Is Your Essential Oil Lady Lying to You? Top Three Tips from someone who is NOT earning a commission!

Essential Oils! Nature’s pharmacy! No matter their religious, scientific, or social world-views humanity has been medicating itself with botanicals since the dawn of time.

In the last decade, probably more specifically the last 5 or 7 years the use of essential oils has once again, skyrocketed, thanks in large part to several national, multi-level marketing, (at home business) and direct sales companies that have started branding and selling them.

I guess that I should start by saying that, I am not now, nor have I ever been a consultant for a company selling essential oils. Well then, you might ask...how is this girl qualified to tell anyone anything? Well...Like I mentioned above, I have been using Essential Oils, directly, in my daily life for well over a decade, and indirectly via natural and handmade products for close to 15 years. I am a CNHP, (Certified Natural Health Practitioner), and a Certified Health Specialist, as well, with Board Certifications from AADP (The American Association of Drugless Practitioners) and next semester will begin my journey to becoming a Master Herbalist. Whew...now that that’s out of the way…

I remember when I first got into using Essential Oils, back when people assumed you were some kind of ancient witch, peddling your snake oils and hippie voodoo! It never ceases to make me giggle that many of the people who I tried to talk to about holistic healing, natural health, and yes, essential oils, the ones who looked at me like I was a crazy person and even worse, some kind of spiritual heretic...are, you guessed it; now direct sales consultants, selling essential oils. 

I’m not here to bash any brand or company in particular and no, I’m not planning to share with you the brand of oils that I use personally, (send me a message or reach out on IG if you’re really dying to know.) I will say, I do not buy from the big MLM brands. But, if you’re interested in essential oils, (and you should be) here are the TOP THREE TIPS from someone who loves oils and who is NOT earning a sales-commission!

Tip 1: Don’t believe the Marketing Myth of “Certifications”

Now, my agenda here is not to get down on consultants who sell Essential Oils, or the multi-level marketing companies that recruit them, however, in my industry, I meet a lot of them...and over the years I have heard some pretty quirky things. For example, just this week I heard this (again) from someone I know personally: 

“Make sure to only use (Insert her EO brand here) because they are the only oils that are certified to be used internally.”

Sounds innocent enough. She’s just trying to educate and protect her customers, right? Well, it would be innocent enough, if any of it were actually true, and this is where the problem lies. Whether or not this gal was intending to lie or mislead her friends, customers, and closest social media friends or not, (for the record, I don’t believe that she was) the information that she was providing  people, the information that she was likely provided by her parent company simply isn’t true. Well, it’s not the entire truth! Let me explain…

Currently in the US there is no regulatory agency at the national, federal, or state level that tests, certifies, accredits, recognizes, licenses, authorizes, or approves essential oils. Let me say that again...there is absolutely no government agency (like the FDA) that regulates essential oils, or really much of anything else in the holistic, homeopathic, and natural health and wellness industry...and for most of us in the industry, that’s just the way that we like it! 

So, what was this consultant talking about? Well, many of the MLM Essential Oil brands do, in fact, have programs in place where their oils are tested and certified for quality, but they are internal certifications only.

Quality control is extremely important, and for the sake of the integrity of the industry at large, I am thankful that these brands do check and double check their products by rigorous standards but we need to remember that they are merely internal standards. Based on the internal certification of a particular brand, of course their oils will be “the only ones to be certified for internal use.” They obviously aren’t going to “certify” another brand’ s product with their internal program. So, when they say that their oils are the only oils to be certified…blah, blah, blah, they are technically correct, because they are the only oils that they internally tested.

You may say that I am simply arguing semantics, and you may be right...but what is semantics if not the implied meaning of a thing? And, in this case, the implied meaning is very clear. “Only our certified oils are safe. Other oils are not. Don’t put yourself in danger. Buy only our oils!”

This just isn’t true. Be very wary of anyone attempting to tell you that “their” product is the “only” product that is “safe.”

Tip 2: Be careful of the “If one drop is good...two drops are better” mentality.

As Americans, one of the easiest marketing traps that we fall into is the lie of, “If a little is good, more must be better.” Chalk it up to the influence of capitalism, our need for constant improvement while being notoriously impatient, or just the simple fact that more of something does sound like a better option than less of something. No matter the reason, we fall for it…hard and the Marketing Directors of the world are thrilled that we do.

