From the moment I first smelled Young Living’s essential oil blend “Blue Relief”, I felt like I was in heaven. There’s something so comforting and soothing about its aroma, that I’d anoint myself with it simply for its aroma (even if it didn’t have a whole plethora of other benefits for my body).

But what makes it so special? And why is its aroma so enticing that I just want to put my nose into it and nuzzle??? I’m sure I’m not the only one who absolutely looooovvvvesss its scent, and finds it truly addictive to the senses!

In this week’s Oil Temple bulletin, I want to take a deep dive into Blue Relief. How were the oils chosen for this blend, and what do they do for our body, mind and Spirit? If you haven’t already tried Blue Relief, it’s a “must have” for your collection. And although we’ve had it available in our AU/NZ/US markets for some time now, the great news is that it’s about to be released in our UK/EU markets. So our European and UK friends are in for a real treat!!!

The Magic behind Blue Relief

Almost all of our Young Living essential oil blends were formulated by our founder, D. Gary Young. But Blue Relief was created more recently, after Gary had already passed on. We have some amazing scientists who work at Young Living, who Gary’s personally trained in the art of blending oils.

This particular blend, Blue Relief, is the creation of Dr. H. K. Lin. He’s the Chief Scientist at Young Living, and a respected member of Young Living’s research and development team. His vision is to continue Gary’s passion and vision for essential oils and plant-derived natural products.

Dr. H. K. Lin first met Gary Young in 2007 and was so inspired by Gary’s passion for essential oils that he expanded his own research to include essential oils and natural products. He started researching Frankincense, and has published some really powerful scientific papers detailing the benefits of Frankincense oil.

Young Living’s Blue Relief oil blend is one of Dr. H. K. Lin’s gifts to us.

What’s in Blue Relief that makes it so special?

Whenever you read a Young Living fact sheet and it’s very…..well…..“fluffy”, you know there is a powerful essential oil or blend behind it.

At Young Living, we’re bound by Government regulations in each country, so that we can’t make therapeutic claims about our products. That means that the products work, but we can’t tell you much about them. Instead, you will need to discover their power for yourself, by using them every day, and in as many situations as you can.

Young Living Australia’s website describes Blue Relief as follows:

“We’ve formulated Blue Relief with seven select essential oils: Bergamot, Clove, Copiaba, German Chamomile, Ginger, Xiang Mao and Peppermint to create a fast-acting, hot-cold sensation on skin. Reach for Blue Relief for a helping hand in soothing skin!”

So whilst that description gives us very little idea of its benefits, we now know its ingredients. And I’m going to put its ingredients in order (not alphabetically as they are listed above, but rather in order of their volume in the blend – the first being the primary oil in the blend).

Are you ready to go on a journey of discovery with me?

Copaiba oil

Marc Schreuder was Young Living’s Director of Product Formulation for many years. He worked alongside Gary Young, researching and creating many of the product formulas we’ve come to know and love.

I still remember how excited Marc was when he first heard about Copaiba oil, and he was sooooo keen for Young Living to make this oil available to us.

Why? It’s because of all of our essential oils, it’s the highest in a substance called “beta caryophyllene”, a common cannabinoid.

Whilst I can’t tell you what beta caryophyllene does for the body (that would involve making a whole host of therapeutic claims), I highly suggest you do your own research online to discover its benefits for yourself.

The Amazon Shamans use Copaiba resin extensively, and the very best Copaiba comes from Brazil (which is where Young Living obtains their Copaiba oil). The Brazilian Copaiba has had the most published research done on it…and it is GRAS listed in the US (meaning “generally regarded as safe”). This means that in the US, Young Living’s Copaiba Vitality oil can be used as a dietary supplement, adding it into capsules or food.

These beautiful tall trees of the Amazon jungle are sustainably tapped. That means that a tube is put into their sapwood, and the resin pours out. This can only be done once every 3 to 4 years, in order to ensure the survival of the tree. Once extracted, the resin is then steam distilled to remove any impurities from the essential oil.

Marc Schreuder described Copaiba oil as an “emotional clearing in a bottle”, and that’s always stuck in my mind. When in doubt, reach for Copaiba!

Copaiba oil has a very mild scent (making it suitable for both children and animals). Emotionally, it’s perfect for soothing stress and anxiousness, and leaving us feeling calm and clear.

And in case you are wondering how to pronounce it….with his fluent Spanish, Marc Schreuder taught us the correct pronunciation – it’s “Ko-Pie-Eeba” oil.

Furocoumarin-free Bergamot oil

Bergamot essential oil is our second magic oil in the Blue Relief oil blend. But what does “Furocoumarin free” mean?

