Yes, this is yet another essential oils story from another essential oils crazed friend (w’re everywhere you turn, aren’t we?) but I encourage you to still read along even if it’s not for you, to not skip past or ignore this time around. It’s near and dear to my heart and I hope you’ll stick with me today. Thank you in advance, friends! 

Life outside of DIY: My weeks have been filled with all things essential oils, (did you just groan?!). I heard that! I ask that you bear with me and just read along. It’s a lifestyle that’s been prominent in our home lately along with sharing in my community, at cancer support groups, vendor events and even a museum soon. It only makes sense that I share here where I have a voice too. This week I hope to share a fun DIY essential oils recipe but before that, I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about essential oils lately and I wanted to tell you a little more about how Young Living essential oils changed our life. And like most, once you see for yourself, your life is changed. I know. It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Like something you may want to avoid, remain in the dark over or write off as “scam-ish”. Despite seeming trendy at the moment, it really isn’t anything “new”. Young Living has been around for over 20 years, essential oils for longer than that. It’s not a fad or the ‘latest thing’…which is what I thought when I first started hearing about it EVERY.WHERE I turned. Why is that? Because like others I’m sure, I feel compelled to share my story and this goodness, because it’s an important part of our lives now too, because Young Living offers something different.

::eye roll:: Why do you keep hearing everyone gabbing about essential oils? Annoyed? I apologize if you are because that’s not my intention at all! I’m so grateful when you stop by to read about DIY and my life and even if this is not for you, I thank you for reading on just to humor me and maybe pass along my info to a friend or family who would be interested. Because there might be someone like me out there who needs this, someone who might be desperate enough to try ANY.THING. Something. Anything to get over an issue they deal with frequently with no answers. 

When I first heard about essential oils my thoughts were “not for me!”. I mean, “c’mon, really”? “Really?” If they work as wonderful as everyone claims, why haven’t I heard about them before? That’s a whole other story but for me, it took TRYing something once. You guys, it really worked. “What the heck?!” I was super-shocked that it resolved my issue, one I had been dealing with for years. Why HADN’T I heard of this before?! It opened my eyes. It raised awareness. And with my family’s major health scares in recent years, I believe it was an answer to my prayers.

Try essential oils and they didn’t work? Why did I chose YL? To be honest, because Young Living is what I was fortunate enough to be introduced to first, the brand I first tried thanks to Carrie at Making Lemonade Blog (I’m forever grateful, Carrie!) and then after a little research, learning that they’re #1 worldwide, the BEST essential oils an essential oil-infused products, a 20+ year history (wow!) and a seed to seal guarantee, that all essential oils are not created equal (a cheaper brand from say WalMart is not going to have the same health benefits, if any, because of quality)…I decided this was the brand for me. I love DIY, budget friendly projects, thrifty finds and awesome deals but some things aren’t worth scrimping on and integrity and quality is important to me. 

“But I don’t have $$$ to shell out.” I understand that sentiment well. But it IS worth that initial investment of $160 for 11 essential oils, diffuser, samples, rollerball fitment and welcome gifts from me. And for me personally, it has been worth placing a monthly order. Now before you get all…”ah-ha – there you go! It’s not just a premium starter kit after all!” …all I do is simply shift my spending from the store to Young Living for what I was mostly already buying. The best part? We’re creating a home environment that is toxin-free. How? There are so many essential oils we grab now instead of opening the bathroom supply cabinet. Instead of purchasing supplements from a big box store, we’re getting them from Young Living (and actually…I wasn’t really all that into supplements before although I did want to make better choices for supporting a healthy body). Now I clean with a multi-purpose cleaner concentrate that’s natural instead of suffering respiratory issues like I did with the store-bought cleaners. Even our laundry detergent is now purchased through Young Living. What else? Deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash, facial cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, soap, hand sanitizer, floss…all of those products without harmful chemicals. And guess what?! I earn rewards on my purchases too – BIG rewards, as in 10-20% back for free products with an opt-in essential rewards program (not required). I wasn’t getting rewards from the store (or a paycheck for recommending products to friends…but more on that later). And hey, it’s pretty nice that those products are delivered to my door. But all I’m asking is that you “TRY” them with all that comes packaged in a Premium Starter Kit. 

