we choose to go natural
We are several days into spring and I have to say, that this past winter was the easiest health-wise for our family. I believe that Young Living played a huge part of this staying-healthy success.
I haven’t been sick the whole winter, my husband the same. Our son got a cold which we treated over a period of two days without any pills, just using essential oils, and the same with my daughter. We are an outdoor people. All of us are cyclists and runners and go outside rain or shine, freezing cold or a sunny day, taking daily long walks with our hyperactive dog. We went for several hikes in a snow and biked at -4C. Our immunity system is stronger than ever.
We switched all soaps in our house to more natural ones – no more dry and cracked hands.
We switched to natural cleaning products – no more cleaning bathrooms with gloves on and having headaches afterwards.
We use natural toothpastes and shampoos which don’t include any harsh chemicals.
We use homemade roll ons which include essential oils to boost our immunity system and are staying on top of prevention.
We relax with amazing calming scents of essential oils in our diffuser.
We switched to more natural ways of living. It’s healthier and it’s fun to make your own products (which is also cheaper than buying the chemical ones in the store).
Thank you, Young Living, for being a huge part of our healthy everyday lives.
changing toothpastes
I think I don’t have to tell you how excited I am every month when my monthly order from Young Living comes in. I’m still at the beginning of my journey of switching to more natural products so it’s been a lot of firsts in the last couple of weeks for our family. This photo above shows my order for March – two toothpastes, V-6 vegetable oil, Mirah (shaving oil – it’s amazing, btw) and some oils. So let’s talk about the two toothpastes today.
If you do your own research about ingredients of conventional toothpaste, you will find that not everything included in it is good for your health. Some of the information about triclocan and fluoride are actually quite alarming! So yes, it’s up to us what we choose to use. And our family choice are these two above. We have been using these toothpaste for almost three weeks and everyone loves them. Yes, they taste different than a “regular” toothpaste, don’t foam as much (which none of us has found to be a problem) and they leave your mouth feeling so clean!
Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste
This premium, all-natural toothpaste is made with pure essential oils, including the cleansing benefits of Thieves essential oil blend. Its safe and effective formula provides a fortress of support for healthy looking gums, clean teeth, and a confident smile. It is the optimal choice for health-minded consumers. Essential oil favorites such as Peppermint, Spearmint, and Cinnamon Bark also give this toothpaste a sweet mint flavor, meaning you don’t sacrifice anything with AromaBright. You’ll ditch the ingredients you don’t want and keep all the results you do: a deep clean, bright teeth, and fresh breath.
Thieves® Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste is an advanced formula of all-natural ingredients that gently cleans and whitens your teeth while harnessing the power of pure Thieves essential oil blend for fresh breath. Dentarome Ultra is preferred by those concerned with appearance of whiter teeth. Dentarome Ultra also has a great taste. Its formula includes Young Living’s Thieves blend—with essential oils such as Clove, Cinnamon Bark, and Lemon—along with Peppermint, Thyme, and Wintergreen for a fresh, minty flavor.
Well, I don’t know about you, but we are switching toothpastes to more natural ones. The basics of a healthy smile is a mix of proper technique of brushing, flossing, right toothpaste and avoiding sugar as much as you can.
If you want to learn more about Young Living’s products, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or contact me through email (contact me tab on the top of this page). I would be happy to answer all your questions.
the magic combo | lava jewelry & essential oils
I have never been a girly girl. I think I just don’t have the right genes for it. I feel most comfortable in pants or shorts and a T-shirt, without make-up (which I wear very sporadically). I hate going to the mall; I would rather go for a 5-hours long hike than do some shopping in a mall. But, I have to admit, that lately I enjoy wearing little pieces of jewelry.
Last year I’ve discovered lava jewelry made by Sara from At Heart Essentials and immediately have fallen in love with it. Sara’s designs are very simple yet very elegant, exactly the way I like it.
Her work is beautiful, you can tell right away that she makes her jewelry with lots of love and passion.
When I bought my first necklace from Sara last year (not shown on the pictures here), it immediately has become my favourite piece to wear. And for a lover of essential oils, the bonus that you can actually use your favourite oils directly on the stone, it can’t get any better.
