Ditching & Switching with Young Living
Ok, ok, I know there's a lot of chatter right now, and it can be a very polarizing topic....essential oils!
It seems as though people in general are either curious to hop on board, or not interested at all.
My hopes in writing this blog post is to share my experience and allow you to see that essential oils, specifically those from Young Living, are really worth the hype!
Don't get me wrong, I am a believer in Western medicine, still take Tylenol, etc, still use products that are considered 'toxic', and I have some work to do on being less wasteful in general. But I'm working on it! I'll never be an expert in essential oils, but I have learned quite a bit over the past two years about how they can benefit our bodies and our homes.
And so, I offer you a glimpse into my 'easy button' place to shop for plant-based products.
Why I chose Young Living-
My journey using essential oils started two year ago while I was working from home. I started paying attention to physical reactions (headaches and skin irritation) to some cleaning products I was using. Every time I used these supposed 'green' products I would end up with a headache. My motivation was to figure out why this was happening. I started looking at ingredients, watching documentaries like Stink!, and seeking out better products.
I remembered that I had seen a blogger I love mention how she shops for Thieves and a ton of other plant-based products on Young Living, and how these products were changing her family's life. So, I bit the bullet and purchased the 'Premium Starter Kit'...a box of 12 essential oils, samples of Thieves Household cleaner concentrate, hand sanitizer, Thieves spray, and Ningxia Red, with a pretty glass domed diffuser. I figured the benefits probably outweighed the 'risk' of getting into oils. Plus, it was such a beautiful diffuser, I figured at the very least, I would use that. :)
I have never looked back.
I have never regretted that purchase once.
I want this for you too. Yes, you!
It's all about shifting your mindset.
Think of essential oils like the immune system of a plant. When the oil is extracted (steam distilled, resin-tapping, cold-pressed), those same properties, or constituents, that were keeping the plant healthy and strong now have the ability to do the same thing in our bodies when we use them. Seriously, think about that...How cool?! Essential oils interact with our bodies on a cellular level, so quality is KEY. Young Living is the only company to have a Seed to Seal promise, https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/discover/seed-to-seal, meaning that from the time a seed is planted in the ground, to the time the oil is sealed in a bottle, it is not tampered with. There are a series of 26 different QA tests completed throughout the process, done by third party vendors to ensure quality standards are met.
How I use Young Living products -
When I opened my little box of oils and samples of Thieves and Ningxia, I had no idea how they would change my life. I set up the beautiful Aria diffuser right in my kitchen and started using it daily to diffuse wonderful smells. Since day one, my default blends for the diffuser have been Stress Away and Orange, or Thieves and Lemon, and I still have those pumping frequently.
Diffusing essential oils has completely replaced my desire to purchase candles. There was one time I tried burning a candle, and I got a headache soon after it was lit. I was shocked! I had detoxed my sense of smell to artificial fragrances. Plus, I had heard that burning a candle for one hour can have the same effect on the air quality in your home as smoking a cigarette. Bye bye candles!
Back to the reason I purchased the starter kit in the first place - Thieves! I LOVE the Thieves line! I clean every surface in my home with this stuff.
Here are some things I have ditched & switched over to the Thieves line alone:
- Dish soap
- Hand soap
- Laundry soap
- Multi-surface cleaning spray
- Glass cleaning spray
- Wood floor cleaner
- Rug deodorizer
- Clean bleach
- Soft scrub
- Linen spray
- Hand sanitizer
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Throat lozenges
- Fruit & Veggie wash
That's a lot of stuff derived from one blend of essential oils! But it is.that.good.
Thieves is a blend of the following oils: Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, Eucalyptus Radiata; A powerful blend that has anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-septic properties, and it smells amazing.
When you diffuse Thieves blend with Lemon essential oil, you are actually helping to purify the air in your home.
Pro tip: Wellness Tea - Add a drop of Thieves and a drop of Lemon into a mug of hot water, and add a little drizzle of honey.
Premium Starter Kit oils and what they do-
When people say, "There's an oil for that!" they actually mean it. It may sound silly, but for the most part, it means you have the OPTION to try a 100% completely from nature product before defaulting to medicine. Does it mean oils will cure anything? Certainly not. And do oils work the same on everyone? Definitely not. But it's a cool feeling that you have a little tool kit to try whenever you want.
Things I use daily:
Sleep Support: I keep an essential oil roller blend on my bedside table called Tranquil (blend of coconut oil with lavender, roman chamomile, and cedarwood essential oil). I roll it on the back of neck before I get into bed. It calms my racing thoughts down so I can fall asleep easier. Other sleep support routines: diffusing lavender and stress away at night; spray a little bit of a sleepy blend linen spray on your pillow.
