DIY Sugar Scrub

How to Make your Own Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, fractionated coconut oil or other carrier oil
• Sugar
• Essential Oil
• 4oz container

Directions:

1. Combine  1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup olive oil or other carrier oil, 5 drops essential oil of choice
2. Mix well with spoon
3. Add more sugar for the consistency of your preference

Use: Rub on hands or feet to exfoliate. Then wash.

Great choices for essential oils: Peppermint, lavender or lemon

Why Thieves Essential Oil is a Staple in Our Household

Where to even begin! Thieves is a MUST HAVE in our house. It is so incredibly versatile from chemical free cleaning to supporting the immune system.

Thieves- Are you thinking, this is a strange name?! 

The name is based on a 15th century legend of thieves who robbed people who were dying of the plague. When they were caught, they were forced to tell how they did not get sick of the plague. It turned out they were spice traders and used a blend of spices for protection.

Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus therapeutic grade essential oils. It is such a powerhouse!

There are so many uses, but here are my top 5:

1) Supports Healthy Immune Function

This is what I grab immediately when I feel I need a little extra immune support. I will put a drop directly under my tongue (a bit strong & spicy).  Other ways to use it: put a few drops into a veggie capsule, or mix it with some fractionated coconut oil, olive oil or a carrier oil of choice into a glass roller container. I typically will put 10-15 drops into a 10 ml roll-on. Sometimes I add additional clove for an extra punch. Roll this onto your feet, neck and chest.

If you have a diffuser, you can also diffuse this oil for the whole family to benefit. I typically put a couple drops into the diffuser and diffuse it next to my night stand.

2) Makes a Great Homemade Cleaner

Young Living has a lot of great Thieves cleaning products. They are incredibly popular simply because of results. The oils that make up the blend do a great job not only supporting your immune system but also cleaning and degreasing your house! You can replace all cleaning products with just this ONE. And you don't have to worry about your kids getting into your cleaning products. If you want to make your own, just add a few drops to a spray bottle and clean every surface of your house!

3) Toothpaste

I love Young Living's Thieves Dentarome Plus toothpaste. If you like to make homemade toothpaste, this is a great oil to add! Toothpaste was one of the first things I replaced when I started on my chemical free journey, as the typical toothpaste I had been using says on the label, "Call poison control if swallowed". Under the tongue is one of the fastest ways to your blood system, so regardless of if we are swallowing the toothpaste, our bodies are definitely soaking it all up. Thieves oil is excellent for your gum health.

4) Deodorant

Do you like to make your own deodorant? This is a great oil to add to your homemade recipe.  I personally use YL's Thieves Dentarome Plus Toothpaste as a deodorant as well. Yes, toothpaste as a deodorant, it sounds crazy, but it really works!

5) Non-Toxic Foaming Hand soap

I LOVE Thieves Foaming hand soap. It has such a great smell. If you want to learn to make your own, it's super easy, just a couple ingredients and literally takes 30 seconds max. I wrote up a recipe here. Just replace the peppermint essential oil in the listed recipe with Thieves. If you don't want to make your own, Young Living has a wonderful one you can buy.

There are so many more great Thieves benefits and products- Thieves cough drops, mouthwash, veggie soak, spray, hand purifier, and more! 

How to get this Young Living Exclusive oil:

Purchase online at retail price or get it at a 24% discount for life, with the one time purchase a Thieves premium starter kit at a 32% discount here.

What comes in a Thieves Premium Starter kit?
15ml Thieves Essential Oil Blend

Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste

Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash

2 Thieves Cleaners

2 Thieves Sprays

2 Thieves Waterless Hand purifiers

5ml bottle of Stress Away Essential Oil Blend (YL Exclusive)

10 Sample packets (lemon, lavender, peace and calming, thieves, peppermint)

Roller Fitment

10 sample cards

10 sample bottles

All of this retails for over $247, and get it for only $160 plus tax/shipping. 

