. So in short, you’re not alone in figuring things out, I’m with you all the way through to support, teach, encourage, and whatever else you need.
Let’s do it together!
Young Living has truly changed our lives for the better and I LOVE learning more and more about oils everyday. Like gardening for me, this is a lifelong passion✨
