Let Me Count the Ways

It took me a while but I have finally understood why I really needed it long ago.  Thieves Household Cleaner.  Let me count the ways that I love you!!  AND........if you didn't know about it already, our Oil Club Oil of the month for August is THIEVES!!  If you would like to be a member of our Oil Club it is $5 for the first month and $3 for subsequent months.  An inexpensive way to learn about Essential Oils!!  Try it, you'll like it!!  Comment below and we'll get you set up.  We have a private Facebook page set up for Oil Club members too!

Do you have SLS in your products?

What is SLS?  Sodium Lauryl (or Laureth) Sulfate!  It is a cheap chemical that is used in tons of products from household cleaning products to many products that you apply to your body.  Your shampoo and toothpaste usually have this chemical as well as your bathroom cleaning products.  Click here to see a list of all the products on the market with this additive!

Now....if you have been reading about WHY I chose to use Essential Oils, one of my biggest reasons was to eliminate chemicals from my daily routine.  When I first learned about SLS, some talked about links to cancer.  While this claim is not supported by any research, there are other concerns
about SLS that made me want to eliminate it from my daily regime.  

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), in some circumstances, can become contaminated with Dioxane. This largely depends on the manufacturing process. Dioxane is a suspected carcinogen and lasts much longer in our bodies, primarily because the liver cannot metabolize it effectively. While it’s considered less of a skin irritant when compared to SLS, there are underlying concerns over its continued use in beauty products.

Yikes!  Do I want to chance that my product isn't contaminated? NO!!!  

You may have already read about the way I switched out my shampoo and conditioner.  Click here to read about that.

So, today, I want to talk about Thieves toothpaste.  I switched out the toothpaste I was using that contained SLS with this product.  I truly LOVE this Young Living product. Last fall when I had my teeth cleaned, I had been using the product for only three months. My hygienist asked me what I was doing different because there was a big difference in the amount of tarter on my teeth!  Well, the toothpaste was the only change.  That is a win for me!!  

Does it contain SLS?  NO!!!  Here are the ingredients: Water, Calcium carbonate, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil, Sodium bicarbonate, Glycerin, Xylitol, Xanthum gum, Mentha piperita† (Peppermint) oil, Mentha spicata† (Spearmint) leaf oil, Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract, Lecithin, Eugenia caryophyllus (Clove) bud oil, Ocotea quixos† (Ocotea) leaf oil, Cinnamomum verum† (Cinnamon) Bark oil, Citrus limon† (Lemon) peel oil, Eucalyptus Radiata† leaf oil, Rosmarinus officinalis† (Rosemary) leaf oil.

I am so pleased with the lack of chemicals.  It helps me on my quest to eliminate chemicals in my beauty regime and my home!

Cleaning Make & Take coming!

Are you a local person who would like to have some fun!  Leah and I will be hosting a make and take for cleaning items using essential oils.  Make you cleaning supplies user friendly.  Ditch your goggles and gloves and use products that won't harm you or the environment.  See the RSVP info on the invite below!  We hope to see you there!

Bug Protection

I got an e-mail the other day about Bug Protection that was chemical and DEET free. They claim to have four different essential oils in their blend.  Their price was $9.95 plus shipping for about 10 oz. With the percentages of essential oils that were in the product I calculated that there was about $4.00 of essential oils in the blend using my cost and estimation of oil drops per type.  So, YOU can make your own Bug Protection and KNOW that you are getting pure essential oils and not oils that have no purity listed on the bottle.   Following are just two of many oil combinations that work well for bugs.

Bug Protection Recipe - ONE
4 oz bottle, add:
3 drops Lavender Essential Oil
4 drops Citronella Essential Oil
4 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
Fill bottle ½ way with water
Fill bottle to top with witch hazel

Bug Protection Recipe -TWO
4 oz blue glass bottle
5 drops each:
     Thieves Essential Oil
     Purification Essential Oil
     Peppermint Essential Oil
Fill bottle ½ way with water
Fill bottle to top with witch hazel

 

Use this instead of Dryer Sheets!

I love clean smelling laundry, don't you?!! Long ago, I thought that since I didn't dry my clothes on a clothesline that the only way to get that outdoor freshness was to use a detergent that had a fragrance, OR a fabric softener that had a fragrance.  When those fragrances started to bother me, I went to all fragrance free detergents and softeners. Then, dryer sheets came on the market.  I was thrilled because they were so convenient.  Just throw on in the dryer.  The fragrance free ones gave me softness without the scent that bothered me. The clothes were clean but didn't have that clean scent that we have been trained to love.