Yea, but what’s the catch? Aren’t MLMs scammy? A premium starter kit is simply the cost of a lifetime membership. That’s it. Period. Only with this lifetime membership fee, I actually got nearly $300 in products for $160 to show for that money I spent. There are NO further obligations. I do NOT have to purchase regularly or ever again (except to maintain an active status, but even going inactive has no penalty. I would simply place another order to re-activate each year if I wish to, whenever I am ready. If not, there are no consequences). There’s no contract like I have with my cell phone, no penalty if I want to quit…I just fade away and never order again. If I would decide 10 years down the road to order, my lifetime membership will kick in to give me access to the wholesale prices. No need to call and cancel membership or stop automatic payments or anything along those lines. I do NOT have to sell or sign people up. It’s actually much like but a lot better than the annual $45 membership fee we pay to Sam’s Club to get the bulk/discounted pricing. You purchase a premium starter kit (a fair way to really experience essential oils and the benefits) and you’re a lifetime member with access to wholesale prices. It’s a no brainer and a win and I breathe easier knowing my family isn’t going to suffer long term side effects from toxic ingredients. 

Chemical free living has to start somewhere. Take a look at this LIVE GREEN EARN GREEN video real quick. Isn’t that sad? It’s up to us as individuals to make healthier decisions because it’s not happening with what is celebrity or professionally endorsed. Most times, their bottom line is $$$ and business; not our well-being, not what’s best for us and our families. 

Quick recent personal uses: (it’s like this every day…a quick look up in my reference guide or connecting with my support team for recommendations for just.about.everything and I’m armed and empowered with natural products and no need to run to the store with resources to guide me). My grandson is going to associate natural essential oils and GOOD scents with grammy and pap. He has such a good head start on living a clean life. We grab oils for supporting the immune system, purifying the air, booboos, wellness, sleep, cleaning, uplifting, adding to cooking recipes, beverages, for occasional stress and more. And those lifestyle changes? They motivated more health conscious choices. Better dietary decisions, a husband who’s down 40 lbs. and keeping it off! And that exercise routine I always put off? Okay, you got me. I still put that off! haha! But, I’m working on it! Today, I’m feeling a bit sore from stretching muscles I didn’t know existed from a beginner’s YouTube yoga routine yesterday for the first time. It’s something I’d been telling myself I wanted to start but years later, here I sit. I applied a  motivating/energizing oil yesterday and dove in and today I’ll be using another essential oil for after exercise symptoms, if you know what I mean. I haven’t struggled with weight issues but that doesn’t mean I’m fit. Young Living gave us the kick in the pants we needed. Also just this morning, Russ was complaining about pests on his plants in the garden. It was nice to look in my guide and find a recipe to assist. We had the supplies to make up a chemical-free spray and IT WORKED! It’s also nice to whip up a DIY recipe for gifts, samples to help friends, so many different uses. We follow a daily routine. We also discover new uses nearly daily too. 

But how do I know what to use oils for?  Well, unlike buying essential oils from the store where a store associate isn’t going to offer any help, once you purchase a premium starter kit from me – I am here to hold your hand to get you started, offer guidance, resources, educational material and an awesome huge online team/community of friends to answer questions and empower you to take charge of promoting wellness for you and your family. Before long, you’re retaining that information and have the tools you need to USE your essential oils, not to mention the other products available. Young Living has the largest selection of essential oils, essential oil blends, essential oil infused supplements and products I’ve ever seen! 

And you know what makes me sad? Seeing friends with issues that I know would benefit from essential oils because I’ve experienced it myself.

Even sadder? That I fear or worry about approaching them because of the stigma associated with network marketing business or even essential oils for that matter. I’m an introvert and it really takes stepping outside of my comfort zone (even to write this blog post). However, the new healthier me feels compelled to share. If reaching out means I help one person, it’s worth it. 

