Category Archives: Essential Oils

Daily oils – Kiddo edition

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This is part 2 in a series documenting how our little family uses essential oils as part of our daily routines. If you are interested in how I personally use them, click here to go back to yesterday’s post.

Today, I will be summarizing how we use the oils to help WonderGIRL and WonderBOY stay healthy, focused during school, and manage their anxieties throughout our days together. This was a main reason I researched different essential oil companies and has been the greatest joy and blessing since starting because they actually work!!!

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Morning protocol – 
The kiddos have three different rollerball recipes that they apply each morning while eating breakfast. A rollerball is a 10ml glass container that you can add oils and a carrier oil (we use fractionated coconut oil) and is one of the easiest ways to apply the oils topically to your skin. We apply them to the backs of our neck, up and down our spines, and on the bottom of our feet.

1. On guard blend – 30 drops of OnGuard + carrier oil (to prevent from getting sick)
2. “Recovery” blend – 20 drops of DDR prime (cellular repair) + 10 drops rosemary (supports memory) + carrier oil
3. Focus blend – I have tried a great many recipes for this one. We use this one which is pretty heavy on the oils because of the needs of our kiddos. If you are not sure, start with half this recipe and adjust as necessary to your needs.
6 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Balance
4 drops Frankincense
6 drops Vetiver
4 drops Lavender
+ carrier oil

After school –
WonderGIRL takes one supplement to aid in focusing on her nightly homework routine. I also have each kiddo take one DigestZen softgel to help with their digestive health. I found these little “boosters” for health have made a huge difference in getting their little bodies regular and regulated (my two favorite words for them).

Nighttime routine – 
WonderBOY has a hard time sleeping in his room alone and sleeping through the night due to some anxious thoughts and nightmares. He will often ask for oils to be applied to his stomach and back before bedtime. Even if this is just a mental bandaid of sorts for him, we have found it really helps the transition into bedtime! His favorite oils to rub in are: Serenity, Cedarwood, and Wild Orange.

Of course, our children are older school-age children. Many people I know have newborns that they have also loved using the oils for. There has to be something so comforting about being able to meet your child’s emotional and physical needs in a natural way without having to go to the doctor or the drug store for medicine. Here a few ones that I have heard many use to help their little little ones:
Baby favorites – 
Digestive support: 1 drop of DigestZen or Fennel on baby’s tummy with carrier oil
Skin irritations: 1 drop of Lavender + Melaleuca (tea tree oil) + carrier oil
Teething: Dilute Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Serenity along the jawline
Ear infections: Dilute Lavender and Melaleuca and apply around the ear (never put oils IN the ear) and massage down towards the lymph nodes to encourage drainage. You can also use the diluted oils on a cotton ball placed in ear – use a bandaid to help keep in place. **We used this for WB’s ear infection and it worked to alleviate both his pain and the infection – awesome trick!**

Coming up tomorrow – how my husband uses the oils and how I got him “hooked.”

If you have read enough to dive in and empower yourself with everything you will need to keep your family healthy and sane, head to my oils website to sign up. Under the “join and save” tab, you just enter some personal information, pick your favorite starter kit, and within a week’s time, you will have products in your hot little hands to start playing with. Plus, February is an awesome time to join with the option of getting $100 in free oils just for signing up this month. Message me with any questions and as always, no pressure here….I just want to spread the information and true power I feel with these to as many people as I can to help their family grow and thrive just like mine!

Also, if you aren’t ready to dive in yet but want me to come teach a class for you and some friends, I’m totally available to do that too – just message me and we’ll go from there!!

Happy oily weekend everyone!

Daily Oils – Mama edition

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Now that I have completely immersed myself in this lovely natural world of solving all of life’s problems daily ailments and struggles with our oils, many people are interested in how they work, how to use them, and if they really work. I thought I would do a 3-part blog series that outlines how our family uses them on a daily basis. Today, I will talk about my own personal use and how they help this busy, tired, complicated Mama take on a career, some hobbies, and the adventure of raising kiddos day in and day out.IMG_4062I love using oils in my diffuser – I play with different recipes, but I love Bergamot or LIme combined with something like Lavender or Cedarwood. I feel like these blends make our house/kitchen smell amazing but they also aid in helping some anxieties and general attitude that float around our house with two higher-needs kiddos and some outside stressors that we can’t control.

On myself – my all-time favorite oil blend that I use every single day is Balance. I pretty much lather myself up in it (apply to back of neck, spine, and feet with a carrier oil like coconut oil) every day but especially when my kiddos are driving me a little batty is when I truly feel it’s value. I love combining it with other oils like citrus bliss (smells like an orangecicle!) or rosemary for added benefits.

