dragon time
I’m pretty sure that a lot of you, women, can totally relate to when it comes to our “favourite” time of the month how crazy we can get…
I love chocolate and once I get to a week or less before my PMS, you can bet that there won’t be any chocolate left in my sight. I have never had a regular cycle and usually the first two days are accompanied by cramps in my lower abdomen and lower back. I used to take Advil for the pain otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get through the first two days.
But since I’ve switched to essential oils, I knew that I want some natural support in this area as well. Last month I’ve finally got my hands on Dragon Time. The first time I smelled it, I have to confess that I wasn’t impressed at all. The thing is, I don’t like the smell of black licorice and the scent reminded me of it a lot. BUT, I was left with a choice – I will take the Advil for the pain (which I hated to do) or I will get over the smell and use the oil. Of course I went the natural way. And to my surprise, the smell of this oil hasn’t bothered me at all while I put it on myself.
Yesterday the first day came again and I went and applied the Dragon time right away. I was so surprised that the pain was gone within 10-15 minutes. I applied the oil before going to bed once again and for the first time in months, I wasn’t awaken by a pms pain at night. I slept through the whole night absolutely pain free. I made a little roll on to take to work with me and I applied the mix one more time during the day on my lower abdomen and lower back. I was really happy to get through the day without the cramps.
My roll on: 10 or so drops of Dragon Time in a 10ml amber roll-on glass bottle and topped with carrier oil (I use V6 from Young Living). The 15ml bottle of Dragon Time blend will last for many months to come since I used only 10 drops for my roll-on mix.
Here is a little info about Dragon Time from the Essential Oils Desk Reference Book:
- this blend relieves PMS symptoms and menstrual discomforts, including cramping and irregular periods. It helps balance emotions, alleviating mood swings and headaches caused by hormonal imbalance.
- Ingredients: fennel, clary sage, marjoram, lavender, yarrow, jasmine
From now on, I will carry this little gem in my purse to have it on hand when needed. And let’s be honest, the name of this oil is just so spot on!
So the next time, ladies, when you feel like you are about to change into three-headed dragon, just grab this bottle and roll it on.
~ Gabi
two in one
One of my favourite ways how to use essential oils every day is to wear them on on my jewelry. It is a great way of combining two things – the benefits of using essential oils and a fashion. Last year I wrote a post about Sara’s jewelry line from At Heart Essentials. To this date it is still my favourite shop for shopping locally. The feather necklace below was a Christmas gift from my son which was also made by Sara. I absolutely love the minimalist style and get compliments every time I wear it.
If you have been wondering why I love lava jewelry so much, it is because lava can be used for aromatherapy and has also healing properties. It’s believed to provide strength (physical and mental) when facing difficult situations. I’ve found a great post which explains lava’s qualities (I’ve copied it for you below as well) here.
- Emotional – Since lava is known for its grounding qualities, it’s wonderful for calming the emotions. In fact, the quality of fire springs from the ground, so in terms of healing gems, this lends itself to a calming- but intense- energy. Because it comes from raw energy, it’s considered to be a stone of rebirth and shedding unneeded layers of emotional attachment.
- Spiritual – Lava stones are fantastic for stabilizing and grounding the root chakra. This is because of the strong connection to the earth and its creation within the center of Earth. In folk remedies, it was also given to soldiers to help them remain calm during battle.
Another favourite shop of mine for lava jewelry is Lava Essentials from where I got this beautiful Triangle necklace my little girl is wearing on the photo above.
I also wear lava bracelet which was made by my yoga teacher. I own several bracelets and love to stack them and mix different textures like lava, Rudraksha seeds and wood. Being a yoga teacher myself, I do believe in the special properties these bracelets bring and enjoy the aroma during my practice.