“I hesitate to buy a kit because then I have to sell oils.” Nope. Wrong! I ‘accidentally’ built a business. Isn’t that strange? I don’t know anyone who says I want to build an MLM business. “NO. Just NO.” That was my mindset. But by sharing how they work for me like I would share my favorite restaurant, listening to friends and family not feeling well and maybe sometimes giving samples…well, it just happened. So random and unplanned. And when I finally personally looked at the compensation plan out of curiosity, I was blown away with the potential. In fact, some of my friends have even retired their husbands. Financial freedom is a possibility. I didn’t have to buy some $$$$ business starter kit to get started (the premium starter kit which provides the lifetime wholesale membership is all that I needed). I don’t have monthly quotas or inventory. I don’t have to hold qualifying parties or achieve a certain level of sales each month. I simply show those I care about how to get their own essential oils. It’s not a get rich quick scheme by any means, it’s an honest compensation plan and business model. But yes, my paycheck is surpassing my blogging income which had surpassed my healthcare administrative position I held for nearly 20 years. Blogging took 9 years to get to that point. Essential oils? I’m celebrating my 2 year anniversary! But, “you have a blog”, some say. “That makes it easier.” You’d think so, right? However, it’s not my experience. Most readers coming across this blog post will ignore it, others will unsubscribe or unfollow. (Please don’t!) That saddens me but success comes from heart-centered sharing, caring and helping others achieve wellness. And before your brain registers the warning “pyramid scheme”, let me say…I find that a traditional job more closely resembles a pyramid scheme. In my previous positions, I was working to make the people above me or the company I worked for money. There was a cap on what I could earn. I actually reached that level with 20 years of experience. My position and income level was lower than the person above me who had a lower paying job than the person above them. That sound a lot like the shape of a pyramid, doesn’t it? Young Living? My friend, you could join under me today, start building a business immediately and pass me up tomorrow. Not exactly a pyramid shape, is it?

Change is hard: Did you know that I used to be an expensive candle junkie? I love when my home smells good, don’t you? I didn’t even think about the chemicals I was breathing in. The latest greatest beauty product or $$$ designer perfume? Yep, that was me. And now? I get MORE compliments on my home smelling soooo good along with now feeling “peaceful” (benefits of essential oils with relaxing properties). No flame, no hot wax. A diffuser emits a cool mist of essential oils into the air and shuts off when it’s empty or after 4 hours. How cool is that? The same with me smelling better too. Instead of turning away people sensitive to synthetic ingredients in my pricey perfume, I’m asked by strangers what I’m wearing (and of course it’s essential oils, a blend I made up myself with health benefits). Isn’t that neat? I’ve never been told I smell like a stinky hippie. lol! People inhale deeply and just ask what I’m wearing and want to know more (for real – in a check out line more than once!). I never even thought about my body absorbing the chemicals I applied topically and how that would affect me long term. And I’ve always had the metabolism type that could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. That does not mean I was healthy or fit. But I’m now taking better care of myself and that feels good. I feel good!  

Closing: Okay, thanks for bearing with me or pacifying me while I got that off my chest. It’s important to me to raise awareness and share these unbelievable powerful drops of goodness with others. Even if you are not interested, it’s worth looking into a little more. Even if you get them from someone else, I encourage you to just.get.them. (Although research brands to find a quality that will give you results.) And I would be honored to be your enroller and sponsor for Young Living. I look forward to getting to know you better.

Now I can get back our regularly scheduled DIY posts. But first…ready to learn more or get started on your oily journey with my help? I’d like to introduce you to the…

June Welcome Gift: I offer some AH-mazing welcome gifts (valued at $25) with purchase of a premium starter kit using member#1836762 at yldist.com/roeshel from me personally. Once I receive notice that you’ve made the leap, I will be in touch to customize your welcome gift package to tailor them to fit your personal needs) and get your goodies out to you! (US members only. Friends in other countries – I will be send you a comparable welcome gift). Offer expires June 30, 2016. I know it’s a bit of an investment but it’s one I’ve never regretted, it’s worth saving for and it’s my hope that my readers experience the same wellness too. Thanks for taking the time to read and/or share my blog post today! xo