Julep Maven box

Last week I signed up for my first Julep box.  I love nail polish and love the look of painted nails.  What I loved even more is the fact that Julep polishes are 4-free.  Meaning they are free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP.  Your first box is free.  You answer a couple questions and based on your answers they match you with a certain look.  I received two color polishes and the Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum.  You could also add on additional products at a low cost, so I added the Freedom Polymer Top Coat, which is supposed to wear like gel polish without needing a light, and another color.  You get to preview all the boxes on the 20th of each month and if you don't like the box picked for you, you can change to another box.   To get your first box free click here or click on the add on the side of my box.  I can't wait to here what you think! 

25+ Uses for Melaleuca Oil

My family loves Melaleuca essential oil.  My girls can go through a bottle during the summer just putting it on their bug bites.  Melaleuca oil, also know as tea tree oil, has been used for centuries by many cultures to heal wounds and skin infections.  It is steam distilled from myrtle shrubs and trees.     It has 12x the antiseptic power of phenol.


Properties:  

• Analgesic
• Antibacterial
• Antifungal
• Anti-infectious
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antioxidant
• Antiparasitic
• Strong antiseptic
• Antiviral
• Decongestant
• Digestive
• Expectorant
• Immune stimulatn
• Insecticidal
• Neurotonic
• Stimulant
• Tissue Regenerative

Wow, that is a lot of properties!!  That is one of the many reasons I love Melaleuca oil.


Ways to Use Melaleuca Oil 
1.  Acne.  Put just a dot on your breakout or combine into your normal cleanser.
2.  Allergies. Use topically on the chest or put on reflex points on your feet.
3.  Athlete's foot.  Dilute and massage into your feet or soak feet in a salt bath with 2-3 drops.
4.  Bacterial infections.  Apply topically to the infected site.
5.  Boils.  Apply topically to the boil until gone.
6.  Bug bites.  Apply topically directly to bug bite to help stop the itch and inflammation.
7.  Canker sores.  Apply a small drop to your canker sore.
8.  Cavities.  Great addition to your homemade toothpaste.
9.  Cold Sore.  Apply a small drop to your canker sore.
10.  Dermatitis/Eczema.  Add to your homemade salve or dilute with coconut oil and apply to dermatitis daily.
11.  Cuts.  Apply directly to the cut.
12.  Ear Infection.  Apply a drop or two to a cotton ball and stick inside ear.  Rub a drop on the outside of the ears.  Do not put the oil directly in the ears.
13.  Fungal Infections.  Apply topically to any fungal infection.
14.  Hives.  Mix with coconut oil and apply to affected areas.
15.  Inflammation.  Massage oil over the inflamed areas or diffuse and inhale.
16.  Lice.  Add several drops to purified water and soak hair and scalp in solution.
17.  MRSA.  Massage directly onto infected skin.
18.  Nail Infection.  Mix with coconut oil and massage into nails and cuticles.
19.  Pink Eye.  Mix with one drop with one drop coconut oil and massage into bone around the eye.  Do not put in the eye and be careful not to get it too close.
20.  Rashes.  Mix with coconut oil and massage over rash.
21.  Sore Throat.  Massage over the throat.  Gargle one drop with 4 oz of water and swallow.
22.  Sunburn.  Mix with coconut oil and massage into the sunburn.  Lavender is also a great oil to add to the mix.
23.  Thrush.  Gargle with warm water and one drop of Melaleuca oil.
24.  Tonsillitis.  Massage onto neck as well as reflex points on the feet.
25.  Warts.  Apply topically to the wart.
26.  Wounds.  Soak wound in water and a drop of Melaleuca oil.  Mix a spray bottle of purified water and a couple drops of Melaleuca oil and spray directly on wounds.

There are many other uses for Melaleuca oil, these are just a few.

   

15 Ways to use Frankincense

I have been using Frankincense for a couple months now and it quickly became a favorite oil of mine.  If I could only choose one oil, it would definitely be Frankincense.  Frankincense essential oil comes from a tree or shrub.  It produces a gum or resin that is steam distilled to extract the essential oil.  In the Middle East Frankincense is considered the holy oil. You want to choose an essential oil that is grown in its natural habitat.  When these plants are grown in their natural habitat and not in a greenhouse you get all the chemical compounds.  When you mass produce in a green house, often you only get a a fraction of the compounds which means you are missing out on many great health benefits!


Properties of Frankincense:

• Antiparasitic
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Antitoxic
• Diuretic
• Expectorant

10 ways to use Frankincense:

1. Fine Lines and Wrinkles.  To reduce fine lines and wrinkles dab on facial lines and wrinkles.  Be careful not to get too close to the eyes, dab on the lines around the eyes.
2. Skin Tone.  Mix a drop or two with your daily face moisturizer to help uneven skin tone.
3. Breakouts.  Apply undiluted to acne or breakouts.
4. Stress relief.  Put a drop on your temples for stress relief.
5. Headaches.  Put a drop on your finger and apply to the roof of your mouth by pressing and holding for a few seconds.
6. Immunity.  Put two to three drops under your tongue daily for overall health and immunity support.
7. Anxiety.  Put a few drops in your hands and cup your hands to breathe deeply.  Rub remainder on the back of your neck.
8. Memory.  Apply behind your ears and on your wrists.
9. Tumors/Cysts.  Apply to site of tumor or cysts 2x to 3x daily.
10. Scarring.  Apply to cuts or scrapes or incisions (after closed) to help prevent scarring.  Great for stretch marks too!  Also great in healing tattoos!
11. Depression.  Apply to the brain stem and neck 2x daily to help relieve depression.
12. Cough.  Combine Frankincense with Breathe and massage on the chest for a persistent cough.
13. Arthritis.  Put two drops a day under the tongue.  To use topically you can rub Frankincense into the joints.
14. Multiple Sclerosis.  Take 2 to 3 drops daily under the tongue 4 times a day for two weeks.  Rest for one week and then repeat.
15. MRSA.  Apply topically several times a day to an open sore carefully to avoid cross contamination.

