Do Essential Oils Really Work: Or Are They a Scam?

UPDATE: I am no longer a Young Living Distributor. You can read about my search for the Best Essential Oils Company here. You can also skip to the end of the series here.

The other day, I wrote about how I overcame my serious doubts about essential oils (specifically, Young Living's oils) and experience using Young Living's Thieves blend.

I was a complete skeptic about essential oils, thinking they were some kind of scam or "woo woo foo foo" stuff that really did nothing.

As in, "you put it on and it smells good and somehow you convince yourself that it's really working" kind of thing.

Today, I'm going to share with you some other oils that I've been experimenting with and what's happened with them.

Really, read on. Some of these things really surprised me....

Do Essential Oils Really Work?

Following are ways that we tried using essential oils for common ailments, and the results we had.

Essential Oils for Head Tension

Peppermint Oil is great here too. Again, I don't typically get headaches, but when the occasional one strikes, just a drop of peppermint rubbed on my temples has taken the pain away. Amazing.

I can't say that it cured my head tension and I personally think that it's important to figure out why your headaches are happening and work on that, rather than just treating symptoms, but I assume that the peppermint supports the body's work in getting better. My youngest gets head tension sometimes, but his has been diminishing since starting a new therapy and using zeolite. Regardless, he has found relief with the peppermint as well.

No acetaminophen.

Nice.

Stomach Aches & Digestion Issues

I typically don't struggle much with stomach aches, but over the past few months, I have. For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I have adrenal fatigue. I am currently doing a protocol called Nutritional Balancing that is designed to rebalance minerals and remove heavy metals and toxins from my system. (2014 UPDATE: I am no longer doing Nutritional Balancing, but have moved on and found other things that have helped immensely.)

More on all that later--but when the metals are coming out, I have had some uncomfortable symptoms at times--one of them being an upset stomach.

Aside from my occasional stomach upset, my kids occasionally have a bug or a sour stomach for some reason.

We all know that peppermint tea is supposed to be good for upset stomachs. Well, Peppermint Oil is like super-charged peppermint tea. Just a few drops on the tongue followed by a "water chaser" and symptoms are gone.

I've also used peppermint oil when my stomach "just isn't right." You know, when things aren't sitting well. Oh, if only I could only eat right all the time. I'm getting there, really I am. But I'm just not perfect yet. And sometimes I pay for it :-(.

Essential Oils for Growing Pains

My youngest had growing pains regularly until we started Nutritional Balancing. Now, he really only gets them every once in awhile. These pains were one of the first things that we tried essential oils on. I was really skeptical - "So, how on earth is an oil going to help with something painful going on inside of him?"

Well, they did. We've used Peppermint, Wintergreen, and a blend for pain, all of which have helped him. What a blessing to have your little one, who was in pain a moment ago, say to you, "Mom, I really think it's working! I feel better!"

He gets to sleep --and so do I (And having your son smell like a Wintergreen Lifesaver is a nice side bonus :-).)

Essential Oils for Finger Tendons

This one really floored me.

I'm a blogger. That means I type--a lot.

Well, about 2 months ago I started experiencing pain in my right pinky finger. It hurt to type--a lot.

I'd had carpal tunnel years prior that was cured with B6, but this pain was worse.

I didn't really want to own up to myself that the pain was there. What if I couldn't blog anymore? What if I needed surgery? Not pleasant thoughts.

After a few days of pain and worry, I decided to turn to my Essential Oils Desk Reference Guide for some ideas. It recommended a blend for pain, which I had in my nifty starter kit.

Again, the skeptic in me thought, "This surely isn't going to work." But I doubtfully rubbed a drop around my knuckle where the pain was--just before bed.

I awoke the next morning completely amazed.

The pain was gone!

No surgery--and I can still blog ;-). I am not for sure I had carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel, but my pain went away.

Muscle Aches

Numerous times we've had aches and pains that needed some TLC. Whether from injury or overuse, we've tried several oils and blends--Peppermint, Wintergreen, and several blends for pain roll on. Each one has worked well. Depending on the situation, sometimes one oil or blend has worked better than another, but it sure has felt nice to use something natural rather than OTC meds or chemical-filled creams and ointments.

Again, I really don't mean to just be "putting together a commercial" for my readers. I have always been the type of person who wants to share the good things I've found, and warn about the bad. In fact, I've sometimes toyed with the idea of starting an "Adrienne's Life"--like Angie's List. But I'd probably be sued, right :-).

Update: - Please use caution when using wintergreen. It can be dangerous when used topically and ingestion can even cause death.

Are Essential Oils Worth the Cost?

And I know - you're probably wondering about the cost of these oils.

There are loads of kinds of essential oils in stores and online.

Some are cheap and some are more pricey.

Let me assure you - I am super frugal. I'm sure that you've figured that out if you've been following me for awhile. If you haven't, you can see how ~~stingy~~ frugal I am by checking out my posts on:

As you can see, I don't spend money typically if I don't think it's worth it. And I save wherever I can.

I personally try to choose the best quality that I can, for the best price, and for me that means paying up a bit to make sure that I am not getting lower quality essential oils - especially since I will be putting them on my skin (where they will be absorbed) and using them occasionally internally.

UPDATE: I am no longer a Young Living Distributor. You can read about my search for the Best Essential Oils Company here. I ended up choosing this company, Rocky Mountain Oils (formerly Native American Nutritionals).

You can find out why and see all of the "dicey" discussion by starting here.

Here are my basic thoughts on the cost:

Health is priceless
I'd rather use natural oils than OTC meds or prescriptions drugs (and they're not cheap either)
Essential oils can be cheaper than going to the doctor or physical therapist (or even surgery!)
When you feel good, you have more energy to save money elsewhere

Basically, yes, if you choose quality essential oils you will be paying more than the inexpensive brands, but if you use them only when needed you will likely save in other arenas that will more than make up for it.

Regardless, I am thrilled to have a new natural remedy in my medicine cabinet :).

What has your experience with essential oils been?