Bug Repellent & Sunburn Spray DIY Recipes

A few weeks ago, Tiffany hosted a make & take class that featured Bug Away Spray and After Sun Spray. She shared the recipes she uses for both. Everyone got a chance to buy the blue bottles and make the items themselves. They were quite a hit and we thought it might be nice to share them on here.

I made labels for the bottles that I decided to share with you for free.  Here are the jpgs:

The best thing to do is to save them to your computer and place an order from Moo.com.  Essential oils aren't particularly friendly with regularly printed labels. This way, you can have high quality stickers with a vinyl coating.  

Health Risks Of Hand Sanitizers

Over-the-counter hand sanitizers seem such a quick and logical fix to disinfect hands, but when used on a regular basis or improperly they can cause adverse health effects. Health experts recommend washing hands with soap and water whenever possible, but even commercial hand soaps are full of toxic chemicals. Most hand sanitizers are made with potent toxic chemicals for the purpose of killing germs. The majority of hand sanitizers contain 60-90% of either ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, a concentration much higher than what is found in most hard liquors! Therefore, even small doses of sanitizer, when ingested, can cause headaches, dizziness, and slurred speech. Extreme cases of hand sanitizer poisoning include brain damage and death. Hand sanitizer poisoning is most common among children who are drawn to the bright colors and sweet scents. Children who ingest even a small amount of hand sanitizer can become intoxicated and be at risk for alcohol poisoning. 

Parents should teach children to keep hands out of mouths, eyes, ears, and noses when out in public such as at school, at the store, at a friend’s house and so on, and to wash hands immediately upon arriving home as well as frequently as possible. Parents themselves should be models of frequent hand washing as well as doing so for their own health. But, teaching children to keep hands out of mouths is especially important if children use sanitizers at school, at home, at friends’, and so on. It’s also important to keep hand sanitizers out of children’s reach as with any other chemical.

Since hand sanitizers contain a high amount of alcohol they are also highly flammable. Small quantities of hand sanitizer burn "very hot, very quickly" if set on fire. Keep sanitizers out of the hot sun, cars overheated by the sun, and away from incandescent light bulbs and heaters. Should you choose to use hand sanitizers when cooking or grilling make sure hands are completely dry before getting near a hot stove or grill!

Furthermore, due to their high alcohol content, sanitizers can cause dry skin, which in turn means skin can become cracked and broken. Broken skin exposes the body to "the same contagions hand sanitizers are trying to prevent." Do not use sanitizers if you have any open cuts and scrapes on your hands, including hangnails and paper cuts. Sanitizers can irritate cuts and scrapes, which can cause infection, burning, itching, and rashes. Health experts discourage the biting of fingernails or any touching of the mouth and lips with hands after using sanitizers.

Another problem with hand sanitizers is that they may not leave hands completely clean after use. Should hands be visibly dirty or have dirt under the fingernails hand sanitizers will not be very effective. Hand sanitizers are not a replacement for using soap and water, especially if the body is fighting illness. Sanitizers will not clean hands if hands are greasy, wet, or are covered with food residue.so washing hands is important.

Chemical hand sanitizers do in fact kill both the good and the bad bacteria. While, it is good to kill the bad, it is not so great to kill the good. The good bacteria protects our body from infection as well has helping it to fight the bad bacteria. If we get rid of the good, how will we fight the bad?? 

Ultimately hand sanitizers will not protect you from getting sick and some of the ingredients may actually make you sick. So a more preferable way to stay healthy and avoid viral and bacterial infections is to take plenty of natural vitamin C and vitamin D, eat powerful super-foods, drink plenty of clean water and use essential oils to support your body.   

Everyone knows how important it is to have clean hands. Cleaning them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best method but there are times when you could use a quick cleaning.

Most folks would love to have a hand cleaner and hand sanitizer to use when they don’t have access to soap and water. Making your own sanitizer using essential oils is very simple to do. There are many recipes available to make your own.

Common essential oils for use in any type of sanitizer include but are not limited to the following: Tea Tree (aka Melaleuca); Oregano; Thyme; Eucalyptus; Cinnamon leaf; Geranium; Rosemary; Lavender; & Peppermint.