Bergamot oil is highly photosensitive. This means that when it’s placed on your skin, that patch of skin needs to be kept away from direct sunlight and UV light for a period of 48 to 72 hours. If you ignored this and went into sunlight, it has the ability to burn that patch of skin to a very deep level, leaving a red-brown mark like a birth mark (which needs to grow out – sometimes taking 2 to 6 months to disappear).

I’ve had that happen to me recently with some Lime oil. I was wiping a drop of Lime oil off the neck of my Red Drink bottle, and unconsciously wiped it onto my thigh. I didn’t even notice that I’d done it, or I would have taken precautions. Then I went for an early morning beach stroll and swim in my bikinis…and ended up with this fiery red patch of inflammation on my thigh. I thought I’d been brushed by the tentacles of a jellyfish….but the mark on my thigh took 2 months or more to disappear. That’s when I realised it was caused by a photosensitive reaction, and not by a sea creature. 

So what Young Living has done with Blue Relief is to use Bergamot oil that has had the furocoumarins removed from it (they are the compound that causes photosensitivity). So what’s left is an oil with all the magical qualities of Bergamot, but which can be exposed to the sun without any skin reaction.

And do you know what Bergamot is famous for? Its oil is used to flavour Earl Grey tea, giving the tea its unique taste. So if you are a fan of Earl Grey tea, you are already in love with Bergamot oil!

Like all of our citrus oils, Bergamot oil is cold pressed from the rind of the Bergamot fruit. A month ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Young Living’s Bergamot partner farm “Bella Vista” at Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy. I was amazed at the incredible way that they clean and extract the oil from the Bergamot rind using a process where the rind gets mechanically punctured and scrubbed.

Like Copaiba oil, Bergamot is incredibly calming to our senses, at the same time sharing a very common quality of citrus oils, which is to be able to uplift us out of tension, irritability and frustration, and into states of joy and happiness. Citrus oils bring sunshine to our emotions.

Because stuck emotions are often at the root of our physical imbalances, Bergamot oil encourages the release of these pent-up feelings, redirecting our nervous energy away from unproductive and bad habits, and into spontaneity and optimism. This is the oil for relaxing and letting go (both physically and emotionally). This makes it a great oil for tight muscles, as well as the emotional tension that sits beneath the surface.

Clove oil

Do you want to know a fascinating bit of history? The people living on the island of Ternate in Indonesia were free from epidemics until the 16th Century, when the Dutch conquerors destroyed the many clove trees that flourished on the islands. After that time, many of the islanders died from the epidemics that followed.

Cloves were also part of the “Four Thieves Vinegar”, created by a band of 15th Century spice merchants who used a blend of herbs and spices to protect themselves from catching the plague.

But the wonders of clove don’t stop there. Clove buds have been important in many traditions, including China, India and Germany. And eugenol (one of Clove oil’s main constituents) was used for years in the dental industry to numb gums before dental procedures.

So Clove oil is included in Blue Relief because of its soothing properties. On an emotional level, it helps us drift off to sleep, stimulates amazing dreams, and fortifies us not only physically, but also with energetic protection and courage.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is the reason that Blue Relief leaves a hot-cold tingling on the skin. Did you know that one drop of Peppermint oil is equivalent to having 28 cups of Peppermint tea! It’s incredibly concentrated (as are all of our essential oils), so even just one drop is delivering a mighty punch.

One of the qualities of Peppermint oil is that it’s cooling. You can put a drop of Peppermint oil on your wrists, and you will feel like the outside temperature has suddenly dropped by 5 degrees, making it perfect for those hot summer days.

Peppermint oil is very soothing to tight muscles, and it also stimulates our mind.

Dr. William N. Dember of the University of Cincinnati studied Peppermint oil’s ability to improve concentration. He found that sniffing Peppermint oil improved mental accuracy by a whopping 28%¹!!!

So the Peppermint oil in Blue Relief is helping our focus and concentration, even at the same time that it’s soothing our muscles.

1.Olfactory stimulation and sustained attention by W. N. Dember, J. S. Warm, and R. Parasurman, in Gilbert A. (Ed.), Compendium of Olfactory Research. (1996) New York: Olfactory Research Fund, Inc. Pp. 39–46. Google Scholar

FOR OUR AUSTRALIAN MARKET:

This next comment relates to Peppermint oil as a single oil, and not in a blend.

Young Living Australia sells our Peppermint oil in two different bottles. We have our regular (green-labelled) bottle, which allows us to talk about Peppermint oil as a breath freshener, cooling agent, stimulator to our energy and mental focus, and for food and beverage flavouring. 