So how I combine essential oils and the jewelry? I just simply rub the oil onto the lava, let it sit for a few minutes and then put the necklace on. During the day I smell the lava stone and get the benefits of aromatherapy right away. When I need to energize, I love to wear bergamot or something citrus-y. For a yoga practice I usually wear frankincense, peace & calming or cedarwood. Because the lava stone is touching my skin directly, I use only therapeutic oils from Young Living.
If you have any question about this topic or just in general about essential oils, please don’t hesitate to contact me through comments or contact button.
~ Gabi
treat your hair well with essential oils
If your home is anything like mine, you have a wide range of needs from your shampoo and conditioner. I have course, dry, curly hair. My oldest daughter has thick hair that tends to get greasy. My youngest has fine, straight, flyaway hair. In the work that I’ve been doing with essential oils over the last year, I’ve come to realize that most of our hair issues are caused by the many toxic chemicals and other unnatural ingredients found in hair products.
Why Avoid Commercial Shampoo and Conditioner?
There are many toxic substances used or created as byproducts in the production of commercial shampoo and conditioner. In my opinion the “top 5 ingredients to avoid” are:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – This is a detergent and foaming agent that is widely used in shampoos. It is a known skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant. It also strips away the moisture and oils from your hair and skin.
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate – This is a close relative of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. It is frequently contaminated by 1,4 dioxane which is a known carcinogen and is suspected of causing kidney damage. This will not actually be listed on a product’s ingredients because it is a byproduct of the ethylation oxide used to make harsh petroleum ingredients more gentle.
- Parabens – These are chemical preservatives used in shampoo and other personal care products. Even at low doses, parabens are linked to reproductive damage. They have similar properties to estrogen and are strongly linked to breast cancer.
- Fragrance – Artificial fragrance is created by using any number of highly toxic chemicals that can result in serious health conditions including headaches, allergies, damage to the central nervous system, asthma, and cancer, just to name a few.
- Polyethylene Glycol – Used to create a creamy texture in personal care products. It is petroleum based and may be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane. The State of California has classified polyethylene glycol as a developmental toxicant that may interfere with human development. Keep it away from your children!
There are other ingredients in personal care products and cleaning products that you should avoid. For more information, check out the David Suzuki Foundation website.
What is the Alternative to Commercial Shampoo and Conditioner?
Loaded with (and somewhat overwhelmed by) all of this information, I set out to detoxify our shampoo and conditioner collection. I have tried a few recipes and currently have a couple of favourites that I will share with you below. My experimenting led me to find my “top 5 favourite essential oils for hair care”:
- Lavender – Very calming for the scalp and helps to naturally eliminate eczema and psoriasis.
- Cedarwood – Helps with dry scalp and combats hair loss.
- Peppermint – Helps with an oily scalp.
- Rosemary – Promotes hair growth, treats dandruff and calms an itchy scalp.
- Basil – Promotes hair growth, treats dry itchy scalp and reduces hair loss.
How do you use these oils in your hair? There are a few ways. I usually rub 2-3 drops of rosemary and lavender oils in my hands and then run my hands through my wet hair after a shower. It smells great all day and my scalp loves it. You could also put a few drops of the oils that you want to use into a spray bottle, fill with water, and then spray onto your hair. I prefer to put the oils in my hair while it’s wet, but you could do this when it’s dry as well. It doesn’t really matter.
Young Living has two formulations of shampoo and conditioner that I have tried and highly recommend:
- Copaiba Vanilla Shampoo
- Copaiba Vanilla Conditioner
- Lavender Mint Daily Shampoo
- Lavender Mint Daily Conditioner
If you are more adventurous, you could try my recipes below. Remember, you can always change the type of essential oils you add to the rest of the ingredients to suit your needs. More importantly, remember to only use pure therapeutic grade essential oils. Not only are they better for you, your bottles of oils will last you longer.
Wishing you clean, shiney, detoxified hair!