Making Lotion Bars & Lip Balm

A good friend, Sarah, taught us a class on Friday.  She demonstrated how to make lotion bars and lip balm, which she has been doing for several months.  Sarah has been suffering from problem skin on her hands for several decades.  When her hands come into contact with almost anything, she ends up with blisters, cracks, bleeding, and horribly itchy hands.  She wears gloves to clean and do quite a few things because most things including creams from doctors have only made it worse.  She has been reluctant to use anything on her hands.

About six months ago, I suggested that she try coconut oil.  She was hesitant at first, but tested it out and was pleasantly surprised.  Since then, she did some research and started making lotion bars and lip balm.  The lotion bars actually act as a protect-ant so that she is able to do some of the normal things we all do without her gloves.  She decided to share her technique with us last Friday.

First, she melted equal parts of cocoa butter, lip balm and coconut oil.  She poured the melted mixture into molds and chap-stick containers.  Next, 3 -5 drops of essential oils were added.  She swirled them in with a toothpick.  The last step was letting them cool.  Sarah also had a shrink wrap for the chap-stick that was adorable.  We cut out scrapbook paper for a label and melted the shrink wrap around it.  

The lotion bars and lip balm are great for anyone to use.  Some essential oils that soothe skin include helichrysum, juniper berry, thyme, geranium, melaleuca, lavender, and patchouli.  

Perking Up Your Immune System for the Holidays

Yesterday, I came across this article:

Flu Shot Effectiveness

Apparently, the flu predictions weren't very accurate this year.  Whether people chose to have the flu shot or not, we all need to enhance our immune system.  This is especially important with the holidays when we are busier than ever and want to enjoy it in full health.  We can perk up our immune system in a lot of ways.

Some things that might be hurting your immune system during the holidays include:

1.Skimping on Sleep

This is one that I am definitely guilty of quite often, even when it isn't December. I put my kids in bed and go back to work emails.  Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found that less than 7 hours of sleep causes sluggish T-cell (white cells that defend against infections).

2. Eating too Much Fat

I am not saying to cut fat out of your diet, it certainly has benefits.  However, high-fat diets make certain immune system cells more sluggish and functioning at a lower capacity.  Researchers at Tufts University studied the effects on the immune system of diets containing 38% fat (which is a typical Western diet) compared to diets with 28% fat.  People with the lower fat diet had enhanced T-cells, which is a type of white blood cells.

3. Stress Overload

This one, of course, is difficult to avoid. Bruce McEwan, PhD from Rockefeller University said "ongoing stress suppresses circulation of immune cells, as well as inhibiting the activation of the immune response, which is key to clearing viruses and bacteria."

4. Repressing Feelings

Quite a few people complain about spending time with their dysfunctional families.  I think family time is great.  I never get enough of it.  If family time is stressful for you, remember that repressing your feelings isn't healthy either. "Writing or talking about an unresolved trauma helps you put the event into perspective, organize it, and ultimately get through it" according to the author of The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us.  If discussing it with the person that you have the issue with doesn't help, talk to someone else or even write it down in your journal.  The author also said, "Afterwards, people sleep better, feel and think better, and have richer social lives."

5. Drinking too much alcohol

I don't happen to drink at all, so "too much" isn't a problem for me.  If you do, you might want to consider cutting back.  Besides the fact that it is never bad advice for down-playing your drinking at company holiday parties, there are also health benefits for not over-doing it.  According to the University of Massachusetts Medical School who reviewed studies from 2000 - 2008, "Too much alcohol can leave you vulnerable to infections, poor wound healing, and heart, liver, and pancreatic diseases."

In addition to avoiding the five things listed above, there are some proactive measure we can take using essential oils.  The Top 5 Oils I am using are:

1. Protective Blend

This oil blend contains wild orange, clove bud, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary.  These oils have been studied for their abilities to combat bacteria, mold and viruses.  It is commonly used to support bladder function, cleansing, colds, coughs, gum issues, halitosis, mold, and more.

2. Respiratory Blend

This oil blend contains laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, melaleuca, lemon, and ravensara. These oils have been known to soothe the tissues of the respiratory system.  It is commonly used to support anxiety, congestion, cough, respiratory system, sinus issues, and more.

3. Holiday Blend

This blend includes wild orange, nutmeg, pine, cassia, cinnamon bark, and vanilla absolute.  It lifts your mood, which is good for your whole body.