Since I work at an elementary school and come in contact with 340 germy little angels on a daily basis – keeping from getting sick is very important to me. We use the On Guard oils and products on our bodies, in the diffuser, and to clean our house (laundry detergent and hand soap to be specific) and none of us have been gotten seriously sick this entire school year – it’s an On Guard miracle I tell ya! When one of us does start getting a few cold or flu symptoms, we immediately go to town with a veggie cap full of oregano, frankincense, and on guard) to fight it off from the inside. It has worked multiple times this year and even on our weekend road trip last weekend, so once again – these oils truly save my days!
IMG_4063One last product that I love is the skin care line. I have just started getting serious about taking care of this aging face of mine and I love the products of this line. They smell amazing and keep my skin super smooth and ready for days with or without makeup. I generally wash my face at night so slathering this trio on right before bed is a treat and feels like a mini-spa vacation each night.

Coming up in this series tomorrow is our we use our oils to help our school-age kiddos. I will also document how to help partners and husbands AND explain a little bit about the business side that I have grown to love so much.

If you have read enough to dive in and empower yourself with everything you will need to keep your family healthy and sane, head to my oils website to sign up. Under the “join and save” tab, you just enter some personal information, pick your favorite starter kit, and within a week’s time, you will have products in your hot little hands to start playing with. Plus, February is an awesome time to join with the option of getting $100 in free oils just for signing up this month. Message me with any questions and as always, no pressure here….I just want to spread the information and true power I feel with these to as many people as I can to help their family grow and thrive just like mine!

Also, if you aren’t ready to dive in yet but want me to come teach a class for you and some friends, I’m totally available to do that too – just message me and we’ll go from there!!

Happy oily weekend everyone!

“I’ve got an oil for that….”

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Most of you that interact with me on a regular basis have heard me say this to you at least 3.7 times in the past few months since I’ve started using essential oils for ailments, kiddo mood management, cleaning, and general life awesomeness. Since I have heavily pressured gently encouraged some of you to join me in using these oils around your home I thought I would share some of the smaller, but impactful ways I am using some of them on a daily basis.

lavender lemon

I use LAVENDER for a ton of different uses that are commonly publicized – it is great for calming nerves, getting kiddos and adults ready for nighttime, and soothing irritated skin. Here are some other uses that I have happily discovered about this wonderfully scented oil.
1. I have been having a hard time with different mascaras getting very gunky even right after buying, so I did some research and saw a suggestion to add a few drops of lavender to my bottle of mascara and it has been an amazing fix to my above mentioned problem. PLUS – lavender around your eye bones is suggested for dry and irritated eyes which is a common problem during my busy Fall season. I love it when I get TWO fixes for the price of one.
2. WonderBOY has some ongoing little bouts with ear infections. We discovered the trick of 3 drops of lavender on a cotton ball in his ear at bedtime to take away the pain and the gunk and haven’t looked back since (or been to the doctor for another missed day of school, another waiting room visit, and another prescription – WIN!).
3. This may be a bit out of season, but I love adding just 1-2 drops of lavender to a glass of lemonade for a small kick of flavor that makes it taste gourmet!

WILD ORANGE is a favorite of many that use essential oils (bonus – it’s cheap!!!). While I am actually not a big fan of actually eating oranges, I love the citrusy scent so much and there is a number of combination possibilities with this oil.
1. Add some wild orange to a bowl of whip cream as a dip for fresh strawberries.
2. While it usually is advertised as a “pick me up” and refreshing oil, it also can aid in the falling asleep process combined with lavender, cedarwood, or a strong oil like vetiver.
3. Some of the oils can be very strong and averse to yours or those you loves’ sense of smell. I love to layer wild orange over stronger scents that I or others might notice in a negative way. You still get the benefits of what’s underneath but the scent doesn’t stand out to others.
4. Add this essential oil to any diffuser recipe for a fun twist – my favorite fall recipe includes wild orange, clove, and rosemary. Yum!

**If you are interested in learning more about essential oils and the specific brand that I chose (after a LOT of research), I would love to chat more with you about it. Feel free to comment or message me on Facebook and I can point you in the right direction! I had heard about the oils for a while and needed a helpful friend to guide me and answer all of my questions (even at 11pm at night while I’m perusing the internet – thank you Amy!). Now I get to pay that forward…..

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience with the oils and what works for me. None of this should be taken as medical/psychiatric advice. I’m simply sharing a personal opinion about a product that I use and like because it’s significantly helped my family and because I enjoy the creative process of making various products.**

DIY Cleaner Recipes

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Confession: I am not a clean person and in fact, I rather despise cleaning (cue all family members/former roommates nodding their heads emphatically). So it was a shock to my husband and even to myself, when last Spring, I got quite the bug to start some Spring cleaning. I purged my entire closet, organized cleaning/chore schedules for the kiddos and also dove into the world of DIY cleaners. And now that I have started, the creative part of the process is just as fun as saving my little family from toxins and chemicals coming into our house. It is also saving us some money as we haven’t bought a single cleaning product since beginning this venture last April (the ingredients needed for most of these recipes is cheap cheap and lasts a long time!!).

