You might have probably noticed by now that I’ve grown quite fond of essential oils. I’m experimenting with different blends to help me in a variety of ways and so that I can share my discoveries to my friends (and to you).

They have helped me calm down during busy days, kept me wide awake when a cup of coffee couldn’t do the trick, and much more.

The best part is that I’m able to do all these with only the limited oils in my Young Living starter kit, namely:

– Lemon
– Lavender
– Peppermint
– Frankincense
– Copaiba
– Thieves
– Purification
– R.C.
– DiGize
– PanAway

The first five of these oils are singles, which mean they don’t have any other oil mixed into them. The other five are blends and are combinations of other oils.

What properties do these oils have that make them excellent as starters?

Let’s begin with Lemon.

Lemon Essential Oil Uses

As with all citrus oils, lemon oil is extracted via cold pressing. Simply put, we get it from its rinds. It gives off a bright, zesty aroma that can remove bad odors. It is also a great disinfectant.
Lemon oil has several benefits, such as:

It is Rich in Vitamin C. As it is a citrus fruit, lemons have a high vitamin C content, which stimulates your white blood cells, boosts your immune system, and also regulates your blood circulation. Say goodbye to high blood pressure and common colds!

Deals With Stomach and Weight Problems. Lemon is a carminative, which means it takes care of any gas problems you’re having. It can even treat colic in babies. It can help you out if you’re having indigestion issues or having stomach cramps. Lemons can also help you reduce weight by making you lose your appetite, therefore. You can add a few drops of it on your drinking water.

Gives you healthier hair and skin. Aside from giving you strong, shinier hair and removing dirt and pimples on your skin, lemon oil can also remove dandruff. If you want (and Young Living suggests it too), you can add a few drops to your skin care products or even your shampoo and conditioner.

Treats Asthma. A whiff of lemon’s aroma can help you clear sinuses and stuffy noses, allowing you to breathe more steadily and fully. If you feel like you’re about to have an incoming asthma attack, you’d best inhale its aroma.

This particular benefit of Lemon’s has saved me from a lot of bad spots. There was once instance when my sister and I were headed to an event and parts of the path to it were still under construction. I was sensitive to the smell of paint, and luckily she had brought her kit with her. With a few drops of lemon and Purification oil, we drove the bad odors away—as well as any potential asthma attacks.

And to think that just one type of essential oil has helped me a lot. With the rest of the oils that I have, I can do much more!

Now let’s move on to Lavender.

Lavender Essential Oil Uses

Lavender is probably one of the most well-known essential oils out there. It has a great and very recognizable aroma that can be irresistible to a lot of people, myself included. Its versatility makes it highly used in a myriad of products such as lotions, shampoos, and conditioners. According to the Young Living website, Lavender is one of their most popular products and is a great oil for beginners.

Aside from its famous aroma, Lavender oil also provides benefits like:

Hair and Skin Care. If you have skin problems such as acne and psoriasis, lavender helps treat them. It also works as a bug repellent and can soothe bites from insects. Lavender also kills hair lice and, although it’s still being researched, may be able to prevent hair loss.

Stress and Pain Relief. Lavender’s aroma has a soothing quality that can aid you when you’re feeling stressed or anxious. Stress can cause migraines, lack of sleep, and hypertension. Ergo, lavender helps you treat those as well. Another side effect of having your anxiety or stress levels treated is that you are more in control of your mental faculties, letting you perform better in whatever you are doing. This can be helpful if you’re busy, trying to concentrate, or just having a bad day.

Lavender is also known to soothe pain caused by—but not limited to–sore muscles, sprains, and joint inflammation. Lavender essential oil is often mixed with massage oils because of this.

Respiratory Treatment. Have you ever used or seen lavender-scented Vicks Vapor Rubs before? The scent isn’t just to make it smell more appealing. Lavender is known to relieve you from problems such as coughs, colds, asthma, and congestion, among others. It can either topically applied or inhaled.

Digestion and Urination. For people suffering from urinary problems, lavender can vitalize the production of urine and regulate your hormones as well. It helps in treating digestion issues like diarrhea and indigestion too. Also, if you are prone to abdominal cramps, you can inhale or apply some lavender oil on yourself. It lessens your chances of suffering through dysmenorrhea.
We can easily see now why Lavender is such a popular essential oil. Not only does it have an amazing aroma, but it also boasts many benefits that make it useful in everyday life. No wonder Young Living added this in their starter kits. It really is a great beginner oil.

Up next is another favourtite scent and flavour, Peppermint.

Peppermint Essential Oil Uses

Peppermint has a very refreshing and cool scent that you can easily identify anywhere. Its aroma is one that can immediately wake your senses. In fact, one of my favorite uses for peppermint is to put 2 drops of it on my coffee whenever I’m feeling particularly sluggish and the caffeine just won’t cut it. It’s also one of my substitutes for Lemon when making blends to use on my diffuser.

Did you know that peppermint is actually a hybrid plant? It’s a mix between watermint and spearmint and has been used by Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the Chinese for medicinal purposes. This old herb’s oil has been a popular remedy because of benefits like:

Pain Relief. Peppermint’s cooling quality makes it a great pain reliever. You can apply it to your head, for instance, if you’re suffering from a headache or need to cool off from a fever. You could massage a few drops of it to any sore muscles in your body. Aside from muscle pain, peppermint can also lessen any swelling caused by injuries.