More bubbles in our detergent.

More points on your credit card.

More food on our plates.

More eyelashes on our faces.

More, more, more…

This kind of thinking can be very dangerous when it comes to the use of essential oils but, sadly, that often doesn’t stop young, inexperienced, or under-educated consultants from using this as a sales method. And, why wouldn’t they? The more product that you, as the consumer, use the more product that you repurchase and the more commission they can earn.

One of the more dangerous examples of this that I can recall, in recent history, was when I heard a consultant with a mainstream MLM company selling her customer on the benefits of grapefruit oil, which can be used to help support a healthy metabolism, however this consultant said the following:

“Grapefruit oil is great for weight loss. All you need to do is put 10 drops into a glass of water or juice and drink it each morning as soon as you wake up. It’s so simple.”

It was everything for me not to scream…”No, dear god, if you have any emotional attachment to your liver, please do not do that!”

Essential oils are the distilled and pressed essences of herbs, roots, nuts, and flowers and they are very, very potent. Honestly there is not a single oil that I would ever recommend ingesting 10 drops of in one sitting for any reason. I wouldn’t use 10 drops of oil to diffuse in my home over the course of an entire day…not to mention the fact that almost all citrus oils, when applied topically, or when in ingested, can make you photo-sensitive and extremely likely to burn in the sun! (But, no…this consultant didn’t bother to pass along any of that information!) 10 drops and guzzle it down. “It’s so simple…”

Personally, do I ingest essential oils? Yep, I do.

Am I ever going to tell you that you should…or what oils to ingest for what reasons/illnesses…or what dosage to take? Nope! I’m not!

Want to know why? Because, even with all of the training, education, licensures and experience that I have with essential oils, I’m not a doctor and legally I can not diagnose, prescribe, or treat patients…and yes, that does include telling someone that they can lose weight by drinking 10 drops of grapefruit EO in their water or juice everyday!

When it comes to Essential Oils, more is not better and you should steer clear of consultants or sales-people who frame the benefits of oils in a light that assumes that it is or who try to “prescribe” a regimented dose or regular use to treat your medical condition.

Tip 3: You don’t need $500 worth of oils

Full disclosure, I have a lot of oils…like A LOT of oils but it’s a collection that I have grown over the years and, if I’m honest, there are only a handful that I use on a daily, or even on a weekly, basis.

High quality Essential Oils are not cheap, although, in my experience the MLM brands tend to be even more expensive than they need to be (mostly because there needs to be the consultant commission built into the retail price of their oils.) If you are new to oils it can be a bit of sticker shock to pay $20 for a little bottle of oil that’s not much bigger than a tube of lipstick! If you’re not careful the investment of oils might turn you off entirely. Or, you might end up spending way more than you wanted to!

The variety packs, with their dozens of tiny bottles, stylish travel cases, and bright colored labels are tempting, I know, but rest assured that you do not need hundreds of dollars worth of essential oils to get started using botanicals. Here are a list of the TOP 5 Oils I believe that everyone should have in their homes…the three I consider my holy trinity of oils, a number 6 oil, if you can swing it, and I’ll share with you which one I would snap up if I could only buy ONE bottle.

Tea Tree Oil - Naturally antibacterial, great for wound care, Can help soothe pain related to toothaches, and does a great job of battling acne and other dermatological issues.

Lavender Oil - Also great for wound care, full of calming qualities and helps aid emotional and mental health, can be used as a sleep aid, helps soothe skin rashes, minor burns, and insect stings plus it has anti-aging benefits.

Peppermint Oil - Can help to clear sinuses and ease pressure that leads to headaches, aids in settling an upset stomach or soothing motion sickness. Keeps many bugs and insects away and can help with concentration and focus.

Frankincense Oil - Has anti-inflammatory properties, can help with bruising, great for skin-health, aids in mood and emotional support, promotes circulation and can help soothe the symptoms of nerve damage.

Lemon Oil - Great for cleaning and helps to purify the air. Works as an all natural “goo-gone.” Helps to support mental health and uplift mood and is great for the skin.