4. Melaleuca 

This oil is more commonly called Tea Tree Oil.  It is commonly used for pimples, colds and flu, gum problems, skin disorders, and more.

One of the ways that I like to use it is for throat tickles. Just a drop in your mouth does wonders.  It tastes awful for a little over 60 seconds, but the taste quickly disappears. Every time we feel a little tickle in our throats in the evening, we put a drop in our mouths. When we wake up in the morning, there is no sign of a problem.  Despite the taste, my kids ask for it when their throats are scratchy.  

5. Grounding Blend

This is known as the grounding blend. It contains spruce, rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense, and fractionated coconut oil. This is primarily used for anxiety, attention deficit, hyperactivity, nervousness, and balancing hormones. Balance is definitely what we all need more of during the holidays!

Frankincense, A Biblical Oil

We are all familiar with the story in the Bible of the wise men bringing a gift of Frankincense and Myrrh to the baby Jesus, but we may not understand the real value of their gift until we begin to understand the power of essential oils. Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils was Frankincense. Frankincense, Sandalwood, Myrrh, and Cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were often valued more than gold. The natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants are fifty to seventy times more potent than herbs. For instance one drop of Peppermint essential oil is more powerful than twenty-eight cups of peppermint tea. Throughout history essential oils have been known for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.

Frankincense has been proven to be effective when used topically, internally, and aromatically.

1.  Some ways to use it:

• Combine frankincense with Soothing Blend or Marjoram to help reduce muscle, joint, and bone pain. Massage two drops of each with fractionated coconut oil into the large joints like the knee and the shoulder. Half the dose for smaller joints. Reapply as needed.

• Place one to two drops of Frankincense under the tongue 1 to 2x daily for overall health.

• Oil pulling with Frankincense will help reduce gum disease and slow gum recession. Add one drop each of Frankincense and Protective Blend or Melaleuca to 1 to 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil. Swish for 20 minutes, spit into garbage, and brush teeth!

• Minimize the pain of headaches by placing one drop of Frankincense on the pad of the thumb, pressing the oil on the roof of the mouth for several seconds.

• For restless legs, apply two drops of Frankincense with carrier oil to the bottom of each foot and massage.

2.  Frankincense is beneficial for various skin conditions including the lessening of wrinkles and the reduction of age spots.

• Apply Frankincense neat (undiluted) to help uneven skin tone.

• Add a drop of Frankincense to your moisturizer.

• Apply undiluted to acne or breakouts.

• Apply with a little fractionated coconut oil to wounds to reduce scarring.  It is also great for stretch marks while pregnant!

3.  Frankincense helps on a daily basis.

• Apply to the temples for stress relief.

• Apply to the brain stem and neck 2x daily to help lift your mood.

• Add Frankincense along with the respiratory blend and massage on chest and throat respiratory support.

Add Frankincense to any essential oil to enhance that oil's properties.  Think of it as "the kicking it up a notch" essential oil.

5 Tips to Getting Started

Often when people get interested in essential oils, they are not quite sure where to begin.  There are numerous oils and countless ways to use them.  Fortunately, Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils are safe so diving right in and figuring out as you go works well.  That is what I did along with many of my friends.  However, it would have been nice to have a little more guidance at the beginning.  Here is a simple list of tips that I wish I would have had:

1.  Less More Often

One of the common sayings that essential oil users like repeating is "Less More Often."  Perhaps this saying should be used when it comes to many aspects of your health. If you are training for a marathon, would you run 20 miles one day in the month and sit on the coach the rest of the month? - No. Would you swallow a whole bottle of vitamins in one day? - No.

I find that a drop or two of lemon oil in my water everyday does wonders for me. If I feel a scratchy throat or something coming on, I might blast it with a drop of oil (Melalueca, Clove, or Lemongrass) every 15 minutes or half hour for a few hours and then back off to a couple of times a day. I certainly would not empty an entire bottle in a few minutes.

