the whole essential life.
  • Home
  • Essential Oil 101
  • There's An Oil For That
  • Buy the Goodies!
  • Get Your Starter Kit.
  • Fitness+Wellness
  • SavvyMinerals Make-up
  • Events
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Host a Party
  • Work From Home
  • Home
  • Essential Oil 101
  • There's An Oil For That
  • Buy the Goodies!
  • Get Your Starter Kit.
  • Fitness+Wellness
  • SavvyMinerals Make-up
  • Events
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Host a Party
  • Work From Home

Making a Change: Things I No Longer Buy at the Store

4/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Did you realize that all the things you are already buying, like toothpaste, laundry soap, hand soap, lotion, cough drops, supplements, granola bars, pancake mix, vitamins, skincare...

Young Living MAKES THOSE!

Except they are way healthier for you, filled with the GOOD stuff, safe ingredients - the ones you can pronounce - all while you could be saving money AND getting other products you want to try for FREE.

We call this transfer buying, because no need to spend MORE money- you are just spending it in a different place- on the things that are way better for you and your family. (So simple and smart!)

Transfer buying is for EVERYONE. It's making the choice to do better, now that ya know better (cause now ya know!)

Of all the health changes to make- this is the MOST IMPORTANT- Kick “fragrance” to the curb

When you see ‘fragrance’ on a personal care product's label, just read it as ‘hidden chemicals.’ Why should you care? This is a major loophole in the FDA's federal law that allows manufacturers to include nearly ANY ingredient (even toxic ones) in their products under the name ‘fragrance’ without ACTUALLY LISTING the chemical. ‹‹‹— just keep re-reading that until it sinks in. THAT IS RIDICULOUS.

Scary fact:
Many ingredients in "Fragrances" are KNOWN carcinogens as well as endocrine and reproductive disrupters (decreased sperm counts, birth defects, hormone disruption) and these 'fragrances' may also contribute to kidney and liver damage. Oh, and are you or your child an asthma sufferer? You just might wanna google the link between asthma and synthetic fragrance.

We all just want the best for our families, and this kind of deception makes me so sad for the millions of men and women who think they are buying safe "clean" products and emptying their pockets to do so! Let's ditch and switch them now- and opt for a safe, clean, plant based product that shows up at your door monthly.

What’s next on your “get out of my house” list?
0 Comments

20 Ways to Use Your Essential Oils Besides Aromatherapy

8/18/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Shared with permission from ThinkCrucial.com
When it comes to essential oils, everyone knows how to put them in a diffuser to reap the benefits of aromatherapy. But did you know that there are other ways that you can use your essential oil that will provide a tangible benefit to you and your loved ones? The positive properties of essential oils come from the oil’s natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties.
​
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years by hundreds of different cultures. They have been used not just for aromatherapy, but also personal care, cleaning, and even for their natural healing properties.

One thing to keep in mind when you use essential oils is that you should not use undiluted essential oils on your bare skin. There are some who disagree with this, saying that pure essential oil on the skin can be used for various things. However, because everyone’s tolerance and sensitivity to the compounds found in essential oil can vary widely, if you’ve never applied essential oils to your skin, dilute them.

When you dilute an essential oil, you use a carrier oil. Carrier oils are neutral and stable, so they will not evaporate or add unwanted properties to an essential oil. These include sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, or even shea butter. There is no real standard for dilution as every person has a different sensitivity to essential oils. In general, start with one drop of essential oil to ever teaspoon of carrier oil. This will give you a roughly 1% solution strength. From there, you can increase the amount of essential oil as need be to suit your tolerance and needs.

Cleaning With Essential Oils.

Picture
  1. Lemon or another citrus essential oil can dissolve gummy stuck-on disasters. Use a couple of drops to get gum out of hair or out of the carpet. A drop or two will remove tree sap from tools and sticky label residue from containers.
  2. Citrus essential oils are also great for cleaning permanent marker from non-porous surfaces.
  3. Spiders find peppermint oil repugnant. If you have an area where they like to lurk, put one or two drops of oil on a cotton ball and tuck it there.
  4. Keep ants out! Make a spray out of 5 drops of peppermint oil to 1 cup of water. Shake well and spray into cracks where you notice them coming in.
  5. When you change your box filters in your HVAC system, add a drop of essential oil onto the filter on the exit side. The oils will refresh your entire home.
  6. Eucalyptus Oil is great for cleaning. Combine with tea tree oil for a great cleaning spray. Add four drops of each to 1 cup of warm water in a spray bottle. Use to remove mildew and you’ll be disinfecting and deodorizing at the same time.
  7. Make a natural disinfectant and cleaner by combining lemon and tea tree essential oils with warm water. Use in a spray container to clean hard non-porous surfaces naturally without harsh chemicals.
  8. If you or someone in your household smokes, get rid of the old smoky smell by adding tea tree oil, eucalyptus, and rosemary oil to warm water in a spray bottle. Spray when needed to naturally deodorize the air.
  9. If you have a dishwasher, add a drop or two of lemon essential oil before you start it. This will help ensure a spot free rinse that keeps your dishes sparkling.
Get the World's Purest Oils HERE

Personal Healthcare. 

