DIY Face Serum that is pure AWESOMENESS!!!!

So after using this for a few weeks I just have to share!!
I have been wanting to try something new for my facial moisturizer. I spent countless hours researching different formulas and ingredients (A.K.A. I procrastinated and worked on using up the products I had on hand). O.K. I was putting it off -a little. I was really worried about using an OIL on my face.

I finally scrapped the bottom of my jar and I had to either buy more of the super expensive natural stuff or go for it. So I finally did it. And... to my surprise my face is LOVING it. The skin soaks it right up. I am not feeling oily and I have not had any breakouts. In fact I am noticing that my skin is clearer and looks fresher, younger even. Why did I wait so long???

In my procrastinating here is what I finally ended up with:
I chose to go with jojoba oil for its low comedogenic rating. Also it was convenient - I had it on hand.
There are other liquid carrier oils you can choose from. Here is a useful listing of oils and their ratings:

I also decided to use Frankincense, Lavender and Melaleuca alternifolia essential oils for their effectiveness in skin rejuvenation, wrinkles and acne. Some other essential oils known for their skin properties are: Sandalwood, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, Geranium, Myrrh, Vetiver, lemon (photosensitive), neroli and Helichrysum.

Super simple and I gotta say I am LOVING IT!

Face Serum Recipe:

1 oz. jojoba oil, 

10 drops Frankincense

10 drops Lavender

8 drops Melaleuca alternifolia

Combine ingredients in a glass dropper bottle. Apply a few drops on your face and neck after washing your face at night and in the morning. What are you waiting for?? You will not regret it. I promise!

Blessings!!

Do not lose a Drop! Dropper, Reducer or Pipette- Which method do you use?

Essential Oils are amazing for so many things! I simply love them. But I do not want to waste even a drop. So here is some useful information....

There are approximately 85 drops in a 5 ml bottle.

There are approximately 250 drops in a 15ml bottle.

This will vary depending on the thickness or viscosity of the oil, the method used to dispense the drops (reducer, pipette or a glass dropper) and the amount of pressure used when using a pipette or dropper. So many variables!

The most accurate way to dose drops for recipes is with a dropper or graduated pipette. The drips that come from the reducer are not as consistent and can get very aggravating when an extra drip falls in or two. 

If you choose to use a glass dropper do not store it in the bottle. You can wash your glass dropper between uses so it is not necessary to have a dropper for every oil you use. I find droppers useful if I am making large quantities. However I feel like I am wasting precious oils by washing the dropper or pipette!

So for those who want to use the reducer, this was an eye opener for me from the latest Young Living conference...

The reducer in your bottle has 2 holes in it! The large hole in the center is not where the oils comes out.... that is for air. There is a tiny pin hole that the oil comes out. 

If you look close you will see it. The small pin hole is where the oils come out of your bottle. If you mark you bottle on the side of where the pin hole is and make sure that hole is toward the bottom when you are dispensing your oil oils will come out faster and hopefuly you will not waste or loose so much oil.

Oh the little things in life!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

How to Make Simple Foaming Soap

This is so easy you will laugh! One of the first things I made when I started my journey to cleanup our house was a foaming soap. It's so easy!!!

First you want to use a good liquid soap. I prefer Dr. Bronners Liquid Castile Soap. It's all natural, no yucky stuff. It can be expensive so it's good to know where to go. If you want unscented I have found its best to stock up during Earth week at Target as they always put it on sale that week. Otherwise you can get peppermint at Trader Joes for $11.99 for a 32oz. bottle. (If you have any hot buys, I would love to know where you find good deals on castile soap. I use it for so many things around the house!)

Second you need a foaming bottle. I have purchased the empty bottles from various companies and found it is not worth it for me to buy the empty bottle. You can buy Method foaming soap on sale at Target or buy a foaming soap at the Dollar Store and dump it out.

Finally the super easy part....

Pour approximately 1 part soap to 5 parts water into your bottle. But this is not exact, you can make it thicker if you like. I like the soap I use in the shower thicker (2:5) than the one I use for hand washing. 

So, if you have a small medicine cup- fill it once with soap then 5 times with water. Done!!

If you don't want to use the medicine cup every time, you can mark your bottle after you add the soap then again after you add all your water. However this method requires you to use all your soap before refilling.

Super easy? I know!!! Don't spend money on a new bottle every time! Save your money and make your own.

Now the fun part.... If you want to use essential oils, just make sure you use unscented soap. Once all the soap and water have been added, add your essential oils. I would recommend starting with 15 drops of essential oils. Shake gently and enjoy. You will love it, I promise!!!

Finally, some people find that castile soap is a little drying. You can add a small amount of almond oil to the recipe to make it a moisturizing soap. This is something I generally do in the winter when I notice my hands are dryer. Here is an example:

To make a Moisturizing Thieves Foaming Hand Soap combine in a 10 oz bottle:
7.5 ounces of water
1.5-2 ounces of liquid soap
1/2 ounces Sweet Almond Oil
15 drops of Thieves Essential Oil

Blessings!!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Quick Tip: Filling Capsules the easy way

Filling tiny capsules can be tricky. Filling them with several ingredients and making more than one capsule is even trickier! I remember coming across a post where someone used bread and I think that is genius! I have been using that tip ever since and thought I would share this quick tip!

