getting rid of stains naturally
I think I can speak up for every mom about how tough it can sometimes be to get rid of stains on kids’ clothes. And not just on kids’ clothes, on clothes in general. My little athletes are out in the forests on their bikes rain or shine which means I have to deal with lots of muddy clothes, especially in our winter months.
My daughter had a pre-ride for her upcoming mountain biking race in a heavy rainfall and you can imagine how her clothes looked like when she got back from the muddy trails. Because we had to stay overnight in a hotel, I didn’t have a chance to wash her clothes right way, we just wiped the dirt off with paper towels. When we got home the next day, I soaked her jacket up in a bucket with 2 caps (the black tops of the cleaner bottle) of my favourite Thieves household cleaner. This cleaner is AH-MAZING and I believe that it should be in every. single.household. I ditched all my cleaning supplies and I use only this cleaner for everything, just to name a few – glass, stainless steel, kitchen counters, sinks, bathrooms, floors and so on. Household Cleaner is an allpurpose, concentrated cleaner formulated with 100 percent plant- and mineral-based ingredients. It is biodegradable and complies with EPA standards.
Unfortunately I don’t have a before photo of the original dirt (when she got off her bike with mud dripping from her), the before photo above was taken before I soaked the jacket in bucket for about half an hour at home. Then I put some of the cleaner directly on the jacket and rubbed it in my hands to get the most of the dirt off. Because the jacket is so bright and it’s also my daughter’s favourite, I wanted to be sure that I get the dirt off so she can wear it to school. After that, I put few drops of the cleaner on the jacket and put it in a washer with other sport stuff from that day.
As you can see on the after photo, I was pretty successful in getting the stains off from her jacket. I cleaned it with my bare hands (no gloves needed, no headaches from toxic fumes) and didn’t use any chemicals, just natural stuff which is gentle not just to my skin but also to our environment.
I’m so happy that the jacket shines with bright colours once again and even more happy to see my little girl smiling that her favourite jacket looks great once again.
Mission accomplished. Until the next bike ride… 😉
~ Gabi
A Boost for Your Skin
I was recently asked how to make a natural exfoliating face scrub. This was not something I had done before and I was up for the challenge. Whenever I experiment with new recipes, I always test them out on myself first.
After experimenting quite a bit and trying different scrubs on my own face, I settled on a favourite that contains only three ingredients – coconut oil, sugar, and lemon essential oil. Coconut oil may sound a bit too greasy for your face, but I find that using the scrub right before a shower and then rinsing it off in the shower, leaves my skin feeling soft and supple but not greasy. The benefits of coconut oil are immeasurable. It keeps skin smooth to the touch and helps it to retain its moisture content. It also has strong disinfectant and antimicrobial properties. Additionally, it contains Vitamin E which is incredibly nourishing for the skin. The sugar, of course, is an exfoliant. I recommend using berry sugar rather than regular granulated sugar. You don’t need to scrub very hard, just lightly on your face. The heavy hitter in this little recipe is the lemon essential oil. It is calming, astringent, detoxifying, and antifungal, to name only a few of its powerful properties. The number one thing that I love about this scrub is that it reduces the redness and blotchiness in my face.
The recipe is below. Give it a try yourself!
~Sue
Lemon Coconut Oil Face Scrub
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
30 drops lemon essential oil
Place coconut oil in a microwavable measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 30-45 seconds to soften. Then mix in sugar and lemon oil. The mixture should be more on the sugary side, so add a bit more sugar if it seems too oily to you. I store mine in small mason jars. This scrub does not need to be refrigerated.
Enjoy!
muscle pain relief on a snow day
We are back in the winter wonderland once again. I love snow but oh man, before I hit the end of our driveway (which isn’t long at all), I could start shoveling the snow all over again. I definitely felt my back and arms last night. And this morning the amount of snow fallen overnight was even bigger, but I came prepared. I went into my “medicine” cabinet and pulled out my old friend, Deep Relief.
This oils is very well loved in our family. It is a blend of several oils such as Peppermint, Wintergreen, Dorado Azul, and Helichrysum and it’s known for their soothing and long-lasting benefits.
Deep Relief is used in aromatherapy to help relieve joint and muscle pain associated with sprains, strains, or rheumatoid arthritis, making this blend a great companion for your active lifestyle. Oils such as Peppermint and Wintergreen play an integral role in this blend as they provide a refreshing, cooling sensation during or after a workout, with an invigorating scent that inspires an upbeat and energetic approach to whatever keeps you active.
