DIY Recipe of the Week: Dry Freshener

Last week I posted a recipe for a fabric freshener but that recipe was in liquid form. You can find that recipe here. 

Today I will share my all time favorite DRY multi-purpose freshener. This freshener gets many uses in places where the liquid freshener just would not do.




I use this freshener in my sinks, in my washing machine, in all our shoes, on our mattresses, and even on my carpets.

With two simple ingredients, my home (and children's feet) smell divine!



Ingredients:

Glass container of choice
Baking soda
Purification essential oil blend by Young Living

Instructions:

1. Fill glass container about 2/3 full of baking soda. (No measurements are necessary)

2. Place 5 drops of Purification essential oil blend on top of baking soda for smaller containers or 7-10 drops for larger containers.

3. Shake mixture until well blended. Open container and top off with baking soda (leaving enough space for more shaking) and shake again until well blended.

For the smaller jar, I placed a homemade pour spout from an orange juice container. Tutorial for this spout can be found here.



For the larger jar, I placed a 1/4 cup stainless steel measuring cup.

Jar label tutorial can be found here. (What they don't show in the video is that you should print your "labels" and let the ink dry for 24 hrs before proceeding. That is why mine look a little faded.)

Uses:

Washing Machine: 1/4 cup freshener to pungent loads

Shoes: sprinkle apprx 2 tablespoons freshener into each shoe coating entire inside; let sit for an hour; shake out excess over a trash can

Carpets: sprinkle lightly over carpet; let sit for an hour; vacuum

Mattresses: sprinkle lightly over mattress; let sit for an hour; vacuum

Sinks: sprinkle lightly all over inside sink; sprinkle down drain; pour 1/2 cup vinegar; wait for fizzing to stop, rinse sink

Diffusing Blend of the Week: Purification

I absolutely love the smell of Purification essential oil blend by Young Living.

As I am deep cleaning my home, I also love to take the time to diffuse Purification to fill the air with the fresh scents of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Myrtle, and Tea Tree.

I also use this blend in my vehicle. I like knowing that as I give guests rides that they can enjoy the fresh scent of this amazing blend rather than enduring the stale air that can often linger in a shut up tiny space.

Essential Oil of the Day: En-R-Gee

En-R-Gee essential oil blend offers an invigorating aromatic boost when you need it most. Diffuse or apply it topically during your morning routine or before any activity to enjoy the stimulating, spicy-pine fragrance of Rosemary, Juniper, Lemongrass, Nutmeg, Balsam Fir, Clove, and Black Pepper essential oils.

Benefits and Uses:

• Combine with Clarity™ essential oil blend and diffuse during long drives or late night study sessions for an invigorating aroma that will help you push through.
• Diffuse at work or home for an aromatic pick-me-up in the afternoon.
• Add a couple drops to V-6™ Vegetable Oil Complex and massage into temples, bottoms of feet, or back of neck before a challenging activity for an exhilarating fragrance.
Key Constituents:
En-R-Gee contains the naturally occurring constituents alpha-pinene, eucalyptol, camphor, myristicin, and geranial.

Did You Know? Making Homemade Essential Oil Blends

If you are unsure of just how to make homemade DIY essential oil blends, then this handy dandy guide can help you remember!



Use these ratios depending on what size bottle you are reusing. This isn't a written in stone rule...more like guidelines actually....



So don't throw away those empty bottles! Keep them for future use!!

DIY Recipe of the Week: Fabric Refresher

Whenever I need to spruce up around the house, one of my go-to's is my homemade fabric refresher.

My favorite essential oil to use is Young Living's Purification, but you can substitute your favorite essential oil instead.

I have two reasons I add the witch hazel to this mixture. 1) oil and water do not mix but the witch hazel will assist in dispersing; and 2) witch hazel has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties...all which not only contribute to bad health...but also contribute to odors.

To use, mix water and witch hazel in a glass spray bottle. Add the essential oils and gently shake. Lightly spray onto whatever fabric needs attention. Do not saturate. Always test a hidden spot first if you are unsure of the outcome. Not recommended for use on wool or silk.

Vitality Recipe of the Week: Energy Bites

An oldie but goodie go-to snack for both the kids and the adults is pop in your mouth no bake Energy Bites.

These do contain either peanut butter or tree nut butter depending on which option you choose. If you are only allergic or sensitive to one, then you may substitute with the other. I have a kid allergic to coconut so I eliminated this popular ingredient option. (I have listed in the cooking instructions how to incorporate the coconut if you indeed desire this option!!)

After I make these, I keep them in the freezer so they can last much longer...depending on how addicted you get to these.

What a great way to choose a healthier snacking option while supporting your immune system at the same time.



Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 1 2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal (I prefer old-fashioned)
2. 1 tablespoon chia seeds
3. 1/2 cup ground flax seed
4. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5. 1/2 cup peanut butter (or your favorite tree nut butter)
6. 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
8. 1 to 3 drops Young Living Thieves Vitality Essential Oil (to taste)

In a large glass bowl, add all the dry ingredients (oatmeal, chia & flax seeds, cocoa) and combine these thoroughly ensuring any cocoa chunks are broken. (If you do desire the coconut option then add 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and reduce the oatmeal by 2/3 cup.)

In a medium glass bowl, add the nut butter and sweetner and blend until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla and Thieves Vitality essential oil and blend thoroughly.

Create a well in the dry ingredients bowl, and add the wet ingredients. Mix until all the dry ingredients are thoroughly and evenly blended. Adjust this recipe with more oatmeal if this is too wet to form.

Form approximately 1 inch diameter balls and place onto a try lined with parchment paper until all recipe is used. Chill for 2 hours or freeze for later use. After a few hours of freezing, I place the bites into a freezer container for easier storage and protection from freezer burn.

Oil of the Day

My family doesn't know it...but THIS is their favorite product.

When mom is happy...everyone is happy.



Why is their a California Proposition 45 warning on the label?

DIY Recipe of the Week: Facial Toner

Facial toner is a great way to add to your beauty regiment. The benefits of a facial toner can promote pore shrinkage. Large pores are more susceptible to dirt and toxins which can lead to acne.

The best time to add facial toner is after cleansing your face.



Why magnesium flakes?

The magnesium flakes are a two fold benefit. We all learned in science class that oil and water do not mix. The magnesium flakes work as a dispersant to defy this rule. 

The second benefit is...well...magnesium! I always am in need of that. My favorite brand of magnesium flakes are Ancient Minerals. You can find this product on Amazon.

Cooking with Essential Oils Recipe of the Week

Just because school has started for many of us does not mean that summer is over.

Too keep the spirit of the season alive, enjoy grilling supper this weekend.

I actually have three truly easy and delicious essential oil infused marinades to share that are sure to fire up those taste buds.

So, break out those Young Living Vitality Essential Oils and those charcoal briquettes and let us get to grillin'!!

So which flavor is your mouth in the mood for: Citrusy Marinade? Mediterranean Marinade? Honey Lime Merinade? Maybe a choice of all three?

You will find all three recipes complete with instructions in one handy place at the official Young Living Blog here.

Why Young Living Keeps Running Out of Oils and Why I Don't Mind

If you are a customer with Young Living, you have most certainly tried to order an oil recently that is OOS (Out Of Stock). Frustrating? Yes. Should it be? No....and here is my reason why I choose not to be.

The entire reason why Young Living is the ONLY brand of essential oil products that I will use or recommend is their Seed to Seal guaranty. Seed to Seal means that Young Living controls every aspect of every plant they use from the beginning of where and how the seeds came into existence to the very end when they seal their bottles for shipment.

Either Young Living owns the farm from which the seeds come or they are in direct partnership with the farms. Young Living's quality control goes way beyond what any law deems is satisfactory. Young Living's quality control assures me that there are no dangerous chemicals in any product. What they list is what you get. No secret ingredients, additives, or impurities here.

Because of this quality control and the fact that Young Living products come from plants....well....plants have seasons and they have life spans. Sometimes Young Living just plainly runs out of plants. Because Young Living refuses to thin their oils with additives to make them last longer sometimes we have to wait for the next crop.

If you do not currently have a distributer and you would like to make a purchase please visit me here.

Our Emotional Memories to Smells

Did you know our amygdala will only respond to the sense of smell? 

What is an amygdala (ah-MIG-dah-lah) you ask? 

This is the portion of the brain that is the central headquarters of our limbic system which stores our emotional experiences. 

The key to much of our physical healing rests in releasing these emotional experiences that when trapped can make us sick. 

Just simply smelling pure therapeutic oils can immediately begin a release of bottled up emotions.

In my last post I discussed the benefits of a Zyto scan and how it works. This scan can also reveal if there are certain emotions that could possibly be linked to certain products the Zyto scan recommends. 

Contact me if you desire a Zyto scan or would like to learn more about how Young Living pure therapeutic oils can assist your different body systems.

ZYTO Scanning

The other evening a dear friend of mine and I had an opportunity to perform Zyto scanning on 16 individuals. We had men, women, and even children participating.

What is ZYTO scanning? Basically, a ZYTO scan is a tool that reads the body through bio-communication much like a lie detector does. By interacting energetically with the body the ZYTO software will essentially "ask the body questions" and record the body's responses or "answers". This extremely short video can help explain. 

My favorite aspect of the scan is that it allows my body to communicate to me what it lacks nutritionally. My latest scan told me that Melaleuca Alternifolia and Mountain Savory could bring my baseline markers back into range. 

These two essential oils are excellent in assisting the immune system. 

If you live in the Coweta/Broken Arrow/Tulsa area and are interested in receiving a ZYTO scan and a consult of the results please feel free to contact me at my facebook here. 

UPDATE: After using Melaleuca and Mountain Savory faithfully for one month I can testify that my immune system was much improved!