When using any essential oils, you want to start out slow and see how your body responds. I started with a couple drops of each along with coconut oil as my carrier oil. I heat up coconut oil in a double boiler using a baby food jar and a dropper as shown below.

1. Poke holes in a slice a bread. I used the end of my spoon since they are about the size of a pencil head. 
2. Place your capsules inside. I use "00" size. Like this
3. Fill with desired amount of essential oils.
4. Top off with a carrier oil like coconut, olive or grapeseed.
5. Add tops & your done! (I do shake them a little to mix it before it hardens. Then store it in the fridge to harden the coconut oil)
6. You can eat the bread if you spill and not waste any oils!! :) win-win

I hope you find this helpful!

Blessings!!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Mens All Natural Bath and Body Products Using Essential Oils

I was at a loss for ideas for the men on my Christmas list so I started to dabble in essential oil ideas. I tried out a few things and had my husband test them to see if he approved. Below is what I came up with in a pinch. Great for gifts for Birthdays or Fathers Day too! 

Merry Christmas & Enjoy!

1. #2 Spray, Stink away, Poo-pourri or Stink no more spray. 

A spray made up of essential oils that you spray into the toilet bowl before you go, it will trap the smell in the water and there will be no stink. My husband really went to town with this one... he ended up coming up with personalized names for each person he was gifting it to.

In a 2 ounce glass bottle combine:

2oz. Distilled water

3-4 drops glycerine
1/2 teapoon epson salts

20-30 drops of essential oils of choice (see list below for ideas)

Shake well.

Have fun with it & Make up some fun labels.

2. Men's Muscle Bath

 
Using the benefits of magnesium,baking soda and essential oils to help with soreness, fatigue and stress (and so much more!). 

1 cup epsom salts

1/2 cup baking soda

6-8 drops essential oils, I used 4-6 lemongrass and 2-3 cedar wood (or other oils based on your preference)

3. Men's Foaming Shaving Gel 

This has a nice lather and great smell. My husband gave this one a thumbs up.

1/2 cup aloe gel (I have this kind)
1/2 cup liquid castile soap (I use this kind)
2 Tablespoon Almond oil (I used my calendula infused)
A few drops of vegetable glycerin
4 capsules or about 1/2 tsp vitamin E
10-15 drops essential oils (I used 8 of Cedarwood, 8 Lavender and 4 Lemon)

Put in a 10 ounce or larger foaming soap container. 

4. Men's Super Magnesium Oil 


Magnesium oil is a great way to get more magnesium, adding essential oils can give you more benefits. Spray the magnesium oil on your body after you get out of the shower. Let it absorb into your skin a few minutes before getting dressed. The fist time you use it you may notice a tingle or itchy sensation. This will subside the more it is used. Start with a few sprays and work your way up to 10-15 sprays a day.

For a 16 ounce spray bottle or larger. Boil 1 cup water and 1 cup magnesium flakes (like this) until flakes are dissolved completely. Let cool. Pour into spray bottle. Add 8 drops Valor essential oil and shake well (see list below for other essential oil ideas)

Essential oils to try with your guys: this is not an all inclusive list and everyone had different likes/dislikes but here is what I have found to be popular with the men I know. Please note if you are using any citrus oils you should use glass bottles or containers as the citrus will eat away at plastic. Also citrus oils can increase sun sensitivity and should be avoided when you will be in the sun or exposed to UV rays.

Cedar wood

Citrus Fresh

Lemon, Orange, Tangerine or any citrus oil

Lemon grass

Idaho balsam fir

Ginger

Vanilla

Vetiver

Sandalwood
Evergreen Essenece

Cypress
Pine
Shutran

Looking for more ideas? You can view moer projects here:
Five New Fabulous Christmas Gifts you can Make with Essential Oils
Five more DIY gifts for Christmas using Essential Oils
5 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts with Essential Oils


New to essential oils? Check out my post on how to buy oils and learn more!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Hot oil infusion using calendula

Two weeks until Christmas and I am preparing to bake cookies. Gathering supplies and realize I need to get my cookie rack which is covered in calendula. Ugh, I need to finish my calendula! I had picked it from my garden in the fall and left it on the drying rack in the storage room. Promptly forgotten.

This was my first year growing calendula and it was super easy! Not only does it deter pests from your garden but it is also medicinal. I will certainly be adding this every year.

What is calendula?

It is a plant where the flower (and other parts) can be used to make medicine. It is part of the marigold family but not the same as the ornamental marigolds you find at the local flower mart.

It can be used for multiple things....best known for skin benefits. It can relieve dryness or chapping, diaper rashes, minor wounds and cuts, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, or other skin problems. It has anti-fungal (think yeast infection, athletes foot), anti-inflammatory (swelling from injury, sprained muscles and bruises), antiseptic and anti-microbial properties (healing of cuts, bug bites, acne).

