Hi! You’ve likely seen my name all throughout the Green Diamonds Facebook group, but not my face! That’s because I’m usually working behind the scenes as Teresa’s assistant. I’m a wife, momma, lover of Jesus, oils, coffee and wine.
In 2010 I was gifted a Young Living membership from my mom but I had zero idea about essential oils. I honestly don’t even remember what happened to those oils. I had a voucher for a diffuser but never redeemed it – I didn’t even know how! I also gave her such a hard time about her new love of these snake oils! (Sorry, Mom!) Now I love them too.
After suffering a miscarriage in 2012, my doctor told me that I needed to reduce and eliminate endocrine disruptors that were in my home. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that negatively impact the glands/hormones that help your body function like it should. And my hormones were not ideal – high here, low there, almost nothing was right. I started researching better options and looking different products. Mom shared Young Living yet again with me!
So I started small, one space at a time, and did the “Ditch and Switch” for better products. First to go was my cleaning supplies and I made the switch to Thieves and reactivated my membership with the Thieves Starter Bundle. Switching to Thieves Household Cleaner made sense, since it was first, a plant based product without nasty ingredients and second, it was affordable. If the average all-purpose cleaner on store shelves is $3-$4, then I can make a great cleaner using Thieves Household Cleaner for half that with 1oz of the cleaner in 30 oz of water in a spray bottle. I now use it to clean everything: countertops, cabinets, floors, mirrors, windows, furniture, literally everything. I can adjust my ratios as needed for heavier or lighter cleaning. You not only breathe in the cleansers when cleaning, but you continually touch those surfaces in between cleaning. Or walk on them. And our skin can absorb so much. It is our largest organ. Skincare and laundry are probably the next two areas that I personally feel are just so important to switching out for better products. My favorite skincare product is the Essential Beauty Serum for Dry Skin. It hydrates my skin so well. And I swear it has reduced fine lines and pores significantly for me. Obviously what you intentionally put on your skin matters , but whatever you clean your laundry with also sits on your skin.
Here are two of my laundry hacks:
- Fabric Softener: Fill a large glass container with vinegar. I then take apart my empty essential oil bottles (yay for reusing the empty bottles!) and toss it in the vinegar, removing the label first. I like that this helps use every last drop of the oils! And no, your laundry won’t smell like vinegar! Just use 1/2 cup per load.
- Lemon essential oil, the Thieves Bar Soap and Thieves Household Cleaner are all great at getting out stains! I just use the Thieves Bar Soap as a stain stick. Spray the stain, add a drop of lemon essential oil to the stain, and then rub with the Thieves Bar. Wash.
Next I swapped candles out for a diffuser and essential oils instead. I slowly added a diffuser to nearly every room in the house. One of my favorites to diffuse is R.C.
After my initial purchase I made sure I was ordering on Loyalty Rewards. It’s even better now because your first order can be a Rewards order. It just made sense for us. I could set a budget and earn points to use towards the purchase of products on future shop orders. Samples of what I might order on a 50ish PV budget are below.
- Laundry Detergent, Lemon Essential Oil, Thieves Bar Soap
- Thieves Household Cleaner, Whitening toothpaste , Mouthwash
- Essential Beauty Serum – for dry skin, Lushious Lemon Hand Lotion, Lip Balm
Keep in mind, if you are brand new to Loyalty Rewards, then you get a diffuser gifted with your 5second consecutive order.
After learning so much on how to use products and choosing products that are just better for me, I felt better, but we eventually needed to see a specialist. Did you know that 1 in 6 people struggle with infertility according to a new report by the World Health Organization? I will add a note in here – that road doesn’t have to be lonely or long. I’ve reduced mine down to just a few sentences and little to no details, but it was so much more. I had some amazing women get in those trenches with me and share their experiences with me. I’d do the same for someone else. Additional reading I found helpful for infertility and hormones:
- Lucy Libido & Betsy Bosom books
- It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Feet
- Menopause Essentials: The Ultimate Guide to Optimal Aging by Dr. Tamyra Comeaux.5
It’s been over 10 years since I reactivated my account. I still use Thieves Household Cleaner everyday. And the toothpaste. And soap. And lemon essential oil is still a go-to oil for cleaning, diffusing, and when we feel a little under the weather. We use lavender for all the “owies” my son gets throughout each day. My son knows nothing about life without essential oils. He loves KidPower and Tummygize. Enzymes sit on the table or are in my purse. I order the mineral sunscreen and insect repellent every spring. My absolute favorite oil is frankincense. Probably the oil I share the most is lemongrass. Why lemongrass? I sometimes experience discomfort in my back and it has helped me so so much. I will use it along with the Raindrop Oils as needed. I’ve lived in my camper since August 2021 and we still have a diffuser in every room.
That’s part of my Young Living story. I could share more, but it would just sound like rambling. I hope this helps someone!
~Jaime