Your Body's Not Meant to Run on That. . .

I recently listened to an online webinar as part of the Young Living Essential Oils Summit, which touched on a lot of topics around healthy eating and healthy living.  One metaphor that really stuck with me is when the speaker said the following (paraphrased): If your car was out of gas, you wouldn't fill it with diesel fuel would you?  Because your car is not built to run on diesel.  Just like your body is not meant to run on chemicals, synthetic and artificial additives, or genetically modified foods.  So why would you put that in your body?  Your body is meant to run on foods directly from nature - plants and animals that have not been altered, chemically treated, or taken out of their natural environments.  That's what we should be feeding our bodies!

Admittedly, I am far from fully clean in my eating habits, but every small change I make is another change in the right direction.  A lot of those changes have come from removing toxins from my home by replacing toxic cleaning products with natural, non-toxic ones,

I've also started making my own beauty/skincare products using all natural ingredients,

And some of it involves just a greater awareness of what I'm putting into my body and where it comes from.

In this season of increased gratitude, I am so grateful to have resources, information, and products available to make healthy changes in my life and in the lives of my husband and sons.

 If you have any questions or would like more information about anything I have discussed in a post, please send a message.  And if you are interested in a membership that allows you to purchase essential oils, supplements and beauty products of exceptionally high quality, at a 24% discount, click here to get started!

Reminder: I am not medically trained, and the information I write in these posts are based on my experiences with essential oils.  If you have questions about oils for medicinal purposes, please talk with a trained medical professional.

Day 7 - Purification

I am not exaggerating when I saw that not a day goes by when we don't use Purification in our house!  It is a fantastic oil and has a fresh, clean smell.  It works wonderfully to deodorize - shoes, garbage cans, musty basements, bathrooms, you name it!  It makes a great addition to DIY deodorant, and it gets rid of "left over cooking smells" that hang around long past the end of the meal!  I add a few drops of Purification to my dryer balls to help my laundry smell fresh and clean.  I put a cotton ball with several drops of purification in a plastic bags with my shoes if the're needing a little freshening, and we diffuse this in the car with a USB diffuser to clean and freshen the air in there.

If you haven't tried Purification Blend, I can't stress enough how versatile and effective this oil is!  Give it a try and I'd bet you'll fall in love, too.  If you would like help getting this or other oils, please send a message.  And if you want your own Premium Starter Kit (which includes all of the oils we're looking at during this challenge) click here to get started!

Reminder: I am not medically trained, and the information I write in these posts are based on my experiences with essential oils.  If you have questions about oils for medicinal purposes, please talk with a trained medical professional.

New Starter Kit and Wholesale Membership

In case you're just starting out in exploring oils (which was me a few months ago!) it is important to know that there are many EO manufacturers and suppliers out there.  Oils range in availability, price, and quality.  I always recommend that everyone do their own research to figure out 1) if essential oils are right for them and if so, 2) who to choose as a distributor for oils.  That being said, I have made no secret of the fact that I have chosen Young Living as my oil supplier.  I am happy to have individual conversations with anyone interested about how I arrived at that conclusion if you would like to contact me directly.  So as a result, this post is specifically about Young Living Oils and Membership.

Anyone is able (and welcome) to purchase Young Living products without any commitment or membership, simply by ordering through their website.  This is a nice feature for anyone needing just one individual type of oil, or just wanting to try one thing.  There are other options, though, for those looking for a more economical option.  Anyone with a wholesale membership with Young Living has the ability to purchase products at wholesale pricing (24% discount).  So if you want to try some oils but don't want to pay full price, you can ask a member (like me!) to order for you and ship them to you - even with the shipping cost they will be cheaper than full price with shipping.  Otherwise, you can sign up for a membership of your own.  You need to select a starter kit (ranging from $45 - $160) which includes information about the oils and the company in additional to the products (varying based on which kit you choose).  Then you have access to the same pricing and benefits as I do.  The Starter Kits are not available for individual sale.  They are only available with a membership.

The exciting thing is that the Premium Starter Kit, which is Young Living's most popular starter kit (and best value of the starter kits) has just received an update, and in my opinion the new Premium Starter Kit is a huge improvement on the old version (which I loved, too).
 (The information and images below, about each of the starter kits, come directly from the Young Living website)

Basic Starter Kit:
The most affordable of the Starter Kits is the Basic Kit.  It is available in English or Spanish and includes the following:

• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend, 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle, 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) , 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards, 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples, 
• Product Guide and Product Price List, 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge,
•  and Member Resources.  