I happened upon a website that is a guide to healthy cleaning.  It tells you all about the chemicals in your cleaning products and how they rate on the healthy scale.  It was very eye opening.  Lets look at dryer sheets for instance.  I choose Bounce Outdoor Fresh dryer sheets because we all want to have outdoor fresh smelling clothing, right?  Click on this link to see the results!

Using the information from the website above it is easy to see that the air in your home is ofttimes more polluted than the air outside?  Yup.....wanna know why?  When you use cleaning supplies that contain chemicals, they pollute the air in our home.  If you aren't regularly airing your home, your air is very polluted.  So, what can you do about this and what does it have to do with dryer sheets!

Go chemical free! How? Dryer balls and essential oils!  So easy and totally chemical free. You can make dryer balls yourself (click here) or purchase them already made.  3 - 6 balls tumble with your clothes helping to reduce static and drying them quickly.   THEN, you can drop essential oils on the balls to scent your clothes any way you want.  Use Young Living Lavender Essential Oil when you dry your sheets to help you drift away easily at night.  Use Young Living Purification Essential Oil to dry sports clothing or animal blankets. OR, try using Orange, Cinnamon and Nutmeg for handtowels......yummy!

There is no end to the ideas!

Kids & Essential Oils

So, many wonder about using essential oils on kids.  Can you? The answer is Yes! Many essential oils are appropriate for use on children but should be diluted with a carrier oil prior to use. VERY diluted. Essential oils are very concentrated and a 30:1 dilution is good to start off with.  As the kids get older, that ratio can change.  For babies......you may want a dilution that is even higher than that...more like 50:1. Some Young Living products come pre-diluted with carrier oil, as indicated on product labels, and are intended for direct application on children. SleepyIze™, RutaVaLa™, Gentle Baby™, and Peace & Calming®.  They are all perfect for your children!  

Let's say that your child is struggling with allergies.  Here is a Night-time Allergy blend that you can make yourself.  Use when they are coughing, have runny eyes or trouble with their sinuses.  Even those little sniffles would benefit from this!  This blend is great for children age five and older.  For children younger than five you'll want to diffuse the essential oils instead of using the blend below.

You'll need a 2oz PET plastic container for this blend.  You could use glass as well but if you're keeping the blend in their room, you may want the plastic for safety.  PET plastic is rated to be safe used with essential oils.

Kid Allergy Blend for Night-time

• Aloe Vera Gel - full almost to top of 2 oz PET  flip top plastic or glass container 
• Add Essential Oils
• 4 drops - Northern Lights Black Spruce Young Living Essential Oil
• 4 drops - Lavender Young Living Essential Oil - good for respiratory system
• 4 drops - Cedarwood Young Living Essential Oil  
• Shake before each use.

Aloe Vera Gel is normally refrigerated but this blend is okay out in the room temperature.  
You'll want to make it fresh every few months.  

Hope you have enjoyed this little blend for kids!

NEW! Cool Azul Pain Cream

Newly approved through the FDA!   Yup!!  Cool Azul Pain Cream can give you some relief!!

• Do you have trouble with arthritis?  Cool Azul PAIN cream for you!  
• Minor Muscle & Joint aches?  Cool Azul PAIN cream for you!
• Strains or sprains?  Cool Azul PAIN cream for you!
• Bruises?  Cool Azul PAIN cream for you!!

This product is for relieving pain!!  

Cool Azul Pain Cream has two active ingredients: 

• Methyl Salicylate – found in Wintergreen, which helps alleviate pain deep in the muscles & joints. 
• Natural Menthol – Found in Peppermint, this provides a cool, soothing effect. 

Other ingredients include Young Living’s exclusive Cool Azul essential oil blend, Green Tea Extract, Mango Butter, and Organic Aloe Leaf Juice. 

How does it work?   

• Immediately works on contact to alleviate minor aches and pains
• Delivers full-strength, cooling relief that penetrates deep into muscles and joints.  

Direction: Adults and children 12 years and older apply to affected area no more than 3-4 times daily. 

SO.....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  LET US KNOW WHEN YOU WANT SOME AND WE WILL FIX YOU UP!

This is a vegetarian and vegan product.