This is what Sara says about her jewelry:
” To me the fact that lava can be used for aromatherapy purposes is a really cool & unique perk. But another big reason why I love this stone is for its qualities: Lava is said to help keep you stable through changes in your life & because lava comes from the earth, it is known for its grounding properties {hence it being connected to your root chakra}. I once read that during war people carried lave to help keep them calm. I think there are reasons why we are drawn to certain stones & sometimes it’s surprising that what you think you would want, doesn’t turn out to be the one you need. “
When Sara asked me a few weeks back if I could take some pictures of her bracelet and necklace (shown in this post), I didn’t hesitate for a second. I’m really honoured that she trusted me and left it on my creativity.
I was curious what Sara’s favourite go-to oils for her jewelry are, these are her choices:
“I’m a big lavender fan, it’s a go to for my jewels and I like to layer lavender and geranium. I also love frankincense, especially before yoga or when I need to feel more grounded and citrus fresh/orange with peppermint! Perks me up and helps clears headaches. So many to choose!”
I absolutely agree with her, there are so many to choose from! I am still in the “trying mode” with my choice of oils, but I do enjoy wearing citrus fresh, lemon, orange or purification. Last week I tried peace & calming and loved it. The possibilities are endless and it totally depends on your mood or what you are looking for at the exact moment. And it is so easy! You just put one drop of your favourite oil directly on the lava stone and it will absorb into its pores and will smell for hours.
If you are looking for a handmade, beautifully done jewelry, I highly recommend Sara’s little corner at Etsy called At Heart Essentials. She has so many different designs and styles in there, that I believe that everyone will find something of her/his taste.
A perfect gift for your special someone can be for example a simple key chain with a lava stone. I love mine; when I drive and it’s handing down and smelling nice in the car, it’s so good!
For more inspiration check out also Sara’s Instagram page and if you are on Facebook, don’t be afraid to stop by on her page and say hi.
She is a sweetheart. You will love her work. I can guarantee you that.
all in one bottle
Imagine doing your spring cleaning and having as little supplies as possible.
If I tell you that it is possible, would you believe me and give it a try? You don’t need a different bottle for your bathrooms, or kitchen counters or glass doors. You even don’t have to be afraid of ending up with a headache afterwards from all the fumes which regular commercial cleaners usually cause.
I mentioned it several times already (here and here) that my to-go helper is this Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living. It is one of the most versatile cleaners I’ve eve tried. It’s natural, plant based and totally safe to use around kids.
The graphic below showcase some of the uses of this powerful little bottle and there are many more.
So next time before you go and do a big cleanup of your house, think of what you are using, if it’s natural, how safe it is for your health and the health of your family.
If you are interested in learning more about this cleaner and would like to give it a try, please contact me through comments or my contact me tab on the top of this website.
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL
- At March 01, 2016
- By Living Essentially
- In around the house, diffusing, DIY
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Ok. I have to admit that I have forgotten one thing while getting rid of the toxins in our home…
The air refreshener (crossed out on the photo above) was hidden behind the toilet. The top was covered with dust, it didn’t “smell” anymore and it just looked gross. I pulled it out to just take a photo of it and it went straight into garbage. Just looking at the ingredients makes you wonder; what exactly SCJ formula #35*14785 means? And what about the Dye and Fragrance? Do you know that’s in it? Artificial fragrances are definitely on the Dirty Dozen list which we teach in our classes.
To be honest, how many of you have those in your bathrooms? Well, not us anymore. As I really do care about the health and wellness of my family.
You are probably asking so what do you use for air refreshing? We use our homemade air sprays, which are safe to breath in, and just recently started using this very simple trick which was recommended to me by the awesome ladies in our oil community. Put a few drops of your favourite essential oil into the inside of your toilet roll and every time you roll the paper, the amazing smell will get released into the air. How awesome and simple is that?
We use Young Living‘s oils at home because I trust this company for many reasons I’ve mentioned already in my other posts; but the main thing is their Seed to Seal process. So far I’ve tried Purification in our downstairs bathroom, Citrus Fresh in kids bathroom and Northern Lights in our master bathroom.
So next time when you want to refresh your bathroom or any room at home, just think what you use and how it effects your health.
my green fix
We are definitely an outdoor people. Who wouldn’t be in our corner of the world?!
