Episode 65: Certified Aromatherapist Retha Nesmith …...The other sponsor for this episode is The...

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Episode65:CertifiedAromatherapistRetha

NesmithonSafeandEffectiveEssentialOilUse


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Child:WelcometomyMommy’spodcast!

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Katie:WelcometotheHealthyMomspodcast.I’mKatiefromwellnessmama.comandI’mexcitedtobeheretodaywithRethaNesmith,whoisacertifiedaromatherapistwithPlantTherapyessentialoils.AndIloveRethaandshe’sawesometoworkwithbutshegrewupusingessentialoilswaybeforetheywerepopularandtrendy.Andhermomwasanaromatherapistaswell.Sonowwiththreechildrenofherown,sheoftenturnstoessentialoilsasaremedyandshealsoenjoysseeingotherslearnhowtousethemsafelyandeffectively.

AndinherroleatPlantTherapy,shedoesalotofthis,helpingpeopletounderstandthatessentialoilsarepowerful.Andwithsuchpowerfultoolsdocomesomesafetyprecautions.AndI’msoexcitedtohaveherheretodaytotalkaboutthemanybenefitsofessentialoilsandhowtousethemsafely.Sowelcome,Retha.I’msogladyou’rehere.

Retha:Thanks,Katie.I’mexcitedtobehere.

Katie:Awesome.Well,let’sjumprightinbecausethisisatopicthatIknowalotofmyreadersuseandloveessentialoilsandyouguyshavesomegreatessentialoils.Let’sjustjumpin.OnethingthatIwantedtoreallytalkabout.Soessentialoilshavegottenincrediblypopularinrecentyearswithgoodreason,butIfeellikethere’sstillalotofmisconceptionsaboutthemandalsosomepotentialdownsidesifthey’reusedincorrectly


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because,youknow,youalwayshearthatthedosemakesthepoison,andevenwatercanbedangerousinthewrongamount.

Socanyoutalkaboutwhatanessentialoilisandwhatmakesitdifferentthanothertypesofoils?

Retha:Sure.Anessentialoilisaconcentratedhydrophobicliquid,meaning,youknow,itdoesn’tlikewater,anditcomesfromasinglebotanicalso,youknow,likearoseplantorpeppermint.Anditconsistsofvolatilearomacompounds,whicharechemicalcompoundsthatmakeupanessentialoil,anditcanbeanywherefromachemicalconstituentsuptohundredsofchemicalconstituentsthatmakeuponeessentialoil.Thethingthat,youknow…Soitisanoilinthesensethat,youknow,itdoesn’tlikewaterandyou’llfindoutwithfattyoils,youknow,itdoesn’tmixwithwater.They’llformlittleballsand,youknow,trytogetawayfromthewater.

Butoneofthethingsthatmakesitdifferentisit’svolatile.Sounlikeafattyoilthat’sreallyoily,anessentialoilisnotoilyatallanditactuallyevaporatesquitequickly,youknow,whichisoneofthereasonsthatwerecommenddilutingandafewotherthings.Andit’soneofthethingsthatmakesitdifferentfromalotofotheroilslikefattyoilsoracarrieroil.Andso,yeah,that’skindof,youknow,areallyquickdescriptionofessentialoilsbuttheycanbequitecomplexbecausetheyaremadeupofallthesedifferentchemicalconstituentsupto200.Andeachoneofthoseconstituentsthatmakeupanessentialoiliswhatgivesititstherapeuticproperties.

Likelinaloolinlavender,forexample,iswhatmakeslavenderaverycalmingoil.Youcanalsofindlinaloolin,youknow,atonofotheroils.Sometimesit’samajorconstituentoftheoilsandsometimesit’saverysmallpercentageoftheessentialoil.

Katie:Okay.That’sreallyhelpfultounderstand.SofromwhatI’veread,essentialoilsaretypicallyextremelyconcentrated.IthinksomeoftheexamplesIhadseenisthatittakes256poundsofpeppermintleaftomakeonepoundofpeppermintessentialoil,about150poundsormoreoflavenderflowerstomakeonepoundoflavenderessentialoil,andliterallythousandsandthousandsofpoundsofrosestomakeonepoundofroseessentialoil.

Soobviouslythey’reveryconcentratedandtheycouldhaveverypotenteffects,andcertainlyweshouldrespectthembecauseofthis.Solet’stalkaboutthat.Sincetheyaresoconcentrated,arethereanybasiccautionspeopleneedtounderstandbeforetheyjustslatheressentialoilsordrinkthem,especially?

Retha:Justlikeyoumentionedearlier,evensomeofthebestthings,someofthemostnaturalthings,youknow,water,canbecomeunhealthytous.Youknow,ourbodiescanfightthemifwehavetoomuchofit.And,youknow,that’sthesamewithessentialoils.Andsomeessentialoils…It’simportanttoknowthatit’snotonesizefitsallwhenitcomestoessentialoils.Therearesomeessentialoilsthatarealotsaferthanother


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essentialoils.Forexample,lavender,it’saverysafeoil.It’sakid-safeoil.Youknow,itcanbeusedinalotofdifferentways.Andthenthereareoilslikecinnamonororeganothatarealotstronger,alotmoreintense,andtherearealotmorerestrictionstothemcomparedtoalavenderoil.Soit’snotaonesizefitsallwhenitcomestoessentialoils.

Sosomeofthose,becauseofhowconcentratedtheoilsare,you’llfindalotofoilscanbeveryhottotheskinwhenappliedtopically,andsowe’llrecommendmostoilsbedilutedbutespeciallythoseoilswe’llrecommendahigh-highdilutionbecausetheywillbehot.Sadly,I’veseeninpersonandheardfrom,youknow,customerswhohavebeenusingessentialoilsandnotfamiliarwithsomeofthesafetyconcerns,butI’veseenpicturesof,youknow,justboilsfromessentialoilsburningtheskinandstuff.Sotheredefinitelyareprecautionstotakewhenusingessentialoilsbecausetheyarepowerful.Theyareveryconcentrated.And,youknow,withpowerfulthingscome,youknow,somerestrictionsonhowtosafelyusethem.

Katie:Yeah,absolutely.Let’skindofstartmaybein,atleastinmymind,themostsafetotheonethatyouwouldwanttousewiththemostcaution.Startingwitharomatherapy,whichyou’reobviouslyanexpertin,andthatmainlywouldmeandiffusingessentialoilsintotheair.Socanyoukindoftalkaboutwhythat’sbeneficialandhowtomakesureyou’redoingthatsafely?Ifeellikealotofpeoplekindofunderplaythebenefitsofusingjustaromatherapyandhavingthemintheairbecauseit’snotlikeputtingitonyourskinwhereyoufeeltheeffectimmediately.Sotalkabouthowaromatherapyisbeneficialandthenhowtomakesurewedoitsafely.

Retha:Right.Ialwayssaythatthere’sareasonit’scalled“aromatherapy”,andthat’sbecauseit’softenoneofthebestwaystogetthetherapeuticbenefitsofessentialoils.Ithinksometimes,likeyouhadmentioned,peoplethinkthatifit’snotontheskin,howisitgoingtogivemethesetherapeuticproperties?HowisitgoingtohelpmewiththethingsIneedhelp?Butjustlikeyoumentioned,aromatherapyisanamazingpartofusingessentialoils.

Ioftenliketokindofgiveanexampleofwehavealotofpeoplewhowillcomeandlooktobuycedarwoodfromusbecausetheyremembertheirgrandmother’scedarwoodchestanditbringsbackallthesepositivememoriesanditrelaxesthem.Ithinkthatisthetoolofaromatherapy,exactlywhatthey’redescribing.Ithinkalotofpeoplearefamiliarwiththatbuttheydon’tconnectitwiththeuseofessentialoils.

Katie:Yeah,that’sagreatpoint.

