World Landscape Architecture Month & Earth Day 2016

Happy Earth Day & World Landscape Architecture Month!!! 

This April I am sooo thankful for having discovered all natural wellness & cleaning products straight from the Earth!!! My love of essential oils is perfectly in line with my love of nature and being a Landscape Architect!

(Read more about that in my previous Nature Posts - Growing Up in Nature, Maturing in Nature and Living in Nature) 

I want everyone to experience the freedom & health & peace of mind that Young Living Essential Oils has given to me! So take advantage of my offer below or send me a message about getting together to learn more about these incredible oils!!!

Let's Learn! - What I've Learned about Essential Oils in 2015 and What's in Store for 2016!

To put it mildly, 2015 has been a year of changes for my family!  Specifically, I discovered essential oils (not sure why it took me so long!) and watched "Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret".  2015 has been an eye-opening year and 2016 looks as though what has been set in motion in 2015 will continue!

I happened upon essential oils mid year.  For quite some time I had been trying to use the "greenest" cleaning products that I could find in the stores, I was using fragrance free detergents and keeping my eyes and ears open for new products that were not potentially harmful for my family but yet were effective.  A friend (and now a business colleague) had been posting about essential oils and when I was approached by another multi-level marketing company about a different product line, it made me reach out to my essential oils friend and I started asking questions.  As I began learning more about essential oils, I began doing my own independent research on them.  Needless to say, I was impressed with what I discovered and could not wait to get my hands on my very own set of essential oils!  (Read my Essential Oils Page to find out what Essential Oils are, why I choose to use Young Living Essential Oils and what the various purchasing options are.)

11 essential oils come in the Young Living Premium Starter Kit with diffuser.  Here is how I use each one of the 11 essential oils every day:

Lavender - I love the smell of a little Lavender EO!  Too much Lavender can be overwhelming!  (It is important to remember that with all essential oils, a little goes a long ways!)  I like to wear it under my arms as a natural deodorant!  When my children or I have a runny nose a little Lavender EO helps slow it down.

Peppermint - Peppermint EO in my water in the afternoons gives me a natural boost, it is especially useful when I'm going to be driving in the car for long stretches and need to stay alert.  I also use it on my children to help open them up so that they breath better before going to bed.  Peppermint EO also repels spiders!  During the warmer weather, I spray Peppermint EO around the doors and windows and spiders stay away.  Such a great alternative to scary pesticides!  I don't have to worry about my children's health when using Peppermint EO around them, like I would with the traditional pesticides.

Lemon - I mix Lemon EO in my homemade cleaning products.  It fights stickiness and grime naturally!  We love cleaning our small fruits and vegetables in a big bowl of water with 1-2 drops of Lemon EO.

Copaiba - Copaiba EO can be added to many of our essential oil blends to enhance/boost the effects of many of the other essential oils.

Frankincense - I have been using Frankincense EO on my children daily to help promote health and wellness, especially since they have a tendency to cough often.

Thieves - I probably use Thieves EO the most!  I have run out of it in the past and everyone ended up sick!  Not a coincidence - I will never run out again!  I diffuse and clean with Thieves to help maintain a healthy environment and to boost wellness.  I made a spray with Thieves EO that I spray in the child sized potty after every use and I use it as an air freshener in the bathroom, garbage cans or anywhere with a funky smell!  Every night before bed I apply Thieves EO to my children's feet.  My homemade toothpaste also has Thieves EO in it!  I love putting Thieves EO in my hot tea when I'm not feeling the greatest and when a sore throat is trying to make one of us uncomfortable, a spoonful of honey with 1 drop of Thieves EO makes us feel so much better! 

Purification - If I feel a blemish growing on my face, I put a tiny bit of Purification EO on it a few times during the day, or if I do mess with the blemish before applying Purification EO, the Purification EO calms it down and helps it go away quickly.  Purification EO is also great on my wool balls in my dryer.  It makes our clothes smell great naturally!

R.C. - As the weather changes and everyone is coming down with a cold, I enjoy diffusing R.C. EO with Lavender EO.  It smells amazing!  It is great for my children at night, as the R.C. blend helps open them up and the Lavender calms them. 