How to make a hot oil infusion:

It is super easy to make an oil infusion. There are two methods- cold and hot. Cold is preferred but due to time constraints I needed to make a hot infusion so I could use some of my calendula oil in gifts I was making.

I filled a mason jar with calendula and then added sweet almond oil to cover the flowers plus about one inch above. I then poured it into my crock pot on warm. I left if for the afternoon (3-4 hours) then turned it off. I did not have time to filter it the first day so I left it to cool until the next day then began the filtering process.

I used a large funnel and a coffee filter. I placed it where I could leave it for several hours to allow the slow drip process to happen without preying hands or sniffy animals. (both trouble makers in my house) Once done I put a lid on the jar, labeled it and put it in a dark cupboard for when its time to make my next creation using sweet almond oil, this time with the added benefit of calendula infused!

Here is my calendula dry on the rack.

It was so dry it was very easy to remove the petals.

Here is my harvest. Isn't it pretty?

 Here you see the sweet almond oil and the calendula in my crock pot on warm.

I used a coffee filter and large funnel to let the oil slowly filter through.

 I left it to drip for several hours to get the most I could out of it. Beautiful golden color.

The oil will keep for a long time but it is best practice to try to use it up in a year. So keep planting!!

Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Essential Oils- getting signed up and joining the Lemon Droppers!

What is all the hype about?

What are essential oils? How do they work?

Why would I choose Young Living?

How should I start?

Lets discuss this a little....

What are essential oils? How do they work?
The Essential Oils Pocket Reference (5th edition) is a handy tool for learning more about the chemistry of the oils and finding out how essential oils can work for you by looking up the oil, or the ailment. This excerpt is taken out of the first chapter to describe essential oils a little more to you:

"Essential oils and plant extracts have been woven into history since the beginning of time and are considered by many to be the missing link in modern medicine. They have been used medicinally to kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses and to combat insect, bug, and snake bites in addition to treating all kinds of mysterious maladies. Oils and extracts stimulate tissue and nerve regeneration.”

"An essential oil is that aromatic, volatile liquid that is within many shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds and that is usually extracted through steam distillation.

The chemistry of an essential oil is very complex and may consist of hundreds of different and unique chemical compounds. Moreover, essential oils are highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs because of the distillation process that makes them so concentrated. It requires a large volume of plant material to produce small amounts of a distilled essential oil."
Here is a short 3 minute video to help explain....EO Video
Because EOs are composites of hundreds of different chemicals, they can exert many different effects on the body. For example:

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has a fresh, sweet, floral, herbaceous aroma that is soothing and refreshing. Because it is the most versatile of all essential oils, no home should be without it. Lavender is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy. Therapeutic-grade lavender is highly regarded for skin and beauty. It may be used to soothe and cleanse common cuts, bruises, and skin irritations. The French scientist René Gattefossé was among the first to discover these properties when he was severely burned in a laboratory explosion. Lavender may also be used to enhance the flavor of foods.

Importantly, because of their complexity, EOs do not disturb the body's natural balance or homeostasis; if one constituent exerts too strong an effect, another constituent may block or counteract it. Synthetic chemicals, in contrast, usually have only one action and often disrupt the body's hormones.

Why Young Living?

Most essential oil companies don’t even distill their own oils which is the most important part of the process to ensure the medicinal qualities of the oils is not lost. Young Living is the world leader in cultivating, distilling and producing therapeutic grade essential oils. They are the ONLY essential oil company in existence that does every part of the process themselves. Because they have complete quality control YL can 100% guarantee that their oils are pure. This is Young Living’s Seed to Seal guarantee. You can also watch this Seed to Seal Video

How should I start?
If you are ready to jump in and try the oils – this is what you need. The Premium Starter Kit is the best, most economical way to get your oils. It comes with the Premium Oils Collection – the 10 most popular oils, a diffuser (which has totally changed my life), and one additional oil – Citrus Fresh. It also comes with 12 sample packets and an AromaGlide Roller Fitment. All of this is only $160. If you were to purchase them all separately, it would be over $300.

It is one of the BEST purchases I have ever made. Absolutely no regrets! As a bonus if you are joining my team you are part of the Lemon Droppers!

I want to make sure you have some fabulous resources at your fingertips. Lemon Droppers have some AMAZING resources, if I do say so myself….

1) Lemon Aid Library- This is an exclusive Facebook group, which is a fabulous community to learn more about how others are using their oils. Once you become a member, you will have access to this amazing resource and community of oilers.

2) I have a private facebook group where I share specials, tips and class information. Message me if you want to be in it!

3) I send each of my new team members a special gift to help get you started

4) I offer free monthly online classes to help you get familiar with each oils use along with recipes and ideas

5) I offer monthly in person classes to introduce you further into the uses of essential oils, including make and takes.

6) I have this blog where I share my journey with essential oils among other things in life. Join me on this journey!

Are you ready?
It is super easy just click on the link below...
Sign up for Young Living Starter Kit Here