Picture
  1. If you have kids who seem to get the before-bedtime wiggles and have trouble falling asleep, sprinkle some lavender oil on their pillow. You can also add a couple of drops onto their favorite teddy to help them calm down.
  2. If you’ve had a tough day on your feet, relax and soothe those tired dogs. Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to a large bowl of warm water to help revitalize and soothe your feet.
  3. If you’re feeling tense and overwhelmed, apply diluted lavender essential oil to your temples. The smell will take effect more quickly than your normal diffuser.
  4. Peppermint oil, properly diluted, can help stave off or reduce the effects of a migraine. As soon as you feel one coming on, apply to your temple and the base of your neck to allow the blood flow to increase and your veins to relax.
  5. Lavender oil is a natural disinfectant. Apply diluted essential oil to a scrape of cut to keep it clean and reduce inflammation.
  6. Lavender can also help reduce tension in the jaw and neck by applying a few drops behind the jaw and massaging it into sore and stiff neck muscles.
  7. Add a diluted essential oil to sugar or rock salt to make your own homemade sugar or salt scrub. Use in the bath or on your face as you would a commercial product.
  8. Fight nausea from indigestion or sickness by breathing in peppermint oil. In some cases, ginger or lavender oil will also help.
  9. Lavender oil also helps take the itch and sting out of bug bites. Apply a few diluted drops and rub into the bite to soothe the sting.
  10. After workout muscle soreness can be soothed with a homemade eucalyptus rub. Add some eucalyptus and peppermint oil to an unscented lotion and rub into the affected area.
​
As you can see, essential oils have more uses than just percolating in your diffuser for aromatherapy. Experiment with your favorite oils to find out more things you can do to help improve your life.
Get the World's Purest Oils HERE
0 Comments

13 Lemon Essential Oil Benefits

4/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

Originally shared by Dr. Eric Zielinski
While we speak frequently about the historical use of many essential oils including lemon essential oil uses, the history of lemon itself is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. We have seen lemons in Ayurvedic medicine for as much as a century, and lemons appear again in Josephus' writings, describing a high priest's fruitful encounter with an angry crowd in 90 B.C. – who preceded to pelt him with lemons for his errant ways!

And dulling tastes of happy Citron fruit,
Than which, no helpe more present can be had,
If any time stepmothers worse than brute
have poyson'd pots, and mingled herbs of sute
With hurtfull charmes: this Citron fruit doth chase
Blacke venome from the body in every place.

~ Virgil 70 BC – 19 BC
​

Despite the quote from the storied author above, the history of Citrus limon is quite silent. The lemon itself is native to Asia, grown from a small, evergreen tree. Multiple cultures claim the lemon as their own, from Burma and China to northeast India. Botanists from the University of California have their own twist, believing that the lemon is actually a hybrid fruit, combining sour orange and citron, rather than standing alone as a historical species. (1)

d-Limonene and the Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil

The key to it's healing power, lemon rinds (where the essential oil is extracted from) are one of the richest sources of d-limonene, which is the most common cancer-fighting terpenes in nature. (source)  Additionally, we know that d-limonene can help:
  • Boost immunity (source, source)
  • Reverse liver and pancreas damage (source)
  • Kill pathogens and acts as a food preservative (source)
  • Aid in weight loss (source)
  • Decrease anxiety (source)
  • Promote restful sleep (source)
​
Some of the richest sources of d-limonene are: (source, p 580)
  • Sweet orange (83.9 – 95.9%)
  • Grapefruit (84.8 – 95.4%)
  • Clementine (94.8 – 95.0%)
  • Bitter orange, peel (89.7 – 91.7%)
  • Tangerine (87.4 – 91.7%
  • Lemon, expressed (56.6 – 76.0%)
  • Celery seed (68.0 – 75.0%)
  • Mandarin (65.3 – 74.2%)
  • Tangelo (73.2%)
  • Lemon, distilled (64.0 – 70.5%)
  • Dill seed (35.9-68.4%)
  • Elemi (26.9 – 65.0%)
  • Palo santo (58.6 – 63.3%)
  • Yuzu (63.1%)
  • Lime, expressed (51.5-59.6%)
  • Lime, distilled (55.6%)
  • Fir needle, silver (54.7%)
  • Bergamot, expressed (27.4 – 52.0%)
  • Caraway (36.9 – 48.8%)

