Before Presentation & On Camera:
Hey Guys, it's JoAnne Schaub here.
I own a small business called Divinely Guided and I offer several classes to help spread holistic living and the importance of self-care.
I really love sharing with you how easy it is to make conscious buying choices, how to support your health and your family's health, and how to truly take care of the beautiful body you've been given.
Slide 1: "Let's kick the chemicals"
Ok, let's get started and let's get to kickin the chemicals.
You may be wondering what you are going to kick all those chemical-laden cleaners and products with and I'm here to share with you how you can use essential oils to replace those chemicals in your home.
So this Kick the Chemicals Class is a little bit of an Essentials Oils 101 Class.
For the sake of our health and our planet's health, we can no longer ignore this overload of chemicals in our homes and in our personal care products.
If you were to research the ingredients in the products in your home, I bet you'd be surprised at what comes up.
So today, I want to help you learn how diverse essential oils are and the numerous ways you can begin living a chemical-free life.
You can DITCH dozens of toxins and replace them with these natural alternatives that will benefit your body, your mind, and your health. The uses are literally endless.
There is a bit of a learning curve to using oils, but it's not because it's hard.
It's because you must untrain yourself from reaching for other options.
You have to untrain all your habits and untrain all your connections to old smells and things you've used for years.
You have to be willing to try something new that not only replaces the chemicals in your home but contains HEALING properties that will support the health of your family. And when I learned about the healing properties in essential oils I was completely sold.
So as I clean my bathroom with Thieves cleaner, I am getting a clean bathroom and I'm boosting my respiratory health, boosting my immune system and it's good for my skin. That's a total win-win-win.
By the time we are complete with this class you will have a general understanding of how essential oils can impact your family's health and well-being and help you kick the chemicals to the curb!
Slide 2: "My Journey"
I want to share a bit about who I am and a bit of my holistic journey.
It really began in the summers of 2009 and 2010, when my hubby and I lived and worked in Yellowstone National Park. If you haven't been to Yellowstone, it's one of the most majestical places on Earth. Mother Nature is exulting her beauty in every way there. It's just awe inspiring. You can't help but feel connected to Nature there.
Then in 2011 we came back to NC and since there were no mountains to climb or wild animals to watch we kind got sucked into Netflix, which actually turned out to be a good thing!
We got hooked on all those documentaries about healthy eating, about the health of our planet and about the effects of plastics and other chemicals we are exposed to in everyday life.
We immediately took action because we were really ready for this information. We were open to seeing that many of the big companies do not have our best interest at heart when it comes to what's in our foods and in our products.
So we converted to eating more of a plant-based diet and eating organic most of the time. We replaced all of our favorite soaps, shampoos, perfumes and cleaning supplies and went green.
It was in 2012, just a year later, that I was introduced to essential oils by one of my best friends, who gave me a few oils while I was pregnant with my first child, Carson. My friend knew that I was going the holistic route with birth and with parenting so her words to me were that I needed these oils as part of my holistic tool kit. And she was so right!
Ever since then I have used essential oils to support the health of our bodies and our home environment. I just could not see rubbing my kids with baby lotion from the store shelf. I know that may seem crazy to many, but when I started to understand what the ingredients were in those products I just naturally began to make other choices.
And this is in part why I'm so passionate about holistic living. I believe holistic practices must become mainstream in order to improve the health of our society and really in order to sustain Mother Earth.
So this is one way I choose to be part of the change I wish to see in the world and I'm inviting you to explore joining me.
Slide 3: "What are Essential Oils"
So what are essential oils?
Well, they are the most powerful part of the plant. They are the plant's life force.
Essential oils are distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, fruit, rinds, resins and herbs.
Essential oils are 10-70 times the concentration than the actual plant itself. So they are really powerful, in a good way.
And the oils have over 100 different natural, organic healing compounds.
Essential oils are made of only one thing, steam distilled or cold-pressed plants.
Slide 4: "Holistic Support"
Let's touch on the support essential oils provide for your body.
Like I said, essential oils can replace your cleaning products, they can also support your body's health.
They provide support for every body system: your skeletal system which includes all your bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
Your circulatory system, which is also called the cardiovascular system. This is the system that transports blood.
Your endocrine system that regulates hormones and enzymes.
Your respiratory system which exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide.
Your immune system which is your protection against disease and sickness.
Your digestive system that breaks down your food so that your nutrients can be properly absorbed.