Retha:Yeah.Wetalkaboutthese...Ihadmentionedearliertheessentialoilsarethesevolatilearomacompounds,andit’sthesenaturalaromacompoundsthattheseplantsaremaking.Whenyougoansmellaroseandit’sjustthisgorgeoussmellandit’srelaxingandit’sbeautiful,that’sthearomatherapypartoftheessentialoil.That’swhatyou’resmellingarethesearomaticcompoundswithinthatrose.That’swhatthey’reextractingtogetthisessentialoilandyoucangetallthesesamebenefits.


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Theplantsmaketheseessentialoils,thesearomaticcompounds,sometimestodeterbugsorsometimestoattractcertaininsectsorsomething.Sothere’spowerevenwithintheplantbeforeyou’veevenextractedthem.

AromatherapyisahugepartofusingessentialoilsandIthinkit’softennotfocusedonbecausepeoplethinkthatyouneedtousethemtopically,wheninfacttheydon’t.Butalonglikewetalkedaboutearlier,allthesebenefitsbuttherearesomeprecautions.Sometimesitcanbeoverpowering,especiallytoyoungchildrenwhoarestilldevelopingandevenbabieswhocan’tcommunicateifthesmellistoostrongorsomething.Ifanadultisdiffusinganoilanditbecomesalittleoverwhelming,thenyouknowtogoandtoturnthediffuserofforstepawayforaminute.Butifit’sachild,theycan’talwayscommunicatethatwithyou,sothere’sevenextraprecautionswhenusingessentialoilsaroundchildren.

Oneofthethingsthatweliketotellourcustomerstokindofmakeitsimple,sinceweareeducatingonamassscale,it’shardertogetintospecificsunlesswe’retalkingtoaspecificcustomer.Sooneofthethingsthatweliketotellourcustomers,whenthey’rediffusingallday,werecommenddiffusingfor30minutesonand60minutesoff.Thatisenoughtogetthetherapeuticbenefitsoftheessentialoilswhilegivingyourbodyabreakandallowingyourbodytodoalltheamazingthingsthattheycanwhilehavingtheessentialoilassistingtherelaxationorwhateveritmightbethatyou’rediffusingtheoilsfor.

Katie:Yeah,definitely.Iknowinourhouserightnowinthewinterwe’vegotyourcandycanearomatherapyblendgoingandthekidsloveitbecauseitsmellsexactlylikeacandycaneandIloveitbecausethey’renoteatingsugar.SofromwhatI’vereadalso,asfarthebiologicaleffectsofaromatherapy,justlikethereason,onanegativelevel,whywhensomeonesmokesthey’reabletoabsorballthenicotineandthechemicalsfromthecigarettes,thesamething,fromwhatIunderstand,happenswitharomatherapyaswellbecausethelungsareactuallyoneofthemoreabsorbentpartsofourbodyandtheycanveryquicklygetthingsintoourbody.

Canyoutalkaboutthatalittlebitandhowthebenefitsofessentialoilsactuallycanverymuchenteryourbodythrougharomatherapyandthat’s,ofcourse,whyyouwanttoexercisecautionandnooverdoit,likeyoujustsaid,butalsowhyitcanbesoeffective?Iknowifwehavesomeonewiththesnifflesorasorethroat,itcanbereallysoothing.

Retha:Yeah.I’mnotadoctorbyanymeansandIdon’thaveallthescientificterms,butoneofthethingsis,essentialoils,Ithinkalotofpeopledon’trealizethatwhenyouuseessentialoilsviaaromatherapy,theessentialoilsgetintoyourbloodstream.Andoftenwhenpeoplearelike,“Oh,justdiffuseandthatcan’tbeharmfulatall,”oftenitcansometimesbecomemoreharmfulbecauseit’shardertocalculatetheexactamountthatisgettingintoyourbloodstreaminsideofyourbody.That’sanotheroneofthereasonswehavetheprecautionorthesafetyguidelineof30minuteson,60minutesoffifyou’rediffusingalldaybecauseit’shardtoknowexactlyhowmuchofthatessentialoilisenteringintoyourbloodstream,enteringintoyourbody,butitabsolutelydoes.


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Youthink,“Ihavetoapplyittopicallyforittogetinsidemybody,”becausethat’saphysicalthing.Youputitthereanditwillgoinsideyourbody,butwhenyou’reusingaromatherapyviainhalationoressentialoilsviainhalation,itisgettingintoyourbody.It’sgettingintoyourbloodstream.Sothereareamazingtherapeuticbenefitsthatcancomefromjustinhalingtheessentialoils.

Wesaidtherearesomeprecautionsbecauseitisgettingintoyourbody,itisgettingintoyourbloodstream.That’showithealsyouandthat’salsohowitcanbecomeharmfulisbecausewedon’talwaysknowexactlyhowmuchisgettinginbasedoffofwhatoilsyouarediffusing,whatkindofdiffuseryouareusing,howoftenyou’rediffusing.It’salotharderthatwaythanifyoujustsay,“Put3%ofthisoilinthisspot,”andtheycancalculatealittlemoretheexactamountsofwhat’sactuallygettingintoyourbody,intoyourbloodstream.

Katie:Thatmakesperfectsense.Withthatunderstandingofhowaromatherapycanbesuchapowerfultool,arethereanyoilsthatarejustingeneralthatyouwouldn’twanttoevendiffusearoundababyforinstance?

Retha:Thereare.There’sactuallyquiteafew.PlantTherapyhasalineofKidSafeoilsandthatcomeswith21specificallyformulatedblendsforchildrenthatRobertTisserandformulated,butwealsoincluded,whenwelaunchedthisovertwoyearsago,ourkids-safeline,wealsoincludedaKidSafestamponallofoursingleoilssothatwhenourcustomerscometoourwebsitetolookattheoils,ifithasaKidSafestamponit,theyknowthatthatisoneofthesafestoilstousearoundchildren.Ifyougotoourwebsite,youstartlooking,ifitdoesn’thaveaKidSafeoil,thentheremightbeconcernsfortopicaluseorforinhalation.

Someoftheonesthataremosttalkedaboutarepeppermint,eucalyptus,rosemary,andthereasonforthatisbecause,1,8-cineolandmentholarebothchemicalconstituentsthathavebeenknowntocausebreathingproblemsinyoungchildren.Ithinkthat’shardforsomepeopletohearbecausetheyusedthosegrowinguportheyusedthemaroundtheirchildrenforalongtime,butIalwayssayyouwon’tknowifitcausesabreathingproblemunlessyoutryitandthenifyoutryitanditdoescauseabreathingproblem,thenthereareconcernsthere.Irecommenduntilthesetagelimit,whichis6-10,tojustkindofstayawayfromthoseonesbecauseithasbeenshowntocausebreathingproblemsinyoungchildren.

Andthenthere’sotherconcernslike,first,cinnamonoilsororeganothatarereallystrongoils.Notonlydowenotrecommendthemfortopicalusebecausetheyarehotoilsandcanburntheskinwithyoungchildren,butwealsodon’trecommendthemfordiffusionbecause,likewetalkedaboutearlier,it’shardertoknowhowmuchisgettingintothebloodstreamandtheeffectsofthat.Becausetheyaresuchstrongoils,wejustrecommendtheynotbeusedinanywayaroundyoungchildrenbecausetherearesomeconcernsthatcan’talwaysbecalculatedwiththoseextremelypowerfuloilslikeoreganoandthymeandcinnamonbarkandoilslikethat.


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Katie:Yeah.Ireallyappreciateyourexplanationofthatandyou’reright.ActuallyI’vetakenheatforsayingbeforeinapostthatyoureallyshouldn’tusepeppermintaroundbabiesbecauseIhadresearchedthatandIhaveafriendwho’sanaromatherapistandIhadalotofpeoplewhosaidjustthat,like,“No,I’veuseditandIwasjustfine.I’veuseditonmykidsandtheywerejustfine.”I’mlike,“That’sgreat,”butjustlikeyousaid,theseareverypowerfuloils.That’sthegreatpart,therearesomegreatalternativestousethataresafearoundchildren,especiallywhenyouknowhowtousethemcorrectly.