Potential Phototoxicity

In addition to d-limonene, other commonly shared chemicals in the citrus family are furocoumarins like bergapten, notable for their phototoxic effects. When bergapten is left on the skin, then exposed to the sun, it amplifies the effect of the sun and can leave burns. Some people like to avoid using bergapten-heavy oils topically altogether, but simply avoiding the sun after use (such as using it at night before bed) is sufficient. Alternatively, steam-distilled citrus oils have lower concentrations of bergapten and mitigate this effect.

Great care should be taken when using citrus oils, including lemon essential oil uses, during summer months and with your children, but you don't have to avoid them all together. Many aromatherapists agree that heavily diluting citrus oils minimizes the risk.
For example, the Essential Oil Safety text and Aromahead Institute teach that phototoxic oils can be used if diluted as follows:
  • Cold Pressed Bergamot — 2.4 drops (I just consider this 2 drops per oz)
  • Cold Pressed Lemon — 12 drops per oz
  • Cold Pressed Lime — 4.2 drops (I just consider this 4 drops per oz)
  • Cold Pressed Grapefruit — 24 drops per oz

13 Key Ayurvedic Uses

Traditional use has carried us where historical origins fail, and we have plenty of record of lemon's benefits in Ayurvedic medicine, followed in recent decades by scientific confirmation.
​
Ayurvedic food and medicinal preparations use lemon and lemon essential oil heavily, giving us an excellent basis for discovery and use.

Assistant professor of Alva's Ayurveda Medical College, Dr. J.V. Hebbar, relays the 13 key benefits of lemon and lemon essential oil in the Ayurvedic model: (2)

  1. Vakrashodhi – Oral health
  2. Rochana – Digestion.
  3. Trushna Nivarana – Thirst quencher.
  4. Shula Nivarana – Remedy for abdominal colic pain.
  5. Kasa Nivarana – Cough relief.
  6. Kaphotklesha, Chardi Nivarana – Calms stomach and relieves nausea, excessive salivation and vomiting.
  7. Amadoshahara – Prevents malabsorption.
  8. Hrutpeeda – Relieves chest pain due to gastritis.
  9. Asya vairasya hara – Relieves bad breath
  10. Vahnimandyahara – Promotes digestion, it is naturally detoxifying.
  11. Varnya – Improves complexion and skin tone.
  12. Pushtiprada – Nourishes the skin.
  13. Kapha Dosha – Weight loss.

Other notable effects include the regulation of cholesterol deposits in the circulatory system, which can help to reduce risk factors for heart disease.

Current Research

Hundreds of studies have referred to the benefits of lemon essential oil, and exploring the dozens of traditional uses. Its most prominent component, limonene, is likely the key to its potency, found in many citrus oils. Its cancer-fighting antioxidant power is impressive, as well. With such a strong foundational composition, it's not surprising that the science is catching up to 1,000-year-tradition at breakneck speed.

Alzheimer's and Dementia
Dementia occurs when brain nerve cells become damaged. Being that this affect several areas of the brain, people experience dementia quite differently. There are various types of dementias, and they are often categorized by the part of the brain damaged and whether the condition worsens. Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia in seniors over 65 years old is, has been researched extensively and essential oils can be of great help.

For instance, the effects of aromatherapy were evaluated on elderly people suffering from dementia, with the majority being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. They were given rosemary and lemon inhalations in the morning, then lavender and orange in the evening. Through multiple tests and forms of analysis, the “patients showed significant improvement in personal orientation” without any deleterious side effects. (3)

Nausea and Vomiting
An interesting study came out the spring of 2014, highlighting the benefits that lemon essential oil has for pregnant women dealing with nausea and vomiting. This was actually the first study of its kind and they discovered some promising results. Basing their research findings on the personal report 100 women provided to the researchers, they learned that the majority were significantly more satisfied with aromatherapy (i.e. simply smelling lemon essential oil out of the bottle) than with the drugs that they were given or the placebo. (4)

Antioxidant
Another component of lemon that researchers have recently validated is geraniol. To evaluate the antioxidant ability to reverse damage from inflammation and oxidative stress, scientists in India gave geraniol to rats with diabetic neuropathy. Over the course of the 8-week study, markers of sciatic nerve damage and mitochondrial enzymes were both restored significantly. As a bonus, they also observed restored dopamine levels, the neurotransmitter that is associated with healthy functions like movement and unhealthy functions like addiction. (5)

Although this was an animal study and not necessarily indicative of mirrored results in humans, the potential beneficial effects of regular lemon essential oil use are promising, especially with our current influx of mitochondrial disease and the effects of stress on the heart and aging. And, as concluded,
“From our data, we hypothesize that [geraniol] may be a promising therapeutic candidate in the management of [diabetic neuropathy] in humans!”

