Beginners Need to Know How to Dilute and Store Their Essential Oils

Diluting your essential oils is crucial. I don't understand why the companies don't emphasize this more. You need to dilute your oils mainly for health and safety reasons, so you can control the amount of oil you apply topically but also because you waste so much oil just dripping one drop at a time. You get the drop that you want plus the one that rolls down the side of the bottle you just poured the oil from.

It would be cynical of me to think or say that the essential oil companies don't say much about diluting it so they can sale more oil, and I don't think that is the case. There are too many other ways than just topically to use the oils where they don't need to be diluted, but for topical use the oil should always be diluted. ALWAYS!

I had been using my new oils for about two weeks, just diluting a little as I needed and then, one day, I looked at a couple of my bottles and they were more than half gone! Where did it go? I used some of the oil neat (straight from the bottle) and I wasted a lot each time I diluted a small amount for the immediate need, spilling some and not using all I diluted.

Here is what everyone should be yelling from the rooftops. Get some bottles, some tops and some carrier oil and go ahead and dilute the ones you use all the time. I use organic grape seed oil as my carrier oil because I can find it locally but most vegetable oils are fine to use. The carrier oils also have components that can make a difference.

For me it was a eucalyptus, peppermint and tea tree blend for my sinuses, lavender just because it is lavender!, tea tree for bites and rashes, and a couple of other blends for mood management.

I use 15 ml bottles. 15 ml = 1/2 oz = 1 Tablespoon. For a 2% solution you need to put in 9 drops of essential oil. I like a 2.5% solution so I drop in 11 drops.

All of the oil companies offer different beginner sets to help get the newbie introduced to the most common oils and their uses. I know I was hesitant at first, not wanting to waste that liquid gold and definitely not wanting to hurt myself somehow. They should always add a small bottle of carrier oil and a few small brown bottles with drippers and tops with each set! Also a short instruction sheet with dilution ratios and just the most rudimentary information would be a huge help.

You guys just remember to dilute according to the person that will be using the oil, children should use a 1% solution as long as they are over 6 months old

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Making Beeswax Lotion

Today was the day to try to make a full batch of lotion. I've made a small batch before. I just got some coconut oil, poured a smaller amount of grapeseed oil on top and heated it in the microwave. No measurements, just thinking about making coconut oil the consistency of lotion. It worked out great!! I added some lavender essential oil I had and voila! Lotion! Wifey loved it. It was just in a little espresso cup. She used it all in about a week.

Today I decided to make enough lotion for 2 half pint mason jars. Even though I know a pint equals16 ounces, I decided to use a measuring cup to get the exact volume of the 2 jars. I poured 1 and a half cups of water into the jars. My recipe, to follow, is for a cup of lotion, so it was pretty easy to add 50% more ingredients at the correct ratio and have the amount I needed.

As you get to know me, you will understand me when I say "It is never 'pretty easy' for me."! I put the beeswax and coconut oil in the jars and dropped them in a water bath to melt. I couldn't help but notice that the jars were almost full and I hadn't added the soft oils yet. Hmmmm, maybe the beeswax will melt down more. Somehow I had adjusted my recipe by 150% instead of 50% so I had twice as much beeswax and coconut oil as I needed for this batch. No problem! I found 2 more half pint jars and split the melted wax and oil between the four jars. Not too big a deal! My problem now was to figure out who to give the extra to!

When I poured the melted ingredients into the cold jars the beeswax solidified on the sides but I fixed that by putting the jars in the microwave and re-melting that part.

Next I added the soft oils, Aloe Vera gel and Grape Seed oil. They were both at room temperature and made a bit of a glob in the jars but with a good bit of stirring it all mixed well.

After the jars of lotion cooled a bit I added the essential oils. I get my essential oil from Native American Nutritionals and have always been satisfied with the products and customer service. If you are ever looking for a place to get some essential oils, call Paul or just send him an email if you have any questions. I made the 4 jars all a little different. I made one jar with Aligning essential oil blend. It helps keep a person grounded and focused on the task at hand. It's the one I will use the most. The next one was for Wifey, a combination of Lavender, Lemon and Skin Care blend. The two extra jars were scented with Love essential oil blend and Citrus Passion blend. You can read all about the different therapeutic benefits of these oils on Native American Nutritionals website.

