Last year around this time my friend convinced me into purchasing a premium starter kit through Young Living. If you don’t know, Young Living sells high quality therapeutic grade essential oils and products that are infused with essential oils. The kit through Young Living includes a bunch of oils, and a diffuser (which is what I was most excited about). Trust me, I’m not here to try to sell you on essential oils or Young Living for that matter, but I’m here to guide photographers who already use essential oils (or maybe want to start) and how to use them within your career. Most importantly ...ON WEDDING DAYS.
Wedding photographers are NO JOKE. Maybe I’m just biased because I am a wedding photographer, or maybe it’s just the truth (hehe). When wedding season first started this year I thought I was prepared mentally and physically, but boy was I wrong. I felt like a train hit me the next day.
So long story short, I wanted to layout everything I use to help prepare myself physically AND emotionally for shooting weddings, and help other photographers who share the same passions!
The Night Before:
The night before is important for me because it’s when I print everything I need for the next day including wedding agreements, and checklists. I also pack all of my equipment, business cards, snacks, hair ties, and make up essentials. Basically it’s my time to make sure that I have everything I need for the next day so it’s important for me to stay focused. During this time I diffuse peppermint and a citrus oil combined.
Peppermint is very awakening and very refreshing. I combine this with a citrus oil such as lemon, orange or grapefruit because citrus oils give off a warming feeling, and they keep me happy. A happy Megan, is a productive Megan! Citrus oils also keep my stress levels down without actually making me tired from being relaxed (such as lavender will).
The Morning Of:
I incorporate essential oils into almost every part of my day, which would include washing my hair in the morning. For this I use cedar wood, rosemary and/or peppermint. Peppermint I would usually use on wedding days because it wakes me up, and feels great in my hair. Cedar wood, and rosemary is just a great add on because it's amazing for healthy hair support, and I use those essential oils on normal days.
The rest of my day depends on how I'm feeling. Usually for perfume my go-to is Ylang Ylang. It has such a sweet, flowery scent and it's not over whelming at all. Throughout my day, if I'm dying of sweat (which is most of the time) I'll dab some of this essential oil onto my wrists, behind my ears, and neck. Ylang Ylang also keeps me sane because it's very relaxing to me. It's definitely one of "my" essential oils. Lavender is also great for relaxation, and sometimes I'll combine the two scents together. I think it's important for me, and other wedding photographers to take a step back and chill out for a second so you can collect your thoughts, and make sure the images you are creating mean something.
There is also a really great blend from Young Living called "EN-R-GEE" and it's suppose to do exactly what it sounds like. I usually put this essential oil on the bottoms of my feet in the morning to give me that extra boost. I'm not a huge fan of the scent, and that's why i'll use it on my feet instead. Your feet are very absorbent, so it's a great place for essential oils.
That wraps up my Rochester wedding shoots! I stumble home, throw peppermint on sore areas of my body (because it has an amazing cooling effect), and diffuse lavender until I pass out. I know there is a big community of photographers who use essential oils, and I would LOVE to hear from you. How do you use essential oils in your every day lives?