Before we get any further into this post, I want you to know I have no clue what I’m doing with essential oils, but I recently tried to incorporate them into my life, and I wanted to let you know my thoughts in case you, like me, are thinking about shelling out some cash to see what these things are all about.

Originally, all I knew was that everyone (except me, until recently) seems to use and love essential oils and evidently they cure almost everything. Since I’m trying (but mainly failing, if we’re being honest) to live a healthier, more chemical-free lifestyle, I thought I’d give these things a try.

So, I bought some essential oils. Then I looked at them, and looked at them some more, and put them away in my cabinet, and wondered what the heck I was supposed to be doing with them.

I scoured the internet for suggestions, of course, but there were almost too many articles out there and really no great explanations on how to just get started. Plus, some people say to put them on your skin, other people warn not to, some women say they can be ingested, some sites say NEVER to ingest them – I was getting more than a bit confused/intimidated.

And then I went to my friend’s apartment and she was using this essential oil diffuser and all of my questions were quickly solved.

People. If you have no idea what you’re doing with essential oils, start with a diffuser! All you need to do is add water and a few drops of whatever essential oils you’d like to have diffused throughout your house, and plug it in! I bought this diffuser from Amazon I found this site that has a few combinations of essential oils I love, so I’ve been using a few of these and my house smells great! To be honest, I have no idea if it’s doing anything for our health, but it can’t be hurting – right?!

My favorite combination is 2 drops lavender, 2 drops rosemary, 2 drops lemon.

I also use a few drops of lavender in my baths/showers to relax (or peppermint if I have a stuffy nose – darn cold season).

I haven’t used any oils on Clara yet, but I’ve heard that lavender oil on her feet (mixed with coconut oil as a base) might help her to sleep better – I’ll keep you posted if I get brave enough to try that.

I know this post was kind of all over the place, but so is my brain this morning. Here are my concluding thoughts on essential oils, though:

• I think essential oils smell great and I love being able to buy plain Epsom salt for my baths and then adding whatever scent I want to it. It’s cheaper than buying ‘fancy’ Epsom salts!
• I use my diffuser daily and am convinced it’s the best way to start using essential oils in your home, especially if you’re like me and have no idea what you’re doing.
• I’m still wondering whether people go on and on about essential oils because they’re selling them, or whether people genuinely love them as much as they say they do.
• Personally, I’m not sure I have yet to believe all of the hype about how essential oils can be used medicinally, but I also haven’t really tried.

Do you use essential oils? Do you have any tips on getting started?