Your integumentary system which is your skin, hair and nails.
Your limbic system, which is found on either side of the thalamus directly under your brain in the middle of your head. It's main function is to support emotion and memories.
Your lymphatic system which is a large network of vessels that carry lymph toward the heart.
Your nervous system which controls movement.
Your renal system which is also called the urinary system. It eliminates waste, regulates blood pressure, blood volume and blood pH.
I could go on and on about oils supporting your body, but that's a whole other class.
Slide 5: "Kick the Chemicals"
So if you are kickin out the toxic chemicals, essential oils can be used as an alternative to clean your home and for your personal care products.
You can literally start swapping out every single chemical in your home to live a greener lifestyle, and you can do it without breaking the bank!
For example, you can add a capful of Thieves Household Cleaner to a spray bottle of water for about a $1.50 a bottle. That's eco-conscious and cost-conscious! I have yet to see an organic cleaner on the store shelf for a $1.50....it's more like 4-6 bucks!
And you wouldn't believe how Thieves cleaned my 25 year old shower tile grout. It was amazing to see that guck running down the walls.
Thieves cleaner replaces your all-purpose cleaner, it replaces your glass and floor cleaner. And it doesn't leave streaks on mirrors, which is a pet-peeve of mine.
I've used other all-purpose cleaners that ended up streaking my mirrors and I don't like streaks in my mirrors!
Slide 6: "Kick the Chemicals"
Let me give you a little bit of statistical information and I really want you to hang with me here. I know I can zone out when I start hearing numbers and such.
But I thought these were important enough to share.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health studied 2983 ingredients in our home products.
They found 884 toxic ingredients. 778 out of 884 are toxic to the human body.
And of the 884, 146 of them are known to cause cancerous tumors.
And the kicker of all this, is that these chemicals are allowed in the United States even though many other countries have banned their use.
Even the organic cleaners you can buy have some known carcinogens that are just naturally derived.
Slide 7: "Kick the Chemicals"
The Top 10 most dangerous chemicals in your home are found in:
air fresheners, cleaning supplies, dishwasher detergent, dish soap, hairspray, gel, shampoo and deodorant.
This information is from the EPA's Top 10 Killer Household Chemicals Study.
Everything that touches your skin is directly absorbed into the bloodstream, which then carries those toxins to your delicate organs.
And what do you think happens when your body is chemically overloaded?
You may see negative health effects as catastrophic as cancer.
But most of us feel it in other ways, like lack of energy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, fibromyalgia, skin issues, hormone imbalances, hot flashes, stress, anxiety and fear.
Disease does not happen overnight. Body systems do not fail overnight.
It happens little by little, day-by-day, choice-by-choice. Your everyday actions can either contribute to disease or prevent it.
Healthy choices are not just about food and exercise. Both are very important, but what you put on your body and breathe in your home matters just as much.
The air you breathe inside your home can be anywhere from 5 to 10 times more polluted than outside air.
This is due to inadequate ventilation and the chemical-laden products you use in your home.
Slide 8: "It's Easy to Kick the Chemicals"
Now don't get overwhelmed, it's actually easy to kick the chemicals with a good, green tool kit.
There are around 300 oils on Earth but you really only need 10-20 of them to build a good kit.
This picture is of Young Living's Premium Kit.
This is what I got started with since it's such a bargain for all these oils and a diffuser, which I LOVE my diffuser. I use it every day!
I'll go through the specific oils in a couple minutes but the ones that come in this kit are going to give you a great foundation!
Slide 9: "How To Use"
Let's talk about how to use oils.
You do not need to be an aromatherapist to use them or to even promote the use of them, like I do.
There are three main ways to get essential oils into your system.
The English typically use oils topically by rubbing it directly on the skin.
The French typically ingest and cook with oils.
The Germans typically diffuse and inhale the oils, which can be the most effective method because the oils don't have to pass through the digestive system.
I do all 3!
Slide 10: "How Fast Do Oils Work?"
Oils go to work quickly!
Tests have shown that oils reach the heart, liver and thyroid in 3 seconds when inhaled.
Within 26 seconds oils can be found in the bloodstream when applied topically.
And within 20 minutes oils will affect every cell in your body.
And they can remain in the body 3-6 hours.
Slide 11: "Essential Oils in History"
Let's take a brief walk back in time and talk a little bit of oil history.
The Bible references the use of essential oils over 300 times.
Oils were used to anoint kings and queens.
