Category: essential oils

Peppermint: Young Living Starter Bundle
essential oils · natural lifestyle

Peppermint: Young Living Starter Bundle

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Peppermint is one of those oils I never want to be out of, at home for my family, or in the classroom as a teacher.

Here are some of my favorite uses at home:

1. In the seasonal trio! We always keep rollers of lavender, lemon and peppermint around our house. We also diffuse this trio often.

2. My almost 13-year-old daughter suffers from migraines so diffusing peppermint is our first line of defense for her.

3. Peppermint added to Panaway is very cooling and soothing for the joints. I keep a roller or serum around with these two.

In the classroom:

1. My students favorite diffuser combo is one I call candy shop. It’s just Thieves and Peppermint in equal amounts. It’s also the diffuser blend I often choose when teaching oil classes. Everyone always comments on how good it smells.

2. Peppermint on a cotton ball. Each year I have students who suffer from headaches or severe allergies, and often don’t have a parent who can bring them anything because they are at work, and I can’t dispense meds. They are miserable! I will give them a cotton ball with just a drop of peppermint on it and tell them to sniff it. I always get rave reviews.

You can find Young Living peppermint HERE: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/myaccount/wishlist?listId=63137ee4caaee6000ab0f1f1&enrollerId=2183425&sponsorId=2183425&userName=angie

Lavender: Young Living Starter Bundle
essential oils · natural lifestyle · Uncategorized

Lavender: Young Living Starter Bundle

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Lavender. It is known as the Swiss Army knife of oils, and for good reason. It’s probably best known for sleep and anxiety. But did you know lavender also helps with soothing the skin, and even promotes hair growth?

Lavender is also a main ingredient in so many of our favorite rollers: seasonal roller, face roller and focus roller!

Here are some of my favorite uses:

1. Add to diffuser along with cedarwood to promote a good night’s rest.

2. Add a few drops to coconut oil to make a soothing rub for sunburn or dry skin.

3. Make a mermaid hair spray by combining with cedarwood and rosemary. Eight drops of each these added to an 8 oz spray bottle, then fill rest of the way with water.

4. Add to diffuser along with lemon and peppermint to help support clear breathing when everything is blooming. This is our seasonal blend.

5. Apply it to back of the neck (brain stem) along with vetiver and cedarwood to help with focus.

6. You can benefit just by inhaling lavender directly from the bottle. It will help with anxiety and calm you.

If I was stranded on an island and could bring only one oil, it would be lavender. So grateful for this amazing oil!

What’s your favorite use for lavender?

Natural Ways to Protect, Support and Improve Memory
essential oils · health · natural lifestyle · Uncategorized

Natural Ways to Protect, Support and Improve Memory

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Several years ago, my mom was becoming more and more forgetful. I worried about her and at times I was even afraid for her. Later, she was diagnosed with dementia and the beginning stages of Alzheimers. I researched foods, essential oils and natural regimens to help my mom. Now, years after she has passed, I still use these protocols to support memory for my family, since memory-related illnesses are genetic. I hope sharing these here can help others as well.

Foods

First, I want to share some foods that you will want to make a part of your weekly and perhaps even daily diet. I began my research by reading about the benefits of coconut oil. You can find tons of research and articles on coconut oil and ways to use it. Have a tablespoon a day to boost memory.

There are so many memory boosting foods you can enjoy at breakfast time. Eat plenty of bananas and almond or peanut butter which are good for the brain, and I love these together! Greek yogurt is also excellent. I love the Chobani coconut with either ground chia or flax seeds mixed in. Flax seed and chia seed are among the top foods for brain health, and they have very little flavor, but add a nice crunch. They are excellent for smoothies as well.  Avocado toast with a sunny side up egg on top would be amazing, since avocado and eggs are both good for the brain. Add blueberries to your list (or any berry for that matter). Berries help with memory since they are high in antioxidants, and caffeine improves focus so go ahead and have that second cup of coffee.

Essential Oils

Several essential oils boost memory and brain health. Some single oils include: rosemary, frankincense, vetiver, basil, and cedarwood. Powerful essential oil blends include: Brain Power, Clarity, Common Sense and Grounding. I use Young Living Essential Oils, and they also have several other products for memory that I use regularly.

Other Products to Support Memory

Young Living offers several products to support memory. Mindwise (a tablespoon a day), Ningxia Red (a shotglass a day of this antioxidant Powerhouse), and Omegagize (an Omega 3 fish oil supplement). If you would like to learn more about Mindwise, I wrote a post on this product specifically. You can purchase Young Living Products here.

In addition to Young Living Products, I also take a turmeric supplement daily. Be sure to take one that includes black pepper, otherwise, the body cannot effectively absorb the turmeric and it just passes right through you.