Premium Starter Kit Options

The best deal is the Premium Starter Kit.  There are three different versions of it, detailed below.
Premium Starter Kit with Diffuser:
This is what I started with, although it has gotten some upgrades since I bought it, and I have to say I'm a little jealous!  It is also available in English or Spanish.  Along with your membership, you get all of the following:

• Home Diffuser - you have your choice of four different models.  The one shown in this picture was the one I got with my starter kit (and I love it!) 
• Premium Essential Oils Collection: (Lavender 5-ml, Peppermint 5-ml, Lemon 5-ml, Copaiba 5-ml, Frankincense 5-ml, Thieves® 5-ml, Purification® 5-ml, R.C.™ 5-ml, DiGize™ 5-ml, PanAway® 5-ml) - I've posted about how I use many of these, and posts about the others on this list are forthcoming! 
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

Premium Starter Kit with Ninxia Red

If you've done some reading or research and you know you want a Young Living Membership but instead of the oils, you're interested in the Ninxia Red products, this might be where you want to start.

The kit (available in both English and Spanish) includes:

• NingXia Red 2-pack 
• 30 NingXia Red Singles (2 fl. oz. ea.) 
• NingXia Nitro 5-ml
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

Premium Starter Kit with Thieves

Once again, if you know you are interested in a Young Living Membership, but you're more interested in the Thieves Oil products instead of the oils, you might want to look into this option.  Also available in English and Spanish, the Starter Kit with Thieves includes:

• 15-ml Thieves Oil
• Thieves AromaBright™ Toothpaste
• Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash
• 2 Thieves Cleaner
• 2 Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
• 2 Thieves Spray
• 2 Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier
• 5-ml Stress Away™ oil blend 
• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment for turning any 15 ml. bottle of oils into a convenient roller bottle 
• 10 Sample Packets (2 each of Thieves Oil Blend, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemon Oil, and Peace and Calming Oil Blend) 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Business Cards 
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles for filling with your favorite oils to share with friends)
•  2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples 
• Product Guide and Product Price List 
• Essential Oil Magazine, Essential Edge
• Member Resources 

All of the Starter Kits are a fantastic deal, and provide you with everything you need to get started with your own Essential Oil experience.  But what you won't find out at the Young Living Website is that there are sometimes benefits beyond the ones they offer as well.  When you enroll for a membership through an existing member, you become part of their membership organization (picture a family tree of members and all whom they've enrolled).  Most of these individual organizations have social media groups that are open only to members of that particular organization, where participants share ideas, testimonials, stories, DIY recipes, etc. This is where I do much of my learning about the oils, and where I get news and updates about new products, special deals, etc.  Many of these organizations also offer video classes, live classes, webinars, contests, and more.  Participation in all of these things is optional, but is only offered to members of that organization.

So if you're thinking about a membership. . . . let me know how I can help you.  And if you use this link to sign up for membership, you will become a part of the same membership organization as I am, gaining access to all of the additional benefits mentioned above.

Good luck!

Tea Tree Oil - Becoming a Believer

Most elementary school teachers have heard of tea tree oil - it's the one we all know to keep on hand if our schools have lice in the building (which we do every year!).  There are tea tree oil shampoos and conditioners, treatment recipes, and hair spritzes that are reported to help keep lice away and help treat existing cases.  I had no idea, though, that tea tree oil is dramatically different than tea tree hair products, nor did I know how many other uses there are for this cleansing, antiseptic oil.

Before I begin to convince you (as I have been convinced) that tea tree oil is another must have, let me reiterate that I have no medical training or background.  The statements I make in my posts have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA, I am merely sharing my experiences, both from reading I've done and what I've tried. With that being said, these are my thoughts on tea tree oil.

Here's the problem - I HATE the smell of tea tree oil!  I think it smells like mothballs.  But the more I read, the more I believe that it is worth the smell to get the benefits.  Below are some of the ways I've found tea tree useful so far, as well as some of the things I want to try with my tea tree oil next.

I live in the midwest, and at this time of the year, the basement is stale, damp, and musty. At least once every few days, I run the diffuser in the basement with tea tree for a few hours, followed by lemon for a few hours.  This makes the air feel and smell fresher and cleaner.  And studies have been conducted to show that it is actually cleaning the air of molds and fungi.  Now that I know more about the benefits, I will be adding a couple drops of tea tree oil to the homemade cleaner I made with lemon oil to add to its effectiveness.

