In Real Life | Real Product Reviews | doTERRA Essential Oils

Well, hello! This week marks the start of my In Real Life | Real Product Reviews series on this here blog. I'm going to kick this series off with a real review of doTERRA Essential Oils. There's really no reason this product is coming first besides the fact that it was the easiest accessible one when I wanted to take pictures. 

I'm going to be reviewing the oils I use most often, and then give you a review of the product and brand as a whole (all from a consumer point of view - I have no intentions of pouring hours and hours of research into each product to give you some scientific review that you could go look up yourself). 

These are the oils I'll be reviewing: 

Peppermint: I LOVE this oil when my kids have a fever. I was so skeptical that putting a stupid drop of oil on my baby's foot could really bring down a fever, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I first put some coconut oil on my hand so that it melts, then a tiny drop of peppermint, then I rub the mixture onto baby's feet. Granted, I generally combine this measure with some medicine, but this has worked when we haven't had any medicine and I didn't feel like driving to Walgreen's at 1:00 in the morning.

Lavender: This is my go-to oil. Teething baby? Use lavender. Baby has a rash? Use lavender. Baby won't sleep? Use lavender. Have a burn? Use lavender. Have a mosquito bite? Use lavender. SERIOUSLY, people! This stuff works! Look up all the ways you can use lavender and you are sure to be surprised. I could probably write a blog post on this oil alone! It is what I'd call a miracle oil.

Melaleuca (aka tea tree oil): Canker sores. They suck. You also get them a lot if your baby enjoys head-butting you in the mouth. Melaleuca gets rid of those puppies, and it gets rid of them within a couple days. It tastes like crap, but it works, and that's the important thing. 

Serenity: This is actually an oil blend. I personally LOVE it. It is really great for calming Callum down and helping him sleep. I've only used it on him, but from what I've seen, it works for him. Will it work for everyone? I have no clue. I've used it on myself, too, but, as a sleep-deprived person who falls asleep within 10 seconds of laying down, I really don't know if I could give a fair assessment of it when used on me. HA!

Breathe: This is another oil blend, and it is a necessity in our house, especially during the cold winter months. I diffuse this oil when one of us is stuffy, and I also apply it topically to the chest before bedtime. It is AMAZING. I cannot say enough about how effective this oil is! Its purpose is pretty self-explanatory (uh... just look at the name of the blend). Whenever one of us is congested, it is a miracle-worker. 

I've told you about the oils I use regularly, but let me tell you really quickly about a few in my stash that do not work for us and that I would not recommend. 

TerraShield: This stuff is supposed to be a bug repellent. Ummm. It's not. It's more like a, "COME FEAST ON ME!" oil. I swear it made me a bug magnet the few times I've used it.

Slim and Sassy: I didn't really notice this oil doing anything for my waistline. Granted, it tastes like poopy diapers, so I only used it a few times. Maybe if you can stomach it, it will work, but it just didn't for me.

PastTense: As someone who suffers frequent migraines & tension headaches, I was so excited to try this oil blend that is supposed to give relief. Suffice it to say, I was totally disappointed. This oil does nothing for me - if anything, it makes things worse because the smell is strong and I'm pissed that it's not working, so I'm even more tense and stressed than I was before I used it.

ANYWAY. That's my review of doTERRA essential oils! I think it's all about finding the products here that work for you. Not every oil is going to work for every person, so I think it's a good idea to find a rep in your area and get samples before you buy anything.

Have you used doTERRA Essential Oils? What oils do you and your family use? What oils have you tried? Did they work for you? Share your thoughts - I'd love to feature them!!