Homemade Lip Balm

I love this super easy homemade lip balm.

I was hesitant at first to make this because I tried once in the past and did not like my results. This one was SO MUCH better! It goes on nice and smooth.

I made both peppermint and orange (two separate batches).

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Beeswax
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
A few drops of Vitamin E (could use a couple gel capsules or a liquid)
~10 Lip Balm Containers
Peppermint or Orange essential oil (I use Young Living because it's pure and you can ingest)
Glass pouring measuring cup

Directions:
Melt the beeswax and coconut oil together either in a saucepan over low heat (stirring) or  microwave 30 seconds at a time stirring in between until melted together.

Once melted, remove from heat and pour into a glass measuring cup with a spout.
Add a couple drops of Vitamin E, and 20 drops of peppermint essential oil, or 30 drops of orange essential oil.

Pour from the measuring cup carefully into the lip balm containers. Let cool & use. One batch makes about 10 lip balms.

One thing I noticed is as the balm settles while drying, it sinks, so you'll want to top them off a few minutes after pouring.

Make Your Own Wool Dryer Balls

These wool dryer balls are one of my new favorite DIY projects, because even for non-crafty people like me, they are pretty hard to mess up.

Why use wool dryer balls?

•  Soften and fluff without toxic chemicals. Wool dryer balls have no chemicals. About a year ago when I embarked on my natural journey, I learned about all of the harmful chemicals that are found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets (which are not indicated on the label). One of which is formaldehyde (#1 cancer causing chemical). Wool dryer balls can be used in place of commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets. The chemicals from these products coat your clothes and end up on your skin. The effects of the chemicals are especially harsh if you have sensitive skin, like my husband.
• Wool dryer balls are green- apart from the color. They can be re-used for years, saving you hundreds of dollars.  They are also made from a renewable source.
• Wool dryer balls won’t affect the absorbency of your towels, cloth diapers, etc. like commercial softeners do.
• They reduce drying time, saving money (they fluff and tumble your clothes, and each load is done faster, reducing energy costs).

How do they work?

Wool dryer balls separate clothes so that warm air circulates better. They soak up some of the moisture from your laundry as it dries, and evenly distribute it into the air, thus reducing drying time, softening the clothes and lowering energy usage.  Some people just use a few, and others use more. The more you use, the faster your clothes will dry.

You can go about making them several different ways, but I’ve outlined the way I did it below. You can use wool roving (which is why my balls look the way they do) or wool yarn – and you can even reuse an old wool clothing item like a piece of a wool sweater or wool socks for the middle of the balls.

My favorite look is to use wool roving, which gives a unique felty look.

What you need to make your wool dryer balls:

• Wool roving or wool yarn  (You'll want at least 6-8oz to make 3 balls if you only use roving)
• Felting tool 
• Optional: Wool scraps (this will decrease the amount of roving needed)
• Pantyhose
• Scissors

 This is what wool roving looks like:

Directions:

1. Twist wool into a tight ball. If you are using scraps, cover the scraps with wool yarn or roving.
2. As you add pieces of roving, use a felting tool to get all of the roving to stay together in a ball. Stick the tool straight into the ball several times until it seems to stay together on its own. Make sure to poke it straight in, because otherwise the needles will break. (I use three needles in my tool). This process takes a few minutes. 
3. Get the ball to be about the size of a softball (they shrink down).
   Here is what it will look like at this point:
   
4. Tie the balls tightly and separately in pantyhose. They will look like this:
   
5.  Wash on HOT. You can toss into the washing machine alone or with other clothes. Then throw them in the dryer. You can do this twice to make sure it felts correctly.
6. Once dry, free the balls from the pantyhose! You may need a scissors. They should come out the size of a tennis ball.
7. Once complete, toss the dryer sheets and set them free into the dryer for future loads.