2.Carrier Oils 

Carrier oils are useful when working with essential oils because most of the time oils should be diluted. Essential oils are quite powerful/potent. Some are even considered "hot" like oregano or tingly like peppermint. If you ever apply an oil and feel like it is too strong, quickly slather a carrier oil on top. Do not try to wash it off with water. Oil and water don't mix, right? Carrier oils do not lessen the effects of the essential oils. They actually assist in the absorption of the therapeutic properties and diminish evaporation of the essential oils.

Carrier Oils include coconut oil as well as fractionated coconut oil (liquid coconut oil), grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and safflower oil.  These can be picked up at a local grocery store.  I would have to recommend coconut oil (solid and/or liquid).  This oil is mild enough to use around your eyes.  Plus, it has many beneficial properties by itself and has a long shelf life.  A few of the other oils on the list can go rancid.

3. Information Resources 

There are many resources to learn about oils.  Besides this blog (of course), I recommend:

Dr. Axe
Healing Our Homes
Little Blog Cabin

Those sites are great to get you started.  In the future, you'll probably want to purchase the Modern Essentials Book, Emotions and Essential Oils Book, the Essential Life, and possibly the app (Android or Apple).

4. Additional Supplies 

When you get started, you hear about making cleaning supplies, roller-bottles, health sprays, lip balms, and just about anything. You also see little sample bottles with stickers on top. It is fun to share oils, but you might not know where to get these supplies. For your first time trying something, you might want to head to a store like Sprouts. You can get individual roller bottles and spray bottles there.  If you like making the blends and happen to find millions of recipes on Pinterest and all over the internet, then you'll want a cheaper place that sells them in a pack.  Here are a few websites you can order from:

AromaTools
My Oil Business
Wholesale Supplies Plus
Amazon Supplies

5. Avoid Plastic

Because essential oils are very powerful, they tend to disintegrate synthetic materials like plastic and especially Styrofoam. Unless you are doing a science experiment, you should keep oils away from these materials. That includes drinking a drop of lemon or wild orange in a plastic water bottle or cup.  Glass or stainless steel work much better with essential oils. I added links to the ones at AromaTools, but I have seen similar ones at Target or various other stores around town.    

I hope this list helps you as much as I am sure it would have helped me. Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions: frecklefacegirl01@hotmail.com.

Top Quality Essential Oils

A few days ago, I was at the mall and went into an incense/hippie type shop.  I like going into different places just to look around.  When I got to the back of the store, I saw the oil display above.  I couldn't help but smile (and of course take a picture).

Before discovering the difference in the quality of oils, I purchased a few oils from various places. I think the first one was tea tree oil.  Lice was going around the school and I heard that rubbing a drop on the back of kids' necks will keep them away.  I bought a bottle at our local health food grocery store.  It is a common brand that only costs about $7. I thought it smelled awful, but I consistently applied it every morning until the lice talk died down.  I even told 2 of my neighbors about it and they bought bottles from the store to do the same thing.  None of our kids got lice, so we were all thrilled.  When it was over, I put it away in my bathroom cabinet and decided I'd use it again for the next outbreak.

One of the first oils I bought from a top quality company was Melaleuca (aka tea tree) oil.  I still had the other bottle in my bathroom, but my friend had me compare it to hers.  Her oil was completely different.  It smelled better and I noticed that I was just drawn to it more.  After comparing them, I noticed that the one from the store smelled like it had rubbing alcohol in it.  I put a drop of each on my skin and was just as surprised by the differences.  I never looked back.

Several months later, my mom told me that she had a tickle in her throat.  I told her that a drop of Melaleuca under the tongue had done wonders for my kids and me. After talking, she decided that she wanted to test it out. She went down to the drug store and bought a bottle of whatever brand they had there. The next morning, she called me and told me that the second the drop hit her mouth she gagged and ended up puking.  She couldn't believe that the kids or I had done it.  I explained that this can only be done with high quality oils with a label listing it is for dietary use. She looked on her bottle and it said "not for consumption."  Since then, she has grown to love high quality oils too.      

These stories are important to tell because oils are not created equally.

A Steaming Mug for Sinus Relief

Many of us like to try different things when we are stuffed up. I sometimes drink hot
lemon water. Another thing I like to do is get a mug of water with boiling water and add 1 to 2
drops of these oils:
Oregano
Lemon
Melaleuca
Peppermint
I put my face over steaming mug and breathe the vapors in deeply. It is nice to have a little support when you are miserable.