I’llmakesuretolink...Iknowyouguyshavesomegoodresources,andalsojustincludekindofalistofwhichonesareKidSafebecauseIthinkthat’sreallyhelpful.I’msogladthatyouandothercompaniestooarereallytryingtoraiseawarenessbecauseIthinkessentialoilsaresuchawonderfultoolandIhatetoseethembeingwrittenoffasbeingdangerouswhenthereareverysafewaystousethem.

Anotherwaythatessentialoilsareoftenusedistopically.ThisisoneofthefirstwaysthatIeverstartedusingthem,andthatwasinhomemadebeautyproductsandlotionsandsoapsandshampoos.That’saprettyeasyusetounderstand,buttalkaboutusingessentialoilstopicallyandanythingweneedtoknowaboutdilutionorproperratios.

Retha:Yeah.Usingthemtopicallyisoftenaloteasierbecausetherearespecificguidelines.Forexample,onourwebsite,ifthere’sanyconcernswithtopicalusewithanoil,forexamplecinnamonbark,wehaveamaximumdilutionrecommendation,soit’seasy.Youstayunderthatmaximumdilutionrecommendationandyou’regoingtobefineusingthatoiltopically.Thenwehaveaguidelineofdilutethisoil1-3%ordilutethisoil3-5%,soit’saloteasierthatwaybecausetherearethesespecificguidelinesandyouknowifyoudothisthenitwillbesafeandthere’snototherthingstoworryabout.

Wedoalwaysrecommenddilutingessentialoilsandwerecommendthisforafewreasons.AsImentionedearlier,essentialoilsarevolatile,meaningthattheyevaporatequickly.Ifyoudiluteanessentialoilinafattyoillikeacarrieroil,thenit’snotgoingtoevaporateasquicklyandyou’regoingtobeabletogetmoreoftheessentialoilworkingonthosetherapeuticbenefitsthatyouwant,moreessentialoilsintoyourbody,moreessentialoilsstayingonyourskinifit’satopicalconcern.That’soneofthereasonswerecommenddilutingessentialoils.

Anotherreasonisbecauseanessentialoilisvolatile,itcanvery,verydryingtotheskinandwhenmixedwithacarrieroilatarightdilutionpercentage,essentialoilschangefrombeingdryingtoactuallyverytherapeutic,some,likelavender,tobeveryhealthyfortheskinandcanbegreatforallskintypeswhendiluted.Sothat’sacoupleofthereasonsthatwerecommenddilutionmoreonthescientificside,butthenagainwerecommenddilutingessentialoilsforsafetyconcernsaswell.

Likeyousaid,wehaveadilutionchartthatgivesrecommendeddilutionsandhowyoudothat,sohowdoyougeta10%dilutionorhowdoyougeta1%dilution.Wehaveadilutionchartthatgivesthatinformationandalsogivesrecommendeddilutionsperagerange.Thereasontherearedilutionrecommendationsperage


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rangeisbecauseaswegrow...whenyou’reachild,yourskinisalotthinner,ithasn’tcompletelydevelopedandit’salotmoresensitive,sowerecommendyoudilutealotmoreforayoungchild.Thatgoesthesameforanelderlyperson.Theirskinstartstothinagainandbecomesalotmoresensitive,sowe’regoingtorecommendyoudilutetheoilabitmore.Soitisalittlebiteasier.

There’salsootherconcernswhenusingessentialoilstopically.Somethingtokeepinmind,likeIsaidearlier,essentialoils,becausethey’rehydrophobic,theydon’tlikewater,sotheywon’tmixwithwater.Alotofpeopleliketouseessentialoilsinthebathbutwedon’trecommendyoujustputtingtheessentialoilinthebathbecauseit’snotgoingtomixwiththewater.Youcanputitinabubblebathorashampooandthenitwillmixwithallofthosefattyoilsandalloftheotherthingsintheshampooorthebubblebathorwhateveritmightbe.Thenitwillevenlydispersewithinthewaterandyou’llbeabletogetalloftheamazingtherapeuticbenefitsofusingessentialoilsinthebathwithouthavinganyoftheconcernsofmaybebeingburnedbyanessentialoilorhaveitbeirritatinginawaybecauseit’snotmixingwiththewateranditisgettingonyourskinundiluted.

Katie:Yeah,that’sareallygreatpointbecauseifit’saoillikethat,itwouldjustkindoffloatonthesurface,right?Soyoucouldactuallygetawholedropofitjuststraightonyourskinifitwasfloatingonthetopofthewater.

Retha:Yeah,absolutely.I’veseenwhereparentshaveputourgermfighterblend...likeIsaid,twoyearsagowhenwelaunchedourKidSafeline,welaunchedourGermDestroyer,whichiscomparabletoourGermFighterblendbutit’sKidSafe.Butbeforethat,wehadparents...IheardoncewhereaparentputtheGermFighterinthebathwaterandthentheirchildsatonitandithashotoilsinitlikecinnamonanditjustburnedtheirlegsbecause,likeyousaid,thatoilwasjustfloatingontopofthewaterandit’snotdilutedatallbecauseit’snotmixingwiththewater.Sotheredefinitelycanbesomeconcernsbecauseitwon’tmixinwiththewater.

Katie:That’sanimportantpoint.Anotherissue,atleastthatI’mcautiousofwithtopicalusethatmaybeyoucanhelpshedsomelighton,issomeoilscanmaketheskinmoresensitivetosunlight,fromwhatI’veread.Isthatrightandwhichoilswouldyounotwanttouseifyouweregoingto,say,goouttothebeachorinthesunforawhile?

Retha:Thatiscorrect.Thebiggestconcernwiththatarecitrusoils,butnotallcitrusoilsarephototoxicbutalotofthemare.Onourwebsitewe’lllistifthereisthatconcern,butingeneral,ifyouaren’treallysurewhatyou’redoing,ifyouhaveacitrusoil,ifitdoesn’tsayifit’sphototoxicornot,Iwouldsaydon’tapplyitonyourskinandthengooutinthesun,justtobesafe.Butyou’recorrectthatthereareoilsthatdothat.Ithinksomepeopledon’trealizethatit’snotonlytheoilbutinthepastcoupleofyearswe’veseenstoriesofpeoplecuttinguplimesorsomethingandthentheirhandsbeingburntbythesun,andit’sbecauseofthoseoilsinthelimeandthenlimeessentialoilisphototoxicsoyoushouldn’tuseittopicallyandthengooutinthesun.


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Onourwebsite,ifthereisthatconcern,welistit.Ifyoucanuseitatacertaindilutionandit’ssafetouseinthesun,welistthatinformationtotrytomakeitaseasyforourcustomerstogoonandknowexactlythesafestwaytousetheseoils.Butthatdefinitelyisaconcernandwe’veseenthathappen,sadly,withdifferentsafetyreportsthathavecomeoutofpeopleusingessentialoils.Sothatisdefinitelysomethingtokeepinmindwhenusingessentialoils.Isayjusttobeonthesafeside,ifit’sacitrusoilandyoudon’tknowifitisphototoxicornot,ifitdoesn’tlistit,Iwouldsaydon’tuseitandthendon’tuseittopicallyandgooutinthesununlessyou’vedonesomeresearchandknowifitisaphototoxicoilornot.

Katie:Great.Thatisgreat.Thankyouforclearingthatupaswell.Nowtogetalittlebitintothemorecontroversialsideofessentialoilsandthat’swithinternalusebecauseIfeellikethere’sawholelotofsourcesontheinternetthatsaycompletelydifferentthingsaboutthis.AndIfeellikealotofmaybelistenersevenarealittlebitconfusedaboutinternalusewhenyouhaveononesidesourcesthatrecommendthatyoudrink20-30dropsofcertainessentialoilsdailyandthenothersthatsayyoushouldnottaketheminternally.Sofromacertifiedaromatherapistperspective,you’velearnedalotaboutthis,socanyoukindofgiveussomegoodguidelinesforinternaluseandwhattobecautiousofthere?