Don’t forget to scent!  Because I use non-scented laundry detergent, I put a drop of essential oil on each ball to make the laundry smell fresh. My favorite oil to use is Young Living’s Purification. Choose a high quality oil so your clothes won’t get stained. 

Why I love Peppermint Essential Oil

 

There are hundreds of essential oils out there, but if I could pick one that I use the most often, it would be PEPPERMINT.

The health benefits of peppermint oil and uses have been documented back to 1,000 BC and have been found in several Egyptian pyramids. Young Living's peppermint is labeled as a dietary supplement, because it's primary benefit is aiding digestion. You can not only ingest, but also diffuse or use topically. Note: I would never recommend ingesting any essential oils other than Young Living's because of their Seed to Seal Guarantee. Knowing exactly what I put on and in my body is very important to me.

Young Living peppermint oil is so potent and pure that ONE DROP delivers the effectiveness of 26 cups of pure peppermint tea! These oils are potent so a little goes a LONG way!

Caution:  Peppermint is considered a "hot" oil. That means your skin can be sensitive to the oil. You may want to dilute the oil with a carrier oil before applying. A carrier oil is any greasy kind of oil you'd find in your kitchen such as olive oil or coconut oil.  A list of carrier oils can be found in my post on facial moisturizer.  When using on kids, definitely dilute.

Some of MY FAVORITE uses of peppermint oil include:

• Putting it on my temples or under my nose to energize during that occasional mid-day slump (Essential oils are grease-less, so you cannot see them if you put them on your face)
• Diffuse a couple drops while working in my office to help with focus
• Drink a drop in a cup of hot water. This it does WONDERS for my nose (and not to mention digestion)
• Use after a long day to perk me up for the gym
• Add it to my homemade "Deep Relief" roll on for happy muscles
• Use in various personal hygiene products such as homemade peppermint foaming hand soap, lavender mint shampoo and peppermint sugar scrub. (I'll add my recipes soon.)
• 2-3 drops in a batch of brownies
• Spray with water around the door jams and windows to keep those spiders out!

Other Primary Benefits:

• Supports gastrointestinal system comfort.
• Promotes healthy bowel function.
• Enhances healthy gut function.
• Maintains efficiency of the digestive tract.
• Supports normal digestion.
• May support performance during exercise.
• Wakes up your body
• Helps cool down your body
• Tightens pores- toner

Essential Oil Diffuser for the Car

 I'm super excited about my new creation! I commute 60 miles a day for work, and spend a lot of time in my car. I found a simple way to spread the invigorating aroma of peppermint essential oil throughout my car, keeping me more alert while driving with this diffuser clip.

Supplies:
- clothes pin (Here are some fun ones found on Amazon)
- cork  (Amazon or Michael's Store has some)
- glue  (I used a hot glue gun)
- essential oil (I use Young Living's therapeutic grade)

Directions:
Glue a small piece of cork to the clothes pin (leather or felt works too).
Place one drop of essential oil on the cork and place on car vent.
Enjoy!

How to Make Non-toxic Peppermint Foaming Hand Soap

Have you wanted to rid your home of the store bought anti-bacterial soap filled with various disruptors to your body's systems? Now you can have a soap that not only smells great, but is also great for your body! 

Did you know that the word "fragrance" on a label can contain up to 300 non-disclosed toxins! This peppermint foaming hand soap is non-toxic, easy to make, and perfect for the holidays. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 parts plain castile soap
• 3/4 parts distilled water
• 6 drops peppermint essential oil (I use Young Living's therapeutic grade)
• 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil (Olive oil, fractionated coconut, sweet almond, jojoba, etc.)
• A foaming soap dispenser  Note that plastic is fine to use, but if you ever make foaming soap with citrus oils, make sure to store in a glass container.

*Note that the carrier oil is optional. I added it because it helps to hydrate the skin. 

Directions

Pour the castile soap and carrier oil into the dispenser. Add drops of essential oil, and add the water. Mix and screw on the top. That’s IT!