As I've been tossing ideas around in my head about what to write about, one thing keeps coming back to me, and it's the idea that we only get one shot at this life. It is a phrase that I hear often from one of my awesome Young Living leaders and it is so true. We get one shot to determine what food we are going to feed our children (is it going to be sugary, processed and full of pesticides, or good, wholesome food that will make their little bodies thrive?), one shot at what products we are going to use on them (shampoo, soap, or lotion that is full of harmful chemicals, or pure, gentle ingredients?), and what products we use to clean with (again, are they going to be full of toxic, harsh chemicals, or ingredients that are actually safe?). Even if you do not have kids or grandkids, these things apply to YOU. The products we use on ourselves and in our home have such a huge effect on our health, and many ingredients used in personal care and cleaning products have been linked to chronic diseases. I'm on a journey right now to get my family on the road to health and wellness! Come along with me!
Along with cleaning up our eating and drinking way more water, nixing soda, and overhauling almost all of the personal care and cleaning products in my home, we also use essential oils. In fact, essential oils are what have allowed me to replace the personal care and cleaning products as I make a ton of them at home using my oils and a few staple ingredients. Essential oils are what started this whole outlook change for me. I didn't used to care if we ate organically. I didn't look for cleaning products that contained no harsh chemicals - I didn't know there was an alternative. I think that's the case for most people. We just don't know better. But there are so many great, healthy options out there for the products we use on our bodies and what we clean with! If I can inspire just one person to make positive changes in their life and the lives of their family, I'll know I made a difference, and isn't that what life is all about? :)
So here's what I use:
1. I clean my entire house with Thieves Household Cleaner. This stuff is super concentrated so a little goes a long way. Literally one capful in a spray bottle is all you need. I use it on kitchen and bathroom countertops, fridge surfaces, sinks, floors, toilets, everywhere! If I need something a little abrasive, I just use a bit of baking soda with the Thieves cleaner. Works like a charm, and smells amazing! Bonus, no harsh chemicals and it's totally safe around kids, pets and husbands. ;)
2. Wool dryer balls. I got mine from Amazon. Most dryer sheets contain really dangerous chemicals, which you can read about here. To make sure our laundry still smells great, I add a few drops of - you guessed it - essential oils! I love using Lavender on our bedding and Purification or Lemongrass on our clothes and towels.
3. I make lots of our personal care products. Here are some of my favorites!
Blemish Prone Face Wash:
1/3 cup Baby Mild Castille Soap
2/3 cup distilled water
1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
2 drops Lemon essential oil
2 drops Lavender essential oil
20 drops Tea Tree essential oil
Combine all ingredients and place in a pump bottle. It is on the watery side, but I don't mind it. Along with eating better and decreasing my dairy and sugar intake, this face wash has really helped my skin clear up!
Sugar Scrub:
3/4 cups brown sugar (you can use a mixture of brown and white sugar)
1/8 cup grapeseed oil
4 drops Lavender essential oil
4 drops Lemongrass essential oil
Combine all ingredients and place in a glass jar. Great for hands, face, legs, feet - any place you want to exfoliate and moisturize at the same time! It smells heavenly! Oh, and here's a tip. If you use it on your face and want to remove the oily residue from your face, run a washcloth under hot water (make sure it isn't too hot!)and then place it on your face for a few seconds. Gently wipe your face with the washcloth to remove any oil.
Face toner:
10 drops Purification essential oil
10 drops Tea Tree essential oil
Distilled water or alcohol-free witch hazel (I like Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel)
In a 2 oz. spray bottle, drop your essential oils in the bottom of the bottle and gently swirl them to combine. Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water and swirl again. Spray on your face and neck after cleansing. I like to use this after my face wash or sugar scrub, then moisturize with some jojoba oil and Copaiba essential oil for skin health. :)
Rosemary Citrus Body Butter:
I got this recipe from Homesong blog and it is so lovely!
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 cup organic shea butter
1/4 cup vitamin E oil
1/4 cup organic beeswax pellets
5 drops Orange essential oil
5 drops Grapefruit essential oil
5 drops Rosemary essential oil
Using a double boiler, melt the first four ingredients together. I actually like to get the beeswax melted first, since it takes the longest to melt, then add the shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E oil. Once the mixture is all melted and translucent, pour into small glass containers. Add your essential oils and stir to combine. The mixture will begin to harden a bit.
I'd use this any day over anything from Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop or Target. Basically any store-bought product with fragrance = SO not good for you. When you make products at home, you know exactly what is going in them. My daughter and I use this after we shower and it is so moisturizing! You can also switch out the oils to whatever you prefer!
Peppermint Lip Balm:
4 tbsp. organic coconut oil
2.5 tbsp. organic beeswax pellets
12 drops Peppermint essential oil
Melt the beeswax pellets and coconut oil over a double boiler. Once melted, add the essential oils and pour into lip balm containers/tubes.
I like to use a small glass Pyrex with a pour spout to making pouring easier. Makes 15 tubes.
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I use Young Living essential oils because of their quality and Seed to Seal commitment. If you have any questions or are interested in trying them for yourself, please leave me a comment below!
*I strongly urge you not to use store bought essential oils for anything that you are going to apply to your body topically or diffuse. Store bought oils are only required to be 10% pure essential oils in order to be labeled as 100% pure, so the other 90% might be a carrier oil, synthetic, or some other filler - the point is you won't know and you definitely do NOT want to breathe this in or apply to your body.
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So remember guys, we've got one shot to provide the very best lives for ourselves and for our families. Let's eat the best, healthiest food, with a treat every now and then. :) Let's throw out all of the nasty, chemical-filled household cleansers and start cleaning with safe, non-toxic ingredients. Let's replace the personal care products that contain chemicals we can't pronounce with items we have in our pantry! We'll all be so much BETTER for it!
