My Essential Oil Journey Part 1

When I was a teenager, in the 1990's, like most I didn't have access to the internet. I lived in the suburbs of South Florida (Pembroke Pines) and got most of my information from MAGAZINES!!!!

My magazine obsession was so bad that my sisters used to call me "Miss-I-read-it-in-a-magazine," and grew tired of my makeup and housekeeping tips. Most magazines that landed in my hands at that time were from Eckerd's (next to Publix) off Pines and Hiatus or Rite Aid (??, the drug store by Craft's and Stuff off Hiatus). In an ad that was likely disguised as a magazine article, I read about tea tree oil. Tea Tree Oil (Melaluca Oil), is an oil that was extracted from a tree that is in Australia and the article explained how it could be used for congestion and to kill germs in the home safely and against fungal skin infections.

I read that Tea Tree could be used for congestion by simply dropping a few drops on a cloth and inhaling. I've inherited allergies from my mom and have had horrible hay fever my whole life. It was the best in South Florida, but I still struggled. At the time, I thought they were colds. I now know it was allergic rhinitis and that I'm allergic to most trees, tree pollens, grass, and most especially grass seeds.

I visited my Great Grandma in Tempe, AZ, which has a small and funky downtown near a college. There I found my tea tree oil! That oil lasted me years. I moved to Japan for a year and once I had my own place and felt like I had some wiggle room with money, I started collecting essential oils by purchasing them through Kroger here and there. The brand was aura cacia, and I would buy them with specific uses in mind.

In 2004, I somehow contracted ring worm on a trip to Mexico, so the tea tree came in handy there. I also remember mixing up clove and rosemary for my little Finley to repel fleas and ticks. When he got a tumor that wouldn't heal and kept bleeding and they wanted to surgically remove it for 300-400$$, I put a dilution of tea tree on it to keep him from licking it. I have no idea what made it better, but it shrunk up and completely healed within a few days and the vets were stumped.

Most of my information about essential oils and their use on my son Finley, comes from a book that I had found at Barnes and Noble somewhere around the year 2000. It's called The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by CCCJ Puotinen.



Key words to remind myself about future installments of this post and to lure you to come back to read the follow-up posts:

•  Incense at Pines Middle, and in Japan at the shrine/temples
•  8 day process. peppermint, atlantis, umbuntu. on my gums. a simple fabric shopping bag.
• moving to oregon: essential oils and MLM companies
• My first two diffusers arrive within a week of each other
• blends: George Foxy, stay alert and happy, sleepy/anxiety blends, Vit E roller

Update January 7, 2015

Finley's doctor said that there is a study that tea tree (melaluca) essential oil may have adverse effects on a dog's liver. That said, I might not use the tea tree on his paws like I did years ago.