Retha:Yeah,absolutely.Likeyousay,wekindofseeextremesinthisandoneachendofthespectrumwe’llseepeoplewhoareusingessentialoilsinternallyeveryday,addingthemtotheirwater,whichwedon’trecommendinanyway,shapeorformbecauseessentialoilsdonotdiluteinwaterandyou’regettingthoseoilsdirectlyonyoursensitivemucusmembranesinyourmouthcompletelyundilutedaswellasinternally,becausetheydon’tmixwithwater.Soweneverrecommendthat.

Alsoincapsulesorinmoresafewaysweseepeopleingestingessentialoilseverydayalldayoften,andthenwehaveontheotherendofthespectrumwheretherewillbepeoplewhosayyoucanneveringestanessentialoil.We’rekindofalittlebitinthemiddle,althoughalittlebitmoreonthesafersideonlybecauseweareeducatingamassamountofpeople.It’snotjustoneortwopeople.Sowedohavetobealittleextracautious.

IwroteapostaboutthisthatIactuallywrotefrommyfinalpaperwhenIwasgettingmycertificateinaromatherapy.Soitwouldhavebeenin2014andit’sonourblogandit’scalled“CanEssentialOilsBeIngested?”andithasalotof,Ithink,importantinformationonitbecauseIthinkalotofpeoplegetconfusedwiththedifferenceofusingessentialoilsinternallyformedicinalpurposesandallofusgettingessentialoilsinternallyaswemightdrinkapop.EssentialoilsareusedinfoodflavoringalotandIdon’tthinkpeoplerealizethat.Andthey’reinthefoodweeatbecause,likewetalkedaboutearlier,isthesearomaticcompoundsandthesethingsthatareintheplantthatweareextracting.

Sothey’reineverythingthatweeatbutwiththembeingasfoodflavoringsorinthefoodweeat,we’regettingwaylessthan1%ofadropofessentialoilperdayandthey’recompletelymixedin,youknow,becauseit’spartofthefoodwe’reeating.Butwhenyou’reusingthemmedicinally,you’reusingtheminalotlargeramountsandtherearesomesafetyconcernsbecauseofthat.


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And,youknow,inmypost,IjustwantedtoreadalittlepartbecauseIwentbacktomyposttokindofgooverthisquestionbecausethere’salotofdifferentthingstothinkaboutand,youknow,Idon’tthinkweshouldcoverallofitbecauseitcanbekindofoverwhelming.ButIthinkjustthislittlepartthatI’mgonnareadiskindofimportantforpeopletounderstand.

Soinmypost,Isaid,“Therearesomeconstituentsinessentialoilsthatcanbetoxic,irritatingandsensitizingiftheessentialoilisusedinlargeenoughdoses.Justbecauseanessentialoilis100%pureandnaturaldoesnotmeanthatitcannotharmyou.Harmfromanessentialoilnotalwaysisduetoimpuritiesoradulterations.Moreoftenitissimplyabouttheconstituentitcontains.”

ThenIsay,“Forexample,ateaspoon,”andIknowthat’skindofalargeamountbutstaywithme,“ateaspoonofeucalyptusoilorwintergreenoil,evenif100%pure,canbefataltoachild.”Andthereisresearchandstudiesthatshowthatthishasactuallyhappened.Therehavebeenchildrenthathavediedfromalargeamountofwintergreen.Ithink,youknow,peoplesay,“Well,I’mnottakingateaspoonofwintergreenoilinternally.”Andhopefullythat’strue,butit’simportanttonotethatthatishowpowerfultheseessentialoilsare,thatateaspoon,whichmightseemlikealotofessentialoil,butifyouthinkofateaspoonas,youknow,waterorsomething,it’ssuchatinyamountandyouthinkthat,“Thathascausedachildtodiebefore?”

Youknow,thisisoneofthereasonswhythereareprecautionsbecausethisisseriouslystrong,concentratedoil,youknow,thatwe’reusingfortherapeuticbenefits.Andso,youknow,theredefinitelycanbebenefitsfromusingessentialoilsinternally.AndPlantTherapyisdefinitelynotanti-internalingestionofessentialoils,butwedorecommendthatpeopledoresearch.Wedorecommendthattheycontactanexpertinthisarea,anaromatherapypractitioner,someonewhounderstandseachandeveryoneofthechemicalconstituentswithinthatessentialoilandwhatarethecautionswithusingthoseinternally,arethereanycautionswiththembeingtoxic,sensitizing,irritating.Someessentialoilscanalsohaveinteractionswithmedication,soisthataconcern?

Sothere’slotsofthingsthatplayintousingessentialoilsinternallymorethanifyou’rejustusingthemviaaromatherapyortopicaluse.Andsothisiswhytherearealotofextra…youknow,thisiswhyalotofpeoplearekindofpushingbackontheinternaluse,becausetherearealotofprecautionsthatalotofpeoplearen’tawareofanditcanbecomeseriousandwehaveseenserioussideeffectsofpeopleusingessentialoilsinternally.Soalthoughitcanbedonesafely,wedon’trecommend,youknow,justtheaveragepersonusingessentialoilsmedicinallyonadailybasis.Youknow,werecommendthattheycontactanaromatherapypractitionerorsomeonewho’seducatedintheuseofessentialoilsinternallywhoreallyunderstandseachandeveryconstituentwithinthatessentialoilsandknowsifthere’sanysafetyconcernswiththoseconstituentsthatarefoundinthatessentialoil.

Katie:Yeah,that’ssoimportant.Andyou’reright.Peoplemaythink,well,ateaspoonofwintergreenisalot,butifababygetsabottleofwintergreenessentialoil,theycouldtakeasipofitthat’sequaltoateaspoon.So


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that’sreallyimportanttoknow,andIthinkyou’reright.Ithinkthateducationissomuchthekey.Andespeciallybecausetherearepeoplelikeyououttherewhohaveagoodunderstandingofthis,andotheraromatherapists,andpeoplewhoarecertifiedinthiswholistenerscanfindtomakesure,likeyousaid,fortheirpersonalcase,it’sasafewaytouseit,it’snotgoingtointeractwithmedicationandthatit’ssafefortheirageorstateoflife.

AndIknow,like,youhaveheardtoomanyofthesadstoriesaboutmomsgivinginfants,tinybabies,oreganoessentialoilsstraight,whichjustlikeifitgotonyourskin,itcanburnyou.Andthatisextremelystrongforsomeonesosmall.SoIthinkwhatyou’resayingissuper,superimportant.AndIknowthatwe’regonnagetalotofquestionsaswellbecausequiteafewofmyreadersareeitherpregnantornursing,andI’veresearchedthisquiteabitasfarasjustyouwanttohaveaspecialcautiontheretoobecausetherearethingsthatcanaffectapregnantwoman.Forinstance,someoilshaveevenbeenused,fromwhatIunderstand,tohelpwomengointolaborbuttherearesometobecautiousof.Sowhataretheparticularcautionsifsomeone’spregnantornursingthattheywouldwanttobeawareof?

Retha:Sotherearedefinitelysomeessentialoilsthattheywouldnotwanttouseatall.And,youknow,wehaveachartofessentialoilsthataresafetousewhilepregnant.And,youknow,justkindofalittlesidenote,allofoursafetyinformationthatisfoundonthesechartsaredilutioncharts,allofthedilutionrecommendationsonourwebsite,allofthecautionsaboutnotbeingkid-safeornotusingwhilepregnant.AllofthisinformationcomesfromRobertTisserand,whoistheauthorof“EssentialOilSafety,”and,youknow,thesafetyexpertinthearomatherapyindustry.Soallofthisinformationcomesfromhim.HeconsultswithPlantTherapyandso,youknow,he’sjustrightatourfingertips.Wehavequestions,youknow,allofthisinformation…Everytimebeforeweputanoilonthewebsite,beforewesellanoil,wealwaystalktohimaboutanysafetyconcerns,iftheoiliskid-safe,soallofthat.Sokindofjustasidenotesopeopleareaware,youknow,thisiswherealotofoursafetyeducationiscomingfromisfromRobertTisserand.

