What Smells So Good? | Diffusing 101-Young Living Essential Oils

I love my diffuser, LOVE it! And, in fact, I'm ordering a few more today! All of your oils can be diffused, singles or blends or mixed together to create just what you need. the YL diffuser creates a cool micro-fine vapor that is quickly dispersed throughout the room. 

Research indicates that when essential oils are diffused, they can increase atmospheric oxygen & provide negative ions, which in turn inhibits bacterial growth. Because of their ionizing action, essential oils have the ability to break down potentially harmful chemicals and render them nontoxic. And, of course, they smell delicious!!! I have not lit a candle in months!  {Don't even get me started on why that's great news! ;) -When you burn candles you are burning whatever is in the wax into the air that you breathe. If you are burning candles that are full of petroleum by-products, chemicals and waste products then you are breathing this in and causing more of a state of internal toxicity in the body. - See more at: http://healthywildandfree.com/breathing-toxic-fumes-candles/#sthash.58uoNMZE.dpuf}

So, What's in your diffuser? 

Right now, it's 6:15 a.m. and I've just added some more Thieves and Ravintsara to the one in the boys' room so that hopefully, they wake up refreshed and snot-free! Thieves kills 99.6% of airborne bacteria! I'm committed to using this daily! I also love to add Orange, Lemon or Peppermint to Thieves. 

Other favorite Combos:

Allergy Bomb: Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint- aside from just smelling Great, it will stop the itchy, watery eyes and throat, and sneezing in under 5 minutes!

Freshen and Neutralize the Air: Purification--gets out the toughest odors! I have 2 boys, 1 husband ;), and the stinkiest dog known to man- between them, their sports, hunting, work and play clothes and gear: imagine the odors I must have! I love to add citrus cents to this as well. 

Blues Buster: I love Joy! I use a lot of it, and my kids remind me if I forget! I also like it diffused, but it's pretty flowery, so the fellas don't love it. Instead, I diffuse a lot of Stress away... {Refer to above paragraph-- Stress Away is a daily requirement} Another to try is Lavender, Orange and Frankincense. 

For school: I use Lemon, Cedarwood and Vetiver. Helps with calming, focus, and retention. {Forrest gets an extra dose of Vetiver and Cedarwood on his wrists... this has changed our lives!} Sometimes we switch it up and use Lemon, Rosemary and Basil. Smells better and has similar results!

Share your favorite Combinations in the Comments! :)

{Direct from YL}

Young Living's Essential Oil Diffuser gives you the benefit of diffusing essential oils throughout your home or office. Diffusing is a simple and effective way to use essential oils. With Young Living's innovative air pump, oils are dispersed in a micro-fine vapor, allowing them to remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time. The diffuser disperses the oils without heating them so they retain their therapeutic benefits. When inhaled, the oils are easily absorbed through the lungs. Depending on the oil used, diffusing can cleanse the air of odor, calm overactive children, and support respiration.*

OverviewYoung Living’s newly designed Home Diffuser combines the multifunctional benefits of a humidifier, air purifier, atomizer, and aromatherapy diffuser into one easy-to-use product. Its ultrasonic technology breaks the mixture of essential oils and water into millions of micro-particles and disperses it into the air, activating the powerful plant constituents found in Young Living essential oils. Its light-weight design allows you to enjoy these benefits in any room of your home and comes with a convenient, automatic shut-off feature (see Operating Instructions).

The Home Diffuser can be used to:

• Transform your surroundings: The ultrasonic frequency generates
  waves at 2.5 million times per second, releasing essential oil molecules into the air to help create a relaxing, spa-like atmosphere in your home or office.
  
• Eliminate odors: The ultrasonic technology gently disperses essential oils throughout a space, removing lingering smells without resorting to synthetic air fresheners.
  
• Protect your family’s health: The Home Diffuser safeguards your family’s health by replacing harmful household chemicals with effective, all-natural essential oils.
  
• Humidity: The Home Diffuser’s constant, humidified air helps keep your skin moisturized and feeling fresh. 
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

Sinus Funk is no match for these oils!! | Young Living Essential Oils

It's that time of year again. The seasons are changing, the crops are being harvested, my family is sneezing! We are mostly a fall allergy bunch. I knew all along that October would be my true test of how well the oils would work for our allergies. I am blown away! My husband and I have been married for 16 years and together for 21. I have not made it through an October yet that he didn't end up at the doctor with a sinus infection that went straight to his lungs. Unfortunately, he passed that down to our youngest child. Most often, the infection starts with an allergy that irritates the sinuses. My son was on allergy medicines, Singulair and QVar (a steroid). My husband would have no parts of medicines. Until, of course, it required a Z-Pack and a chest X-ray! I am happy to say, and feel confident that I am not speaking too soon, that we will not be needing any of the aforementioned this year!

