Hey everybody today's topic is something that I'm very passionate about as
somebody who tries to live their life as holistically and naturally as possible.
This topic gets me really excited and that is essential oils. I'm sure you've
heard of them, if you haven't they are different concentrates from different
herbs and plants that we can use to benefit our bodies. They can be used for
headaches, they can be used for anxiety, they can be used for cramps, pain, all
kinds of different issues and in today's video I'm going to go over all about how
they can help you during your period. Essential oils are typically used in
aromatherapy and other types of alternative medicine. They're plant
extracts that help to support your health and overall well-being. They're
made by pressing the various parts of the plants, whether it is the flowers, the
bark, the leaves, or the fruit, to capture the compounds that produce the fragrance
and they are then sold as an oil. In addition to creating scent, essential
oils can serve other purposes as well. Like I mentioned previously, they are
used to treat all different types of ailments and there are many people that
only use essential oils to treat various ailments and essential oils can be super
beneficial for your skin, your mental health, and to help aid you during your
menstrual cycle. There are a couple different ways to use essential oils, the most popular
ways would be aromatherapy and topically. Aromatherapy is the process of inhaling
the essential oil. You diffuse the essential oil in a diffuser
then you inhale the vapor and it's used for overall well-being as well as many
other ways and the other way that is most popular is to use it topically. A
lot of times essential oils are used in massage therapy. They're either applied
just as they are or they're mixed with lotion and then your skin can absorb the
benefits. If you're thinking about getting into essential oils it's
important that you understand the safety measures that come with them. Some
essential oils are fine to apply directly onto your skin where others
like peppermint need to be heavily diluted with a carrier oil before
applying it to your skin. If you apply something as strong as peppermint or
spearmint directly onto your skin, it can burn your skin so make sure you read up
on each individual essential oil before applying them to your skin. During our
menstrual cycle, there are different phases that we go through. As you know at
times we might feel super empowered and energized and ready to take on the day
and other times we might feel anxious or sad or even just flat out fatigued. So
what there are different essential oils that help these different phases of our
menstrual cycle and we are not claiming to be health experts and these are just
claims so make sure to try them out for yourself. During menstruation you are
likely to be at your most tired state. You're probably craving alone time
like many of us do and at this point in your cycle it's best to use some oils
that are grounding such as frankincense or sandalwood. You can also make your own
DIY blend, we have a link on our blog for a DIY blend of oils that is meant to
support you during your cycle. It's made up of clary
sage, rose, and lavender. It's super easy all you need are those three essential
oils and a carrier oil such as organic coconut oil or jojoba oil. During the pre
ovulation part of your cycle you're going to feel super energized, you're
going to be getting after those goals and you're going to want some support in
your higher energy levels. This is a great time to reach for oils like
grapefruit, citrus, lemon, or my personal favorite, orange. I diffuse orange in the
morning when I need a little boost of energy and I really feel like it
invigorates me. During ovulation you are feeling sexy and sultry and active and
you might pick an outfit that accentuates your curves, you might put on
a little bit more makeup and you might reach for essential oils that are more
floral. There are ones like jasmine, rose, vetiver, and patchouli that will help
support you during your ovulation phase. My personal favorite is patchouli. And
last but not least when you are PMSing or during your pre menstrual cycle you
are probably not feeling your best. For me, I lose energy, I start to get kind of
crampy and bloaty and I definitely start to feel a downward swing in my emotions.
This is a good time to grab some clary sage and dilute it with a carrier oil or
put a couple of drops in some lotion and rub it all over your abdomen. This will
help to ease and relax your abdomen muscles to help
ease you with the cramps that you might be experiencing. This is also a good time
to reach for some ginger essential oil or if you experience nausea during PMS
it's good to reach for some peppermint oil. Sometimes I'll just do a couple of
drops on a cloth and I'll inhale the peppermint when I'm feeling a wave of
nausea and it knocks it out right away. One last thing I did want to add is if
you're prone to cramping I would recommend switching to a menstrual cup
or giving it a try because people have said that tampons can cause way more
cramping and I know I've personally experienced that. As our body kind of
want tends to want to reject tampons they do way better with a menstrual
cup. It's just a bell-shaped silicone cup that sits in our vaginal canal and
collects our menstrual flow and it can be worn for up to 12 hours. I know that I
have noticed a huge decrease in cramping, I'm not just saying that. I truly have
and it has made my period run so much more smoothly. We'd love to hear if
you've had any success using essential oils to help aid you during your period
and we'd also love to hear if you are interested in or if you've already
switched to a menstrual cup and what that's done for you.