2018 was awesome

The following was shared on the Young Living blog and it is so amazing, I wanted to share here as well.

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Trust us when we say 2018 was an unbelievable year for Young Living. We launched our 5×5 Pledge, a new shipping subscription service, and the YL Share app. We hosted over 30,000 convention attendees from 32 countries, in addition to four global Live Your Passion Rally events. Those global rallies included 40 countries, 11,700 hosts, and more than 600,000 attendees! And let’s not forget our growing Facebook community—we’re over 1.4 million strong!

Numbers aside, the most memorable event of 2018 was the passing of our founder, D. Gary Young. To pay tribute to this pioneer of the modern-day essential oils movement, we celebrated the first International Essential Oils Day on July 11, Gary’s birthday. On that day we donated 5 percent of our global sales, up to $250,000, to the Young Living Academy in Ecuador. We’re already looking forward to celebrating International Essential Oils Day in 2019!

While we could tell you about all the amazing things that happened in 2018, we’d much rather show you!

Which do you do?

Real or artificial? Which one do you do?  For years I refused to succumb to an artificial tree.  I loved the scent and feel of a real tree.  We love to go out and find that perfect (or usually the imperfect tree).  No matter how imperfect, once decorated, it looked beautiful even if you did have to wire in a branch or pull up a branch with wire to fill in a hole!  LOL.  

This year the price of a 12 ft noble was crazy.  Because of a shortage and several bad summers we knew that tree prices would continue to go up.  So.......we made the artificial jump with a 9' tree from Costco.  We weren't as happy because it just didn't have that wonderful smell and feel of a real tree.  After all the decorations were on, it looked more like OUR tree.  So what was really left was to give it a great smell like a real tree.  So here is a diffuser mix for that Christmas tree scent.  You can either put the mix into a passive diffuser ornament like the one pictured below or put it into your electric cool mix diffuser!  Enjoy!!

Christmas Tree Farm Diffuser Mix

5 drops Young Living Pine essential oil

2 drops Young Living Cedarwood 

2 drops Young Living Idaho Blue Spruce

DIY diffuser ornaments!

Special thanks to Lesley White from The Mix for this fun idea!!

Are you ready to get creative this holiday season with a super easy #DIY diffuser ornament? It is kid friendly, and fun for the whole family!

This #DIY has a cool twist. Can you guess what it is?  It also supports your wellness too!!

What you need:

• Terra Cotta Air Dry Clay 
• Silpat or non stick surface
• Rolling pin 
• Cookie cutters in your favorite holiday cut-out shapes or use one of those cool decorative rolling pins
• Rubber Stamps 
• 1 Skewer Stick
• String to hang 
• One pen or marker with a cap on it
• Glitter, ribbons, pipe cleaners, or paint to decorate them if you wish.
• Essential Oils - Use oils like Christmas Spirit, Citrus Fresh, Cinnamon Bark, Balsam Fir, and Pine or Northern Lights Black Spruce.  (This was the cool twist if you haven't guessed already)

Directions:
On your Silpat or non stick surface, roll out a ball of clay using your regular rolling pin.
Roll the clay until it is 1/3″ thick, if they are too thin they become brittle when they dry. You can make them thicker if you want them more durable.  On the last roll use the decorative rolling pin if you have one.

Using your cookie cutters, cut into fun festive shapes.

(skip this step if you used the decorative rolling pin)  Using the stamps or a pen cap, make indentations in the ornaments. This is where you will apply the essential oils when the ornaments are dry. You can also decorate them with glitter, ribbons, paint, pipe cleaners, or whatever craft supplies you have lying around. Get creative.

Using your skewer stick, poke a small hole in the top for your string.
Allow the clay to dry, undisturbed, for 2-3 days.

Once you have decorated the ornament and it is completely dry you can add your essential oils, and make sure to allow the oil to soak in then before hanging up. You can use them on your tree or maybe even in your car hanging from the mirror.  Or think outside the box and hang them in other rooms of the house for an easy low-tech diffuser!

Don't buy these gift sets!!

Gift sets are sold in almost every store this time of year.  They target women and young girls. From lotions, bathbombs, makeup and perfumes.  I know those beautiful gift sets & marketing can reel you in, but please watch out for yourself & your loved ones! ❤️

Our skin is our largest organ. The ingredients get absorbed into our bloodstream within 26 seconds, & even quicker for young ones who will absorb up to 50% more than an adult would as their bodies are still growing. Toxic exposures will put a child at higher risk for disease(s) later in life!

So what ingredients should you avoid when purchasing a fun gift?

🚫Parfum and Fragrance - these two words can hide thousands of harsh chemicals, protected by trade secret regulations 

🚫Butylene Glycol: found in anti-freeze & break & hydraulic fluid. It can cause an increased skin reaction in people with sensitive skin. It can also be called Propylene Glycol.