Most DIY cleaners take a combination of the following products (I keep these on hand to mix together whatever I need):
White Cleaning Vinegar (I put lemon rinds directly into the container to take away the strong odor)
Washing/Baking Soda
Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap (we love lavender and citrus)
Powdered Citric Acid
Rubbing Alcohol (or substitute actual alcohol collecting dust in your cabinets)
Various Essential Oils (message me for details on which brand I love and why)

Here a few recipes that I love from the ebook DIY Natural Household Cleaners by Matt and Betsy Jabs. As you can see, I write the actual recipes right on the label so I don’t have to search through the book to “refill” the cleaner every so often. If it’s easy to do, we’ll keep doing it right????

TBD Clean: All-Purpose Shmutza
3 cups hot water
1/4 teaspoon liquid castille soap (we use Lavender scent)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons borax
6 drops lavender, 4 drops rosemary
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to dissolve borax.
** I like to add specific essential oils that will also help my family and my mood on a day to day basis since we use this spray the MOST in our kitchen and living spaces. I love the dual purpose this spray can serve. **

TBD Clean: Dishwashing Soap
1 cup liquid castille soap (we use Citrus scent)
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
10 drops wild orange essential oil
6 drops grapefruit or lime essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a squirt bottle and shake gently to mix (we just reused an old Dawn container – works great!). If formula looks like it’s leaving streaks, add 1/4 cup white vinegar to rinse water.
** Even though it doesn’t suds like normal soap, it is effective and you don’t have to use a whole lot for an entire sink load of dishes. **

TBD Laundry Detergent
2 1/4 cups liquid castille soap (we use Lavender scent to aid in our kiddos’ need for calm at all hours of the day)
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon powdered citric acid
10-15 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil
Combine all ingredients in container with a pour spout (I use the blue glass container you see above from Target a while back). Shake gently to combine each time before adding to washer. It will separate after time and become paste-like so I don’t make huge batches at a time. This blue container takes our family of 4 about 2-3 weeks to get through. I also add some white vinegar (with lavender essential oil added) into the fabric softener portion of our washer to help keep our clothes nice and soft!

We really love our cleaners so far and my next adventure into the DIY world will be soaps and hygiene products (including DIY deodorant and lotions). I not only feel good about eliminating chemicals from our home, but I save time and money by creating our own products instead of adding one more item to our grocery list. If you’re interested in other recipes, please feel free to message me or peruse Matt and Betsy’s website.

Happy Labor Day everyone (hopefully you’re not doing too much cleaning today and getting a little relaxing in as well)!!

TBD and our beloved Essential Oils

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Three months ago, I dove into experimenting with essential oils as a way to take charge of my family’s health, both physically and mentally. It’s been a fun way to not only care for their emotional and physical needs, but I have gotten a creative surge from creating recipes for rollerballs and diffusers around the home as well. The added bonus is that both my husband and my little wonders love the oils and ask for them on a daily basis.

How we most commonly use them:
1. Daily application for mood management – we use Vetiver, Cedarwood, Lavender, and the Grounding Blend (carried by coconut oil) on our bodies and feet. I have seen huge gains here in their capabilities to calm down quicker and move on to a different task since using this combination. We have been able to transition WonderGIRL off of her medication for ADD in part because the oils have had such an impact on her focus/irritability/mood.  I also rub it on WonderBOY’s feet before bedtime – he loves the massage (connection with Mama) and it has helped him go to bed without as big of a fight.

2. Supplements – now that volleyball and school meetings/schedules have started, I am not the best in eating regular and healthy meals. I have noticed a huge difference since starting the supplements in my digestive system and general energy throughout the day, even if/when I sneak in a fast food trip in between appointments.

3. Diffuser recipes – we love mixing up recipes in our diffuser to not only make our home smell nice, but get some emotional benefits as well. Our favorite family recipe reminds us of the ride “California Soarin'” from Disneyland (it includes Cedarwood, Rosemary, and Wild Orange). My favorite benefit has been the diffuser recipe (Respiration Blend + Frankincense) in our bedroom, significantly decreasing hubby’s snoring (and all the wives/girlfriends say…SIGN ME UP)!!!

4. Cleaning products/laundry detergent – we have been working hard to make our home toxin-free (encouraged by our support of this wonderful documentary) and making our own cleaning products has been super-charged thanks to our essential oils!

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils and the specific brand that I chose (after a LOT of research), I would love to chat more with you about it. Feel free to comment or message me on Facebook and I can point you in the right direction! I had heard about the oils for a while and needed a helpful friend to guide me and answer all of my questions (even at 11pm at night while I’m perusing the internet – thank you Amy!). Now I get to pay that forward…..

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience with the oils and what works for me. None of this should be taken as medical/psychiatric advice. I’m simply sharing a personal opinion about a product that I use and like because it’s significantly helped my family and because I enjoy the creative process of making various products.