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.  

Essential Oils for Kidney Support

Back in 2003, I started experiencing strange pains in my back. They were easy enough to
ignore, so I did. Not too long after that, I started having sharper pains just below my
stomach on the sides. I remember the time frame, because it started before we came to
Houston for my brother's wedding at Christmas. I mentioned it to my mom. I decided that
it hurt more when I was drinking soda, so I stopped drinking soda.

A month later, the pain increased, so I went to the doctor. He had me pee in a cup. He told
me that nothing was wrong because there were no white blood cells in my urine. I didn't
know what to think about that, so I just left and went about life. Fortunately, the pain didn't
continue hurting too much longer after that.

Fast forward to the spring of 2008. I had a toddler and little baby only a few months old,
when I started having the same pains again. This time, they were MUCH worse. One
Saturday, we went to a party for a friend's son. On the way back, I was in excruciating
pain. I called my mom and she told me that it is probably kidney stones. She told me to
drink lots of water and go to the doctor or hospital. I decided I would call a doctor on
Monday. I am one of those silly people that only go to the doctor if I am on my death bed,
so you can only imagine what it would take to get me to go to the emergency room at
midnight. Apparently, a tiny (4mm) kidney stone will do the trick.

There is a reason that most people compare this pain to giving birth. I had just given birth a
few months before, so it was easy to compare. I can tell you that I would rather give birth
because at least you get something positive out of that agonizing experience. The hospital
gave me a CT scan and a prescription for pain killers. I left the hospital not feeling any
better. Pain killers may be great for someone who feels like they are dying of pain, but not
the best thing for a woman who is nursing a baby. The next few days were less than fun for
me. Trying to pass that huge stone was NOT pleasant. I visited a urologist after that and it
all came down to the fact that I don't drink enough water.

Fast forward again to 2013. Do you see a pattern here? It is not that I wasn't trying to
drink more water. I guess I am just not that successful at it. This time, as soon as the
pains started, I knew exactly what it was. I also knew that if I went to the doctor, I'd most likely be
told to drink lots of water and let it pass. I looked up remedies online and came across the
olive oillemon juice remedy. I put 2 TBS of olive oil and another TBS of lemon juice in a
shot glass and downed it. The pain subsided rather quickly. When it came back, I did it
again.

I also mentioned my kidney pains to a friend, Tiffany. She had recently started
using essential oils and was kind enough to give me my first bottle of lemon oil. She told
me to add a drop or 2 to my water to support my kidneys. Within a few days of doing these 2 things, my pain was gone. I finally felt like I had a good solution.

I guess I have to wait to 2018 to see if the pattern is completely broken, but I am doing my part to support my kidneys in the mean time. I drink lemon oil in my water on a regular basis, which
makes drinking water more appealing.

I have mentioned what I have used and liked. There are other great oils to support kidney function including lemongrass, cinnamon, juniper berry, clary sage, wild orange, rosemary and coriander.