Before we get started, let me explain what Thieves® actually is, since some of you are probably thinking this post is about how Stacy and Barry recommend you deal with criminals. Sorry to disappoint. 😉 Thieves® is the name of Young Living‘s blend of: Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary essential oils. It is used in several cleaning and personal care products, and it is the oil blend that was our “gateway drug” to essential oils. So…if you’re one of those people who thinks oils are hokey and silly, this actually might be the perfect article for you, because that’s where we were before Thieves®.
First, some history (legend): In France during the 15th century, grave robbers would steal from the graves of those who had been killed by some of the terrible plagues Europe was suffering through in those days. According to the popular legend, the thieves protected themselves by covering their bodies in a combination of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals which kept them safe. When caught, the government showed them mercy if they were willing to share the recipe for this concoction they used to ward off the nasty stuff they were exposed to when they dug up the graves. Young Living’s Thieves® essential oil blend is based on what those thieves used in the middle ages. So what made us decide to ditch all the cleaners and most of the chemical products in our house and switch to Thieves®?
One other thing before we dive in – this post is based on a video we did on the Humorous Homemaking Facebook page, so if you prefer to WATCH instead of read, that video is below.
Essential Oils are Stupid
Stacy: Before Young Living, we actually thought essential oils like Thieves® were stupid.
Barry: That’s a fair summary. Hocus Pocus. We thought there is NO WAY essential oils actually work!
Stacy: Straight-up honesty from us – we thought essential oils, specifically Young Living, were dumb and overpriced.
We tried Young Living oils… and they actually WORKED.
Barry: Exactly. The short answer for what changed our minds was the proof that they ACTUALLY worked. And specifically Thieves® Cleaner is what started it for me, because everything else up to that point I could sort of explain away.
Stacy: For those of you who don’t know our story; the reason we originally learned about Young Living was because of our son Eli. We’ve talked a lot before about Eli and his sensitive skin. Every doctor we took Eli too led us to believe that his skin issues were food related. We did the whole elimination diet and I tried different formulas. But call it a Mama’s intuition…I just didn’t think his problem was food! He would break out everywhere. All the time. It was really bad and a really hard time for us.
Barry: Yes, it was really hard. And also really expensive – because we kept trying ALL kinds of different things to fix it.
Stacy: Every time Eli would take a bath, he would get out and have a lot of red splotches all over his body. Since I was only bathing him with water, I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. I assumed something must be wrong with our water.
One day, my friend, Nikki, mentioned Young Living oils to me when we were visiting them. I had already told her I wasn’t interested in trying essential oils before. But she was persistent- in a good way. She said after she’d tried everything she found Young Living‘s oils and they actually worked. And since I trusted her, I gave it a try. We sort of used them, remaining super skeptical.
She KNEW Young Living would help Eli and our family.
I didn’t want to switch to Young Living’s Thieves® Cleaner right away. But after awhile, I felt like the Lord was telling me to STOP using conventional cleaners. And I did. I didn’t even tell Barry right away. But since I switched to Thieves® in place of every other cleaner in our home, Eli hasn’t had a reaction since.
Barry: We learned that if that stuff is bad for Eli – it’s bad for everybody. Eli’s skin was just telling us. So this is how Thieves® became our gateway drug, so to speak. It’s what got us started on this Young Living oil journey and we haven’t looked back.
Stacy: We’ve learned since then about biochemical accumulation. This is when your body accumulates chemicals after years of using conventional soaps, lotions, creams, cleaners, etc. You may be okay NOW, but you run the risk of becoming chemically overloaded.
Two resources that report the safety of products and ingredients are Think Dirty app and a website called EWG Skin Deep.
Barry: You might want to be aware of the risk factors of the things you are putting in and on your body. This isn’t a perfect world – there will be chemicals all around, but you can make better choices.
Stacy: In our family, we try to aim for under a score of 4 or less on the EWG Skin Deep and Think Dirty scales. You won’t find any Young Living products on either of these apps or websites. But we did have a friend who looked up all the individual ingredients in the Thieves® cleaner and it ranks as a 1.
Barry: One more thing to keep in mind, “fragrance” is a trademarked secret. When a company puts something in their fragrance, the government considers it a trademarked secret – so the company doesn’t have to tell you what’s in it! They don’t have to report what that actually is. That’s scary.
If you haven’t tried Thieves® yet…contact me. I will gladly send you a sample to try because I’m that confident it will change your life.
Stacy: To make your own Thieves® cleaner, all you need is 1 cap of the Thieves® cleaner concentrate and about 16 oz of water. Combine it in a spray bottle and you are ready to go! You can make it more or less concentrated depending on what you are using the cleaner for. It will cost between $1-$1.50 per full-sized bottle of cleaner.
Barry: Young Living also has Thieves® oil that you can use topically or diffuse for aromatherapy. There’s the Thieves® Vitality that you can ingest for immunity boosting purposes. In fact, there is an entire line of Thieves® products from Young Living for cleaning, personal care, and wellness support.
Stacy: We don’t talk about things we don’t want to. It’s never been our thing to share about topics we don’t feel strongly about. We want y’all all to know about this! And you are welcome to join our team. Check out Thieves® and reach out to me if you want to see it’s amazing benefits for yourself!
You can be a wholesale member just like we are (24% off for life), and get the support you need from us, including a support group and reference materials. We take care of our people – we are a loving community. <3
Get your Premium Starter Kit here, and add the Thieves Essential Rewards Kit for the best value. If you would like to read more about what comes in the kits, I also have you covered. We can’t wait to have you in our group!
My gateway was Thieves as well; specifically, the Thieves essential oil. My pastor’s wife introduced me, and I bought my kit in the fall, diffused the Thieves all winter and ignored the rest until about April. I read somewhere that I could diffuse Lavender/Peppermint/Lemon to help with our spring allergies about that time, so I though what the hey. What I noticed is that we did not get sick all winter, and my daughter did not have her annual reaction to the shedding of millions of cottonwood trees in this state later in May. But, I am stubborn. I did not fully get on board until this year…ahem. I have found that Deep Relief is my friend…like BFF level. I l LOVE YL’s supplements, and can we talk about Christmas Spirit! And, I am learning about rest of the oils. I have tried the laundry soap, but I did not like it, but oh well. That does not mean I stop using everything else. What this journey has made me realize is that while modern medicine has its place (it definitely has its place), we can do our best to help our bodies support itself. In a world where the medical (read: insurance) community is so consumed with healing instead of preventing, I think we are missing the boat by ignoring such preventative health tools such as massage therapy, essential oils, good food as opposed to crap food, yoga, and counseling. While I am not part of your team, I am so grateful to be on this journey with you!!!!
I am so so happy to learn that you are on Young Living’s healthy journey with us! Isn’t it just the best!? And I’m bummed the laundry detergent didn’t work for you – it’s awesome! But I have heard that the water in your home makes a difference – so it could definitely be that. I can’t wait to hear all about the Young Living products you try next! Thanks for commenting,
Julie, Humorous Homemaking Team