Food Safety
Food safety is another major benefit of lemon essential oil use. A USDA study utilized lemon in a study regarding E. coli and Salmonella. It successfully protected apple juice against the dangerous bacterial strains, confirming its antimicrobial use. (6)

Canine Dermatitis
After just a couple of examples, it already seems like lemon is a super-oil. And for good reason – it really is! Not only for us, but for our four-legged friends, as well. In 2014, Italian scientists documented the benefits of bitter orange, lavender, oregano, marjoram, peppermint, and helichrysum in a sweet almond/coconut oil carrier on dogs with dermatitis. A common denominator and major active compound? Limonene. Twice daily applications for one month were comparable to conventional treatments, with no side effects and benefits lasting for six months. (7) Impressive, to say the least!
​

I would love to see the study replicated with lemon included or replacing some of the oils, since lemon contains the highest limonene amounts of all citrus oils. (8)

Fun & Effective Lemon Essential Oil Uses

We've already walked through quite a range of uses for lemon essential oil, so there's no surprise at the long list of practical applications. These are just a sampling, and some of my favorite ways to use lemon outside of medicinal benefits.

1. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Freshen Clothes: We've all forgotten to switch laundry to the dryer at least once. Just add a few drops of lemon EO in a rinse to prevent that awful odor.

2. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Remove Gum and Sap: Playtime around trees can quickly become a mess. Remove pine gum or tree sap from clothes and carpet with an essential oil application.

3. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Wash Greasy Hands: Soap just doesn't always cut it after doing mechanic work. But with a couple of drops of lemon essential oil added to your soap, the grime should wash right off!

4. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Disinfect (Without the Toxins!): Alcohol and bleach are harsh, especially when little hands and lungs are around. Instead, add 40 drops lemon oil to 8 oz pure distilled water and 8 oz witch hazel or white vinegar to clean the moldy shower and germy countertops.

5. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Safe Leather Treatment: A dab of lemon oil on a cloth will restore leather furniture, shoes, and clothing to their original luxe.

6. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Polish Silver: Try the same effect on tarnished silverware and jewelry to bring back the shine.
​

7. Lemon Essential Oil Uses – Goo-Be-Gone: Sticker books are a parent's nemesis when the stickers find their home on windows and furniture. Remove stickers, gum, and other gooey remnants with the help of lemon essential oil!

The best therapeutic grade lemon essential oil comes in the Premium Starter Kit from the world's leader in essential oils. Get yours HERE!
0 Comments
    Picture
    Gifts With Humanity - You Shop We Donate
    Picture
    Picture
    Connect with me!

    Archives

    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety
    Babies
    Beauty
    Cancer
    Carrot Seed
    Cedarwood
    Citrus
    Citrus Fresh
    Copaiba
    Crunchy Mama
    Diffuser
    Digestion
    DiGize
    Distillation
    DIY
    Essential Oils
    Essential Rewards
    Family
    Frankincense
    GMO
    Green Living
    Grief
    Hair
    How Oils Work
    Inflammation
    Joy
    Lavender
    Lemon
    Limbic System
    Menopause
    Mental Health
    Muscle + Joint
    Natural Cleaning
    Neroli
    Oil Basics
    Orange
    Outdoors
    PanAway
    Peppermint
    PSK
    Raven
    Real Estate
    Recipes
    Rosemary
    Science
    Seasonal
    SeedToSeal
    Skin
    Skin Issues
    Sleep Issues
    Stress
    Stress Away
    Surrender
    Synthetics
    Tea Tree
    Thieves
    Thieves Household Cleaner
    Valor
    Wipes
    Work
    Young Living
    Young Living Info

    RSS Feed

    TheGreenOffice.com - Green products. Great prices.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

*A portion of every sale - forever - will go towards a real cancer cure & prevention #fightlikesarah

  • Home
  • Essential Oil 101
  • There's An Oil For That
  • Buy the Goodies!
  • Get Your Starter Kit.
  • Fitness+Wellness
  • SavvyMinerals Make-up
  • Events
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Host a Party
  • Work From Home