 

Two of the jars separated a little, with a little of the liquid collected at the bottom of the jar. All I had to do was put them in the microwave and warm them up so I could stir them better.

This recipe should last at room temperature for about four months and in the fridge for about six months, maybe more. I put the extras in the fridge. Wifey and I both like this lotion recipe better than just adding enough grape seed oil to the coconut oil and stirring it all up! Remember "Put the lime in the Coconut"? Here's the recipe


John's Simple Beeswax Lotion
For one cup of lotion

1/4 cup Beeswax
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gel
1/4 cup Grape Seed Oil
10 drops good essential oil (adjust to your liking)

I used the jars to melt and mix in.

Put the beeswax and coconut oil in the jar and place in a pot of water up to about 2/3 up the jar. Turn the heat on low to medium low and warm till all the solids have dissolved, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to low or just turn it off. Add the soft oils to the jars while still in the warm water and stir well. At this point I add my essential oils and mix well. Remember to use the amount that you like. I like a little milder than most people. Some people say to wait until the lotion is room temperature but I've tried stirring lotion at room temperature and it didn't work for me.

Remember, you can adjust these amounts to suit your needs. You might like a little less beeswax, so add the amount in coconut oil to make up the difference. Replace a hard oil with a hard oil (or besswax) and a soft oil with a soft oil.

I hope you all enjoy making this lotion. It is always better to make things at home.

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Where Do I Go to Get Started in Essential Oils?

Whenever I make a purchase, I look long and hard for quality, value and price. I read everything I could find on the four companies below and hope this will make your purchase easier.

I am not in a position to do a review of any of these companies but I do have an educated opinion that might help you get started in the right direction. 

First, the 2 most popular essential oil companies currently are DoTerra and Young Living. They offer distributorships to those of the entrepreneurial ilk or have distributors where you can buy their products. They offer classes and have a good support network to help people new to essential oils get started. The oils are top quality, but they are at the top when it comes to prices. The prices are better if you are a distributor and there may be a chance to make some extra money for that real go-getter salesperson.



Another company to look at is Native American Nutritionals. Native American and Rocky Mountain Oils have joined forces and are working together now. I believe that their quality is as high as any other company out there and their prices are a little better. 



I ordered my first oils from Native American (NAN). I bought the basic one kit and have been using all of the single oils and blends. The Basic One kit contains Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree in single oils and the blends are Flu Time, Arthritis Plus, Tranquility, Aligning and Skin Care.


For information on the use of EOs, they refer you to the e-zine Essential Health, which has a lot of articles to get you started and thinking of different ways to use your new oils.


Now, here's the kicker. Just last week I was trying to find a source of EOs that was high quality AND reasonably priced and ran across Plant Therapy. I use the internet to research just about everything I buy and this was no different.

This is a great source of information - https://www.facebook.com/groups/717267978298069/  It is a great place to learn how to safely use essential oils.

 I liked Plant Therapy’s Q & A series on their blog, for getting started with the basics.  You can read Part 1, Part 2. and Part 3.   Be sure to check out their blog, too.  It’s loaded with recipes and DIY tips that use essential oils.

Even though I haven't had a chance to use or review any of their oils I think I will make my next purchase from them, because they have been tested the same as the other companies and the quality seems to be the same if not higher. They have a line of organic oils also. Through all of the checking and research I did I couldn't find anything negative about them. Maybe I will get a chance to review their oils in the near future.

Now the price. The EOs available from Plant Therapy are almost all half the price of the other companies! That is a huge savings. They have blends (synergies) that are comparable to the other companies and a good selection of single oils.

I hope this helps you in making your decision of where to purchase your Essential Oils. They will make a huge difference in your families life, from healthcare to cleaning you home and it is the only way I have found to guarantee that the products I use are safe.

New Direction

I am reworking this blog with the weight of the info toward holistic living and the therapeutic use of essential oils. I plan to get a forum started soon. This blog will in no way be connected to any essential oil companies but will be open to all.


Wifey and I also loosely follow the Forks Over Knives way of eating. It has changed our lives in ways we never imagined. Lower weight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, more energy, better sleep at night... the list goes on and on.

http://essential-oils-and-other-home-remedies.56497.x6.nabble.com