Essential Oils

DIY Beauty Serums

The lovely Mia Taylor started off my recent series on Prepare Your Skin for Spring in Time. I’ve been creating DIY recipes to help you get your skin ready for Spring!  I recently made an energizing Peppermint Lemon Sugar Scrub, which was lovely on my awful feet, and now we are moving onto Mia’s tip on face serums!

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Since not all skin types are alike, face serums are not a one-size-fits-all option. Once a friend recommended to a recipe of 10 drops lavender, purification, tea tree, and frankincense in a 10 ml roll-on, but it was way too strong for my sensitive, dry and acne-free skin. So I asked some of my friends from our essential oil chat group to describe their skin type and share the essential oil serum recipe that they use – and I’m sharing mine too!

One thing to consider is the carrier oil that you will have to include in your beauty serum. The most common are jojoba or rosehip oil. Rosehip oil has a comedogenic factor of 0, which means it is widely believed to be non-comedogenic and will not clog your pores. The following image can help you decide the carrier oil to include in your serum.

comedogenic ratings

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First, I’ll present the very first face serum that is ideal for normal skin. Many start with this recipe because all of these oils are in the Young Living Premium Starter Kit. It’s simple, and if you’re looking for a good place to start – you can always add other essential oils that you’d like to try after you have played around with this combination. basic starter kit Sheet Skin Care

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For those of you not familiar with Manuka, it is a skin oil from the myrtle family that is said to be similar to tea tree, but some consider it to be stronger that tea tree.

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IMG_9332 Rocky's serum.jpgIn this recipe you may also use regular Cypress if your skin is oily or blue cypress if you would like additional moisturization.

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If you haven’t heard of Elemi, it is in the Frankincense family; we like to refer to it as the poor man’s Frank, because it’s cheaper but does a great job in a face serum blend!

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sue ellen Sheet Skin CareIMG_9330 my new serum.jpg

I created this serum because, in the summer, Lemon and citrus oils can cause photosensitivity, and are not recommended prior to spending time outside. I have never had a problem applying a blend in the evening before bed though with citrus oil, the night before. But, I wanted to make a citrus-free blend for the morning since my skin is dry and needs moisturizing. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

If you’re interested in learning more about essential oils and haven’t got your Premium Starter Kit, you’ll never regret the decision! The oils are very versatile and can be used for so many things! For example, the Lavender in your facial serum can also be diffused to create a calming, relaxing aroma before bedtime or for respiratory support. I’d love to add you to our chat group where we have a ton of great recipes to share! Please email me if you’d like to learn more about these amazing oils!

susanellenlogoweb

Peppermint Lemon Sugar Scrub

In the most recent blog post, Prepare Your Skin for Spring in Time, Mia Taylor shared some great skin tips, and I’m going to follow-up with a series of my favorite DIY essential oil recipes that I’m using to get ready for flip-flops and swimsuits! My feet and legs need a little TLC before I head to the beach next week for Spring break, so I made this yummy Lemon Peppermint Sugar Scrub! I got this recipe from a friend in my essential oil chat group, but when I was making it I forgot to add the lemon essential oil (it called for 5 drops). But, I really liked how soft my skin felt after. The sugar and lemon juice gently sloughs off dry skin, the coconut oil moisturizes and the peppermint provides a mood boost. Plus, it’s a cute way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day too!

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lemon peppermint scrub

Peppermint Lemon Sugar Scrub

  • Servings: 3 - 4 oz jars
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This peppermint lemon sugar is a great way to gently slough off and moisturize dry skin, and the peppermint provides an energizing and uplifting aroma.

Tips: Add 5 drops of Lemon Essential Oil for a mood boost!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
  • 10 drops peppermint essential oil


Directions

  1. Zest 1/2 of a lemon if desired, the zest helps slough off dry skin.
  2. In a bowl, mix together sugar, coconut oil, lemon juice, zest and peppermint oil.
  3. Put in jars and enjoy!

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500 Followers Celebration Giveaways

The other day I looked and realized that I had 500 followers on Instagram. It made me want to celebrate, so I thought I’d do something fun for my readers and followers. So I’m going to do two giveaways.

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My first promotion goes along with my goal to give every Mom the opportunity to reach for a chemical-free product first for their family. From now until October 2, 2017, I’m offering $20 cash-back off of the Young Living Starter Kit. This is the best way to start using essential oils! It comes with 11 oils and a diffuser.

With this kit purchase, you also get my help in learning how to use essential oils, a download with the uses for oils and how to incorporate them into your daily lifestyle, and access to my private Facebook oil support group, Drop Culture. The group is loaded with information and gives you an opportunity to ask questions whenever you need to know something! It’s a great educational community! I won’t leave you with a kit not knowing what to do with it. Education is key! Please email me with questions at myrealdish@gmail.com about how to purchase this kit and get started!