Sowedohavealistofoilsthataresafetousewhilepregnant.AndinEssentialOilSafety,RobertTisserand’sbook,helistsoilsthatabsolutelyshouldnotbeusedinanyway,shapeorformwhilepregnant.Thenthereareoilsthathavesomeseriousprecautionsthattheypossiblycanbesafetousewhilepregnantifyou’reusingthemcorrectly.Iwouldsaydefinitelylookforchartslikethattoknowifanoilissafeornottousewhilepregnant.

Thenontopofthat,usuallywhenyouarepregnantwerecommendahigherdilution.Werecommendyoudilutetoabouttheageofatwotofive-year-oldbecausetheoilisgettingintoyourbloodstreamsoweusuallywantlessofthattohappenbecausethenitcangettoyourunbornchildandsotherearesomeconcernsthere.Sowerecommendahigherdilutionwhenyou’repregnantandwealsodon’trecommendyouuseessentialoilsinyourfirsttrimester.Asmostpeopleknow,that’swhenmostofthedevelopmentofthebabyoccursisinyourfirsttrimester.Sosinceessentialoilsaregettingintothebloodstreamandtherearesomeprecautionswhenusingessentialoilswhenpregnant,it’seasiertosaynottouseatallduringyourfirsttrimesterjusttomakesurethatthereisn’tanythingunsafewiththeessentialoilsthatthey’reusing,especiallyduringthatextra-sensitivetimeofthebaby’sdevelopment.


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Katie:Yeah,exactly.That’ssogoodtohear,andI’llmakesuretofindthechartsthatyouguyshaveandlinktothosesoanyonewho’swonderingaboutthespecificscancheckthoseout.

AnotherquestionI’vejustthoughtofthatIdon’tthinkIevenmentionedtoyoubefore,sohopefullyI’mnotthrowingyouacurveball,butwhenitcomestothedifferenttypesofessentialoils,whatkindofstandardsarethereorcertificationsarethere,whatkindofoversightdotheygothrough?Iknowthatyouguyshavequiteafeworganicessentialoils,whichobviously,Iwouldguess,areprettysimilartoaplantoravegetablegettingcertifiedorganic.Butthere’salotofclaimsoutthereasfarascertainessentialoilsbeingmorepotentthanothersorbeingmedicalgradeortherapeuticandhowthatmakesthemokaytouseinternally.Canyoushedsomelightonthatforus?

Retha:Yeah,absolutely.Thisisaquestionwegetoftensoit’snotacurveballbecauseI’mveryfamiliarwiththisquestion.IntheUnitedStatesthere’sactuallynocertification,nograding,noanythingofessentialoil.It’ssadlyandnotsosadlykindofafreeforallwhenitcomestoessentialoilsintheUnitedStates.Othercountrieshavecertificationguidelinesthatcompanieshavetogothrough.Therearesomecountrieswhereonlydoctorscanprescribeessentialoilsinternally.There’slotofthingsinothercountriesbuttheUnitedStatesisalittlebehindwhenitcomestotheessentialoilsbecausewedon’thaveanyofthatintheUnitedStates.

AlotofpeoplewillbringupthattheFDAhasalistofgenerallyrecognizedassafe,orGRAS,essentialoils.Theywillsayalltheseessentialoilscanbeusedinternally.Well,that’snotnecessarilytrue.Theyaregenerallyrecognizedassafetouseinfood.SoifyougototheFDA’swebsite,itspecificallyistalkingabouttheseessentialoilsusedinfoodflavoring,andaswetalkedaboutearlier,thatisdifferentthanusingthemmedicinally.Sothat’ssomethingtokeepinmind.

ButlikeIalsosaidearlier,we’renotanti-ingestion,wejustwanttomakesurethatpeoplearedoingitsafelysothere’sthattoo.Whenitcomestothiscertifyingtherapeuticgradeor,likeyousaid,medicinalgradeorclinicalgrade,alotofthosetermsareusedbycompaniesthathavetheirown–howdoIsayit–theyhavetheirownguidelinesonthequalityoftheiressentialoilsandiftheiressentialoilsmeetthisguidelinethenthey’llsaythatthey’retherapeuticgradeorwhatever.Butthere’snoUnitedStatesgrading.There’snobodyintheUnitedStates,nogovernmentagency,nobodythatactuallydoesanyofthisgrading.

Soifacompanyissayingthattheiroilsaretherapeuticgradeorwhateveritmightbe,that’sthecompanygivingittotheiroilsthemselvesandnotathirdpartyoranygoverningagencygivingthatcertificationorthatgradingoftheoiltothecompany,ifthatmakessense.Ikindoframbledalittlebitthere.

Katie:No,thatdoesmakeperfectsense.


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Retha:Okay,good.Soalotofpeoplearelike,“Well,howdoweknowifanoilisgoodthen?Howdoweknowifanoilisgoodthen?Howdoweknowifanoilispure?”Therereallyisn’tanywaytojustknow.

Someofthethingswerecommendyoulookforwhenyou’relookingtopurchaseanessentialoil,oneisyouhavetobecomfortable.Youhavetotrustthecompany.Youhavetobecomfortablewiththecompanythatyou’repurchasingyouressentialoilsfrom.That’snotgoingtobethesameforeveryoneandthat’sokay.Ithinkthatthat’ssomethingimportantforpeopletokeepinmindbecauseweseealotofarguinginthearomatherapyindustryof,“Thiscompany’sbest,”“No,thiscompany’sbest,”andIdon’tthinkthat’sthereality.Ithinksomepeoplearemostcomfortablepurchasingfromthiscompanyforwhateverreasonandsomepeoplearemorecomfortablepurchasingfromanothercompanyforwhateverreasonandeveryonehastherighttomakethatdecision.

SoIthinkthatthat’simportanttostate.Butsomeofthethingsthatwe,asacompany,trytodoiswetrytobeveryopenandclearandhonestwithourcustomerssotheyknowexactlywhatthey’repurchasing.PlantTherapywasoneofthefirst,ifnotthefirstcompany,toofferbatchspecificfullGC/MSreportsonourwebsite.

Thisisdifferentthanothercompaniesbecauseweactuallyhavethesignedreportthatwegetfromthechemistthatwedirectlyuploadontoourwebsite.Thiscanbeverifiedwiththechemist.Ithashissignatureonitofthethirdpartychemistorlaboratorythatweuse.SocustomersorpeoplecanknowwithoutadoubtthatwearenoteditingthisGC/MSreportinanyway,shapeorform.

Thatallowsourcustomerstoordertheirproducts,lookatbatchspecificnumberonthebottle,gotoourwebsiteandpulluptheexactGC/MSreportonthatoil.TheGC/MSreportisgoingtoshowallthechemicalconstituentswithinanoilorifit’sadulterated.Orifsomethingelsehasbeenadded,it’sgoingtoshowthat.SoourcustomersknowexactlywhatisinthebottlethattheypurchasedfromPlantTherapy.Sothat’soneofthethingsthatweliketoshowourcustomers,sowe’rejustupfront,“Here’stheGC/MSreport,thespecificonewegotfromthechemist.Ithasn’tbeeneditedinanyway,”sothattheycanbeeducatedonexactlywhatthey’reusing.

RobertTisserandalsogetstolookoverouroilsandhewilllookoverthesmelloftheoil,theconsistencyoftheoil,andafewotherthings.Hethenwillsendushisrecommendationonifhebelievesthisoilisapureoilorifithasbeenadulteratedorsomethingandthenhe’lltelluswhatonesherecommendsthatwesendtothethirdpartytobetested.OnourGC/MSreportsyou’llalsofindRobert’scommentsofwhathethoughtofthisoilbeforewesentittothethirdpartychemisttobetested.SonotonlydoyougettheGC/MSreportbutyoualsogetRobertTisserand’scommentsoneachoneofouroils.

Thatalsohelpsourcustomersknowthatthisisn’t...forthosethatdon’treallyunderstandaGC/MS,theyalsohaveanotherexpert’sopinionontheoilthattheycantrustinsteadofjusttrustingthecompany,whichIknowissometimeshardbecausewe’veseenalotofcompaniesdothingsthathavelostthetrustof


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individualsintheindustry.Wecompletelyunderstandthatitsometimescanbealittleoverwhelmingandhardtojusttrustacompany.Iknowthatthathasbeenreallyhelpfulforalotofourcustomersaswell,tobeabletohavenotonlytheGC/MSreportstolookoveranddoresearchandcompareittoothercompaniesandallofthosethings,buttoalsohaveRobertTisserand’sopinionandcommentsontheoilaswell.