On a whim, one day, I decided to try something.  (Sorry if this is too much information!!) I know that body odor is caused by bacteria under our arms.  After I got out of the shower, I swiped tea tree oil under my arms.  The smell was almost unbearable to me, so after about 10 minutes, I followed with a swipe of lemon oil.  This neutralized the smell a bit, and after about a half hour the smell was gone all together.  It worked way better than any deodorant I've ever used.  So experiencing this, and knowing what I know about why my running clothes retain odors, I think next I'm going to start adding a couple drops to my laundry when I have a load of my athletic clothes (and maybe my bath towels, too. . . hmmmm) to help kill the bacteria that they like to hold on to, being synthetic fabrics.  And a couple drops on cotton balls tucked into the toes of particularly stinky shoes. . . the possibilities for killing bacteria and eliminating odorsare endless!

I have used tea tree oil to disinfect minor cuts and scrapes, always with good results - I have read that it is great for nail infections, though I've yet to try that. It is also good for relieving itch from bug bites.  Anything that helps with that during summer in Wisconsin is great!!

So I'm just learning more about this incredibly useful oil.  As I read more, I have ideas of where I want to go next with this oil (once I get a new bottle in my next order, since my original one is now empty!).  I just read that it's recommended to soak your toothbrush in diluted tea tree oil once a week or so to kill the bacteria that is housed in the bristles.  I've also seen recipes for making toothpaste out of it, although I don't know how I'd do with that taste!  Check out this list of uses for tea tree oil.  And if you're not familiar with Dr. Axe, I highly recommend checking out his website!  What I love about his website and his EO recommendations is that he uses a lot of medical research and studies to back up his recommendations.  Can't argue with that!

If you have any questions about anything related to oils, uses, recommendations, information about why I chose Young Living as my oils supplier, or how to try oils without commitment, please email me..  And if you are interested in a membership with Young Living, you can join here.

Lavender Oil - I thought I knew it all!!

When I ordered my everyday oils starter kit from Young Living, I figured I would occasionally use the lavender oil for sleep and relaxation, but here I am 6 weeks in, and I use lavender more than any other oil in the kit, and in ways I never imagined!

If you've read my past posts, you've heard me talk about the "allergy bomb" - equal parts peppermint, lemon, and lavender - that diffuse nightly to help both my husband and I with our seasonal allergies, and that we both take daily by capsule to help alleviate seasonal allergy symptoms and congestion without the side effects of antihistamines or OTC allergy medicines.  You've also heard me mention that I apply diluted lavender and valerian oils on my kids' feet and my husband's to help with restful and deep sleep.  As I type this, there are diffusers running in both of my kids' rooms with lavender in them to help them calm down and fall asleep.  When my older child has fits (as 6 year olds are prone to do) I can calm him immediately by rubbing some lavender on his chest.  Much more effective than a time out, yelling, or anything else we'd tried.

In my last post, I talked about how I've used lavender for skin care products as well.  I have dabbed lavender oil straight onto cuts and scrapes to help them heal, and I have learned that the horrible itchy patch on my left elbow, which never seems to go away, can be healed with lavender.  And I anticipate using lavender this summer to help with sunburns and bug bites.

As  I started researching essential oils, I saw that lavender was referred to as the "swiss army knife" of essential oils and now I know why!!

update: Recently I spent an afternoon making a variety of beauty products with my Young Living oils.  I found, not terribly surprisingly, that most of the skincare recipes called for lavender oil.  Its skincare benefits are well known, and it is mild on the skin, as well as smelling great.  After making all of my DIY products, I can now say that I am using lavender oil on my skin every single day.  I can't wait till my rosemary oil arrives in a few days so I can make a lavender rosemary lotion (which is supposed to be amazing for dry skin).  Doesn't that sound like it will be heavenly!?

If you have any questions, of course, please email me.  And if you're interested in Young Living oils, which I have chosen as my oil supplier, based on the quality of their product and their impeccable reputation, let me know.  If you're interested in membership with Young Living, which allows you to purchase oils at wholesale prices (24% off of retail), you can sign up here.

Step aside, Martha!