~Sue
Shampoo
- 2/3 c. Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castille Soap, unscented
- ½ c distilled water
- 4 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. fractionated coconut oil
- ½ c. glycerin
- 20 drops lavender
- 20 drops peppermint
Place all ingredients in a 500 ml glass or plastic bottle with a top. Shake gently. If you shake too vigorously the castille soap will become very sudsy. Note: this shampoo is more watery than the commercial shampoos that you are used to. I drop a bit of it from the bottle onto my wet hair and massage it in. I have been very happy with the results!
Conditioner
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 5 drops basil
- 5 drops rosemary
- 5 drops lavender
- Distilled water
Place the apple cider vinegar and essential oils in a 250 ml spray bottle (if you use a larger bottle, adjust the ingredients accordingly) and fill to the top with distilled water. Spray onto clean, wet hair and comb through. Again, this is not a traditional commercial conditioner, but it is nonetheless a great hair conditioner and detangler.
depression & essential Oils
Depression (noun) – persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest
Depression is a topic that most of us do not want to talk about, although statistics indicate that it affects one in every eight Canadians 15 years and older. There are many types of depression including clinical depression, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-partum/perinatal depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder. Any type of depression can be mild to severe and can manifest in many different symptoms, including feelings of sadness, tearfulness, hopelessness, anger, irritability, loss of interest in normal activities, sleep disturbance, change in appetite, anxiety, and the list goes on. It can also manifest in physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, chest pain, and digestive problems. If you feel as though you may be suffering from depression, you should visit your family doctor or another health professional immediately. This article is not intended to replace conventional treatment.
There are a number of essential oils that have a positive impact on your mood and help to relieve symptoms of depression:
- Lavender
- Roman Chamomile
- Melissa
- Jasmine
- Sacred Frankincense
- Frankincense
- Peppermint
- Ylang Ylang
- Rosemary
- Lemon
- Cedarwood
You may find some other oils that positively impact your mood – everyone is different. I personally like Bergamot.
Why do essential oils have an impact on your mood?
Inhaled essential oils (whether diffused or inhaled directly) stimulate the olfactory membranes in the lining of the nose which trigger electrical impulses to the olfactory center in the brain which are then transmitted to the limbic system.
Olfaction (smell) is the only sense that can have direct effects on the limbic region of the brain. Studies at the University of Vienna have shown that some essential oils…can stimulate blood flow and activity in the emotional regions of the brain.
Clinical studies at the Department of Psychiatry at the Mie University of Medicine showed that Lemon not only reduced depression, but it also reduced stress when inhaled.
~Essential Oil Desk Reference, 6th Edition
How do you use essential oils to improve your mood?
Any of these oils, alone or in a combination can be diffused. You can also put 2-3 drops in your hands and rub them together, then cup your hands over your nose and inhale. You could also put 8-10 drops of oil on a cottonball or tissue and put it in an air vent in your house or vehicle. If you are on the go and want to take the oils with you, you could also put 1-2 drops on your temples and at the back of your neck. I have made an essential oil roller that I use frequently for a mood lift, especially during the long, dark, rainy months. I am including the recipe below.
Happy rolling!
~Sue
“Uplift” Roller
- 10 drops Lavender
- 10 drops Bergamot
- 5 drops Ylang Ylang
Place essential oils in a 10 ml roller bottle and fill to the top with a carrier oil (I use fractionated coconut oil, but any other carrier oil will do).
choose your actions
With 2016 coming slowly to its end, every year I like to reflect and think about what the year has brought to us. Thinking about all the accomplishments of the year, the ups and downs of the past couple of months and take all of this in and start planning for the upcoming year.
Our family has started using Young Living essential oils in November 2015, so it’s been over an year now and all I can say is that I’m so happy I’ve chosen this path for our family. We’ve ditched all the regular chemical products in our household (soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, laundry detergent and cleaning products which were full of harmful chemicals) and started using natural products.
We have also stopped using painkillers for headaches, PMS symptoms, muscle pains and many more and started using essential oils instead.