Ithinkthateventhoughtherearen’tgeneralcertificationsorgradingofessentialoilsintheUnitedStates,IthinktherearedefinitelythingsthatcompaniescandoandPlantTherapyisdoingtomakeitsothatpeoplecanknowifanoilispureorofthehighestqualitybeforetheypurchaseit.

Katie:Okay.Thatmakesalotofsense.Inotherwords,there’snonationwidestandardsthatareindependentandthatcouldtellyoubasedonjustcompanywhichonesaremoresafethanother.Buttherearecompanieslikeyouguyswhoaregoingtheextrastepofsubmittingittoanindependentthirdpartylabtogetthatdataandtoshowthequalityyourself.Isthatkindofthebasicsofit?

Retha:Yeah,absolutely.

Katie:Okay.Soifsomeonehasoilsthattheygotfromanothercompany,isthatsomethingtheycouldtrytorequestfromothercompaniesordomostcompaniesnotdothat?

Retha:IknowahandfulofcompaniesthatdoandIknowalotofcompaniesthatdon’t.Ifyouhaveit,itwon’thurttorequestthatfromthecompany,andiftheyaren’twillingtogiveittoyou,thenthat’ssomethingthatyouhavetothinkabout,somethingifyoufeelcomfortablewith.Andthatwillbebasedontheindividual.ButIsayitneverhurtstoaskthecompanyforaGC/MSreport.

Itneverhurtstoaskthecompanyabouttheirqualitycontrolprocedures,whatgoesintofiguringoutiftheoilispure,whatgoesintosourcingtheoil,whatgoesintoknowingwhatfarmsthecompanyworkswith,allofthosethings.Itneverhurtstoaskthecompany.Andthenbasedoffofthecompany’sresponses,thatwillhelpthecustomerknowifthisisacompanythattheycantrust,ifthisisacompanytheyfeelcomfortablewith.AndlikeIsaid,that’sgoingtobedifferentforeveryindividualbutIsaystartoutbyaskingthesequestionsandmaybewithacoupledifferentcompaniesandseewhatoneyoufeelmostcomfortablewith.Seeifoneisgivingyoutheanswerthatyouwanttohearandthatyou’retrustingtheiranswersandyou’retrustingthattheygenuinelyaredoingthethingsthattheyneedtobedoingtomakesurethattheyaregivingtheircustomerstheabsolutelybestqualitythattheycan.

Katie:Okay.That’sgreat.Justtoclarifyaswell,theGC/MSreportisshowingthatit’schemicallypureandthatnothing’sbeenaddedtoit.Butsotodaysomeonefindsthatreportonyourwebsite,justbecausetheoil’spurestilldoesn’tmeanthatthere’scompletesafetytouseithowevertheywant.Allthosedilutionratiosandcautions,theyshouldstillresearchthataswell,isthatright?


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Retha:Absolutely.Ithinkitgetsconfusedalotoftimesthat“pure”meanssafe,anditdoesn’tatall.Honestly,thisisjustkindofmyownpersonalopinion,Ithinksometimesanadulteratedoilcouldbealotsaferthanthepureoilbecauseitmightbeadulteratedwithsomethingthatisn’tunsafe,whichwillmakealloftheunsafethingsintheoillast,whichcouldmaketheoilsaferifit’sadulterated.Sojustbecauseit’sapureoildoesnotmeanitiscompletelysafetouseinanyway,shapeorform.Mostoftenit’sgoingtomeanthattherewillbeextraprecautionsbecauseitisapureoil,becausethosechemicalconstituentsarethenattheirstrongestbecausetheyaren’tbeingadulteratedwithanythingelse,dilutedwithanythingelse.Sotherearedefinitelyprecautionsthatneedtobemade,especiallywiththesepureoils.

Katie:That’sagreatpoint.

Hey,guys,Iwanttopausethisepisodeforjustaminutetoagainthankthesponsorforthisepisodethatmakesitpossible–perfectsupplements.com.Theymaketheseamazing,naturalnutrient-densesuperfoods,madeintheUSA,andincrediblyreasonablypriced.TheyarerecentadditionstoourdietandI’mfindingthateveryproductoftheirs,Ilove,thatI’vetried.

Afavoriteinourhouserightnow,especiallyamongmyhusband,whodoesnotlikelivernomatterhowIcookit,nomatterwhatIdo,istheirperfectdesiccatedliversupplement,whichisacapsule.Soifyouhavelistenedforlong,youknowthatIorganmeatsinourhomealotandIconsideritnature’smultivitaminifit’sfromareallygoodsource.Ifyouhaveahardtimewiththetasteliver,likemyhusbanddoes,youmaywanttotrytheirdesiccatedlivercapsules.

Otherproductsoftheirswe’vebeenusingrecentlyarecollagen,theirgreenspowdersandevenfermentedkalebecauseIwilladmit,Idon’tactuallylovekale.It’sjustoneofthosegreensthatIdon’tlove.Soit’smadeitpossibletogetitinourdiet.

Butbacktotheirliver,it’smadefrom100%grass-fedcattleandnothingelse.Theirliver’spackedwithvitaminA,B12andiron.ThisisthesameproductthathasbeenrecommendedbyTimFerrissandDaveAsprey,andIfinallybrokedownandtrieditandIloveitandcanseewhytheyrecommendit.

Iactuallyfound,especiallywithpregnancyandnursing,thatlivercapsulesliketheirscanreallyhelpwithenergylevelsandhelpmentalclarity,whichofcourseallmomsneed,soIwantedyouguystobeabletotryitandloveitasmuchasIhave.They’veofferedanamazingdiscount.Youcanget10%offofanyorderbygoingtoperfectsupplements.com/wellnessmamaandusingthecouponcodeWELLNESSMAMA10.

Butthebestpart,ifyou’refromabigfamilyorevenifyouonlyhaveacoupleofkids,youcanorderinbulkandgetevenbiggerdiscounts.Theyoffer25%ifyouorderthreebottlesoftheirsupplementsand30%offif


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youordersixbottles.SoifyoucombinethiswiththecouponcodeWELLNESSMAMA10,you’resaving35%and40%.Youcanmixandmatchthesetogetavolumediscount,agreatwaytogetdiscountsontheirpricesandsomeofthebestpricesIhavefoundonthesesupplements,especiallyUSA-made,high-qualityones.Justgotoperfectsupplements.com/wellnessmamatogetallofthedetails.

ThisepisodeisalsosponsoredbyTheWellnessMamaCookbook.AsImentionedbefore,thisisaresourcethatIworkedforhundredsandhundredsofhoursontocreateaguidethatwouldactuallybeuseful,practicalandreallyeasytouseformomswhoarebusyandwhodon’thavehoursandhourseachdaytospendinthekitchen,butwhoalsoprioritizecookingrealfood.Mykidshelpedmetesttheserecipessotheyaredefinitelyfamily-approved.They’realsomom-approvedandhere’swhy.

LikeIsaid,I’manincrediblybusymomandIdon’thavealotofextratime,sothemajorityofrecipescanbemadeinunder30minutesandalotofthemcanbemadeinonlyonepanbecauseI’mpersonallynotabigfanofdishesandwouldrathernotdoanymorethanIhaveto.Youcancheckoutthecookbookatanymajorbookstore,onAmazon,oronwellnessmama.com.Itcontainsover200family-friendlyrecipes,aswellassomemealplans,someguidanceonplanningandsomehow-toforgettingyourfamilyonboardwitheatinghealthy.

Ialsoliketotellpeoplethatit’sacompletelygrain-freecookbook.Butifyoudon’tavoidgrains,youcaneasilyaddinthingslikericeandpastatodishesformostmeals.WhatIdid,though,isIreplacedalotoftherefinedingredientsintherecipeswithvegetables.Ourfamilydoesnoteatanyrefinedflourorrefinedsugar,soIreplacedthoseinrecipeswithvegetablesthatkidslove,likezucchiniandcabbageandsweetpotatoes.