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You can read about the kit and how to purchase it in the USA here. However, this promotion is not limited only to those living in the USA. If you live outside of the USA, just go to the home page of Young Living, select your country, click on become a member, and type in my member number into the sponsor and enroller fields: 1626976. You can still check out my USA instructions for tips selecting the diffuser, etc, and feel free to email me any questions: myrealdish@gmail.com.

This is open to anyone in the following countries:

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The second giveaway is two vitality essential oils, meaning that you can cook with these essential oils! I love using them in veggies, soups, and smoothies. In order to qualify for the vitality oil giveaway, you must (1) sign up for my email list and (2) live in the USA. Easy!

Thanks for reading and I appreciate you all! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for gluten-free vegan food recipes and fun tips with essential oils.

XOXO,

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P.S. The kit with ROCK your world. If you currently have a kit, what is your favorite oil to use? If you don’t have a kit, why would you be interested in trying essential oils?

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Giveaway Alert!

Guess what?! I won a trip to NYC on the radio!! Free flights, hotel, $300, and tickets to a weekend long music and arts festival! My husband and I are going to have a weekend alone!!! I couldn’t believe that I won!!  It made me so happy that I’ve decided to give back. Surprised young sexy woman  in glasses  shouting or yelling. Adv

If you buy a Young Living Premium Starter Essential Oil Kit that comes with 11 oils and a medicinal grade diffuser from me by the end of this month (today or tomorrow) – I’ll hook you up with the normal goodies that I send (a carrier bottle, roll on, book, etc), and also a FREE bottle of oil. You also gain access to a support group on Facebook loaded with recipes, resources and files, and my personal help to actually learn how to use oils safely and successfully. Fall is the perfect time to get your oils! Email me for more information, or click on the link below to purchase!  Here’s the link to purchase:

https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start isoCountryCode=US&sponsorid=1626976&enrollerid=1626976

You can find more information about the Premium Start Kit and how to purchase here.

Tell someone that would be interested or share my post on social media! If you refer someone to me that gets a kit – I’ll give you a free bottle too! Follow me on Instagram @myrealdish or twitter @myrealdish or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myrealdish/

Have you ever won something before? What was it?

susanellenlogoweb

 

 

 

DIY Spa and Beauty Recipes

After walking 10 miles a day in Spain this summer, I realized that my skin needed a little TLC. I love making my own beauty products with essential oils because  (1) it saves money, (2) they are chemical-free, and (3) they smell great! I always seem to make a Lemon Body Scrub or a Coconut Lime Scrub, but I wanted to switch it up a bit. These DIY spa and skin care recipes are perfect for your summer beauty regime!

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Towel and beach slippers on wood..

  1. Summer dries out my lips! Citizens of Beauty created this DIY Lemon Drop Lip Scrub that is sure to keep your lips moisturized, soft, and smooth for summer. DIY-lemon-drop-lip-scrub.jpg
  2. Cambria Estate Vineyard & Winery posted this thick luscious Homemade Lavender Whipped Body Butter recipe. Why not have a glass of their wine and relax with a little Young Living Lavender on a nice summer night?! Homemade-Lavender-Whipped-Body-Butter_Hero
  3. Mom Foodie makes these fancy Big Orange Crush Bath Bombs. They are a perfect way to relax in the tub with orange essential oil at night after a long day!Orange-Crush-Bath-Bombs.jpg
  4. Feel like you are constantly slathering sunscreen on your face all summer and clogging your pores? The Frugal Farm Wife created a Baking Soda Face Wash recipe that features Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil; this wash is a gentle way to exfoliate your face. IMG_4340-700x467
  5. Does your skin need an invigorating boost? Check out this gorgeous Whipped Grapefruit Mint Sugar Scrub by The Kitchen McCabe. Not only does it smell fresh, but also makes your skin feel renewed and refreshed!whipped-Grapefruit-Peppermint-Body-Scrub-2-602x894.jpg

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ESSENTIAL OILS, THEN I INVITE YOU TO …

  1. Read Young Living’s Seed To Seal
  2. Join Young Living as a Customer or Distributor
  3. Email me any questions you may have.
  4. Join my private FaceBook Support Group (customers only).

P.S. You can really email me, and I will respond 🙂

susanellenlogoweb

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Spring Break

I was so happy to be at home with my kids for spring break. I even kept my son home from preschool all week. However, today – was my last day of break. I go back tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Too many tears, fighting, and ungratefulness going on here in this house with these two children of mine. Friday I kept my daughter and her two friends all day. We went to Beauty and the Beast and to play in the park after. Then my daughter cried after her 8 hour playdate was over. REALLY?!   Saturday, we bought her a new scooter with light up wheels. She cried when we went to the park with it. REALLY?! This morning I woke up early, and she and I made homemade vegan paleo donuts (I’ll post the recipe soon). Well, it turns out she didn’t want vanilla icing – she wanted vanilla donuts. My son didn’t want long john’s – he wanted donuts with holes. Tears. Really?! After they ate them, they said they were the best donuts ever! #crazychildren.