Foods and Products to Avoid

It’s important to know what you can do to help with memory, but just as important to know what to avoid. Avoid exposure to aluminum. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s and other memory related illnesses. Avoid drinking from aluminum cans, and avoid deodorants containing aluminum. You would be surprised how many brands do!

Cut out artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, Splenda, Sweet and Low, and Equal. You can read so much research-based literature out there on the link between artificial sweeteners and decreased memory! It is linked to Alzheimers. This was very upsetting to me and I became very passionate about educating others on this.

Finally, avoid sugar, gluten and processed foods to stay clear-headed. This would be good advice for anyone, but especially anyone seeking clarity and a sound mind.

THROAT ROLLER AND THROAT SOOTHING PROTOCOL
essential oils · health · natural lifestyle

THROAT ROLLER AND THROAT SOOTHING PROTOCOL

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What do you reach for when you need something to soothe your throat, or when you have drainage in your throat due to seasonal irritants?

We try to use natural remedies at our house, as much as possible. Also, I talk for a living so I was constantly on a search for a natural option to soothe my throat.

It has evolved over time, but we have an extremely effective natural protocol that we have used for our family for several years now. These quickly soothe the throat and let you continue your day drainage-free.


Here’s my protocol.


1. Make a roller using the infographic below, and add an additional 10 drops of Purification as well, if you have it. Purification is a blend known for soothing the throat. For children, I do half the number of drops of essential oil.

To make the kids roller, simply use half the number of drops of essential oils, but maintain the same amount of carrier drops.


2. Get your hands on Thieves Cough Drops when they are in stock or Thieves Lozenges which are in stock. They soothe on contact and have no harmful chemicals or bright red dye or food coloring. And they are yummy!


3. Make yourself some Thieves tea. A drop of Thieves, as drop of Lemon, and a tbsp of raw local honey in a mug of hot water. Or put on your big girl pants (or big boy pants) and just down those three ingredients in a tablespoon! (Hot! But it works!!)

What natural remedies do you like to use for soothing your throat? Please share in the comments. And if you are in need of any of the oils or products mentioned in this post you can purchase them here.

Natural Deodorants and DIY Anti-perspirant
essential oils · health · natural lifestyle

Natural Deodorants and DIY Anti-perspirant

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Let’s talk DEO.

Anyone else out there who has tried several natural deodorants and even tried making their own? After many, many product tests and recipe attempts, Primal Pit Paste is my absolute favorite. Only it’s not an antiperspirant. So I took a shot at making my own spray.

The Essential Oils Desk Reference book recommended sage and Purification, and my ref guide 4 essential oils app added Endoflex to the list which my husband uses to support his thyroid. I love it!

I can’t say that I don’t sweat at all, but I don’t get wet circles under my arms and I know the body needs to sweat some to get rid of toxins. I’m just thankful not to be applying memory killer aluminum to my body anymore. I need all the brain cells I can get!

Please do your own research and you will find as I unfortunately did, that over-the-counter deodorants contain aluminum, which has been linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer’s.

To make your own anti-perspirant use any of these oils you may have on hand:

  • 2 oz spray bottle
  • 2 drops sage
  • 2 drops Endoflex
  • 2 drops Purification
  • 2 drops nutmeg
  • 2 drops petitgrain (EO that controls perspiration like no other, IMO)
  • a splash of witch hazel
  • fill rest of the way with water

If you don’t have all of these, I think just Purification or just petitgrain would work great. I’ve actually applied a drop of Purification under each arm on days I’ve left the house without using my spray. Works awesome in a pinch. 🤓

You can get started with the world leader in essential oils here.

DIY Thieves
essential oils · health · natural lifestyle

DIY Thieves

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DIY Thieves.

Last week, I did the unthinkable. I ran out of Thieves. 😭 And this is NOT the time to be without the king of immune system support oils!

Obviously I ordered more, but until it gets here, I had to get creative. I realized that not only do I have all of the ingredients to make my own Thieves, I realized that Young Living is giving most of these to their customers this month as promos for hitting different spending targets. They are giving us the gift of health!

How accurate this is, I’m not for sure, but all four recipes that I was able to find online generally had this ratio:

2 drops rosemary
3 drops eucalyptus
4 drops cinnamon bark
7 drops lemon
8 drops clove

I kept this ratio but multiplied each number times 5 and placed in an empty dropper bottle to make a synergy or mixture. I did not add any carrier oils. This way, I can simply add 4-6 drops of the mixture to our diffuser. And it almost smells just like our wonderful Thieves!

Notice I said “almost.” Rest assured when my bottle of Thieves arrives I will be going back to it. I’m no Gary Young over here! But if you’re ever in a pinch, this is good to know about.

I won’t be wasting this concoction. My family really likes it so it is going to be the “Thieves” for our kitchen diffuser.

Raise your hand if you have Thieves or something similar in your wellness cabinet!

