All my life I thought I hated the smell of lavender. Now I know it’s just because what I thought was lavender was really just some funky chemicals in a Glade Air Freshener. And I am putting lavender essential oil on my pillow every night because I have officially reached a new level of crunchy – I’m addicted to essential oils.

Oh, I was skeptical as can be when all these green mom bloggers were raving about curing strep throat with thieves oil. I’m pro-vaccine, pro-tylenol, and, quite frankly, pro-Zoloft. But I figured I had nothing to lose by trying a few samples and wrote about my slow foray into essential oil use.

And then I started using them more and more – and finding myself carrying them on vacation and running low on my favorites. I switched to DIY potions with Tea Tree Oil and Purification for all my cleaning purposes. And when I did get sick, for the first time among months of winter preschool germs, I diffused Thieves Oil, rubbed Breathe Easy on my chest, which really helped ease my symptoms.

But the defining moment, the moment when I knew there was no turning back, was when I put essential oils inside my vagina.

When I found myself on the brink of a yeast infection, I didn’t run out and buy Monistat. I mixed Tea Tree Oil and Lavender with Coconut Oil, solidified it in the fridge, and put the whole thing in my vagina. And it worked.

Now I’m not saying this always works – or even that it is medically advisable (I am not a doctor!) Using essential oils internally is highly controversial. But in this particular instance it relieved my symptoms.









So now when I hear my daughter coughing in the middle of the night I go into her room and rub diluted oils on her chest. I advise friends to use Peppermint Oil to break a fever. I wrestle my kids to rub Thieves Oil (also diluted!) on the bottoms of their feet to boost their immune system. I am relying less and less on my conventional meds – though I still keep a stocked medicine cabinet for the times when you just need an Excedrin.

MEDICAL DISCLOSURE: The information included on this website is based only on my own research and personal experience. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions expressed here are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.