..................Life as an Essential Oil Guru, Doula, and Mama to Be ...................

Your Name: Erin Sather     
Age: 24
Passion:  Young Living Essential Oils and Natural Living     
Current Location: Elgin, IL
Instagram: egsather

I've learned so much about essential oils from you.
​ Clearly it's something you are super passionate about. 

Can you tell us a little bit about what got you interested in essential oils, and why you continue to be passionate about them today?

When my husband and I were engaged, I thought it would be fun to register for a diffuser and some essential oils because I thought they would smell nice and I heard good things about them. I didn’t do a lot of research (big mistake!) and registered for the first essential oil kit I saw on Amazon. Fast forward to being married and having no idea what the heck we were doing with our essential oils and not seeing any real benefit from using them. Soon after that, I ran into a friend who had just started using Young Living Essential Oils and she told me about the quality and the purity of the oils and I heard about her results when using these oils. I did some research and then quickly jumped on board and bought my Premium Starter Kit through Young Living (11 oils, a diffuser, and a wholesale membership) and haven’t looked back since. My first real “aha” moment with essential oils was when I was feeling a little nauseous and I grabbed Peppermint and mixed a drop or two with some grapeseed oil and rubbed it on my stomach. Within minutes, I felt 100% better and was absolutely amazed at the results. My husband quickly became an “oil believer,” when he was sick and I rubbed some Thieves oil on his feet and wrists and he felt completely better the next day. We are so thankful for these God-given oils that have supported us through the sickness, pains and aches that living in a fallen world can bring. It seems like a no-brainer to share this excitement with others and let them be impacted by oils like I have been. It has been a joy to share my oily journey with others!

Hearing and seeing your passion for it is definitely contagious.  I know I am now on the essential oil bandwagon!  I'm assuming you have quite the collection of oils. 

Can you narrow down for us your top 3 favorite essential oils, and give us some of your favorite ways to use them?

Ooh, this is tough! But I would have to say Frankincense, Lavender, and Orange essential oil are my must-haves.

Frankincense is considered to be the “mother of all oils,” so it really has been a staple oil in our home for supporting things from our emotions to our immune systems. I add Frankincense to my Immunity essential oil roller and roll it on my wrists and feet when I feel like I am getting sick. I will also use Frankincense layered with other oils like Orange on my wrist when I am feeling stressed or anxious.

Lavender is my “swiss army knife,” essential oil that supports everything from our nervous system to our skin. I love making a pillow spray with Lavender, witch hazel and water and spray it on our pillows before bed. I seriously pass out (Zzzz) when I put this on or smell this before bed. In the Summer, I love making an after sun spray with Lavender to soothe our sunburned and irritated skin. I also have added Lavender into my skin routine and will use it in my toner or moisturizer to calm and clean my skin.

Lastly, Orange is my happy oil. I love using this oil everyday over my heart and as a perfume behind my ears and on my wrist. I also will keep Orange oil by our sink to add to the sink when we are done with cleaning dishes for the evening. It leaves that clean smell without nasty chemicals.

A little off topic, but....you're about to be a mama!

What are some ways you plan to incorporate essential oils, and natural products into that new stage of life and your baby’s life?

I feel grateful that I have essential oils and natural alternatives like chiropractic care and massage to support me through this pregnancy. Emotions are wild (hey, hormones) and body pains and aches are real and it’s incredible to have natural things to support my body through the changes. During labor, I plan to use essential oils like Jasmine and Clary Sage oil to support strong contractions, and Lavender and Peace & Calming oil to support my emotions and calm my nervous system so I can progress in labor.

I plan on gently introducing our son to essential oils through the baby products we use on him. We will be using non-toxic and natural Lavender infused baby wipes, Lavender and German Chamomile essential oil infused diaper rash cream, oil infused baby oil, and baby shampoo from Young Living. Some other natural products we plan to incorporate into our baby’s life are cloth diapers, Norwex towels and cloths, and simple wooden toys.

It's truly inspiring how much you have made natural living such a priority in your life. 

Outside of oils, can you share some other ways you incorporate natural products or practices into your lifestyle?

Let me just preface and say that this has definitely not been an overnight/quick fix. Changing conventional products over to natural products and implementing certain natural practices into our home has been a gradual process. But let me tell you, it is SO worth it. I have learned that through the app, Think Dirty, there are SO many sneaky toxic ingredients that are in our skincare and natural home products that we have no idea are in there.

So for skincare, one thing I am pretty excited about it is that I have recently switched over all of my makeup to mineral based, non-toxic makeup called Savvy Minerals and have been super impressed with how great it looks and it doesn’t  have any harsh chemicals that are in conventional and sometimes “natural,” makeup brands.

As far as non-toxic cleaning, Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner is the bomb. This is literally a one-stop-shop as far as cleaning. I have been ditching all of my conventional cleaners and making all my own cleaners with this concentrate. And the best part, it’s SO easy and quick to do this. I love that you can hand the spray bottle over to your kiddos and not worry about a thing when they are breathing in.

A new natural practice that we are trying to implement into our life is buying more gently used items. Using Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to find used items (especially for our baby) has saved us money and saves the Earth as well! Double win! Another cool practice that we started in January was placing our phones in our office to charge overnight. We were in such a bad habit of waking up and turning over and looking at our phones first thing in the morning. It has been so cool to see how making that choice is so worth it and how we connect more and sleep better. We now wake up to an alarm and I think it helps us get out of bed a bit quicker too! Another practice that has been such a great support in our life is getting chiropractic adjustments every week (my husband goes once a month). Making sure our back is aligned has helped us feel better and live a more pain-free life. Lastly, we have been using Norwex rags in our home for the past year. They pair so well with essential oils and have saved us when it comes to messes, dusting, deep cleaning, and washing/cleaning our faces.

​

Clearly natural living is a big part of your heart and life.  I know you have so many other things you both talented and passionate about.

What other passions of yours are you pursuing?

I am super passionate about empowering women through their pregnancy and birth. I am a Doula and I have been able to witness all different types of births and encourage women through one of the best/hardest days of their life. I love showing women what their options and how they and their partner can play an active role in their birth. I am also passionate about natural living and health and showing others how to make changes in regards to their health and in their life so they can live more abundantly and fully. Lastly, I am passionate about photography and specifically wedding photography. Being able to capture the best day of a couple's life is so cool and I feel very honored to do this full time as a career with my husband.

You have a big year ahead of you with this new little addition to your family. 

Besides mama-life, do you have anything else exciting on the horizon? ​

My husband and I are excited that this Summer marks 5 years shooting weddings full time. Praise the Lord!  It has been such a gift to work with amazing couples and attend some pretty incredible weddings. I am also very excited to see where my Young Living business will take me and how I will be able to walk alongside families in their natural journey in essential oils this year. In this next year, we will continue to do fun interior projects to our 1932 home in Elgin and keep loving on our two kitty cats, Fuji and Kodak. ​

Thanks Erin!

Curated by: Katie Simkins
Thoughts and Photos by: Erin Sather