I spent today creating DIY versions of all my go-to beauty products.  I spent hours this morning going through recipes (there are so many availab(le!) and making a shopping list (which was not terribly extensive, since most of the ingredients I needed were either things I had in the kitchen or oils that I already had from my starter kit).  Then my afternoon was devoted to making natural, healthier versions of my products  - from exfoliating scrub to eye cream.  I had SO much fun!!  The recipes were easy, the products look great, and I can't wait to see the results!  I've made my "allergy trio" and my "weight loss trio" part of my regular routine, but now I have adopted a new trio - the skin care trio.  Most of the skin recipes involved a combination of frankincense, lemon and lavender oil.  I've been using frank on my skin since I got it - it is recommended for wrinkles, scars, and uneven skin tone.  Lavender is recommended to help with skin irritation, and lemon is recommended as an anti-oxident, so this combination made a lot of sense to me.  I've done lots of reading about coconut oil, vitamin e oil, and jojoba oil, and combining them with essential oils seems like a very healthy alternative to skin care products made of a bunch of things I can't pronounce!

I used these recipes:

Face Wash - using baking soda, coconut oil and oils to cleanse instead of harsh chemicals
Exfoliating Scrub - honey, almond meal, and peppermint oil - so invigorating!
Eye Cream - vitamin e oil, coconut oil, and frankincense oil, which are all known to help with fine lines and signs of aging
Night Cream - lemon, lavender, frankincense oils blended with coconut and olive oil.
Lotion (non-greasy body lotion) - shea butter and jojoba oil with lemon, lavender, and peppermint oils
Foaming Hand Soap - castile soap, glycerin, thieves oil and distilled water as a hand cleanser/sanitizer

Next on my to-do list: shaving lotion, sunscreen, and bug repellent.  I'm hooked!

If you have any questions, of course, please email me.  And if you're interested in Young Living oils, which I have chosen as my oil supplier, based on the quality of their product and their impeccable reputation, let me know.  If you're interested in membership with Young Living, which allows you to purchase oils at wholesale prices (24% off of retail), you can sign up here.

Thieves Oil - A Must Have!!

Thieves Oil tends to be one of the better known oil blends available.  It is without question my favorite oil blend from Young Living.

Thieves Oil blend originated with a legend.  This oil is supposed to have protected thieves from the plague because of its immune system boosting properties.  I don't particularly care if the legend is true or not, I will be keeping this oil close by!

This is another one of those oils that we use for personal wellness and for household cleaning.  Young Living has a whole line of Thieves products that I haven't even begun to explore yet (including a Thieves Premium Starter Kit available when you enroll as a member).  I have just been making my own versions of the home cleaning products so far.

Thieves oil blend is a combination of cinnamon, clove, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.  It smells like the holidays to me. I started with Thieves in a diffuser - I absolutely love the smell - it is a warm and cozy, homey smell that lifts my mood immediately.  However, that is not why we were diffusing it.  Thieves acts to boost your immune system, so having had a rough winter with various ailments in our house, I was looking for something to help us out.  Unfortunately, I didn't start this till March, so I just caught the tail end of the worst stretch for us, but I look forward to using it next year to help us stay healthier.

That being said, however, a few weeks ago my older son appeared to have some kind of a stomach bug.  When he's sick, he likes to have my husband sleep in his room with him to help him during the night if he isn't doing well.  Before my husband turned in for the night, I had him put Thieves on his feet and I rubbed some (diluted in a carrier oil) up and down his spine.  We both wanted to know that he had a little extra protection so he wouldn't catch it, too.  The next day we diffused thieves in my son's room, to get whatever might be floating around out of the air and clean the room out a bit.

I put Thieves onto the soles of my feet about once a week or so to give my own immune system a boost.  Thieves is a "hot oil", meaning it burns on contact if it isn't diluted.  For many people, putting hot oils on their soles of their feet doesn't bother them, which I have found to be true for me, but if it is on my feet, I do still feel it tingling, so I know it's there!

In the deep dark months of winter, I found myself in the middle of one of my many colds.  This one included a very sore throat.  A co-worker, who is the one who introduced me to Young Living, carries Thieves spray in her purse.  One spritz to the back of my throat numbed it instantly and made the rest of the day of teaching bearable.  And another co-worker said she diffuses Thieves in her home all winter, and she swears her family had significantly fewer health issues this year as a result.

Like I said earlier, I have been using Thieves in a cleaner as well.  I made my own, although Young Living does sell Thieves Cleaner.  I combined 2 tsp. of witch hazel, 20 drops of Thieves Oil and 1/2 cup of distilled water in a glass spray bottle.  I keep it in the bathrooms upstairs so that I know they are getting disinfected and sanitized without leaving behind chemicals and fumes that might hurt my family.  I also use it in the kitchen and to spray down toys or non-wood surfaces my kids are coming in contact with.

