small business Saturday and thank you gift
Happy Saturday, Everyone!
I would like to say thank you to all of you who follow me here on my page and support me and my family on our journey to healthier lifestyle.
Did you know that when you buy from a small business owner, you directly have an impact on that family and local community?
I would love to help more families and support them on their own journey as well.
As a thank you and welcoming you to our Young Living family, I am giving you back $25 on your Premium Starter kit, which is a wellness box and “natural medicine cabinet” in one. This starter kit contains 11 essential oils and home diffuser, which you will fall in love with right away.
I will also show you and teach you:
– how to use the oils everyday on everyday basis
– how to ditch the chemicals and switch to more natural supplies and show you plenty of easy DIYs projects
– things you no longer have to buy every month because you have this set.
You and your family will love this natural lifestyle and not just your body will benefit from the aroma properties of essential oils but your home will also smell amazingly without harmful toxins.
This kit makes wonderful Christmas gift. I know what I am talking about because I got one two years ago. <3
So let’s create a wonderful local community. This offer is valid till tomorrow, Sunday, Nov 26th 10pm PST only!
Get your kit here.
Once you register, please send me a note and I will send you your $25 back.
Don’t hesitate to reach out for more details.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
healing naturally
Two days ago I went through gum grafting surgery. Nothing fun, let me tell you. My gums have started receding after wearing braces a few years ago and unfortunately it got to the point when something had to be fixed. I was very nervous and didn’t know what to expect from this whole procedure. The only thing I knew beforehand was that I wanted to avoid as many pills as possible after the surgery and go through my recovery more naturally. My dentist gave me some painkillers before she even started the surgery to ease up the recovery process, which definitely helped, but I still wanted to go off the painkillers as soon as possible. I took Advil 6 hours after the surgery and then decided to skip the dose and use Clove essential oil instead. I wasn’t sure if it would help or not but I did some research on Clove and it looked like a perfect oil for what I needed so I went for it. I use Young Living essential oils, it’s just my personal preference because I trust this brand for many reasons.
Here are some facts about Clove – healers in China and India have used clove buds since ancient times as part of their treatments. Eugenol, clove’s principal constituent, was used in the dental industry for years to numb gums.
Clove has been used for numbing all types of pain, infections, toothache and many more. Inflammation is an important part of the body’s natural defense system, promoting healing after exposure to toxins or following an injury. Typical signs of inflammation include swelling, redness and pain at the affected site. Clove is one of the essential oils which is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties and it many cases, you will find out it’s not necessary to take drugs, since these oils are capable of providing effective relief from inflammation – without the addition of toxic chemicals. (as per Essential Oils – Natural Remedies by Althea Press).
As everything is still “fresh” and I didn’t want to touch any of the many stitches, I have in my mouth, I prepared a simple “mouth wash”. I put filtered water into a small glass, added about 3 drops of clove essential oil and diluted it with a few drops of V-6 and just rinsed my mouth for 30 seconds or so. To my surprise the pain in my gums was gone within few minutes and there is a very minimum of swelling. So this method really works for me and I’m very happy that I can get a pain relief without using pain killers. I use this method about two times a day.
Please note that this post is just about my own experience. I’m not a doctor, neither I recommend how to treat diseases. This post is simply about sharing what works for me and I recommend to do your own research before you start experimenting with essential oils. If you have question, please don’t hesitate to contact me, I would be more than happy to answer it or direct you to a proper source.
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.
happy mail-day
Every time I open our mailbox and there is a brown box with Young Living’s Logo on it, I feel like a kid on a Christmas Day.
This is what I got in my monthly order today: R.C., Eucalyptus Globulus, Citronella, Progessence Phyto Plus, Clove and Satin Mint Scrub. And what I’m going to use it for?
R.C. – that’s our lifesaver while fighting colds & coughs. Definitely a must in our oil stash
Citronella – I’ve started making my own bug spray (mosquito repellent) and citronella is the main ingredient in the mix. Not just that it’s safe to use on children, but it is DEET free and smells amazing!
Eucalyptus – this is a new oil for me and I plan on using it after exercise to soothe sore muscles and also for respiratory/ sinus infections.
Clove – another new one for me. I got this oil to make a mouth wash and to try to solve problems with my gums issues. Clove has among many antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflamatory properties and I can’t wait to test it out.
Progessence Phyto Plus – I’ve heard so many amazing things about this oil and I’m very excited to finally try it out.
Progessence Plus™ features some of our most-loved essential oils, including Sacred Frankincense and Peppermint oil, to create a serum that perfectly pampers you. Formulated specifically for women, and ideal for women over 30, Young Living’s Progessence Plus is a great addition to your day or nighttime routine.
Satin Mint Facial Scrub– it’s my staple in my skin care. Now my son uses it as well and loves it.
As you can see, essential oils have so many uses. I love that we can have a choice to go natural and avoid using chemicals.
If you want to learn more about their benefits, don’t hesitate to contact me.