My husband has already had a few small bouts with his allergies, that immediately causes burning sinus drainage, watery eyes, and stuffy nose. Because Young Living oils are safe to ingest, I made him a capsule of Thieves, Oregano, Frankincense, and Lemon. I made another and put in the freezer for him to take before leaving for work. He woke me up the next morning to say he thought he was already over it! I insisted that he use the oils that morning and again that evening. All symptoms literally vanished!

My son just this week has tested how well they will work also. Monday afternoon, he began with the stuffy nose and drainage that caused a sore throat. I rubbed his feet with the Thieves, Oregano and Frank combo. I also used the Breathe Again Roll-on on his back and feet on the sinus and lung Vitaflex points.  I diffused Melrose, Lavender, Lemon and Ravintsara all night. He gets Lavender daily behind his ears, but I tripled this on Tuesday, and repeated the feet and back routine a few times. Today, he's still a little "snotty", but he's all better. In the past, this has never not resulted in a  doctor's visit, and Albuterol. No Wheezing, no crying, no heart racing steroids.

We've decided to do the Thieves rub every night for all of us and keep that diffuser running all winter hoping to ward off any more bugs! I've had some naysayers argue that we are still getting sick. First of all, I must say that what we've had so far, is not sick! We have been sick before, really sick. These little blips are not even close! So, I do feel as if our immune system is getting stronger. However, since I believe when you have children (aka germ toters!), nothing will prevent everything. But, I am thrilled that when something does pop up, we have a natural method of dealing with it, and from what I've seen so far, better and quicker than any "modern" way has dealt with us in the past.

The more that I read and learn and use, the more convinced that I am. I also believe that as we continue to cut things out of daily use (toxic cleaning and personal care items), the stronger our immune system will become as well.

Sinus Infection {Kicked in TWO days!} | Young Living Essential Oils

Whew! I'm glad that's over!

Over the weekend, I could tell that I had "something" coming on. I had a sinus-like headache and my ear seemed to be "clogged". I haphazardly applied Melrose and Lavender for the ear thing, and of course, Peppermint for the headache. All of that kept it at bay, but I could still tell it was there.

Monday morning, I awoke with a pounding Sinus Headache. Both eyes felt like they might pop out! My ear was aching and just clogged up. My nose was stuffy and my throat was starting to hurt. Oh....that old familiar feeling... I have a sinus infection! :(

I immediately began diffusing Thieves, then Lemon and Lavender and then Thieves again. I also applied Thieves to the bottoms of my feet first thing and took my morning shot of Lemon and Peppermint Water. I put Lavender under both cheek bones, down both sides of my nose and across my forehead. More Peppermint on top of that for the headache.

By noon, I could tell I had to up my game. So, Melrose around the front and back of my ear. (They say not to put oils inside your ear). And, also down my neck to encourage draining. More Lavender. And, then I filled a capsule with 6-7 drops of Thieves, 5-6 drops of Oregano, & a few Frankincense. I felt it helping, but by dinner time, I was waning again. So, I ate dinner and turned in early. Thieves in the diffuser and on my feet, and another capsule, plus the same Melrose, Lavender and Peppermint routine. And, a big glass of Lemon Water, with lots of Lemon! Oh, and Ravintsara (Nature's Vick's Vapor Rub!) inside both Nostrils!

This morning, I could breathe!!! I was so relieved to also not have a headache or that burning throat that I had when I went to bed. However, just to be safe, I followed the same routine today. Plus, first thing I took an extra capsule of Citrus oils (Orange, Grapefruit and Lemon). I feel 1000X better today! And, I am over the moon about not having to get an antibiotic as I normally would have!

Lavender {Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils!} | Young Living Essential Oils

There are several oils that I hope never to have to be without again, but Lavender truly is the "everything oil"! I use it every day several times a day, usually for different reasons! 

