Simplify Your Natural Lifestyle With Essential Oils
The material in this post is for informational/educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
A few years ago, I was completely overwhelmed with trying to live more simply. I wanted to grow my own food, make everything from scratch, and get rid of everything that wasn’t all-natural.
But instead of discovering a more peaceful and simple lifestyle, I just ended up as one tired and stressed person who was running around trying to do all the things.
Since that time, I’ve learned a lot more about what simple living really means, and I’m not nearly so stressed out about trying to have a perfect lifestyle.
Discovering essential oils and how to use them was one of the things that made all-natural living so much more simple for me. They are basically a powerful force of nature in a small bottle and have so many uses.
Whether you are new to essential oils or a long-time fan, it’s easy to use them to make natural living way simpler. Here are some ways to do it.
Essential Oils Easily Replace Toxins
One of the big things for me about living all-naturally is getting rid of as many toxins in my environment as I can. This is important to a lot of people as we learn more about what’s really in the products we use every day.
The word ‘toxin’ can refer to a lot of different things- synthetic ingredients, chemicals that can cause disease, artificial flavorings, and so on.
With the research still coming in on how everyday products and even the food we eat could be filled with chemicals that make us sick, it was and is a priority for me to get rid of as many of these toxins and chemicals as possible.
But it turns out getting rid of toxins is quite a process. It involves a lot of label reading, research, failed DIY projects, trying out new products, etc. In fact, I’m still searching for a shampoo with natural ingredients that my hair actually likes.
The great thing about essential oils is that they can replace many of the toxins found in our home environment. And the list of possible uses for essential oils is almost endless.
For example, oils like Lemon and Thieves can be used in a cleaning solution in place of harsh chemicals. Essential oils can also be used to replace synthetic fragrances in personal care products. Some people like to mix certain oils (like Orange) with a carrier oil and use as ‘perfume’.
If there’s something in your home you want a more natural version of, try a Google search for essential oil recipes first. There’s probably an oil for that.
Essential Oils Make DIY Simple
One of the best parts about using essential oils as part of natural living is how powerful they are.
I’m not a big DIY person but I do love using herbs and herbal remedies. I’ve gone through quite a few bags of dried herbs as well as grown fresh herbs in my garden. And while trying new herbal recipes is something I enjoy, I don’t always have time for it.
The same goes for any kind of DIY project. They usually end up being time-consuming. On the other hand, using essential oils can be as easy as opening the bottle and pouring out a drop. And just one drop of essential oil is very powerful and effective.
So if I don’t want to spend days making my own naturally scented body care products (and I usually don’t), I can just add one drop of the oil I want to my lotion, soap, shampoo, etc.
That’s not to say you need to give up doing projects you enjoy. But for those days when spending a lot of time making something yourself sounds more stressful than fun, essential oils are an almost instant and completely all-natural solution.
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Use In Place of Herbs & Spices
Another part of simple, all-natural living for many of us is eating cleaner. This means knowing where our food comes from, making more meals from scratch, and using real ingredients and seasonings.
I think that the secret to eating more ‘real food’ is making it taste good. Much of our food (especially processed) comes with artificial flavorings and colors. Hopefully, that’s changing. But for now, the best way to make sure your meal has good ingredients is to make it yourself.
Essential oils are a really simple solution for giving food all-natural flavoring. I typically use a lot of herbs and spices when I cook. One drop of essential oil can take the place of a good amount of regular seasoning. And I know that my flavoring is 100% all-natural.
Oregano, Thyme, and Basil oils are great for savory dishes. Peppermint essential oil is good for baking and adding to hot chocolate. Citrus oils can be used for baking, cooking, or for adding to water and tea.
Not only do essential oils add instant, natural flavoring, they also have benefits of their own for helping our bodies digest food and stay healthy.
Just be sure that any essential oils you use for cooking, baking, etc. are labeled for internal use (like Young Living’s Vitality line).
Essential Oils Help With Stress
If you can’t quite get your lifestyle perfectly simple and stress-free (welcome to the club), there’s an essential oil for that, too. I’ve come to find that along with their many other benefits, essential oils are also all-natural stress relievers.
For more about how this works, you can read my post about essential oils and our emotions.
I won’t go into detail about all the scientific reasons in this post, but research is showing how aromatherapy- and essential oils specifically- can support and improve our emotional well-being.
Life is never going to be without stress, even when we simplify our lifestyle. I’ve found that using specific essential oils can keep me calm, grounded, and comforted even on bad days. Then, I’m ready to take on the next thing that will save the planet.
Using essential oils as a natural way to support your emotions can keep simple living enjoyable, which is what it’s meant to be. A few of my favorite oils for dealing with stress are Frankincense, Copaiba, Orange, Lemon, and Peppermint.
Simplify Natural Living With Essential Oils
If you care about living a more simple, clean, and natural lifestyle, essential oils can help to simplify the whole process for you. I wasn’t sure at first about how expensive they were but since a little goes a long way, it’s really worked out.
Here’s a quick recap of how to use essential oils to simplify natural living:
- Use essential oils as an easy solution to replace toxins and synthetic ingredients in your cleaning supplies, personal care products, etc.
- Make DIY projects simple by adding one or more drops of essential oils for their fragrance, moisturizing properties, and so on.
- For quick and all-natural flavoring, add one or more drops of essential oils (labeled for dietary use) to your cooking, baking, and beverages.
- On the days when simple living isn’t feeling simple, diffuse essential oils or apply them topically to lower your stress levels.
Start with one small change at a time, and hopefully essential oils can simplify life for you as well!
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