Frankincense

Frankincense essential oil has a broad range of uses, from enhancing spiritual and meditative practice to use in beauty routines. Frankincense has an earthy, uplifting aroma that’s perfect for grounding and spiritual connectedness. Create a safe and comforting environment by diffusing this oil’s empowering aroma, particularly when you are seeking purpose or engaged in prayer or meditation.

Do you love science? Frankincense contains 8% sesquiterpenes and 78% monoterpenes, which are known to be calming. Go do yourself a favor and google the benefits of sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes while you’re at it.

Frankincense is amazing for the skin so combine a drop of Frankincense and Lavender in your daily moisturizer and you will be amazed at the appearance of your skin. Youthful skin?! Who wouldn’t want that!

Citrus Fresh Vitality

Citrus Fresh Vitality essential oil blend is a mix of Orange, Grapefruit, Mandarin, Tangerine, Lemon, and Spearmint essential oils.

It can be used to add zest to chicken, salmon, and gourmet salads. I love adding a drop or two to fresh fruit dip or yogurt for added bonus flavor.  Want tastier water? Add it to your water for a citrus-with-a-hint-of-mint flavor to keep you motivated to stay hydrated. Or perhaps add a drop to your Ningxia Red for even more health benefits.

Citrus Fresh Vitality can also provide an internal boost with its antioxidants and cleansing properties.

Have you ever used essential oils to flavor your food? If not, a little goes a long way.

Raven

Raven is a cleansing blend of Ravintsara, Peppermint, Eucalyptus Radiata, and other essential oils. Raven creates a cooling sensation when applied topically to the chest and throat and is smells amazing great when being diffused.

Breakdown of the individual oils used in the Raven blend:
  • Lemon prompts physical energy, and is great over lungs.
  • Wintergreen contains 99% methyl salicylate which makes it great to apply to chest and joints pre or post workout.
  • Ravintsara is a cross between clove and nutmeg. Great for energy.
  • Peppermint is soothing and cooling.
  • Eucalyptus radiata gives you a spa like experience when used or diffused.

Application: Dilute one to two drops and apply to reflex points of the body. Apply topically to lungs and throat. Diffuse or put on pillow at night.

Companion Oils: Melrose, RC, Thieves.

 

Citrus Fresh

Citrus Fresh is a blend that may help to enhance the feeling of well-being in children. It is relaxing and calming and it smells SO good. Think citrus with a hint of mint.

Single Oils Contained in This Blend:

Orange brings peace and happiness to the mind and body.
Tangerine is calming to the nervous system.
Mandarin promotes happiness. It is also refreshing, uplifting, and revitalizing.
Grapefruit is balancing and uplifting to the mind.
Lemon promotes health and physical energy.
Spearmint is uplifting to one’s spirit.

Application: May be applied on the ears, heart, and wrists or worn as a perfume or cologne. Diluted with V-6 Oil for a full-body massage. It may also be added to water for a relaxing bath. It is excellent for children, though dilution with V-6 Oil is highly recommended.

Use wool dryer balls and a few drops of Citrus Fresh for a fresh scent. Dry your clothes with the wool balls. When clothes are dry, add a few drops of oil to the wool balls and tumble dry for five minutes to scent clothes. You don’t need to spend money on fabric softener or dryer sheets and you eliminate a TON of harmful chemicals.

LIFE HACK: You can also use a Young Living baby wipe as a dryer sheet. If you don’t have a baby, these wipes are also great to remove your makeup! So many great uses for the baby wipes.

Safety Data: Avoid exposure to direct sunlight for up to 12 hours after use.

 

Panaway

Panaway essential oil is one of ten oils in the premium starter kit. Panaway has an invigorating aroma and cooling sensation when applied to the skin.

Ever get sore muscles? This is one of those that I turn to fairly often since I’m constantly sore from Camp Gladiator.  It is the perfect oil for your gym bag. A blend of Wintergreen, Helichrysum, Clove & Peppermint make working out a little more bearable. Apply a few drops to lotion or coconut oil and apply to muscles and joints pre and post-exercise.

Slept funny or have growing kids? Put a few drops in a container with a roller top for easy application to your neck or kids’ arms and legs when needed.