🚫Tetrasodium EDTA: contains formaldehyde & a known skin & lung irritant

🚫BHT: this fragrance has been linked to organ system toxicity & a known skin, eye, & lung irritant

🚫Disodium EDTA: neurotoxin linked to brain damage & liver changes in animals

🚫Diazolidinyl Urea: this chemical releases formaldehyde into your body. Mayo Clinic says formaldehyde can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions, trigger heart palpations, immune system toxicity, & cancer in humans. Exposure may cause joint pain, depression, headaches, dizziness, loss of sleep, chronic fatigue, ear infections, allergies, & chest pains. It can also trigger asthma & aggravate colds! Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen found in some baby care products, skincare, antiperspirants, & hair dyes.

🚫Methylparaben & Propylparaben: directly linked to breast cancer. In mice it had weak estrogenic effects which caused damage to the sperm formation in the testes. It may contribute to sterility in males, hormone imbalances in females, and cause early puberty. A relative of methylparaben, sodium methylparaben has been banned in the E.U. Some other common names for paraben’s are ethyl-, butyl-, & isobutyl- all ending with paraben. These do not have to be labeled, so sometimes companies will not list within ingredients panel.

🚫Linalool can cause skin reactions & is used for cockroach insecticide.

🚫Ceterareth-20: ENHANCES the absorption of ALL above chemicals

So.......what can be an alternative?   You should know what I'm going to say by now, right?  Young Living! We have lotions, soaps, and makeup without the harsh chemicals and scented with essential oils that are pure. 

That’s what’s going under my Christmas tree!

Pine!

Christmas.....it is the perfect time of year to talk about Pine Essential Oil!  Do you have Pine essential oil in your arsenal? If you don't, you should! 

This conifer oil has many great uses and is good to have on hand. 

Here are some common uses for Pine :

CLEANING & DEODORIZING—Add 4-6 drops of Pine to your diluted Thieves Household Cleaner spray for extra odor control or to your mop solution for a fresh, clean evergreen scent. It also makes a powerful addition to your DIY toilet fizzy recipe.

TOPICAL—Dilute as necessary and massage into tired muscles or add several drops to Epsom salt for a soothing bath. Use with eucalyptus in your favorite chest rub recipe for a comforting aroma and to support your breathing.

AROMATICALLY—Pine is a good choice for diffuser blends to help refresh a tired mind. It’s also a favorite to use with diffuser ornaments—and even more enjoyable on artificial trees! Pair it with a beautiful diffuser ornament for a thoughtful gift.  

Don’t settle for artificial pine scented anything!!! 

Winter Skin helps

In the Pacific Northwest, I think winter is really here.  Most of the trees in my forest have now lost their leaves and tonight the cold wind made my nose turn red in short order.  Speaking of red faces, we often have a problem with our skin and colder windy weather.  It often becomes more dry than in the heat of summer (go figure).  And if you happen to heat your home with wood or enjoy lots of fires in the fireplace, the air in your home get super dry and doesn't help your skin at all.

So let's talk about ways you can help your skin during the change in weather.

When I'm cold, my morning shower seems sooooo good.  I don't want to leave the warm confines of its walls.  But did you know that longer showers and baths actually work on drying your skin out even more?!!  In fact it can not only dry your skin out, sometimes it can even irritate it!

So what can you do to help the largest organ of your body (skin)?

1. Keep the shower as brief as possible and use lukewarm, not hot, water.  This is the hardest one for me!!
2. Switch to less aggressive, moisture-rich soaps made for sensitive skin, such as the Young Living Soaps.
3. Gently pat yourself dry to avoid traumatizing or over drying the skin.
4. Apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp.

Treating yourself to sea salt baths is normally great but some salt baths can be drying so make sure you moisturize afterwards.

Here is a wonderful DIY face mask to put back some of that moisture this winter!

Avocado Face Mask
Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil or jojoba oil
• ¼ ripe avocado
• 2 drops Helichrysum essential oil

Directions

Mash up the avocado until very smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Spread the mask over your face and neck if desired. Leave on for 15 minutes, then wash off with warm water then apply moisturizer.
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Now, if you need ideas for good moisturizers, Young Living has you covered.  With our Orange Blossom Moisturizer your skin will get a deep drink of hydration!  It is formulated with essential oils for skin. It is made to benefit oily complexions and improves the appearance of skin without irritation from harsh chemicals. This essential oil-based moisturizer uses only naturally derived, plant-based ingredients that are non-comedogenic and vegan-friendly.  Orange Blossom Moisturizer helps skin maintain optimal moisture balance, controls excess oil and shine, and preps your face for makeup with its natural-looking matte finish.

Another useful product is Young Living’s moisturizing cream, ART® Intensive Moisturizer.  It is a heavier moisturizer perfect for these drying times.  Add it to your daily skin care and discover the perfect way to pamper yourself. This deep, ultra-hydrating lotion recaptures the qualities of younger-looking skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and helping skin feel smoother and more pliable.  It is made completely from naturally derived ingredients.  ART Intensive Moisturizer nourishes the skin with ingredients such as pracaxi seed oil and blue bird hibiscus leaf extract to even skin tone and promote hydration. We also add five premium essential oils to create a light floral scent and luxurious experience that leaves your skin feeling soft, refreshed, and radiant. Clinically tested and non-irritating, ART Intensive Moisturizer is sure to be a welcomed addition to your morning or evening routine!

Need to order some of these awesome products?  Click on the Young Living tab above for information on how to order.