DIY Scented Crayons Using Essential Oils
essential oils · kids · parenting · quarantine

DIY Scented Crayons Using Essential Oils

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Have you ever made your own crayons? I was looking for some fun homeschool activities to do with my kiddos and stumbled on a recipe for making your own crayons and someone suggested scenting them.

I am personally allergic to artificial fragrance and we don’t use it in our home, but I do have and love essential oils!

Here is what you will need for this project:

  • Old crayons (broken with paper peeled off)
  • Muffin/cupcake pan
  • Cupcake liners
  • Butter spray or olive oil spray
  • Essential oils

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat oven to 250. If crayons are not already peeled and broken into small pieces you will need to do that.

2. Decide if you want each crayon to be a different color or if you want rainbow crayons. Either way, you may want to divide your broken crayon pieces up into piles by color.

Peel paper, break into pieces and sort by color.

3. Place a liner in each section of the muffin pan. We sprayed lightly with cooking spray so the liner would come off easily. Then add crayons. I recommend placing the pan on a foil lined cookie sheet.

4. Place the pan in the oven and leave in for 15 about minutes.

5. Pull out and add two drops of desired essential oil to each crayon, then return to oven for another 15 minutes. My daughter felt it was important to color code the oil with the crayon color (pictured below).

She color coded the oil with crayon color. 🌈

6. She was eager to use her new crayons so we placed in the freezer for a half hour after we removed from the oven.

If you appreciate nostalgic stories I thought I would also share my first experience making my own crayon. I was about seven or eight: I remember being bored as a kid and taking my old pieces of crayon, and wondering if I could melt them to make a new one like the multicolored ones I had seen at church. I was little so I wasn’t allowed to use the stove or oven, but I could use the sun’s heat. I had an idea. But I would need a container. It just so happened that it was Pillsbury cinnamon roll day at my house, and so I asked my mom to save the cup the icing comes in. That cup would be perfect for my crayon experiment. It was summer, so it was hot enough I thought. I put my broken crayons, paper peeled off, in the icing container, and set it out in a sunny spot. I came back out several hours later, and just as I expected I had lovely melted rainbow wax. I brought it inside and let it cool off and was so proud of that crayon.

**Did you know there was such a thing as National Crayon Day? It is March 31, the day I am writing this. Mark your calendar for next year and this may be the perfect activity for celebrating it. 😊

Immune System Boosters You May Not Know About
essential oils · natural lifestyle · Uncategorized

Immune System Boosters You May Not Know About

Essentially Better Living1 Comment

Most folks already know to take Vitamin C, drink plenty of fluids and to get rest when they are sick. You may not be aware of some on this list. While doing some or all of these won’t guarantee you are protected, they significantly lower the risk. If you do find yourself exposed, I think you’ll be impressed how quickly you bounce back.

  1. Elderberry syrup. This one needs to be a staple. Keep it in the fridge all winter long. Give to everyone in the house at the first sign or mention of sickness. It not only boosts the immune system, but it is also an influenza preventative. You can check out a post to learn other elderberry benefits here.
  2. Turmeric. You know, legend has it that the “gold” that was given to the baby Jesus by the three wise men was actually turmeric which is also known as “golden spice.” So in a sense they gave him the gift of health. We Westerners and just catching on to what Indians have known for years and years: natural turmeric has medicinal value. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer and has many many more health benefits. I was curious how to decide which turmeric/curcumin I should take (curcumin is the powerful constituent in turmeric) and what characteristics to look for. I love this post from Dr. Weil whose information I trust. And you can purchase the turmeric I use here.
  3. Raw local honey. Raw local honey boosts the immune system, can help with allergies, and soothes sore throats. It has so many health benefits. Don’t confuse raw local honey with that cute honey bear you get at Walmart. Very little benefit there. I have written an entirely separate post on raw local honey if you want to learn more.
  4. Probiotics. Do you take one? Everyone should take a good probiotic. Life 9 by Young Living is a great one. Why are probiotics so important? Marketing geniuses have programmed many to think all bacteria and germ exposure is bad. We are trained to Lysol and Clorox wipe everything, when in actuality, we are ridding our surfaces of both good and beneficial bacteria and germs. You don’t have to take my word for it. See what the Environmental Working Group has to say here. Same way, when we trustingly take that probiotic, we are killing the good and bad bacteria in your bodies, which is why so often you will see, they sicker some folks get the sicker they get. Antibiotics should only truly be in order when there is a bacterial infection like strep for example, but it has become commonplace unfortunately to give it for ear infections and other sicknesses. When you deplete your body of that good bacteria, you have none to fight off future illness. My advice if you absolutely must take an antibiotic is to take a probiotic daily to replenish that good bacteria supply.
  5. Ningxia Red or a comparable antioxidant drink. When you or anyone in your household is down and out, or if you have been exposed to anyone who is, reach for  all the blueberries, açaí, raspberries, and goji berries you can get your hands on. Or take me at my word when I tell you that Ningxia Red has one of the highest levels of antioxidants you can find. It contains the rare Ningxia wolfberry. For those of you who may not know, Ningxia China has the highest longevity in the world, and it is said to be a result of their consumption of the Ningxia wolfberry, the key ingredient in Ningxia Red. You can purchase the Ningxia Red Starter Kit here.
  6. Thieves Essential Oil Blend. I seriously would not want to live without Thieves. Immune system booster powerhouse. It contains cinnamon bark oil, for one. Here’s a tidbit: viruses can’t exist in the presence of cinnamon bark oil. Thieves contains it. Viruses live in the spine. I apply Thieves to the spines of all my people on the regular. As I am writing this I’m thinking of four ways I used it just this evening alone. Thieves on the throat and spines of my youngest and husband who said their throats hurt “a little bit.” I added it to my girls’ bath salts because tis’ the season. Thieves in the diffuser for the same reason. Thieves in a spoonful of honey, also for my husband to soothe his throat. A great way to get started with Thieves is either the Thieves kit which includes Thieves and the Thieves line of cleaning products, or the Young Living Premium Starter Kit which includes Thieves as well as a high quality diffuser and the other main essential oils you would need to get started. You can find both of those here.