Taken from Youngliving.com "Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has a fresh, sweet, floral, herbaceous aroma that is soothing and refreshing. Because it is the most versatile of all essential oils, no home should be without it. Lavender is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy. Therapeutic-grade lavender is highly regarded for skin and beauty. It may be used to soothe and cleanse common cuts, bruises, and skin irritations. The French scientist René Gattefossé was among the first to discover these properties when he was severely burned in a laboratory explosion. "

It's a part of the Allergy Trio (Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint)...but a lot of times, I don't even use the Lemon and Peppermint, as the lavender will do the job! Part of my daily routine includes a shot glass of water with Lemon and Peppermint in it, so that may explain why I don't need to layer those two when using Lavender for allergy. Although, my very allergic son does not do the Lemon Peppermint shot and Lavender is his best friend! He can go out and roll in the grass and come back covered in red splotches, swollen eyes and sneezing....most of the time, Lavender behind his ears fixes him right up. If it's extreme, we will swipe the inside of his mouth.  My resistant husband is also using Lavender at night. It's helping with the allergies (that he refuses to admit he has?!) and the sinus drainage as well as being calming to help him sleep! 

I use it in my bug spray, and for insect bites and stings. 

I love, love, love to diffuse it!

I add it to my homemade laundry detergent, and many of my homemade bath products (more to come on that!) use in your shampoo to help combat dandruff!

It's supposed to help with lowering blood pressure although I have no personal experience with that. 

Lavender is so great for your skin! Use it in your face or body cream, mix it with coconut oil for eczema and sunburn!  It's great for itches rashes too. And for cold sores or chapped lips!

Lavender will help stop the bleeding! Use it on a cut to stop the bleeding as well as help with the pain and sanitize the wound. My oldest son caught his finger in a bike chain and ripped his nail off, cutting the nail bed. It was bleeding so badly that I couldn't tell how severe he was injured. It took 5-6 drops of Lavender, but the bleeding did stop! My youngest had a nose bleed. I put Lavender on a Q-tip and he pressed it to the inside of his nose and the bleeding stopped right away. I also read that you could apply to a tissue and wrap an ice cube in the tissue and put under your top lip to stop a nose bleed. 

Lavender is an Antiseptic, Antifungal, Antitumoral, Antidepressant, Anti-inflammatory, and an Antihistamine!! 

Renewed Enthusiasm | Young Living Essential Oils

Last week, I spent a wonderful week on the Outer Banks. I had a fabulous time with my family and some of our closest friends. Being that it was a hectic week: started off with a with sick child, had a house FULL, did some partying, there was a hurricane headed straight for us, it was the 4th of July... I didn't stick to my normal routine like I should have. Well, let me just tell y'all... if I had any doubts at all {which, we all know that I did not!} about the effectiveness of these oils, then I surely don't anymore! By Friday, I was worn out, testy and on edge,  my daily headaches were back, {and no not the self inflicted kind!},  I was bloated, and ummm, not regular.

One of my friends traveling with us also uses some oils, and it seemed to hit us both around he same time, as we were searching for our lemon oil for our water!

So, moral of the story here is: don't stop your oil routine on vacation!!

I came home and immediately got a huge glass of water loaded with my citrus oils. I also took a capsule of grapefruit, and shot glass with 4 drops each of lemon and peppermint.  My morning routine starts with the lemon peppermint shot and boy had I missed that! I've done a little extra this week to "catch up" but definitely feel back on track and am even more thankful that I found these oils!

I also normally take a few YL vitamins and supplements and not taking those last week also did not go unnoticed.

There was a big box of oils waiting for me when I arrived home and it's always like Christmas! And, I now have a new favorite for my water.... LIME! If you haven't tried it, you definitely should!

The Internet is a Scary Place! {Everything is Toxic!} | Young Living Essential Oils

Before you all start screaming that everything on the internet is not true, I am well aware of that fact. However, it can't all be wrong either! And, even if only a fraction of the "Everything is toxic" scare is true, it's enough to make you seriously reevaluate every product that you use.

I've read a good bit of this information in the past and in bits and pieces, and thought about making changes. Even, actually changed a few things here and there. But, never fully committed to changing. Well, the more that I use oils and other natural products, and the more I learn about them, in addition to a cleaner eating lifestyle, and the better I feel---the more committed I become. 

Soooo, after killing flies with the same stuff that I wash my dishes--yes, the ones that my children eat off of! {eek!} -- I did some serious researching, and I'm not going to bore you with all that I found.  Simply google "toxic dish detergent" or "toxic household items" and prepare to be very, very afraid!

