Essential Oils 101: Make Your Home Smell Amazing Without the Chemicals!
One of the most important shifts I made when transitioning over to making healthier choices for my health was changing the products I used to make my home smell good. I was someone who loved to make sure when you walked into my home, you would smell a tropical forest or a flower field. I had no idea the stress and negative effects I was exposing my body to! Did I change all my products overnight? No, it was a gradual process that happened over time. I started noticing how certain smells were affecting me and chose not to buy those certain products. Let me share with you what I used, and let’s see if any of these resonate with you.
Glade plugins
Candles
Scentsy
Febreeze
Wicker diffuser
Incense sticks
Even those Christmas tree car ones!!! How many of those do you use or are using? (No judgment here.) …I’m getting a headache just thinking of all those fragrances. Did you know that headaches (actually migraines!) were one of the main symptoms I suffered from for a long time? I eventually realized how food and stress played a huge role, but now, knowing what I do, there is no doubt that these toxic chemicals contributed as well.
Another pivotal moment was when my son started developing allergies to a lot of the products we used (such as laundry detergent with fragrance). After swapping to a no-fragrance version, we noticed a big difference and little by little; I began to switch over as many products to no-fragrance options as possible. Along my health journey, I also learned that fragrances, chemicals, and toxins play a huge role in our health. I’m not a chemist or scientist who can go in-depth and share each toxic chemical's actual name and side effects. Grateful for them, but for me, I have learned that if there are warnings, maybe it’s worth considering what’s actually in the product and if I actually want to put that on my body or breathe it in. There are so many amazing resources now, such as EWG or the Think Dirty App. Using these websites/apps, it’s easy to learn a lot about the effects of the ingredients and choose different products that are healthier and safer for your body.
Be aware that even “natural” air fresheners can be commercially prepared. The word “natural” really doesn’t mean much these days. There’s a term for this kind of marketing- it’s called greenwashing. And there’s no way to really know what’s in “natural” ingredients…so even though they might have nice packaging and smell good, it doesn’t mean it’s a product you want to use because it could still be filled with chemicals and toxins.
I have now personally switched to using essential oils in my home, for body care, and even as an all-purpose cleaner/deodorizer for my car. And that’s why I love using essential oils on a daily basis- because not only can they be used in countless ways, but they also have so many amazing health benefits. If you decide to experiment using essential oils, I would absolutely encourage you to make sure the kind you use is pure. It might surprise you to know that even essential oils can be filled with chemicals and synthetics. I was introduced to DoTerra oils over 10 years ago by my functional nutritionist, and to this day, I still use them! I love using diffusers to make my home smell amazing. They have so many different varieties. I have one for my car, my bathroom, and my office. One of my favorites is one that can be used as a humidifier as well.
An added bonus is that I found an essential oil that has now replaced perfume, and I love it even more than anything else I used to wear!!! These oils not only help make your home smell good, but they are a great way to boost your mood, too. I feel good knowing that this simple swap is making my home smell amazing and not negatively affecting my or my family’s health -it’s benefiting it! While there are many natural ways to make your home smell amazing (I will share some other options in a separate blog post), essential oils are a great starting point. Click here to shop the essential oils I use and recommend to my clients and start your journey to naturally and holistically make your home smell great.