Lemongrass Oil - BONUS OIL (Yes, this is different that Lemon Oil) Naturally anti fungal and can help significantly with foot and toenail issues. Great for cleaning, and also helps to detox the air. Full of antioxidants, it can help to support gut and GI health.

My trio of “holy trinity” oils are: Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, and Peppermint Oil…I call these my “medicine cabinet” oils. From bee stings to motion sickness, headaches, cuts, or even minor burns, with these three oils, there isn’t too much that can go wrong in your home that they can’t help with.

If I could only buy ONE bottle of oil, it would be….drum roll, please, Lavender Oil! Great for the body and great for the mind!

The basics of essential oils may seem mysterious and complicated but with good quality oils and the right education it’s really nothing to be confused by. In fact, you may be surprised to learn how many simple ways there are to reap the benefits of a more natural and non-toxic health and wellness routine by just incorporating essential oils into your daily life in very small, unobtrusive ways! The earth and all it’s gifts daily nurture and sustain us…let us always be grateful!

I really hope that these tips have given you a little more insight about the world of Essential Oils and how you might use them in your home! Got more questions? Drop them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer them!

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Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador

Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!

Why You Should Be Cooking More If You're Struggling With Your Mental Health: Five Emotional Benefits of Preparing and Serving Food

“No one tells you the hardest thing about being an adult is deciding what to make for dinner. Every night. For the rest of your life.”

These days lot of people seem to have a love it or hate it approach to food and cooking. It’s either something you really enjoy or something you can’t seem to master, don’t have time for, and wish you didn’t have to tackle every single day! It’s no big surprise, then, that the fast-food industry alone accounts for over $110 billion dollars annually and over 35% of American adults eat fast food every single day!

Sadly, the irony, for folks struggling to stay emotionally healthy, is that a diet that includes fast food on a regular basis, filled with its excess sodium, trans-fats, refined carbs, not to mention loads of sugar, in reality, will only serve to hinder health; mental, emotional, and otherwise.

Here are FIVE simple ways that cooking is good for your mental health and why you should be doing it more often!

1. You get to take control!

Like a lot of things in life, cooking is about more than just the finished product. It’s about the process. For many people there are a lot of control issues, that are all tied up for them emotionally, when it comes to food. Cooking can help to untie all those knots. Cooking allows you to take back control of the chaos. The process of creation can be a very emotionally empowering. When you’re cooking you have the ability to take all of these individual elements, sometimes seemingly unrelated things, that on their own seem disjointed or even off-putting, and carefully rearrange them, restoring order, and creating something beautiful and delicious.

2. You get to use all your senses!

Grounding is a practice that is often taught and used by those who struggle with anxiety or experience panic attacks and centers around quieting the mind by focusing on the use of each of the 5 senses. Cooking is a perfect vehicle to practice grounding:

Touch: You can focus on the feeling of the weight of the chef’s knife in your hand or the resistance as you slice through the onion. You can feel how the soft fluffy tops of a bunch of carrots almost tickle your palms or how rough the bumpy skin on an avocado feels under your fingertips as you prepare to bisect it’s exterior.

Sight: The world of cooking is full of beautiful things to look at; the sheer rainbow of colors in your local produce department to start with! When you are cooking you must constantly be monitoring the process with your eyes. Is that oil smoking? Is the pasta floating in the water, or did it sink? Are those mushrooms taking on too much color? Does that sauce look thick enough?

Hearing: This might not seem like an obvious sense that is used in cooking but you may be surprised! Does the lettuce sound crisp and crunchy as you slice through it to make your salad? Does the garlic sizzle as it hits the hot pan…how much sizzle? Too much and it may burn. Can you hear your pasta sauce boiling? If so, it means it’s time to turn down the heat to a simmer!

Smell: If you’re cooking endeavors are successful, hopefully the smells emanating from your kitchen will be pleasant ones, but try to pick up on some of the more subtle smells as you are cooking. Do herbs smell different after being toasted? How so? What about adding salt to vegetables when sauteing them? How does that open up their scent? Can you smell the slight tart difference between milk and buttermilk?