There’severythingfromlasagnatochickenfingerstoshepherd’spieandallofourfamilyfavorites.Youcancheckthemout,likeIsaid,anymajorbookstoreoratwellnessmama.com.

Nowbacktotheepisode.

IthinkyouhitareallyimportanttopicthatI’vegottenintopersonallyrecently,whichisthatjustlikeyousaid,justbecausesomethingisnaturalorpuredoesn’tmeanit’sactuallysafe.Justlikejustbecausesomethingissyntheticdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthatit’sbad.There’salotofmedicationsthataresyntheticallymadeandthey’relife-savingandthere’salotofnaturalcompoundslikearsenicthatareverytoxic.

Ifeellikethere’sbeensomuchgoodwiththisnaturalhealthmovement,butyoualsohavetojustbeaconsciousconsumerandnotjusttrustalabelthatjustbecausesomethingsaysit’snatural,whichisalsonotevenaregulatedterm,thatit’ssafe.SoIthinkthatissuchanimportantpointthatyoujustbroughtup.

Retha:Right.Yeah,it’strue.Ithinkitgetsconfusing,especiallyasthisbecomesnewtosomepeople.WestillseealotofpeoplestartingtogointothenaturallifestyleandIthinkitcanbeoverwhelmingbecausethereare


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alotoftermsandthingsouttherethattheythink,“Oh,well,ifitsays‘therapeuticgrade’,itmustbegoodtouseitinanyway,shapeorform.”Butyou’reright,justlikeyousaid,justbecausesomething’spuredoesn’tmeanit’ssafeandjustbecausesomething’ssyntheticdoesn’tmeanit’scompletelyunsafe.Soit’simportanttodoresearchoneachoneofthethingsthatwe’reusingandmakesurethatwe’reeducatedineverythingthatwedosothatwecanmakethebestdecisionsforourselvesandourfamily.

Katie:Absolutely.We’vetalkedaboutallthecautionsbutIwanttowrapupwiththepositivesideandtoreallybringhomethepointthatessentialoils,tobemosteffective,they’remosteffectiveintheirproperratiosandtheirproperdilutions.You’renotalwaysgoingtogetabetterresultbyusingmore.

Buttotalkaboutthepositives,forsomeonewhoisjustgettingintoessentialoilsorwhomaybeisalreadyintoessentialoilsbutwantstomakesurethey’reusingthemsafely,whatwouldbesomegreatstartingpointsongoodwaystouseessentialoilsthatwouldbegenerallysafeforsmallchildrenandfamilies?

Retha:AcouplethingsthatIwouldrecommendisfirstIwouldrecommend...wehavealotofcustomerswhohavebindersofallthisstuffthattheyhaveprintedandthatcanbeoverwhelming,becausethere’salotofinformationoutthere.FirstIwouldrecommendtojustprintacoupleofthings.Ifyouhavechildren,Iwouldfindalistofoilsthatarekid-safe,orlikeImentionedonPlantTherapy’swebsite,wehaveaKidSafestamponallofouroilsifit’skid-safe.

Thatway,youaren’thavingtodoallthisresearch.Youcantrustacompanywho’sdoneallthisresearchforyouandthenjuststartthere.Whenyou’restartingout,there’ssomuchinformationthatwewanttogetthebasicinformationjustsetinstoneforyousoyoudon’thavetothinkaboutittoohardwhenyou’refirststartingout.That’soneofthethingsthatIwouldfirstdo.

TheotherthingisIwouldfindadilutionchart.PlantTherapyhasonebuttherearealotofbloggersouttherewhohavecreatedtheirown.Alotofothercompanieshavecreatedtheirown.IwouldfindonethatyoufeelcomfortablewithandIwouldalsohavethatprintedoffsothatasyou’reusingessentialoils,youcanconstantlygobacktoit.

Let’ssayonabottleoflavenderit’sgoingtosay,“Diluteto3-5%”andallofthesuddenyou’relike,“Aahh,Iforgothowtodothat,”gotothechart,findit,it’llexplainhowtodoitandyou’llquicklygetusedtoit.Iwouldthinkjustacouplechartslikethatbasedoffofifyouhavechildren,ifyou’repregnant,whateveritisthatkindofjustgivesthoseguidelinesforyousoyou’renotconstantlyhavingtogobackand,“Oh,isthatkid-safe?Isitnotkid-safe?WhatdoIneedtodilutethatto?”It’sjustrightthereinfrontofyouthatyoucouldalwaysgobacktoasaguideline.

AnotherthingthatIalwaysrecommendtosomeonewhoisjuststartingoutisIsay,“Listonethingthatyouwantessentialoilstohelpyouwith.”Maybetheywantessentialoilstohelpthemsleepatnight.Maybethey


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haveanxietyandtheywantessentialoilstohelpwiththat.Whateveritmightbe,pickonethingandthenonetothreeessentialoilsthataresupposedtohelpwiththatandgettoknowthoseessentialoils.Figureouthowyoureacttothoseessentialoils.Whatoneworksbesttohelpyouwiththeconcernthatyouoriginallyhadthatyouwantedtostartusingessentialoilsfor?

Getfamiliarwiththoseessentialoils.Gettoknowthem.Figureoutwhatworksbestforyou,whyandwhatdilutionworksbestforyou–applyingittoyourfeet,orapplyingtoyourchestorputtingitonacottonpadnexttoyourbed.Whatwayhelpsyousleepbetter?

Asyougettoknowtheessentialoilsandyougettoknowyourbodyandhowyourespondtotheessentialoils,thenaddafewmoreessentialoilsintoyourcollectionandgettoknowthose.Ilovehearingsomeoftheexpertswhohavebeenintheindustryfor40+years.Ilovehearingthemtalkaboutessentialoilsbecausetheyhavesucharelationshipwiththeessentialoilsthattheyusebecausethey’vebeenusingthemforsolongandIlovethat.

Ithinkthattheindustryhaskindofgonetoeveryoneowninghundredsofessentialoilsandusingthemeverydayandineverywaytheycanbecausewhynot,youhavethem,andIdon’tthinkthatthat’sthepurposeofaromatherapy.Ithinkthatsometimespeopleneedtostepbackandthinkinsteadofspendinghundredsandhundredsofdollarsonalltheseessentialoilsandyou’regoingtoendupusingthreeofthem,startwiththebasic,gettoknowthem.Andasyougettoknowthemandasyougettobecomfortablewithusingthemandknowinghowyourbodyreactstothemorwhatone’sthebestforwhat,thenyoucancontinuallyaddmoreandthenyouaren’tgoingtohavehundredsofessentialoilsthatyouneveruse,butyou’remaybegoingtohave50thatyouuseoftenbecauseyouknowwhatthey’regoodfor,youknowwhyyouhavethem.Youknowhowtheyhelpyou.

Ithinkforsomeonewho’sstartingout,Ithinkthatthat’sthewaythatyoushouldgoaboutitisreallyjuststartwithonetothreeessentialoilsandthenaddontotheminsteadofstartingwith50orwhateveritmightbe.Sothat’skindofwhatIrecommendalotofpeopledo.

Katie:Yeah,goodadvice.OnethingIalsowantedtobringupjustfromapersonallevelisIknowanybodywho’sbeenareaderforalongtime,theymaybewonderingalsowhyareyouinthepodcastandwhyamItalkingaboutPlantTherapy,becauseforalongtimeIhavejustlinkedtoplacestheycouldbuysingleessentialoilsinbulkorwhateverquantitytheywanted.That’ssomethingI’verecentlychanged.SoIjustwantedtoalsobringthatupandaddressoutloud.