There are many more ways to use Frankincense.  Ask me how you can order Frankincense. 

Poor Man's list.....

When you are first starting out the cost of essential oils can seem to be quite costly.  While they are just pennies per drop compared to a doctor's visit with copay and a prescription, that initial purchase can be quite large.  So here are some simple ways you can save money on essential oils.

The Poor Man's List

(trading expensive essential oils for affordable essential oils)

1.  Pain blend 10 mL $64, 5 mL $32
OR Lemongrass 15 mL $10

I use lemongrass often after running.  It soothes my achy knees.  It is also great for Plantar Fasciitis and I used it when I had trouble several months back.  Lemongrass is also great for a Charlie horse and spider veins.  Try it!

2.  Frankincense 15 mL $69.75
White Fir 15 mL $20

White Fir has great anti-inflammatory properties as well as being an analgesic.  White Fir is beneficial with aches/pains from colds and the flu, fighting airborne germ, arthritis, asthma, supporting the blood, urinary tract infections.  Do not underestimate the qualities of Frankincense White Fir has.

3.  Melissa 5 mL $115
Black Pepper 5 mL $22

Black Pepper is high in aldehyes like Melissa.  Aldehydes protect our cells from the penetration of viruses.

4.  Rose $50-$300
Geranium 15 mL $27

Geranium is great for the skin.  It has anti-inflammatory benefits and is extremely soothing to irritated skin.  Geranium is also great for acne.

Essential oils are an investment, but what you get in return is priceless.  They have definitely brought balance and health to my family.  They have helped us manage the stress of daily life while still feeling calm.  All prices listed are all wholesale, ask me how you can purchase your oils at wholesale!  I will definitely keep passing along all my money saving tips and please share yours with me!

What money saving tips do you have??
 

Hair Rinse.....

A couple of months ago I started using this wonderful hair rinse.  Having naturally curly hair, it can be a nightmare finding products that work and work well.  This hair rinse does wonders for adding thickness to my hair and tames the frizz at the same time.  It contains two essential oils Rosemary and Lavender.  Rosemary strengthens, cleans, and nourishes the hair.  It encourages growth and helps with breakage.  Lavender in addition to the same benefits as Rosemary, it also helps tame frizz.  Whether you have naturally curly hair, straight hair or colored treated hair this is for everyone.  I even use it on my girls!!

Lavender & Rosemary Hair Rinse

4 cups water (filtered if possible)

8 drops Rosemary essential oil

8 drops Lavender essential oil

1 tsp Borax (optional, I don't use)

3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar, a mason jar is perfect for this.  I fill a small glass spray bottle and keep it in my shower.  After shampoo and condition, I spray thoroughly covering my hair and scalp.  I do not rinse this out.  I massage it into my scalp.  This rinse will last you a couple weeks, depending on how often you use.  I use it every time I wash my hair. 

My hair is so soft after and I can definitely tell when I don't use it.  Enjoy your beautifully soft and luxurious hair!

Sunburn

Labor Day weekend is upon us and I know everyone will be at the beach or outside and many of us will come home to sunburns.  Living in Colorado, sunburns are extremely common.  Unfortunately, back in May I had forgotten just how quickly we can burn.  My daughter had been outside playing all day and got burned.  Lucky for me, I have a great alternative that helps ease the pain and heal them quicker, lavender and virgin coconut oil.   Did you know lavender has tissue regeneration healing properties and also helps reduces scarring.  Lavender is also a natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory, so it is soothing to the skin and helps minimize pain.  Extra-virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil is extremely moisturizing to the skin as well as gently helps exfoliate the skin which promotes healing.  I used this all summer on my girls and myself to help keep us from peeling, heal quickly, and ease the pain.   

 Sunburn Cream

1/2 cup coconut oil

6-8 drops Lavender essential oil

Mix well and store in an airtight glass jar, I prefer Mason jars. 

You can very easily double or even triple the recipe.  Just make sure you 

store in an extremely airtight container as coconut oil melts 

when it gets warm.

 

 

How to get rid of Varicose and Spider Veins

How many of us spend our summer trying to cover up unsightly varicose or spider veins.  No matter how young or old we are, we can still have varicose or spider veins.  I have had spider veins since I was a teenager.  I even had injections to help get rid of them and it only lightened them slightly.  Most women end up with varicose veins due to pregnancy, some from having to stand too long or it is just genetics.

Regardless of how or why we have them, they are unsightly and we don't want them. There are a couple different options to help rid you of those unsightly things, so you can try one or both.

Option 1:  In 2 oz of fractionated coconut oil add 30 drops Cypress, 20 drops Lavender, and 10 drops Lemon or any other citrus oil you prefer.  Apply morning and night, massaging oils into your skin in an upwards motion.

Option 2:  Helichrysum.  You can add it to a lotion or fractionated coconut oil or even mix it into the healing salve.  You can choose to get the benefit of the other added oils or you can use just Helichrysum.  Apply twice a day.

Helichrysum and Cypress are the big players in these blends.  The reason for that is they help get your blood circulating.  By doing so, it strengthens the vascular wall and allows them to do the job they are meant to.  Citrus oils help with fluid retention and Lavender helps bring it all together.  If you are going to be out in the sun, remember to leave out the citrus oils as they intensify the effects of the sun.

I hope this is helpful and helps save you thousands of dollars in vein surgeries!!!