Our forests are magical. Just look! No matter if it’s January or July, the forest is always green. And when the light shines through the trees, it just takes your breath away.
When I need a “break” from the everyday rush, I just go to the forest. The smell of the forest, and all the breathtaking greenery around totally clear my mind and recharge me with a new energy. Totally works every.single.time. It’s my happy place.
No wonder that Northern Lights Black Spruce is one of my favourite oils. It’s like bringing the rainforest inside into our home.
Northern Lights Black Spruce (grown in BC) : diffuse this rich, woodsy, and invigorating scent during meditation to create a fresh aromatic atmosphere. Add it to skin care products or apply topically to help improve the appearance of dry skin or to help maintain the appearance of healthy-looking skin.
Northern Lights Black Spruce can also be applied anywhere, including to the bottoms of feet, along the spine, back of neck, or used for massage. This oil includes the naturally occurring constituents alpha-pinene, camphene, and beta-pinene and is an important ingredient in many products, including Valor II™, Peace & Calming II™, Light the Fire™, and Shutran™ essential oil blends.
I think I might enjoy cleaning…
Ha. Here I am saying it out loud: I really enjoy cleaning lately.
I would never EVER thought that I will say this. But yes, lately I’ve been enjoying cleaning!
To be more specific, I think I can back date it to the day when I switched to natural cleaning and my new friend, Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner, arrived on our doorstep. This thing is MAGIC! You can use it almost on everything. I’ve been using it in a spray to do some “soft” cleaning at home for several weeks now but yesterday I moved to another level of cleaning. The deep one. The one everyone is always avoiding. The kind when something is built up and you can’t take it off just by spraying some stuff on it. It always makes me laugh when I watch commercials for the regular (aka full of chemicals) cleaners when some lady just wipes off weeks of build up with one swipe without even putting any pressure on the cloth. Yeah, this doesn’t happen in real life.
BUT. You can get rid of the build up very easy and a natural way. Without breathing any toxins in. Without headaches. Without wearing gloves. Your kids can do it with their bare hands. Without flushing any toxins into drains and our rivers and ocean. Without scrubbing your sink or bathtub with wire sponges. The bonus? It smells AMAZING! (note to myself: Ok, ok, calm down, everyone gets that you are excited about this).
But yes, I love it so much!
On Friday I attended a Make & Take DYI class which was not just lots of fun but very informative as well. We made non-GMO scented soy candles (I’ll post about it in a separate post) and then this simple yet very powerful soft scrub cleaner using my very good friend, Thieves. The bottle of this cleaner is so concentrated that it will last for months as you need only a tiny bit to mix with water or in this case with baking soda, vinegar, Dr. Bronner’s soap, most of those you have probably at home already. I put a few drops of Jade Lemon essential oil as well into my scrub and it smells amazing.
Thieves Soft Scrub Cleaner:
- 3/4 cups baking soda
- 1/8 cup Dr. Bronners soap (liquid)
- 1 tbs Thieves household cleaner
- 1 tbs vinegar
- YL essential oils (lemon, orange, thieves)
- glass jar
Directions:
- Mix baking soda, Dr. Bronners soap and Thieves cleaner in a glass bowl
- Add vinegar and mix.
- Add essential oils and mix.
- Transfer go glass container for storage.
I took a few photos along the way so you can see the whole process.
This is our sink BEFORE I got on it with the Thieves Soft Scrub cleaner (you can watch this video to see how to make it)
I told ya, you can use your bare hands to handle this thing… 
At this point I just rubbed it on with my fingers and you can already see that the ring is half way clean.
I used cloth for cleaning the of whole sink, nothing else. No scrubby sponges or anything.
Here is the sink plug before its makeover. The ring and sink have been already cleaned.
And here is the sink plug after (the top part is plastic and if I really wanted, it would be probably white but I’m ok with this for now), perfectly matching his friend, the sink ring, both shiny and clean now.
And here are the two little helpers who were involved in this cleaning session.
So? What you think? I personally love it. Natural and it works perfectly. And my kitchen smells amazing now!
If you have any questions or would like to have a little helper as I do, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can help you to switch to the natural way. And you will never look back, trust me.