Supplements: I love the Super Vitamin C and Super Vitamin D, along with Sulfurzyme, and of course drinking Ningxia Red and Ningxia Zyng
Skincare and personal care: Glow Serum! Lots of different options of carrier oils and essential oils blends to create a customized skin serum that can counteract redness, dullness, dryness, aging, and skin spots. My current blend is: Jojoba oil as the carrier oil, with lavender, copaiba, frankincense, manuka, and blue tansy.
I also love the Thieves whitening toothpaste, Lavender volume shampoo & conditioner, Mint Satin Facial Scrub, and Coconut Lime body butter, to name a few.
Cleaning products: Thieves, all day every day!
Diffusers!: Depending on the day, it could be an uplifting citrus blend, a warm woodsy blend, or something to help eliminate cooking smells.
Whether you are looking to swap candles for a safer, cleaner alternative; trying to detox your cleaning product regimen; want to try essential oils for things like anxiety, immune support, respiratory support, sleep support, head tension, or digestive relief; need better vitamins and supplement with 80% absorption rate; want makeup and skin care products with plant-based ingredients, Young Living likely has something for you to try.
How to shop for success-
'Ditch & Switch' can sound overwhelming, but if you take it one product at a time, it can be fun and motivating to keep going. While it would be impossible to rid our bodies and our homes of every toxin, we can strive to make an effort wherever possible. Progress over perfection, as they say. It's up to you to take the opportunity and run with it.
If you plan out goals ahead of time, you will be successful in making meaningful switches, such as cleaning products one at a time. This is how I am working on ditching & switching. It's a process and it will always be evolving. But all the products I mention are ones that I use and really love.
Example of how to start the process:
1. Write a master list of products you want to swap out.
2. Divide it up by categories:
- supplement & vitamins
- personal care products (things like toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, shampoo, etc)
- skincare & makeup
- kids/baby
- home cleaning
3. Set a timeline with monthly goals -
For example, month one you can get the laundry soap and household cleaner concentrate. You now have the ability to make approx. 28 refills of a 16oz. all-purpose cleaner, and almost 200 loads of laundry (using the dilution recipe). This should cover your spending in that area for about 6 months!
Month two - Focus on skincare - Choose the Blossom facial wash, Valor bar soap, Rose ointment, Lavender hand & body lotion, and Blossom facial lotion. You've got a nice daily routine right here, and again, these products will last you a long time.
Month three - Focus on what supplements you can trade up for - Young Living supplement absorption rate is on average at 80%. Most off the shelf supplements hover around 30% absorption. What's the difference? Being infused with essential oils helps your body on a cellular level.
The ability to shop for such a wide variety of products in ONE place is the most valuable piece of the equation in my ditch & switch journey. I get to customize a box every month that gets shipped to my door, and I earn money back on every single purchase I make (currently 25%!). And the quality standards that YL has are unmatched. Shopping Young Living has continued to be the 'easy button' for my family, and I want this for my friends and family too.
FAQ's
How do I learn how to shop on the website?
If you're ready to learn more, but don't know where to start, I'd love to chat. We can talk through how everything works. Shopping with Young Living is easy.
When you join my 'team', I will plug you in to our exclusive Facebook groups, that have thousands of people just like you - curious to learn and share knowledge and use tips on all the products. We host virtual classes, share favorite diffuser & roller blends, DIY's, helpful hints with kids, babies, and pets + oils, and more.
What's included with in the starter kit?
The products listed (diffusers, oils, samples, or specific starter kits specialized in Ningxia, Thieves, CBD). All starter kits come with a free 1-year membership to shop everything in the store (over 600 products) at 24% discount from retail. Plus, you get happy mail from me!
What are the monthly or yearly fees?
There are NO membership fees, ever! Fear not, this is a shopping platform, not a pyramid scheme. No one will ever pressure you to spend money.
What is Subscribe to Save?
Subscribe to Save is a completely optional loyalty rewards program. You can join when you start, hop on any time, and cancel any time. The perks?
- Free shipping (spend over 100 PV)
- Exclusive products and discounts
- Free to start/stop/maintain
- Earn free points for products (months 1-3 earn 10% of spend; months 4-24 earn 20%, and month 25+ earn 25%!)
- Earn free gifts at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months
Do I have to be a brand partner/sell YL?
Absolutely not. You can shop whenever and however you want to.
How does the business opportunity work?
There is a built-in opportunity If you ever want to refer a friend to shop - When you enroll, you are given a member # and with that number, others can join your shopping group. You have the opportunity to earn commission on anyone you enroll using your member #, but again, it is not required or expected of you. Reach out to me, and I can explain more if you're interested.
How do I enroll??
Start here: https://youngliving.com/us/en/referral/18108361