Cleopatra used essential oils in her spa treatments.
Jesus was brought Frankincense and Myrrh, which was valued as much as Gold because of their extensive healing properties.
Essentials oils were used in Chinese and Egyptian medicine.
And Hippocrates, the father of Western Medicine, prescribed oils for healing over 2000 years ago.
I share this with you to give you a sense of the validity and credibility in the use of essential oils.
Slide 12: "Grades & Quality of Oils"
Now, let's fast forward to today and talk about the types and quality of essential oils available on the market.
I have used oils since 2012 when I was pregnant with Carson, my oldest, and at that time I had no clue about looking for the quality of an essential oil.
I just went to my local health food store and bought it off the shelf.
What I now know is that in the U.S. there is no rating system for essential oils.
And that the closest we get is an FDA requirement, which states that in order to label a bottle of essential oil pure or therapeutic grade the contents of that bottle must contain at least 5% essential oil.
Did you get that...only 5%!
So, all oils in the world fall into 1 of 4 categories: Grade A, B, C and D.
Grade A oils are therapeutic and are made from organically grown plants and distilled at low temperatures.
Grade B oils are food grade, but may contain synthetics, pesticides, fertilizers, chemical extenders and carrier oils.
Grade C oils are perfume oils that often contain adulterating chemicals.
They usually use solvents, like hexane, to gain a higher yield of oil per harvest.
And these solvents can be cancerous and unfortunately are found in many store bought oils....which is not what you or I want, right!
Grade C oils can also be diluted 80-95% with alcohol.
Grade D oils are often called "floral water", which is aromatic only and is usually a byproduct of Grade A distillation.
Which means, after all the oil is pulled from the plants the leftover waste water is sold to companies.
Then they fill 5% of a bottle with this leftover waste water and fill 95% with a carrier oil like coconut oil and then the company labels it pure.
Grade D would be like taking fresh squeezed orange juice and diluting it 95% with water before you drank it.
Not the highest quality of nutrition.
That's why you want Grade A oils. Grade A is the only true pure oil.
All of Young Living's oils are Grade A.
Think about this, why would you use an essential oil laden with chemicals if you were trying to get away from using chemicals.
Of course that doesn't make sense when you know the Grade differences.
Slide 13: "Seed to Seal"
One of the things that really stands out with Young Living oils is their Seed to Seal process.
It's a promise of integrity.
Seed to Seal means each plant is hand-weeded, there are no pesticides used, no chemicals and no weed killers.
The plants are harvested at their peak.
Put through testing.
Then sealed and ready for you!
Slide 14: "Why do Companies Sell Oils More Cheaply?"
Companies sell oils more cheaply for greater profit margins.
If a company sprays their crop with pesticides, they have more crop to distill.
If they use a chemical solvent to extract the oil, they pull more oil out.
If they dilute the oil with a carrier oil, they stretch the product.
Most essentials oils on the market today are sold more cheaply simply because they aren't selling a full bottle of Grade A pure oil.
Slide 15: "How Oils are Made"
So how are oils made?
I find this so fascinating.
It takes a great deal of work to produce essential oils.
It takes 60,000 rose blossoms to provide just 1 ounce of rose oil.
Lavender is more abundant but it still takes 220 pounds to make 7 pounds of oil.
And get this, jasmine flowers must be picked by hand before the sun becomes hot on the very first day they bloom, which makes it one of the most expensive oils in the world.
It takes 8 million hand-picked blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil.
A Sandalwood tree must be 30 years old, 30 feet high and 90% dead before Young Living will cut it down for distillation.
Slide 16: "A Little Goes a Long Way"
But a little oil goes a long way.
Most oils cost between $10 and $30 a bottle.
Young Living provides 5ml bottle and 15ml bottle sizes.
A 5ml bottle is about 90 drops and a 15ml bottle is about 250 drops.
Each application is typically 1-3 drops, so even a small bottle will get you 30-90 uses and a 15ml bottle will get you between 83-250 uses.
Slide 17: "Are Essential Oils Safe?"
Let's talk safety.
There are certain oils that are photosensitive, which means you don't want to put them on and go out in the sun.
Certain oils like lemon and grapefruit and most citrus oils are photosensitive.
So if you are more inclined to have sensitive skin make sure you test a small area and watch for redness.
You can also use a carrier oil which dilutes the essential oil.
And it's always a good idea to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil when applying to children under 2.