Essential Oils
Your journey to toxin-free living, and inner & outer glow
Sadly many regular household items including cleaners, beauty products and even foods - are packed full of chemicals and preservatives that are no good for us, causing a range of issues from skin issues, to sluggishness, headaches, anxiety, disrupted sleep, to more serious implications for our hormones and even increased risk of cancer.
SO! With that fun stuff out of the way… let’s take ownership of what goes into our bodies and lives!
Everything is connected
My interest in wellness - individual / collective / ecologically - was deepened through my studies in psychology, environmental science (only 100-level), and later, yoga. Interestingly all of these topics have a key premise in common: that everything is connected. This information is empowering, because it can help us shape far more future-fit choices, for our own lives, and for others and for the planet.
My own health journey has had it’s own ups and downs. I have experienced incredible benefits from plant-based medicine, as so have my clients. I’ve used DoTerra oils for over 10 years (one of many available brands), and my energy and health have improved immeasurably. At 18 I contracted glandular fever, which began several years of struggling with cripplingly low energy, and the subsequent associated anxiety and low moods. Cue essential oils, and incrementally but consistently, my health, energy and buoyant mood returned. The oils helped to balance and ground my emotions, support my cellular function, improve my sleep and immunity, and I now have consistently improved energy and outlook!
Essential oils are volatile compounds that naturally occur in plants. They’re extracted from seeds, flowers, bark, resins, leaves, rinds and roots (‘Volatile’ just means they evaporate easily - interestingly, ‘vol’ in french is ‘wing’.) To retain their therapeutic qualities, essential oils are carefully distilled either by steam distillation or cold pressing. While sometimes referred to as ‘alternative’ medicine, plant medicine is the original medicine, used for thousands of years in every culture. Modern science has validated their active compounds and usefulness, they are the plants own immune system, and affect our mindbody quickly and powerfully.
Aromatically, oils interact with our olfactory system and limbic system to effect therapeutic chemical changes in the body. When taken internally or topically, they interact with cells, organs, and entire body systems for health benefits. They can be used in many ways, read on below. If you’re interested to learn more, contact me anytime at: freda@esho.co.nz
Emotions & Energy
Remember the last time you walked through a forest or bush, or leaned in close to inhale deeply from a plant? Maybe you remember feeling uplifted, with an increased sense of wellbeing and calm? This is the power of essential oils (EOs). EOs cross the blood-brain barrier and affect our limbic system - the part of our brain implicated in emotions, where the hypothalamus and hippocampus reside. Oils like frankincense act on our serotonin receptors (like antidepressants but toxin-free and zero side-effects), promoting feelings of calm and ease.
Over thousands of years, societies have accrued a huge body of knowledge on the specific benefits and uses of EO’s, there’s an oil for everything!
Find out more
Recipes
From cardamon, cumin, tumeric and ginger, to basil, marjoram, thyme, oregano and rosemary, when I discovered the possibilities and ease of oils in the kitchen, my world changed - true story!
Cleaning
Essential oils possess powerful cleaning properties. Whether you need something that is antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, or antibacterial, there is an oil for that.
Switching up your household cleaners to oils, will save you money, reduce your packaging, is better for the environment (no more nasty chemicals going down the drain into our waterways back into our drinking water - doh), and every time you inhale you reap the health benefits also!
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DIY seasalt hairspray
When your hairspray runs out, now you can re-use the bottle and refill it with your own beautifully-scented seasalt hairspray!
Essential oil blends for therapeutic massage
We use massage for relaxation, stress reduction, muscular pain and emotional support. These benefits can be hugely amplified with the power of essential oils. Oils such as peppermint, cypress, marjoram, basil, grapefruit and lavendar are all therapeutic for ligament damage, arthritis, circulation, muscular dystrophy, relaxation and tension.
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Diffuser blends
There is an oil blend for every occasion, whether you want to add a scent to your house that is uplifting, or will aid focus and concentration, will sterilise, or help reduce hayfever.
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Events & Workshops
12pm, Saturday 6th May, Wellington
I am so excited about this workshop! Join me on May 6th, 12:00-1:30 to learn about how oils can transform your health. We’ll cover the therapeutic benefits of EOs, and how to use them safely:
Physical and emotional wellness: emotions, hair and skincare, and immunity
How to use: aromatically, topically and internally (Mmmm recipes!)
Uses for cleaning, replacing all those toxic cleaning chemicals and their plastic bottles!
You’ll get to try a wide range of oils, receive a free eBook containing the material we’ve covered and receive a gift at the end of the workshop!