This Mom Traded in All Her Cleaning Products for Essential Oils

I'm Farra, a mom in her early thirties, with three babies under three, and wife to a man-child whose real age is 30. I have a two-year-old daughter Quinn, and two six-month-old twin girls, Blake and Logan. I got into using essential oils around a year ago, after a friend raved about them on social media. When I finally decided to dive in, I wasn't entirely sold on anything – I just thought that the diffuser was pretty and figured it couldn't hurt to try natural ways to de-stress and relax. I had recently lost my dad and was reeling from that, in addition to being pregnant with the twins. I was hoping that aromatherapy might take the edge off my whirlwind of emotions.

Farra Rogers and her family

To be totally honest, I was pretty skeptical about oils actually "working.” I mean, I'm a nurse who wholeheartedly believes in modern medicine and for some wacky reason, I, along with many other people generally assume that you have to believe in either traditional or alternative medicine. Modern medicine is absolutely amazing and before it's existence, lots of people died who probably didn't have to. But guess what I have come to find out? It's also amazing that we can support our bodies with stuff that is not formulated in a lab but grown from the earth, like plant juice. And if we support our bodies to work in the way they are meant to, we will generally feel better (less stressed, more rested, happier, and healthier).

So, it turns out, it's not a hard line in the sand; yes, you can choose to support your body naturally and also be grateful for the availability of medicine when it is needed. Anyway, I got my premium starter kit, which I bought knowing I wanted to get rid of my beloved candles (most are really not healthy to burn in your home) and I still wanted my home to smell nice and have a relaxing effect.

I started diffusing and applying the oils topically, and began realizing these things were actually working. My toddler was sleeping, I was feeling less stressed as a grieving, pregnant, unable-to-drink-a-beer mom of a toddler, they were helping with pregnancy annoyances that I refused to take pills for, and even my husband was requesting them. In a nutshell, I loved the oils right away and I wanted all of them.

When I look back now, I realize that getting this little kit was life-changing, but, I didn't know that then. From checking out the oils Facebook groups that I was added to with my kit purchase, I started realizing that most of us are fed a lot of bullshit by means of advertising when it comes to buying products. Do you know that tons of items, even those specifically formulated "for" babies, are full of toxic ingredients! Did you know that companies can list "fragrance" as an ingredient and that this can include like, anything, including known carcinogenic garbage?! Some moms were mentioning this little app called Think Dirty so I had to check it out. Trust me, once you learn about the ingredients in your beloved products, you will think twice about everything you buy. When my first was born, I thought I knew what was best. I wanted everything to be specifically for “baby”- special detergent and body washes and sunscreen, etc. I figured, if I'm buying X product for $16,99 at a store, it must be safe and it must be better than the cheap stuff. Wrong.

I slowly started to learn that many of the products that I had been using for years were packed with chemicals and just flat out bad for human beings, not to mention even worse for tiny babies and vulnerable pregnant bodies. It's pretty infuriating to me, that as a seriously busy mom of three, I can't just sprint through the store and throw baby-labeled products in my cart. No, I have to carefully inspect the ingredients because for some reason it's legal to include hormone-disruptors (seriously?! I have three beautiful baby girls and I don't want their hormones effed with) and carcinogens in these things we need.

Luckily, I found out that I could make tons of stuff with my oils and a few other basic ingredients, so I started doing that. Slowly but surely, I also started replacing all of my other goods with Young Living oils- baby products, house cleaner, detergent, dish soap, hand soap, etc. I can read the ingredient list and when I look them up, I don't find scary as-shit-health impacts like "hormone disruptor" or "immunotoxicity.” Who knows what kind of long term effects the toxins found in most household name-brand products have on our bodies, but I don't want to chance it.

Essential Oils

I want to grow really old and wrinkly with my husband. I don't want my daughters to feel the awful pain of losing me too soon. I want to feel good and run around with my kids and grandkids till I'm 90. I want my girls to be happy and healthy and carefree for as long as possible. And if clearing out the toxic crap we put on and in our bodies can influence this, I'm all in!

For me, this journey started with a starter kit from Young Living. And I am so grateful for that. I want the same for all my friends, family and even the strangers I meet in Starbucks. Sharing about Young Living products came naturally to me because I feel so safe using it on myself and my precious babies. If you’re interested in learning more about my wellness journey, please feel free to reach out!

The 11 Oils Essential To Your Well-being

- Lemon - Use it for cleaning, detoxing, and flavoring your water.

- Digize - Great for supporting all types of tummy troubles.

- Copaiba - Works as an oil magnifier and for muscle support

- Peppermint - Muscle discomfort support, relieves occasional head discomfort, and clears your head.

- Thieves - Supports immunity and purifies the air.

- Frankincense - Calming, great for meditation, skin support, and good enough for baby Jesus.

- Purification - Use for clear skin, outdoor annoyances, and anything stanky.

- Pan away - Keep your joints and muscles happy.

- RC - Use it to breathe easy and for the side effects of germ season.

- Lavender - Great for sleep, skin, and basically everything else.

- Stress Away - Because drinking before noon isn’t always acceptable!