 I decided that if I tell you all about it, then making the commitment may be easier to stick with. The first step in that is Young Living's Thieve's Household cleaner. Now, if you've looked at this product before, you know the initial cost of this is somewhat shocking. I know it's the reason that I didn't purchase it before now. Fortunately, other kind bloggers broke it down for those of us that sometimes can not see past their own nose! The cleaner is meant to be diluted and used in many different applications, so the initial bottle goes a really long way!

To test it out,  I actually just used a few drops of Thieves oil and mixed with water in an old spray bottle and cleaned my stove top after a whole day of cooking. No elbow grease and it looked like new! I was convinced! I have to tell you that I hesitate to show you these pictures, because it was pretty YUCK!, but the "after" is worth it...so here you go-

One bottle of cleaner diluted will make 128 30 oz bottles of cleaner, at the cost of under $0.70!!!! What?! Even the best couponers among us will not get the store bought for that amount and surely not in that quantity! AND.... these are actually good for you!!!! Needless to say, my bottle is on the way! 

I will be posting "recipes" for all the ways I plan to use this to detox my home, along with other products that Plan on replacing soon, as well. 

Summer Essentials {Part 2} | Young Living Essential Oils

Good Morning!

Now that Summer is in full swing around here~ Thank goodness!!! ~ I have really been using my oils in new ways!

Bee stings

Oh! My! Goodness! I am not even exaggerating when I say that I thought I was going to have to amputate my foot! Apparently, it has been a good, long while since I have been stung. But, last week, I stepped on a bee in the yard, and literally screamed! It immediately started swelling. After I hobbled back to the house, within just a minute or so of being stung, the entire arch of my foot was swollen, red and throbbing!! Purification first to neutralize the poison--and before I could get the top back on that and the top off of the Lavender, the swelling was already going down. Then, Lavender for the pain...I put 2 or 3 drops of this because I was dying! It took about 2 minutes to notice the pain going away, but it finally did subside. I was left with a small swollen spot right at the sting location the rest of the day, but by the next day, it was gone completely. No pain, no itching. Nothing short of amazing!  Side note: both of my kids have already stepped on a few bees before now, and I used the same protocol. They both said it helped, but I didn't mention it here before because, honestly, they didn't seem to be in nearly the distress that I was! Maybe they are tougher than me!

Sunburn/blistered Lips

A friend came over this past Friday night, after having been on the boat and had really bad sunburned lips. They were a bit swollen and looked as if she had multiple cold sores. She said it was awful and hurt so bad that nothing she had put on them had helped at all. I immediately mixed up just a tiny bit of Coconut Oil and Lavender. (probably a 3-1 ratio Lavender to coconut) and she just dipped her finger in it and applied to her lips. Within seconds, she said the pain was gone. I sent her home with the mixture and The next day, she said it truly helped! No more pain and healing quickly!! Lavender truly has so many uses! 

Hangover

So, this isn't necessarily a Summer only problem ;o) but regardless, let's talk about it! The morning after too much fun, take a shot glass and fill it with water, add 3-4 drops of Lemon and 3-4 drops of Peppermint, shoot it down. Peppermint across your forehead, on your temples and if you had a LOT of fun the night before, a drop on your thumb pressed to the roof of your mouth. Di-gize applied directly on your stomach. (You can also use Peppermint if you don't have Di-gize. But, Di-gize is Awesome for stomach issues!!!) And, then make sure to rehydrate all day with lemon in your water!

Road Trips

Summer vacation usually means travel in some form! In addition to taking your Thieves with you to make sure you ward off all the new germs you'll be encountering, make sure to not leave home without Peppermint or Di-gize for motion sickness, nausea, upset stomach. 

Up Next:

Adding this here as it came about from a Spring/Summer Pest. House flies! The worst! Now, apparently, Peppermint oil keeps them away. I haven't tried this yet, as Spraying my peppermint oil stresses me out LOL...I use too much of that ON me to think about it as fly spray!! So, I read on Pinterest that a spray bottle with dish detergent and water would kill the fly. Of course, I didn't really believe this, but still had to give it a try. Well....it works! I was so excited and killing flies left and right... and then: I start to think about this. I'm washing the dishes that we eat off of with something that makes insects drop dead. Can this be good? So, up next will be homemade, natural kitchen products and cleaners! Stay tuned!