Then we have exactly the same therapeutic-grade Peppermint oil encased in a special, white-labelled bottle, which we call our Peppermint Wellness Oil.

When we are talking about Peppermint Wellness oil in Australia, we can make specific therapeutic claims about it, because it’s listed with the Australian TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration). Here are just a few claims we can make in Australia, from a very long list! We’re permitted to say that Peppermint oil is traditionally used in aromatherapy to:

• Relieve pain
• Relieve mild rheumatic aches and pains
• Relieve toothache
• Relieve mild fever
• Relieve the symptoms of headaches and mild migraines
• Relieve menstrual pain
• Relieve colic
• And it’s also antispasmodic.

Xiang Mao oil

Oooh, doesn’t this sound exotic? I confess I’m not that experienced with Xiang Mao, so I needed to do some research. And do you know what I discovered?

Xiang Mao is an aromatic grass native to Taiwan, which is also known as Red Lemongrass (being a cousin to our regular Lemongrass, from which our Lemongrass essential oil is derived).

Xiang Mao is used to purify the air, sharpen the mind, moisturise our skin, and calm both mind and body….so it’s perfect if you’re in a situation that’s out of your comfort zone, and causing you to feel some anxiousness. It’s also perfect for post-workout recovery, because (like Lemongrass oil), it’s great for those tired and overworked muscles.

Isn’t that interesting that it both sharpens and calms the mind at the same time? Lavender oil does the same thing – it calms us, and at the same time it helps our focus and concentration. This is one of the mysterious qualities inherent in essential oils – they move us towards a state of perfect balance.

And to top it all off, Xiang Mao is also known as “The Aromatic Grass of Rapid Enlightenment”. Wow!!! So you’re definitely getting more than you bargained for when you use our Blue Relief oil blend, thanks to the Xiang Mao.

German Chamomile oil

German Chamomile oil is a deep, rich blue colour, and – you guessed it! – so is Blue Relief (and hence the name “blue” in its name).

This means you won’t want to be dripping it onto white sheets or white clothing, as it may stain.

I was never a fan of German Chamomile oil (always preferring the aroma of Roman Chamomile oil)….that is, until I smelled German Chamomile in Young Living’s Blue Relief oil blend.

Both German and Roman Chamomile oil have similar properties, being able to smooth the flow of energy or “Chi” in the body, which in turn promotes relaxation and the release of tension from body and muscles.

Chamomile oil (both German and Roman) has a very unique action on our Solar Plexus chakra. When our Solar Plexus chakra is out of balance, our emotional needs intensify and we can feel frustrated, unfulfilled and irritable. This then leads us to being overly controlling of the people and situations in our life.

Chamomile oil eases us out of this egoic “my needs” focus, and all the plethora of emotions associated with wanting to get our own needs met. It helps us release emotions from the past, and brings us back to the now.

It reminds me of the serenity prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This is the gift of German (and Roman) Chamomile oil.

It also opens us up to receiving support from around us, so that we are able to see the silver lining in any difficult situation.

Ginger oil

Ginger is one of my favourite herbs to cook with, so of course I’m ecstatic that we can use Ginger oil as a food and beverage flavouring agent (that will be Ginger Plus oil if you are in the UK/EU or Ginger Vitality oil if you are in the US).

I love adding a drop of Ginger oil to my Chocolate Pancakes, or into my Banana and Blueberry Muffins. Oh, YUM!!! They never taste as good when I forget the Ginger oil!

Ginger oil is amazing for tired muscles. So when you’ve been overworking at the gym and tiring out your various muscle groups, Ginger oil comes into its own.

I was really intrigued to learn that women in Senegal in West Africa weave belts of ginger root to restore their man’s sexual potency!

Could this be an old wives tale? You’ll need to find out for yourself! It does make sense, though….

On an emotional and energetic level, Ginger oil helps to stimulate our Will, determination and initiative. It’s associated with the planet Mars, a symbol of vital life force and virility. And it’s also been valued by the Chinese for centuries, for its reputation in promoting strength and longevity.

So when you are wanting to put some more fire in your belly, reach for Ginger oil!

How to order

If you have a wholesale account with Young Living, order through the shopping cart on your virtual office, or via phone with your local Young Living office.

If it’s been more than 12 months since you’ve ordered, or you’ve never set up an account, reach out to the person who introduced you to Young Living.

You’ll need their member number when you place your first order.

If you’ve lost touch with them, or need assistance, we’re here to help. Click on the button below, and we’ll be in touch to help answer your questions.