Stomach Problems. Like lemon, peppermint is also a carminative and deals with gas and digestion issues. You might want to put a couple of drops on your glass of water during meals. It can also treat nausea and motion sickness. If you’re prone to these, you can inhale it, or use a few drops and massage on your stomach or wrist.
Peppermint is also used for treating motion sickness and nausea from pregnancy. If only I had already gotten into essential oils back then.

Anti-Bacteria, Anti-Septic, Anti-Everything Bad. Why is peppermint (as well as other mints) a common “flavor” in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and also a popular component in anti-dandruff shampoos and skin ointments? Aside from making feel much fresher and cooler, peppermint has anti-bacterial properties that fight off germs and deal with infections. It also removes dry, flaky skin, and soothes inflammations.

Peppermint’s one of the most used of all the oils I have right now. It’s been very helpful in keeping me up when I’m beginning to run low on fumes.

We’re almost done with the single oils now! There’s only one left: Frankincense.

Frankincense Essential Oil Uses

We’re finally at the last of the essential single oils in my Young Living starter kit–Frankincense. It’s an oil that’s been used since antiquity. Most of us probably know it as one of the gifts that the Three Wise Men brought with them in the Bible.

One would describe frankincense’s aroma as woody, warm, or earthy. It’s definitely a type that relaxes you and puts you in a state of calm. It’s a good oil to put in the diffuser if you’re in for a long and stressful day.

But bringing inner peace isn’t the only benefit that we can get from frankincense. There are others, such as:

Menstruation Regulation. Having trouble with your irregular periods? You might find Frankincense to be of use to you. It also takes care of other problems that come with menstruating, like cramps and migraines. It keeps your uterus healthy too. Not only that, but if you’re not ready to go through menopause just yet, this oil can help delay it.

Skin Care. Frankincense can strengthen your skin, gums, and muscles. It can also stop your injuries from bleeding any further. If you apply it on a wound, it can prevent it from getting infected, stop it from bleeding any further, and make it heal faster as well. It’s has an anti-aging property that tightens your skin and generates healthy cells.

Oral Health. As an antiseptic, frankincense works great in keeping your mouth healthy and free from cavities, sores, and even bad breath. If you’re into DIY, you could make your own toothpaste with it as one of the main ingredients.

Antacid Alternative. For those prone to acid reflux, frankincense is an excellent substitute as it actually helps to improve your digestion instead of just repressing your acidity issues. It also removes any gas problems and the problems that come along with it.

Up next, we have Copaiba, yet another famous scent with plenty of helpful properties.

 

Copaiba Essential Oil Uses

We’ve learned much about three oils in my starter kit: Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint. Now, let’s talk about a very special oil: Copaiba.

Young Living calls Copaiba an exclusive oil. It’s distilled from the resin of Copaifera trees in South America. Young Living sources it in Brazil, in particular. The natives in the area have been using it for centuries, but it wasn’t until recently that this wonder oil has been known to everyone else in the world.

It has an aroma that is often compared to the smell of honey, and is used to make moods better. I’ve used it in blends because of that. But what exactly makes Copaiba an extraordinary oil? Let’s take a look at its attributes.

Anti-inflammatory, Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Septic. Several sources state that copaiba is one of the most anti-inflammatory substances in the world. It also has a strong antibacterial property that is very effective at preventing infections in injuries. It can also be used to treat insect bites to stop them from swelling.

Heals Skin. Copaiba’s many nutrients have the ability to heal scars faster, remove acne and even blisters. It also makes you look younger by making loose skin firmer. If you have an issue with wrinkles on your face, Copaiba might be able to help you with that.

Bladder Control. Difficulties with controlling bladder muscles can be dealt by applying copaiba oil on the lower abdomen. If you have a child who still wets their bed or are taking care of older people who have weakened bladder muscles, this can help reduce the chances of them losing control.

Pain Relief. One characteristic of copaiba that made it a popular traditional medicine with natives is its capability to relieve pain from many sources. It can be pain ranging from usual sore muscles and headaches to arthritis and gout. You can use them topically or through a diffuser.

Have you noticed that Lavender, Peppermint, and Copaiba all have pain relieving properties? You could try experimenting and see how well they blend together. They could help you out if you have a massive migraine or a very sore muscle.

It’s no surprise that Copaiba’s considered a one of a kind essential oil. It’s indeed quite rare and potent. It’s a fine addition to the starter kit, and I’m still finding new ways to make the most of its benefits.

 

Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Frankincense, Copaiba — All of the essential single oils in my starter kit. Individually, they’re already very effective, but when I start mixing and matching them together, I get to enjoy not just a variety of different aromas, but also many benefits that help me in my everyday life.

LLPFC

 

LLPFC stands for Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Frankincse and Copaiba. Basically all of the single oils in your kit combined. This is known as the swiss army knife of oil blends. Use it for colds, rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma, allergies, insect bites, headaches and more.

I have personally experienced how effective this is against my asthma triggers, I posted about it below:

 

There are also so many other testimonials from my friends and their families of how LLPFC has worked for their rhinitis, colds and asthma. It has been my #1 recommended blend every since it worked for me, and the first thing I teach whenever I present the kit.

Now that I’ve already started my essential oils journey, I really appreciate how they make me feel inside and out. I’m glad there are alternatives to popping meds all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I still visit my doctor regularly, I take vitamins, I just happen to use essential oils at the same time, and it has saved me from a lot of down time. In this modern world where there is so much pollution and stress, isn’t it great to have a healthy alternative?

We’re halfway through the Starter Kit series! What have you learned so far? Which of the single oils is your favorite?

Soon I’ll be talking about the blends, so stick with me for a little longer now!