Make your own soothing bath salt by adding about 10 drops of PanAway essential oil to a cup of Epsom salt. Add a scoop of the bath salt to warm bath water and relax in a spa-like atmosphere.


Combine with Copaiba to enhance the properties or Peppermint to give an extra tingly sensation.

Copaiba & DiGize Vitality

Copaibe & DiGize vitality are two of the ten oils in the premium starter kit. These are two oils you will be thankful you own–trust me!

Copaiba Vitality helps the body naturally respond to injury and can enhance the properties of any other oil. It is calming and supportive to your digestive system. It is high in beta-caryophyllene. Don’t know what that is? I didn’t either. Google it: you will be glad you did.

DiGize Vitality is everyone’s favorite because it works so well. It’s a blend of Tarragon, Ginger, Peppermint, Juniper, Fennel, Lemongrass, Anise, and Patchouli, which is the perfect partner to any meal.

Combine Copaiba vitality and DiGize vitality daily, to provide amazing digestive support. You are so lucky to get these digestive powerhouses in your starter kit. Never leave home (or the country) without these two.

Lavender

Lavender essential oil is one of ten oils in the premium starter kit. It is one of our most versatile oils and has been nicknamed the swiss army knife of oils for its many uses.

Lavender has a scent that’s a wonderful blend of fresh, floral, clean, and calm. It’s this dynamic aroma that has made the flower a classic for perfumes, soaps, fresheners, and beauty products. As one of our most popular products, Lavender oil is a great beginner oil and a must for every home.

Imagine you’re sitting in a SPA, The music is a gentle instrumental piece. The lights are dim. You put your feet up and rest your head back. Take a big inhale and smell the Lavender in the air as it swirls around in your lungs. As you breathe out, a sense of peace comes over you and the weight is lifted off your shoulders.

With a bottle of Lavender and a diffuser, you can turn your bedroom into a quiet tranquil SPA every night.

With a diffuser and Lavender oil, you can experience this SPA moment every night.

EASY EVERYDAY USES:

Before bed, rub a few drops into your palms, over the pillow, the back of your neck, and the bottoms of feet.

Add 2-3 drops to a dryer ball and throw it in with your clean laundry!

Combine two drops each of Lavender, Frankincense,  and Stress Away into a cup of bath salts for a keep calm bath combo.

Put 4-8 drops in your diffuser to unwind after a long day. Use every night (or during nap time) to promote a restful night’s sleep, health, love, peace, and a general sense of wellbeing.

Peppermint Vitality

Peppermint vitality is one of ten essential oils in the Premium Starter Kit!

Peppermint Vitality essential oil has a bright, cool flavor, with benefits that include gastrointestinal comfort and normal digestion support, in addition to its great taste.

As a dietary supplement, Peppermint Vitality oil can support healthy gut function and digestive efficiency. These benefits make it a great way to start your day or end a meal. Additionally, Peppermint Vitality oil as a dietary supplement may support exercise performance to help you have a great workout.

Because of its great taste, it’s easy to add this versatile oil to your tea or experiment with it in your baking. It is also great for a afternoon pick-me-up, just place a drop in your water or tea.

Apply a few drops to a capsule to help support occasional nausea and a healthy digestive system.

Put a drop in your water bottle before exercise to support your work out.

Put five drops in your next batch of brownies and everyone will come back for seconds.

Immune Boosting Tea:

  • 1 drop Peppermint Vitality
  • 1 drop Lemon Vitality
  • 1 drop Thieves Vitality
  • 1 tsp raw honey

Stir into 16 – 24 oz warm/hot (drinkable temp) water and drink.

Young Living Peace and Calming Essential Oil

An oil every home should be stocked full of, Peace and Calming. Well, at least every home with children in it. Let’s face it we could all use a little bit of peace and calming in our homes. The witching hours? Peace & Calming. Bedtime? Peace & Calming. Momma Needs a Chill Pill? Peace & Calming.
Peace and Calming

 

Peace & Calming is a gentle, fragrant blend. When diffused, it helps calm tensions and uplift the spirit, promoting relaxation and a deep sense of peace. When massaged on the bottoms of the feet, it can be a wonderful prelude to a peaceful night’s rest. Peace & Calming may be especially calming and comforting to young children after an overactive and stressful day.