Taste: The most obvious of the senses when cooking is clearly taste but try not to take this one for granted. Take the opportunity to taste the individual ingredients and not just the finished product. What does tofu really taste like…anything? Or, does it take on the favor of the sauces it’s being cooked in? How do Sweet Basil and Thai Basil differ? How does the addition of texture (using flour or corn starch to thicken a soup or sauce) change a dishes flavor?

3. Cooking allows you to exercise your creativity!

As a person who likes to consider herself a creative type, I have always found it fundamentally sad to hear people tell me, “Well, I’m not creative.” I have a personal theory that I repeat to people as often as they will listen. “Not everyone is artistic but everyone is creative.” I truly believe this, with all my heart, I believe this! All of our minds work in slightly different ways and that’s what makes us beautiful! All of our taste-buds do too and that’s what makes cooking beautiful! Cooking is more of an improv class than a classic Shakespearean drama and it’s a great place to experiment and let your creativity run wild! Does the recipe call for capers but you don’t have any? What other ingredient might you have that has that same or similar flavor profile…perhaps you could dice some green olives and use them instead? Improv in the kitchen is no different than improv on the stage…a little intimidating at first but once you learn to trust yourself it honestly becomes the most fun part!

4. It’s a healthier choice!

When we’re struggling emotionally it can often bleed over into the physical areas of our lives. You may find yourself feeling less motivated to care for yourself like you normally would. Consistent sleep habits go out the window, personal hygiene seems less and less important and exercise may seem like too much of a chore to tackle but you’ve still got to eat! People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who don’t cook and, as we stated earlier, consume far less sodium, sugar, and fat…all which can contribute to feeling sluggish, unmotivated, foggy minded, and bloated, none of which support good mental health. The one simple step of cooking at home is an easy way to set your feet squarely back onto the path towards making more healthy choices. It’s amazing how much easier that healthy choices number two and number three become come once you have tackled the first one.

5. Cooking can connect you to other people!

One of the hardest things to overcome when you’re struggling inside your own mind is the impulse to self-isolate. Mental illness lies to you and tells you that you’re the only one who has ever felt this way, that no one else can understand what you’re experiencing, and that you don’t have any value to others when you’re feeling like this! Food says, “nonsense!” Distraction can be a powerful tool when you’re fighting these kinds of feelings and cooking a delicious meal that you can share with others is a great distraction. You don’t need to throw a 5 course dinner party with the perfect wine pairing and french inspired dessert! You can ask a co-worker you know is missing her kids, who are away at college, to come over for some homemade soup and garlic bread or pack a picnic with handmade sandwiches, a tossed salad and fresh squeezed lemonade, and ask a friend to meet you at a local park! Food is best when shared with people and conveniently so are most of us!

While cooking at home might seem like another stressor, and something better off avoided, the reality is that, for many, shopping for, prepping, and preparing your own food on a regular basis can do wonders to help lift mood and calm stress and anxiety. Turns out, in this case, eating your emotions might not be such a bad things after all!

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Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador

Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!

New Study Finds Women Have 84 “Bad Skin” Days A Year! Five Habits to Take Back Your Skin and Your Pocket Book!

According to a new poll, the average woman says that she experiences 84 “Bad Skin” days a year! EIGHTY-FOUR! That’s 7 days a month…once every 4.5 days, spending, on average, over 10k in the course of her lifetime on products designed to combat her troubled-skin. With most women citing wrinkles, acne and dark circles among their biggest anxieties, dry skin, enlarged pores and age spots also made the list.

Sadly, one in three adult women claims that her skin makes her feel insecure and stressed. Ironically, most skincare experts will agree that stress and anxiety can be major factors in all kinds of skin trauma from eczema and acne flair-ups to premature wrinkles and a sallow complexion.

One of the major problems in today’s beauty industry is that the products that these women are buying to try to “fix” their skin are actually, in most cases, helping to contribute to the overall skin challenges that they experience! Did you know that creams, serums, lotions, and washes that contain chemical fillers, toxic preservatives, unnatural fragrance and added dyes are actually working to further your skin problems? (And that is just how the big brands like it.)

The current philosophy on skincare from the big-box brands is closer to triage than therapy…a band-aid on a bullet hole, if you will.  Products designed for immediate, albeit temporary, results make us feel good about our purchase but in the long run, rarely ever deliver the advertised results. Instead, the products are actually designed to keep your skin in an unhealthy cycle so that you will need to buy more of their products!

