The story of my homemade essential oil products

You may call me a jack of all trades - but the things I do really all go hand in hand, whether it be reiki, Ayurveda, making essential oil products and more. Today I'm going to be telling you my story about how I got into making all the products I do!

It all really started when I took an essential oils class at the Center for Spiritualty and Healing at the University of MN while in pharmacy school. I thought I would be smelling nice things all day (a nice counterbalance to all the chemistry & other hard stuff I was learning!), which we did, but really it was looking at a lot of chemical structures! I can't get away from chemistry. We learned about how to use oils safely, the principles of mixing and in what way we can utilize them. It was fascinating and I started to dabble. Fast forward to when I was pregnant with my first child in 2013 and realized I didn't want to use all sorts of chemicals on her (or me) and wanted to find more natural remedies. Even more so when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. I started making my own products, such as deodorant, lotions, salves, bug spray and even sunscreen. I'm not an herbologist but I learned the basics of some plants and started growing or harvesting things like plantain, mint, arnica and tulsi (holy basil). As my kids grew older, you can imagine the bumps, bruises, sunburns and scrapes that all kids get! My plantain salve, arnica salve and healing balms have been great. I also created a line of essential oil roll ons for headaches, after bug bites, hormones, etc as well as a line of chakra blends. Lately I've been dabbling in perfume oils which has been fun. My kids and I also really love bath bombs. They help me make them and love to use them - their favorites are when there is a surprise hidden inside! Either a gemstone or a small toy - it's fun to see what emerges in the bath tub.

Overall, my knowledge of essential oils has come together really well with my knowledge of pharmacy. The pharmacist traditionally made from scratch (AKA compounded) their own medications before pharmaceutical companies took over. We still do some of this and it is one of my favorite aspects of pharmacy. Creating my own products at home has given me a creative outlet while utilizing my knowledge as a pharmacist. I am empowered by making my own solutions to issues at home and knowing they aren't toxic. I have so many ideas swirling in my head of what to make next, especially now that I am an Ayurvedic practitioner! Oils are a huge part of Ayurvedic remedies (sesame oil, coconut oil etc) and although I have already made an Ayurvedic hair oil, there are so many other things I want to make utilizing oils as well as Ayurvedic herbs. So stay tuned for more to come and in the meantime, check out my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/OmShantiWellnessUS