DiGize - For me, if I start to feel sinus pressure, I reach for my DiGize EO and apply it to the flex points on my toes.  Putting it on consistently for a few days, helped relieve the pressure and kept me feeling great!  I'll also keep DiGize EO handy for the times when I may overindulge on food and or drink and my stomach is a mess.  DiGize EO settles my tummy issues quickly!

PanAway - For someone who likes to be active, and for someone who seems to always have a little ache in my neck, I need to keep my PanAway EO close!  I use it as Icy Hot on aches and pains.  It feels great on my neck and shoulders and on my hands where an old softball injury flares up as the weather changes.  

Stress Away - I have three young children and taking them out in the public can occasionally be stressful.  I like to apply Stress Away EO to my wrists and neck and take some deep breaths of the aroma before entering the situation.  I keep Stress Away EO in my purse in case I need to reapply while we are out.  The smell is wonderful! 

As you can see, I use my essential oils throughout the day!  My husband and children picked out a nice plastic case - similar to a tackle box, for me to put my oils in.  Now I will bringing my oils with me EVERYWHERE! They can go upstairs, downstairs, and out of town with us easily and securely!  I can whip up a solution quickly if something comes up while we are gone.  I feel so empowered using the oils!  I can finally take charge of what I am cleaning my house with and I don't have to be as reliant on over the counter medicines and prescription drugs to help my family feel good.  

I am so excited to continue using Young Living Essential Oils in 2016!  I have plans on trying some different essential oils that I have not tried yet and making more products for personal and home use.  Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on my oily journey!

If you are interested in joining me on my journey and would like to find out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!  I'd love to help you and your family take charge of your health and wellness and reduce your dependence on synthetic chemicals!  Please let me know how I can help!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Let's Learn! - Frankincense Essential Oil!

I think that learning about Frankincense Essential Oil is quite fitting for this Christmas week!  Until learning about essential oils, I had not heard about Frankincense outside of the Bible.  Nor had I thought about Frankincense.  I guess maybe I thought it was just something from Biblical times.  BUT, when I began researching Frankincense, I was VERY surprised that it is VERY much still around and VERY useful!!!

Many of us are familiar with the Wise Men who came to visit Baby Jesus.  They saw the star appear in the sky that signified Jesus' birth and they went to find HIM.  They brought valuable and important gifts to Jesus: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.  Bible History Daily has an explanation about why the Wise Men brought the gifts that they did.

In my research, I found that Frankincense is from the tree Boswellia carterii which is native to the Middle East and contains the naturally occurring constituent boswellic acid.  Frankincense comes in a few different forms, but the most pure and potent forms include Frankincense Resin and Frankincense Essential Oil.  The Resin is obtained by tapping the tree and collecting the Resin and letting it harden.  The Essential Oil is obtained through the distillation of the dry resin.  Young Living actually carries both the Frankincense Resin and the Frankincense EO.  More on the Resin later, as I haven't had a chance to use it yet!

Frankincense EO has a woodsy, warm, balsamic aroma. Frankincense can be diffused during meditation for grounding and purpose. Applying this oil topically may help smooth the appearance of healthy-looking skin, and is excellent to use for massage after activity.  Young Living also suggests that one can inhale Frankincense EO to spiritually refocus and one can rub Frankincense EO on the bottom of your feet to help alleviate nervous energy.

I have come to the conclusion, based upon my research, that Frankincense can and should be used for just about everything!!!  If you're feeling ill and coughing, rub some Frankincense EO on your chest with your other oils for respiratory health (like Eucalyptus and RC).  Diffuse Frankincense EO to help correct your mood and to trigger your Olfactory Region to respond.  Use Frankincense in your homemade skin care products to promote healthy skin.  

Finally, PLEASE do yourself a favor and complete an on-line search of Frankincense EO, Boswellia carterii and Boswellic acid.  Look for collegiate reports and medical and/or science journal papers.  One site that has a lot of information is the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health.  Since this is a government site, I would suspect that it would be quite biased one way or another, but I have been pleasantly surprised that the information seems to be the facts and what they report about Frankincense makes me happy!  Let's just say that I will consistently use Frankincense EO to encourage overall health and wellness, internal and external!

What is your favorite way to use Frankincense EO?

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.