But, you can break the cycle…take back your skin and your pocketbook by adopting these 5 healthy skincare habits today:

1. You are what you eat. Clean food. Clean skin. 

People don’t much like this fact, but it’s a fact, none-the-less. You simply can not put trash into your body and expect your skin not to suffer. Like any organ, our skin feeds and is maintained by the food and nourishment that we ingest. We aren’t talking about the old wives-tale of eating a chocolate bar or some fries today and having a break-out tomorrow, that’s not how the science of nutrition works. Our bodies, however, were designed to run best on fresh fruits, lots of vegetables and minor amounts of lean protein and our skin is no exception! Oh, yeah…and this should go without saying but DRINK WATER…lots and lots of water. (You already know this…now, just do it!)

2. Get a little sun!

In moderation, of course! We aren’t saying to skip the sunblock if you are planning an entire day at the beach or a family vacation to a theme park this summer but remember a little Vitamin D is good for you and your skin! Extreme sunburn and sun poisoning is nothing to mess around with but on a daily basis, when you are simply out running errands…try skipping the chemical-laden sunscreen. In fact, some research may point to synthetic, chemical, sunscreens doing more harm, and leading to more cancer long-term, in patients that overused the products than in those who simply avoided the sun or only experienced moderate sun exposure without consistent or long-term burning. If you really feel the need to lather up…try a sunblock made with natural ingredients, like essential oils, for a more eco-friendly way to protect your skin.

3. Ditch the “Pretty” Scents and Colorful Creams.

Love the smell of a Toasted Marshmallow Latte, Caribbean Teakwood, or Coconut Vanilla Breeze? Our advice, buy a candle…and keep it out of your skincare. The world of sweet-smelling creams, lotions, body mists, and shower gels is almost infinite at this point. Thanks to the scientific technology of fragrance engineering if you can wish it, you can probably smell like it. Everything from Cucumber to Cotton Candy Cola is up for grabs when it comes to scented body products. The problem is that almost all of these scents are synthetic and loaded with all kinds of chemicals and preservatives that have no place on our skin, or in our bodies. Beware of packaging that says things like, “Made with All Natural Moisturizers” or “Enriched with Organic Ingredients.” These claims may be partially true but even products and brands that actually do use other reasonably high-quality ingredients often blow it at the end with the addition of artificial perfumes and synthetic dyes. Instead, look for all natural brands that use 100% pure essential oils to add scent to their products and natural mica powders, sea clay and minerals for color.

4. Start Dry Brushing Daily!

What is dry brushing? Dry brushing is pretty much just what it sounds like. A practice that reminds us that our skin and skincare is a total body objective, not just something we do to our faces! With a dry, short-bristled body brush, lightly stroke the skin, beginning at the toes and ankles upward toward the heart. Continue up the legs and torso and then brush the hands and arms, always working with long, gentle, strokes moving toward the heart. Dry brushing is not only a natural and gentle way to exfoliate the skin, it also helps promote circulation and aids the body in moving toxins through the lymphatic system and out of the body. Dry brushing is especially beneficial when combined with a daily prayer or meditation routine helping to detox both the mind and the body.

5. Start with quality, all natural, SOAP!

In truth, this last one should maybe have been #1 on our list because it really is the easiest thing to do for your skin to see major results! The most simple, and most beneficial thing that you can do, on a daily basis, for your skin is to use an all natural soap when you shower and bathe. Did you know that most of the products that we use as “soap” today are actually not soap at all? The body bars, the cleansing gels, and the foaming micro-scrubs that line the “soap” isles of our popular big box and drug stores are primarily, chemically developed detergents, not soap. Switching over to a preservative-free, natural soap, like these, can not only help to balance the pH of the skin but because there are no toxic components it won’t contribute to dry or flaky skin or aggravate irritated or acne prone skin. Restoring a natural balance to your bodies largest organ, you will find that, over time, you need less lotion and have fewer problem areas to deal with, overall. Your skin will maintain a natural glow and not need to be pampered like it once was, saving you not only time but money, as well.

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Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador

Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!