I always go the natural way and try to avoid painkillers as much as I can. Since I’ve started using essential oils and made them a part of our daily life, it isn’t hard at all. Deep Relief is actually a Natural Health Product approved by Health Canada for treating everyday ailments. So here you go, it’s natural and it helps you relieve the pain at the same time. Definitely a win-win.
Now once the shoveling is done, we can go and make a snowman.
~ Gabi
oils on the go
As I mentioned so many times, essential oils play a huge part in our lifestyle every single day. I wear my aromatherapy necklaces every day and now even my kids enjoy wearing their oils on too.
Yesterday my son (a fresh teenager) came to me and asked if I can make him a bracelet using wooden beads we had at home. Of course I said yes, I love crafting and it makes me happy that my children love to wear handmade stuff, it makes it even more special. When I was in the middle of making his bracelet, he asked if it’s possible to add lava beads as well so he can smell his favourite oils during the day. I was almost done with the bracelet but I was so happy that he asked that I didn’t mind to take half of it apart and start over.
This just shows me that we are doing things right at home. It makes me proud and happy that our children know how to live a healthy life. Knowing that if they feel under the weather, they can use uplifting oils during the day and just smell them to boost up their energy and mood. Both of our children have their own diffuser and use their oils for bedtime every night, it has become a part of their evening routine.
~ 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).
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.
when the bottle is empty
Once you finished a bottle of your essential oil, you have been probably wondering what to do with it. Here is a little tip – make a bath salt.
This is a very easy project to do. Get a glass container, fill it up with Epsom salt (you can get it in your nearby health store, drug store, even in your regular grocery store) and turn your empty bottles upside down. Once the very last drop is out, simply stir the mixture and enjoy.
You can use your now completely empty bottles as containers for roll-ons with the roll on attachment. Or you can use them as sample bottles to give out to your friends or mix your own blends at home. The possibilities are endless. These would make perfect Christmas gifts!
Depending on your needs, you can make different kinds of bath salts:
- use lavender or cedarwood for a calming / relaxing bath
- panaway for pain relief
- stress relief for releasing your stress
- or any other oil suitable for your current need
These baths are amazing for relaxing and also for detoxifying your body. You can read more about benefits of Epsom salt baths here.
As my personal preference, I use Young Living essential oils for my DIY projects. I trust in quality of these high quality essential oils. You can read more information about the Seed to Seal process here.
If you have any question and are interested in the benefits of essential oils, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to answer any question.
homemade body cream
I always went for, what I thought were, “safe and gentle” products at the store before I started digging more into natural care. I bought lotions for my kiddoes in the past labeled as for sensitive skin and you know what? Before I knew what to look for on the ingrediens list, I thought that those products were safe. Well, those gentle baby lotions gave rash and hives to my kids because those were full of chemicals!
Since we switched to more natural, clean lifestyle, there haven’t been any side effects from using skin care products anymore. We’ve started making our own homemade body lotion/cream. With just a few ingredients, you can make a batch of cream which is not only safe to use, but it’s prepared very quickly and the best part is that you can use it for so many different things! All you have to do is to add some pure therapeutic essential oils depending on your needs at the moment. We use Young Living Essential oils, it’s just our family’s preference, because we trust their quality thanks to their Seed to Seal Process.
For dry skin I put a few drops of Lavender into my cream, for pain relieve and massage we use PanAway, I love to use mix of Frankincense and Lavender for my skin. You can use few drops of Eucalyptus for could & cough season instead of store bought VapoRub. And the list goes on.
So if you ever run out of your lotion and have these few ingredients at home, you can create your own cream/ lotion in no time. Your body will definitely thank you for that.
Natural Base Cream:
- 3/4 cup grapeseed oil (you can use apricot or almond oil as well)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (I like to substitute half of the coconut oil with shea butter or cocoa butter, just my personal preference)
- 1/8 organic beeswax (1 oz = 2 tbs)
In a double boiler, melt these oils together on low heat. Allow oil and wax to cool and harden. Then add these ingredients:
- 2/3 cup distilled water (or rosewater)
- 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
- 1/4 tsp vitamin E
Using a handheld immersion blender or the wire whisk attachment on your Kitchen Aid, blend the hardened oils and liquids together. If you use the wire whisk attachment, your cream will be more fluffy and light. Add few drops of Tea Tree oil, which is antimicrobial and antiseptic essential oil to the mix. Then scoop your cream into glass containers and you are done. Depending on what I will be using the cream for, I label my jars with the oils used/usage – for example: container including cream with mix of lavender, frankincense and geranium essential oils will be labeled as a skin care.
I hope you will enjoy making your own creams as much as our family does. And if you are interested about learning how Young Living essential oils can improve your wellness, don’t hesitate to contact me.