 

essential oils · natural lifestyle

Why Raw Local Honey?

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Confession: I got into a lazy habit in the past few months of buying a less expensive honey for my coffee. It was not nearly as delicious and didn’t have any of the health benefits.

In recent days I’m finding the need to heal my body from the inside out in every way I possibly can. As I’m re-reading my trusted health and wellness texts, I’m reminded of the powerful immune boosting benefits of RAW LOCAL HONEY.

I purchased this jar from a small shop right down the road who sources from a local bee keeper.

Why does that matter??

  • Local raw honey has healing properties.
  • You can add it to your hot tea to soothe a sore throat.
  • Because it has antimicrobial properties, it doesn’t just soothe your throat as it coats it; it can also kill certain bacteria.
  • Local raw honey helps with seasonal allergies.
  • Local raw honey reduces the lifespan of colds.
  • Local raw honey is a natural antiseptic. As mentioned above, honey has antimicrobial properties. That’s what makes it great for treating wounds. Many types of bacteria can’t survive in honey.
  • Local raw honey helps tame the tummy.

Those are just a few reasons local, raw honey is a must-have staple for your household, especially in the winter months.

That honey bear at the supermarket may be more affordable, cute and enticing, but a wellness powerhouse he is not.

Winter Must-Haves: Young Living Oils and Products
essential oils · natural lifestyle · Uncategorized

Winter Must-Haves: Young Living Oils and Products

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It’s still technically fall, but today in Tennessee we have snow on the ground and temps in the 20s.

We need to be proactive during this cold and flu season to keep our families healthy!

Are you stocked up and ready for this?

Here are my must-have Young Living oils and products as we head into winter:

  • Thieves. And by Thieves I mean all the Thieves products: essential oil, roll-on, Thieves Cleaner, Fruit and Veggie Spray, Foaming Hand Soap. All of it. Thieves essential oil supports the immune system like nothing else I know. Thieves products purify and product your home. Ditch all the gross chemical filled products and go natural with Thieves. Best decision ever.
  • RC and Raven. Both offer the best respiratory support. If you’re on the fence and trying to decide between the two, I would opt for Raven. It supports the respiratory system but also your immune system. It is also in the current starter kit.
  • Thieves Lozenges. I already plugged Thieves products, I know, but I have to give a separate shoutout to these in particular. I talk for a living and keep these in my desk drawer at work, some in my purse and some at home. They are the best cough drop/lozenge I’ve ever had. They don’t just soothe, the support the body. What other drop does that?
  • Lavender Lotion. This lotion is the best ever. Most lotions you have to apply and reapply- like hourly. This lotion is truly soothing. Again I keep at work, home, and in the purse.
  • Lavender Lip Balm and Rose Ointment. I suffered from chronic chapped lips every winter until I discovered this duo. I apply daily, preventatively and can’t remember the last time my lips were chapped in winter since.
  • Digize and Life 9. Did you know that 70% of your immune system is located in your gut? We apply Digize when anyone is having tummy issues and Life 9 is an awesome probiotic to maintain healthy bacteria in the gut. Gut health is key!

There are so many products I love to have on hand in winter. This is really just scratching the surface but does represent my faves.

Do you have favorite Young Living oils and products for winter that aren’t on this list? I’d love to know what they are. Please share in the comments.

And if you are ready to dive in with Young Living and this wellness lifestyle you can get your starter kit here.