Peace & Calming is a blend of Tangerine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, and Blue Tansy.

5 Uses for Peace & Calming Essential Oil

1. Soak in a relaxing bath!
– This is a personal favorite usage of Peace and Calming for me! Mix 3-4 drops with a 1/2 cup of espom salts for a relaxing bath for you or your children.

2. Enjoy better sleep.
– Add 2-3 drops to your diffuser or apply 1-2 drops on the back of the neck for a peaceful night’s rest.

3. Calm anxious thoughts.
-Add 3-4 drops to your diffuser, apply 1-2 drops on wrists and over heart or wear a couple of drops in a diffuser necklace. Inhale deeply when feeling anxious!

4. Uplift Spirit.
– Add 3-4 drops to your diffuser to help lift your mood when needed. We are often diffusing this one in our house to help us get in better moods!

5. Help calm overactive children.
– This is a great one to put in the diffuser when you are wanting to calm down in the evening before bedtime or when you’ve been cooped up in the house for too long.

Everyday Oils Make-n-Take

I had heard briefly about make-n-takes prior to going to convention, but after attending convention decided this was something I wanted to incorporate with my team. I love the idea of learning how to make products that are chemical and toxin free for my family to use, but honestly the idea of going at it solo terrified me. As a newbie to the natural world, it scared me to make my own products so I knew that this wasn’t just an issue for myself but likely my downline also. So, my first make-n-take was easy not just for me (scared remember?), but also for my team. I also used this as a way to introduce people specifically to the everday oils by choosing three products using oils from the kit.

Everyday Oils Make-n-Take

The first thing we made was a Lavender Bath Soak. I had already been thinking about doing bath salts when this awesome DIY recipe was posted by Young Living on their facebook page.

Lavender Bath Soak Ingredients without Container

I decided to go with Lavender as my essential oil choice because it was in the everyday oils collection and is very relaxing. Personally, I love taking a bath when I am trying to relax and unwind from a long day. Another great option for relaxation from the kit would be Peace & Calming.

I set up stations for each item we made and had a different leader at each station to help with the instructions as well as answer any questions.

What you will need:

– A jar to hold the bath soak (I got these 12 oz Clear PET Plastic jars from Abundant Health 4 U for $.88/each. )
– Baking Soda (purchase at Target on my usual weekly run)
– Sea Salt (purchased at Target on my usual weekly run)
– Epsom Salts (purchased bulk at Costco)
– Young Living’s Lavender essential oil

Here’s how you do it:

1.  Add 1/4 cup each of sea salt, baking soda and epsom salts to the container.
2.  Add 10-15 drops lavender essential oil to the top (I like to do this in the middle and again on top to help with mixing).
3.  Shake up container with lid on to mix ingredients well.

Lavender Bath Scrub containers
The labels were picked up at Office Max and I picked one that would fit on all three containers. I used the Avery website to make my own labels and think they turned out pretty cute!

Next up, I decided to make Thieves foaming hand soap. I wanted to know how to make this for myself and figured it was a great way to introduce people to the amazing benefits of using Thieves essential oil.

Thieves Foaming Hand Soap Station

What you will need:

– A foaming hand soap dispenser.  You can reuse one that you already have or you can purchase a new one.
– Liquid Castile Soap (I used Dr. Bronners) – I got mine at Sprout’s when it was 25% off
– Vegetable Glycerine  – got mine at Sprout’s also
– Young Living’s Thieves Essential Oil

Here’s how you do it:

1.  Add 2-3 Tablespoons of Liquid Castile Soap to your soap dispenser.
2.  Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerine. This step is not necessary, but I believe you will find the soap drying without this ingredient.
3.  Add 10 drops of Thieves oil.
4.  Slowly fill your container with water.  Be sure to leave enough room for the large pump (otherwise you will have a spill over)
5.  Gently shake to combine all ingredients.

Thieves Foaming Handsoap Containers

The third item I decided to go with was a Peppermint Lip Scrub. I chose this after seeing a friend post it on facebook and it sounded good enough to eat!