I’ve treated burned skin and cuts with oils instead of grabbing creams from pharmacy.
Our kids never slept better before. Lavender, Cedarwood and lately Gentle baby oils are a part of their daily bedtime routine. They fall asleep much easier and don’t wake up at night, stopped tossing in bed and even their teeth grinding is gone.
We haven’t been sick during the year at all. Our kids got runny nose maybe twice this year and it was gone within two days. Once again, we just diffused essential oils at night and rubbed oils on their feet during the day. No more cough syrups and other over the counter stuff. Just plain natural treatment.
As I’ve mentioned so many times, we are a very active family and compete in road cycling, mountain biking, cyclocross, running and triathlon races. We’ve started using essential oils for improving our workouts and for speeding up our recoveries with a huge success! Even my husband is now a believer and is asking for a massage or what oil he should use after his exercise.
This year we have made own organic lip balms and hand/body lotions, bug sprays and air refresheners, candles and many more DIY projects.
Living healthy is a huge part of our family lifestyle, so it’s only natural that the main goal for my family is to invest into our wellness not just by spending time exercising and eating healthy food, but also by making the right choices about what we are putting into and onto ourselves and living non-toxic life as much as possible. I encourage you to go to your bathroom or look under your kitchen sink and read all the labels on products you are using every single day. You will be surprised how many chemicals you will find and at the same time horrified because that’s what we are using for our dear ones, our children, on ourselves. I went through this on my own as well, so I know what I’m talking about. Even though I always tried to make smart choices and go for the “natural” products, it wasn’t until I’ve started doing my own research and found out how many products in stores are just marketed totally wrong.
Every year I choose one little word which I try to live through the whole year. For 2016 it was wholehearted and I can honestly say that in the wellness area, I put all my heart in and focused on making the change in my family. For upcoming year 2017 my one little word is awaken (from dictionary: to become conscious or aware of something <awoke to the possibilities>, to make active).
And here is one of many things which I would like to be aware of more, to be more active. My goal for the next year is to help as many people as possible to find their path to wellness and healthier lives. I would like to help YOU, yes You, who is reading this post at this very moment and show you how to live more naturally. And as a gift to you from me, if you decide to join me on this journey, I would like to help you started.
From now till December 31st, 2016 (10pm PST) , if you decide to join me and sign up for Young Living with me, I am offering you $15 off of your Premium Starter kit (which includes 11 essential oils, Diffuser, hand sanitizer and many more) or your choice of one of these two oils – Cedarwood or Orange. You won’t get “just the oils”, but you will become a part of an amazing group of caring people who will support you on your journey and will provide you with tons of materials and recipes to get you started.
Just leave me a comment here or send me an email and I will show you how to start.
Let’s make the upcoming year better together and full of Energy, send all your Stresses away, live in Peace and calming state and having a Tranquil year full of Deep relief.
fighting congestion naturally
Even during the “most wonderful time of the year ” we can’t avoid the colds and coughs. One kiddo at home today with stuffed nose and feeling bleh.
I made her an inhaler to help her with the congestion.
I bought an empty inhaler in a local store for $1.25, added a few drops of R.C. and Raven essential oils and that’s it! Easy, natural, cheap and quickly made.
I love that we can deal with stuff like this naturally with just a few drops of essential oils.
Cyber Monday sale
Ditch the chemicals in your home and start your holiday season naturally.
If you have been thinking about transforming your home to more toxin free and have been on the fence to try out Young Living essential oils and their natural products and learn more about the benefits of going naturally, tonight (starting 11.01pm MST) and tomorrow November, 28th is the best time to start!! Get $20 product credit on your 100 PV order.
Using essential oils has helped my family so much! From sleeping issues, treating everyday ailments naturally and boosting our immune system to speedy recoveries after workouts. I can’t imagine my life without these magical bottles anymore!
Please let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to show you how to go more natural.
