Why We Switched From Candles to Essential Oils
About six months ago we purchased our first essential oil diffuser, it has changed our lives.
Before making this transition we burned candles, used a Scentsy, and burned fragrance oils. I had always been a candle/oil person, the ambiance that a candle creates is beautiful, and a good scent, like Volcano from Capri Blue, is delightful. Any time I went shopping I was on the hunt for sale and clearance candles (Target, Anthropologie, and sometimes Bath and Body Works).
A few months into my pregnancy with Ester I began having terrible headaches from everything with fragrance oils. Once Ester was born I didn't want to expose her to toxic fragrance oils, so we avoided candles in our bedroom, and only occasionally lit them in the living areas. Last fall I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to burn my favorite Apple Cinnamon candles, but the possible headaches would have been worse than a good smell. That's when my mom told me about essential oil diffusers, and I'm so thankful.
We now have three diffusers, one in our bedroom, one in the office, and one in our living room/kitchen. We purchase our oils from Plant Therapy. They ship really fast and have excellent customer service. You can purchase Plant Therapy oils on Amazon too. They also have an great line of "Kid Safe" synergies and oils.
“Plant Therapy promotes safe practices of essential oil use, give fair prices for high-quality essential oils and even created a Kid Friendly line! In the summer of 2014, Robert Tisserand joined them and helped them to create a line of safe essential oil blends for children. As one of the leading educators in the world right now, for aromatherapy and safety, I was very excited to see him join up with Plant Therapy.”
Since purchasing our first diffuser we've avoided trips to the doc and OTC medications through the use of oils. For example, when Sam gets a headache he will use Peppermint Oil mixed with Coconut Oil (never around Ester), and the headache will dissipate or go away completely. Not too long ago Ester had a little tummy bug/food poisoning and we diffused Oregano oil and also placed some on her feet, and she was finally able to rest and her symptoms quickly dissipated. We would always rather use natural oils in place of medication (that can be harmful to our immune systems and digestive health, especially antibiotics).
Right now we're loving Sweet Orange, Clary Sage, and Lavender. We also use "Germ Fighter" often, Lemon, Tea Tree, and Blue Cypress. At night we diffuse "Nighty Night" (synergy) in our bedroom. We have a lot to learn about the benefits of each oil, and we NEVER ingest them. We do use them mixed with a carrier oil (coconut oil) and apply to our skin when needed.
And yes, from time to time we'll burn a candle to throw a yummy scent through the house, but rarely for longer than thirty minutes. And if I want candle light I'll burn fragrance free candles. Now I just need to find fragrance free candles that have a healthy wick, apparently the wicks are toxic too.