Peppermint Lip Scrub Ingredients

 

What you will need:

– Small 1oz glass jars from Abundant Health
– White Sugar (bought Organic Sugar from Target)
– Coconut Oil Virgin & Unrefined (Bulk at Costco)
– Honey (Bulk at Costco)
– Young Living’s Peppermint Essential Oil

Here’s how you do it:

1.  Fill the jar 3/4 the way with sugar.
2.  Top off with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of honey.
3.  Add 4 drops of peppermint.
4.  Mix & enjoy!

No really, lick your lips delicious kind of enjoy!

Peppermint Lip Scrub

Hope this helps you successfully plan your very first make-n-take!

Lip Balm Filled Ornament

Need a great Christmas gift for a teacher, friend or family member? Why not make a really fun gift for someone using Young Living lip balms? These lip balms have become my absolute favorite for myself and to gift to others. I wanted to give my daughters teachers a fun gift using Young Living products and decided to put together these cute little ornaments.
lip balm filled ornament

This is a great cost efficient gift to give that gets a great product in the hands of people who may not already be using the products. My favorite way to buy the lip balms is through the Moisturizing Lip Balm collection only available in the 2014 Holiday guide. This collection comes with Lavender, Grapefruit and Vanillamint for only $15.13 retail or $11.50 wholesale. (Update: Available limited time YL Lip Balm Trio including Lavender, Grapefruit & Cinnamint) Makes such a great gift!

Young Living Lip Balms
You can pick up the large plastic ornaments for just at $.97 at Walmart then a bag of gift shred from Hobby Lobby for under $2.00 with a 50% off coupon. Fill the ornament half way with shred then toss in the lip balms. You can do one or all three. Then fill the remainder of the ornament with shred and close!

Christmas Ornament Supplies

 

This is such an easy gift that’s super practical, shares Young Living with someone and is cost affordable. I needed to make three gifts so I ordered two trios and put two lip balms in each ornament.

Christmas Ornament with Young Living Lip Balms

Business Builder Gift for the Oily Crew

Business Builder Gifts

One of my very favorite things to do is give gifts to other people. I’ve always got someone in the back of my mind when I’m out and about shopping. The other day I was at Marshall’s looking for decor for our new house when I spotted these awesome cups. I’ll admit at first I was solely thinking about myself and how I couldn’t wait to drink my citrus oils in water from these cute cups. It didn’t take long for me to quickly think about the business builders I’d be having over so I went and ahead and bought all they had in stock! These would make the perfect business builder gift and I couldn’t wait to give them my team.

Convention had just come to an end and I was super excited to share all the awesome new products with my leaders and let them see the ones that I had purchased (KidScents Collection, Aroma Ease, MindWise, Einkorn Pancakes, Einkorn Spaghetti, and the True Grit Syrup). I also wanted to share with them a few highlights from the sessions I had attended and my awesome experience at the farm. (PS Expect to see blog posts soon for your very own update on the farm experience)

So, let’s get back to the cups since that’s really what you are here for! If you didn’t know already then you should note that if you wish to add citrus oils to your water that you need to drink out of a glass or stainless steel item. The citrus oils eat petrochemicals and will eat paper or styrofoam right up! If you want to test this out for yourself then grab a styrofoam cup and put a drop of lemon on it. Within minutes it will eat through it! This is the very reason we want to consume citrus oils anyway so that we can clean out our systems of petrochemicals. So, go grab yourself a glass (or cute stainless steel cup) and some lemon oil and drink up. I typically add 2-4 drops of EO to my 8 oz glass. A personal citrus oil favorite is 2 drops grapefruit and 1 drop lemon!

Stainless Steel Mason Cups

So each of my builders got a cup with a little gift tag that I stamped with a thank you! I’m so very thankful for all the hard work my builders put in each month and hope they enjoy these cups! I got these super cute gift tags in the Target dollar spot and the stamp came from Hobby Lobby (though I totally have another one very similar also from the Target dollar spot).

Stainless Steel Cups for Gifts

You could add a sample dram of your favorite citrus oils to each of the cups for a class hostess or new member for another fun idea!

What’s your favorite citrus oil to add to your water?

 

Natural Carpet Deodorizer

Since starting to use Young Living I’ve realized just how many chemicals we have in our home so I’ve been slowly kicking all of them to the curb. I have a love for carpet deodorizer but realized it probably didn’t have the best ingredients in it so I chunked it a couple of months ago and have been really missing it. So why not make my own natural carpet deodorizer instead?