That’spartiallybecauseacoupleofthecompaniesIwasrecommending,forone,Igotalotofcomplaintsabouthowlongtheirshippingtookandthereweresomeotherissuesthere,butalsobecausewhileforyearsandyearsIusedtojustmixmyownblends,nowwithsixkidsI’vebecomeprettybusyallthetimeandit’ssoconvenienttohaveblends.TheysmellgreatandIthinkthat’soneofthingspeoplelovesomuchaboutalotofthesecompaniesaretheblendstheycanget.


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Ihaddonealotofresearchandfound,likeyousaid,companiesthatItrustthatInowbuyoilsfromthattheyhaveblendsaswell,andespeciallykid-safelines.I’vedonethatresearchmyselfoveralltheseyearsandactually,whenIlookedintoyouguys,IwentthrougheveryoneofyourKidSafeonesandcheckeditagainstmyownresearchjusttomakesurebecauseI’maveryavidresearcherlikethat.ButIwantedtofindkid-safeonesbecauseit’sabigtimesaverforme.

ThecriteriathatIwasusing,Iwastryingtofindoilsthatwerecost-effectivebutstillhighqualityandthathadblendsandkid-safe.SoIjustwantedtoputthatoutthereforanybodywhomayhavethatquestionintheirmindastowhyI’mnowlinkingtoyouguysandlinkingtocompanieswithblendsandkid-safelinesinsteadoftheonesI’velinkedtofor10years.That’sthereason.AndalsojustbecauseIfeellikefromtalkingtoyouandgettingtoknowyoulikeIhaveinthepastcoupleofmonthsthatitreallyhelpstohaveacompanythathasamission.

Ifeellikeyouguysdohavethatandyoutalkaboutthesafetyandyou’renotrecommendingunsafeusageandyou’renottellingpeopletodrinkwholebottlesofit.SoIreallylikethataboutyouguysandIjustwantedtogivemyownpersonalsideofthatforanyonewhoiscurious,andalsotosayI’mgoingtolinktothem,butyouguyshavetheselittlestuffedanimalsthatareessentiallykindoflikediffuserstuffedanimalsbecauseyoucanputessentialoilsinthemandmydaughtersareinlovewiththemrightnow.SoIjustwantedtosaythatasanendorsementofyouguysbecauseIknowsomepeoplemayhavethatquestionintheirmind.

ButalsojustmentionalittlebitaboutPlantTherapyingeneralandthekindofthingsyouhave.Obviouslyessentialoils,butyouguyshavesomeotherthingsaswell.

Retha:Yeah,wedo.Wehaveafullline.SoPlantTherapystartedin2011andmysisterandbrother-in-lawactuallyownthecompanyChrisandAmanda.IstartedworkingforPlantTherapyoverfouryearsagoandIjustwenttomybrother-in-lawandIwaslike,“Hey,isthereanythingthatIcando?Ikindofjustwanttoearnalittlebitofextramoneyformyfamily?”IstartedPlantTherapy’sFacebookpage,andIstartedtheirblog,andIwastheirfirstcertifiedaromatherapistonstaff.Andnowwehavesix,whichiscrazy.And,youknow,wehaveabunchofemployeesgoingthroughthecertificationprogramsothat’sexciting.

Youknow,andthenIstarteddoingalltheirmarketing.Soit’sbeenreallyfunformetobeabletoseePlantTherapygrowfromabrand-newcompanytothecompanyitistoday.AndI’vebeenabletosee,youknow,theirgoalsandalltheirideasreallycometolifeandthat’sbeenfun.And,youknow,oneofthereasons,likeyousaid,I’vegrownupusingessentialoilsbutI’mpassionateaboutPlantTherapybecauseI’veseenitall.I’veseenthemfromthebeginningtowherethey’vecomenowandit’sbeenreallyfuntodothat.


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And,youknow,IwouldsaythetwobiggestthingsforPlantTherapyisqualityandeducation.LikeIsaid,wewerethefirstcompanytoofferbatch-specificGC/MStestingonourwebsite.FullGC/MStestsonourwebsite.Wewerethefirstcompanytoofferakid-safeline,whichwelaunchedovertwoyearsago.

We’vekindofsetalotoftheseguidelinesforcompaniesandstandardsandthat’sbeenawonderfulthingtoseethatothercompanieshavecomeonboardandstarteddoingthesethingsbecauseit’sbecomemoreandmoreimportanttocustomersandcompaniesarerecognizingthat.That’sanamazingthingandIthinkwonderfultoseeasanaromatherapyindustry,thatwe’reallcomingtogethertoofferthebestforeveryoneintheindustry,allofthecustomersandpeopleinterestedinessentialoils.

ThosearethetwomaingoalsofPlantTherapyisthequalityandtheeducationthatweoffer.IthinkPlantTherapyhasdoneanamazingjobwiththosetwothings.Wereallywerepassionateaboutessentialoilsandwe’repassionateabouteducatingourcustomershowtosafelyandmosteffectivelyusethoseoilsbecausenotonlysafetyisimportantbutwewantthecustomerstogetthemostoutoftheiroilstoo.Sohavingtheoilsbeeffectiveandactuallyworkisahugepartofoureducatingourcustomers.

Alongwiththat,ofcourseweoffercarrieroilsandhydrosolsandcasesanddiffusersandalotofthingstoreallymakeiteasyforsomeonewho’snotonlybrand-newbutsomeonewho’sbeenusingessentialoilsforyears.Wehaveallofthesetoolsandallofthesethingsthatit’sreallyaone-stopshopwherepeoplecancomeandgeteverythingthattheywillneedtobeabletousetheessentialoilsinthesafestandmosteffectiveway.That’sbeenimportanttous.Aswe’veaddednewthingstoourproductlines,wesay,“Isthisgoingtomakeiteasierforourcustomerstousetheessentialoil?Isthisasafewayforcustomerstouseessentialoils?”Allthesequestionsareaskedwhenwe’readdingnewproductstoourline.

LikeIsaid,that’sreallyourtwogoalsisthequalityandtheeducationontheseessentialoils.Soeverythingthatwesell,ithastogoonlinewiththesetwothingstomakesurethatweareofferingthebesttoourcustomers.

Katie:That’ssoawesome.Foranybodylisteningwhowantstoreferenceanyofthethingsthateitheroneofushastalkedabout,Iwillmakesurethattheshownotes,there’snotestoallthedilutionchartsandthesafetychartsandthepregnancyreferences,andalsotoyourpaperaboutinternaluse.Ifanyone’sinterestedinfindingoutmoreaboutPlantTherapyinparticular,Ihavealinksetup,wellnessmama.com/go/ptandthat’llgotothepagewheretheycanfindoutmoreandlookatallthedifferentoilsandaccessoriesthatyouguyshave.

Retha,thankyousomuchforbeinghere.Ifeellikeyouaresuchagoodvoiceforeducationinthisarenaandthatyouguyscome,likeyousaid,fromapointofeducationandI’venevergottenthevibefromyouguysthatyou’retheonlygreatcompanyouttherethatyougetfromsomeoftheothercompanies.SoIappreciatethatyouguysarethevoiceofeducationintheindustryandthatyoucaresomuchaboutfamiliesusingthemsafelyandeffectively,sothankyouforbeingheretodayandsharingwithus.


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Retha:You’rewelcome.Itwasmypleasure.Ihadfun.

Katie:AndthankstoallofyouforlisteningandIhopeyou’lljoinmenexttimefortheHealthyMomspodcast.

Katie:ThankyousomuchforlisteningtothisepisodeoftheHealthyMomspodcast.DidyouknowthatyoucanbecomeaWellnessMamaVIPMemberforfree?Justgotowellnessmama.com/podcasttosubscribetothepodcastandthenclick“FreeMembership”togainaccesstoamembershiplibraryofhealthandwellnessresources.You’llgetthelatestfromWellnessMamaeachweekaswellasspecialdiscountsandoffers.Also,findWellnessMamaonsocialmediatostayupdatedwiththelatestpodcastepisodes,blogpostsandmore.Thanksagainforlistening.I’llseeyounextweek.

Episode 65: Certified Aromatherapist Retha Nesmith …...The other sponsor for this episode is The...

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Transcript of Episode 65: Certified Aromatherapist Retha Nesmith …...The other sponsor for this episode is The...