I have read about using thieves in the dishwasher and in the laundry, but I haven't tried that yet.

Thieves can also be used as an analgesic, putting it "neat" onto sore gums or toothaches.  It can also be used to stave off cravings when trying to eliminate certain foods from your diet (I'm currently on a sugar-detox diet and using Thieves to help me through rough patches).

I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the thieves line - hand soaps, dental care, sanitizer. . .

If you are interested in trying Young Living products, or if you have any questions, please email me.  And if you're interested in a membership with Young Living, I can help you with that, too!



Please remember that I have no medical training or background.  I am speaking only of my experiences with essential oils.  Please do your research and consult your doctor before using essential oils for health reasons.

Lemon Oil - I Can't Say Enough About It!

    Lemon oil. . . . where to begin!!

I have found many daily uses for my lemon oil.  I started using it as an additive to my water - partly to encourage me to drink more water throughout the day, partly thanks to an article (that I hope to relocate and link here!) that talked about how good it is for a natural liver and kidney detox when you drink it every day.  Then I stumbled aross this article that talked about things to do with lemon essential oil that I hadn't even thought of.

It is another oil that plays many different roles throughout my day:
When I get up in the morning, I drink a glass of water with lemon oil in it, as a way to hydrate and a little energy burst right away.  Throughout the day I have a water bottle with lemon oil in it next to me at work to help me in my goal to drink more water at work!  I have learned that you should only put essential oils in glass water bottles, as the oils can leach toxins out of plastics unless they are "hospital grade plastic" - and no one wants to be adding toxins to their water!!

Right now I start my day with my allergy bomb (2-3 drops each of peppermint, lavender, and lemon oil in a capsule with a carrier oil).  I have found it to be more effective and easier on my body than any OTC allergy medication or anti-histamine I have tried **

A few weeks ago I made an all purpose home cleaner with my lemon oil.  I combined equal parts distilled water and white vinegar (I used 1/2 cup of each for my 16 oz. spray bottle) and 20 drops of lemon oil in a glass spray bottle (found on Amazon).  You could easily adjust the amount of lemon oil to suit your preferences.  I love the lemony smell without the oily residue that this proportion gave me.  We now use this spray cleaner daily in the kitchen (appliances, counters, sinks), on the dining table (won't harm wood!!), in the bathroom (the vinegar and lemon oil combination cuts through the mineral build-up that we get from our city water), everywhere!  The best part is that my two little helpers love to help me clean, and since I know the ingredients are safe for them, I don't worry about letting them spray for me!

Those same little helpers had put a whole bunch of stickers on the wood coffee table a while back.  We had scraped, wiped, wet, picked, and rubbed, but those stickers didn't want to come up.  Two years later, I tried lemon oil to remove them.  I put it on them directly (about a drop on each sticker), rubbed it in with my fingertip, waited about 2 minutes, and then wiped.  EVERY sticker came up, as did the sticky residue underneath!!

At school I work in a beautiful room with custom made wood tables.  When students got permanent marker all over the gorgeous tables, I was heartbroken.  We tried several chemical solvents to remove it and it dulled the ink a bit, but the damage remained.  I figured it couldn't hurt to try some lemon oil, since I knew it wouldn't hurt the wood, and the worst that would happen is the dulled ink would still be there. After applying the oil and letting it sit for a few minutes, when I scrubbed, the marker came up.  So I kept going, and used it to remove glue, ink, and all sorts of other junk from the table tops, too.  And the added bonus, of course, is how good the room smelled afterward.

I love cooking spicy foods!  But I don't think to wear gloves when cutting up peppers, and I inevitably remember too late, when I go to take my contacts out later and get the oil in my eyes!  Now I've started rubbing a couple drops of lemon oil on my hands after I work with the peppers, and it takes the hot oil right off of my hands!

Lemon oil is also used in conjunction with other citrus oils and peppermint oil as a weight loss combination, it can be used as a sanitizer when rubbed on the hands, it is great for a bad mood, as it brings a bright and happy smell when diffused, and of course it is a great addition to a cup of hot water or green tea!

I could keep going, but I think you get the picture!


If you're interested in trying out Young Living oils, or if you have any questions, please email me.  I'm happy to help you get started!  And if you're ready for a membership with Young Living, you can sign up at this link.


**Just a reminder that I have no medical training or background.  I am speaking only to my experience.  It is important to do your own research, and consult with your doctor before starting essential oil use.