Natural Carpet Deodorizer

The best part is it’s so easy to make and you probably already have the ingredients available. All you need is a mason jar, a box of baking soda and a bottle of essential oils. I personally chose Young Living lavender essential oil. Another really great one to use would be Purification as it’s notorious for purifying the air and would be a great addition to a natural carpet deodorizer.

I filled the jar 1/3 way with baking soda then added 5 drops of Lavender. Then I filled the jar with another 1/3 baking soda and added 10 more drops of Lavender. Lastly, I finished filling the jar with baking soda and added about 5 more drops. Then I shook it up and headed for the carpets!

Steps for Natural Carpet Deodorizer

I got my particular lid in the Target dollar spot, but I know they sell similar tops on Amazon and at Hobby Lobby. You could also drill holes through the top of a regular lid or I’ve seen some people use a Parmesan cheese bottle instead. If you did decide to use a Parmesan bottle do yourself a favor and DO NOT use a citrus oil for your essential oil of choice or it will eat through the plastic! Personally, I’d rather just stick to the glass so I don’t have to worry about it!

Happy Cleaning!!

 

Handmade Bath Salts Using Essential Oils

Handmade gifts are some of my favorite gifts and I really wanted to do something special for my daughters teachers at church. They have been such a blessing over the past year and she’s moved on up to the next age group now. So last weekend I decided to whip up a couple of handmade bath salts using essential oils to gift to them.

Handmade Bath Salts using Essential Oils #youngliving

The best part about handmade gifts is that you can really cater them to the person you are making them for if you would like or you can leave it a bit ambiguous. As I made these bath salts I thought about the people that worked in my daughters room and what their needs might be. One of the girls is a working mom so I thought lavender for a relaxing evening after a long day would be nice. Another one of the girls does cross fit so I thought she might enjoy a valor soak! Sadly, I don’t know the other girl as well but based on my knowledge I think she’s a teacher so I thought peace & calming would be a good option!

Handmade Christmas Gift Bath Salts with Young Living Essential OilsI could have made them all the same bath salts but I wanted them to be able to choose which one they wanted. Plus they were each able to smell the three of them and get a little more familiar with the Young Living essential oils in general. The only thing I might have done differently is printed out uses cards to share what each of the oils were used for so they’d know a little bit more about that specific oil.

Essential Oil Epsom Salt Handmade Christmas Gift

I’ve also heard that adding 2 tsp of baking soda is a great idea and will leave the skin soft and just a little bit cleaner! I’ll be adding that to my next batch to try it out.

Holiday Gift Guide for Essential Oil Users

As an essential oil user, I’ve find myself wanting to add a few items to my collection to use with my oils. The more I thought about it the more I realized that other oil users might also like oily gifts for Christmas so I created this great holiday gift guide.

Holiday Gift Guide for Essential Oil Users

  1. Great Books – these two books are just two of many titles that are out there. I already have and love Gentle Babies and would recommend it for anyone who is pregnant or has children. The second is Healing Oils of the Bible, one that happens to be on my wish list!
  2. Aromo or Diffuser Necklace – this particular one is an Aroma Necklace with Essential Oil Vial, but there are many other options too. I personally really like the ones that Sacred Arrow offers, but haven’t been able to snatch one up yet. They sell fast!
  3. Young Living Oils Keychain – this is a favorite of mine and every oil user should own one. This would make a great stocking stuffer!
  4. Diffuser – This particular one is the Advanced Essential Oil Diffuser, but there are many other options. You can even order one directly from Young Living through my website or become a member.
  5. Glass Water Bottle – I actually have this particular Lifefactory Bottle and love it. I use this to drink orange water through out the day.
  6. Stainless Steel Straws– I use these to drink oils out of mason jars in particular. You can’t use plastic so this is a great gift item. Perhaps another awesome stocking stuffer!
  7. Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils – This is one of my favorite reference guides to use, you could buy the smaller one or the larger one and either way your oil using friend will love it!
  8. Oils Case – I’ve got this 30-Bottle Essential Oil Carrying Case on my wishlist.

These gifts are great ideas for an essential oil user in your life. I either these items already or have them on my own wish list. Would you add something to this list? Leave a comment to let me know what it is, I’d love to check it out!