Overview of Young Living and Essential Oils

By this point, it seems most people have heard of essential oils and some of the powerful effects they can have in a wide range of applications. However, there still seems to be quite a bit of misunderstanding when it comes to this space, especially for those new to the field. In order to help educate people as to what essential oils are and how they can be used, we sought information from a leader in this space, Young Living. Read on for an overview of the company, its information on essential oils, and some introductory concepts that will help you improve your knowledge in this realm.

Company history

Young Living is the brainchild of D Gary Young and Mary Young, the company’s founders. The company first began, informally, in 1993 when the couple was looking for a quality supplier of essential oils for personal use. The couple knew the wide variety of uses for these oils and were optimistic they could find high-quality products to avail themselves of these benefits. However, they would soon find that, at that time, quality varied widely amongst companies and even within a company’s own catalog. Set on finding a solution to this problem, they decided to become their own suppliers.

That endeavor turned out to be successful enough that they eventually formed their own company to provide for others what they had attained for themselves — a reliable source of high-quality essential oils. As the company grew, so too did its operations. The company purchased land in both Utah and Idaho to cultivate a variety of plants for use in its distillery, which would grow to be the largest in North America. This commitment to its end products helped the company grow into the leader it is today. With a continuing mission to “enhance and empower lives around the world by sharing the unique benefits of nature’s living energy–essential oils,” the company serves as a great source of both oils and information.

Essential oils for beginners

For those unfamiliar with these offerings, essential oils are plant extracts that are obtained through a careful process of cold pressing, resin sapping, or distillation. Since the oils themselves retain many of the qualities of the plants from which they are drawn, they are often quite aromatic, with only a drop or two calling to mind the oil’s origin. The variety of plants used in the essential oil process are practically endless. Some popular oils are sourced from lavender, peppermint, sage, lemon, and more. The quality of the oil production process can significantly impact the aroma, purity, clarity, consistency, and many more aspects of the end product, showing the value of quality control in this space.

Essential oils are often used in their singular form, with the oil in a particular product stemming from just one plant. These oils can then be used by the customer in a variety of ways that are particular to that oil. However, oils can also come as blends of many different plant distillations, allowing a user to gain the benefits of multiple different plants at once. Oil-infused products are also available when the full concentration of a particular oil is not needed. In these instances, the oil can be just one component in a larger product. Many such mixtures or products can be created at home by individuals knowledgeable in the use of essential oils. This practice of creating mixtures of oils by consumers can further expand the use of these products.

Variety of uses

Essential oils are used by consumers for a wide range of applications. Owing to the versatility of these oils, these uses are constantly being expanded as awareness by the general public grows. One popular use for essential oils is personal care. With a natural fragrance derived from plants, many skin care, bath, and body products incorporate essential oils into their formulations. As many botanicals pair well with usage on a person’s skin, they are often seen as a natural choice for this type of self-care.

Essential oils are also often used around the home in place of a variety of more conventional household products. One area in which essential oils are very popular is in place of conventional cleaners. Since such conventional cleaners often incorporate harsh chemicals into their formulas, consumers have become increasingly hesitant to use them around the home. In their place, essential oils can provide a pleasing aroma to a space as they are used to clean countertops, launder clothes, refresh linens, and more. The use of these oils often extends into the kitchen, where essential oils are increasingly used as an additional component of a well-stocked spice rack. Lime, lemon, and peppermint oils are all popular selections for this usage.

Essential oil products

Owing to their variety of uses, essential oils can be found in many products these days. The company’s line of Thieves products are a great example of how this takes place in practice. This line of household products incorporates essential oils into its ingredients and draws its name from 15th-century French thieves who were known for wearing a special combination of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals.

Essential oils are also commonly purchased with diffusers to provide an additional means of bringing the benefits of oils into the home or workplace. These diffusers help to vaporize oils and mist them into the air combined with water. This allows the aroma and other benefits of the oil to be absorbed through the air, conferring a fragrant note to the environment in any space.

Though essential oils are commonly seen in society at large these days, there still remains some confusion about what these products are and how they are typically used. As we’ve seen above, usage of these oils can be wide and varied, providing the ability to contribute to a home or a person’s life in many ways. Though the educational materials drawn from Young Living help to showcase some basic information about these products, there is plenty more to learn in this space as well. If this field holds interest for you, consider seeking out additional information from the company to further develop your knowledge.