I couldn’t hang in there any longer today. My 4 year-old son (who is normally a sweet boy) told me that I was the worst mom ever and he hated me because I turned off the Wii. MOM IS DONE.

I applied some joy and gratitude and made it until bedtime. Thank goodness for oils and a sweet friend who came over and brought some wine. It’s a good reminder of whyI work outside of the home. My hat is off to stay-at-home-parents. Tomorrow I will be grateful for my job.

Stains Stains Go Away

Who knows what I was thinking when I bought my daughter this seafoam green coat. Who knows what she was thinking when she drew a heart on it with a permanent pink Sharpie… she’s 7.

As you can see, it was  disgusting; I was embarrassed that I had let it get this dirty. In my defense, she left her dress coat at school for a month and didn’t know where it was! I didn’t have a backup coat for put her one while this one dried.

img_2981 I thought about pitching it, and then I kicked myself for buying it slightly big just in case she could wear it next year (I’m so cheap). Instead, I reached for my Thieves Cleaner, Thieves Laundry Detergent  and Young Living Lemon Essential Oil. I generously poured Young Living Lemon Essential Oil on the stains and the pink heart. Then sprayed it with Thieves Cleaner in attempt to give me something to rub the Young Living Lemon Essential Oil into the coat. Also, I was grossed out just touching the coat….

Young Living Lemon Essential Oil is great for stains – it got black permanent sharpie out of my kid’s polo. A friend once was remodeling their bathroom and let the kids write on the wall. My son was two. It was a mess. Anyway – go to your lemon oil for stains!

After the Lemon Essential Oil and Thieves Cleaner application, I washed it once, but while it was better, it wasn’t 100% stainless. I decided to just take the Thieves Laundry Detergent and use it as a stain treatment. Gently rubbing it on the sleeves and chest with more Young Living Lemon Essential Oil around the lightly faded pink heart. I didn’t put any detergent in the machine, because I used it on the the coat. Then washed it. The result was flawless, and I’m no longer embarrassed when she wears it.img_2987

I bought the Thieves Laundry Detergent for the first time a couple months ago. I had been loyal to my Allen’s Laundry Detergent since my days with cloth diapers. It is perfume and dye free, and didn’t make me break out in hives, make my nose run, and make me sneeze. I’m a walking allergy.

Here’s my dish on the difference of the two. I like the way the Thieves makes my front loader smell. I replaced the mildewed-rubber seal on the washing machine, left the door open at all times, and it still stunk. So the Thieves Laundry Detergent makes it smell like Christmas. However,  I miss the pump that came with Allen’s Laundry Detergent‘s bottle, which allowed me to limit to the perfect amount for my front loader. Sometimes pouring just 1/4 of a cup of the Thieves isn’t as precise, so at the beginning I may have used a little more of the detergent than I would have had with the Allen’s Laundry Detergent. It’s supposed to be the same amount of loads, and therefore makes the Thieves Laundry Detergent cheaper. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m saving money because the Allen’s bottle is so much bigger than the Thieves‘s. I think the cost is the same. Young Living needs to add a pump option here and offer a bigger bottle.

Overall, I love the improvement in the smell of my front loader,  and it cleans clothes well – so I’m sticking with the Thieves Laundry Detergent. Plus, the coat is insanely improved and touchable now. Oily win!

susanellenlogoweb

Spraying Your Sinus

Everywhere I go right now, I am surrounded by coughing congested people – it makes me want to slathering them with Breathe Again and buy them a NeilMed. When people talk about a Neti Pot, I think – YUCK. I hate the weird tilt that you have to do with your head. Anyway, what everyone should be talking about is NeilMed, because it cleans out nasal passages much better than a Neti Pot, and you don’t have to awkwardly tilt your head.

What is a NeilMed? It’s a squeeze bottle with a plastic tip for easy insertion into your nostril so that you can do a saline rinse. You can buy it at a pharmacy, Wal-Mart or Target for ~$10 for a starter kit or ~$13 for the complete kit that has 50 packets of saline solution packets. The complete kit is worth it.screen-shot-2017-01-08-at-6-42-35-am

How can saline nasal irrigation help you?

  1. If you have allergies, the saline solution can flush out allergens that you might have inhaled during the day. It’s great for maintenance.
  2. If you have a sinus infection, the saline solution can help wash out bacteria from your nasal passages. It’s cleaning out the bacteria that builds up and creates inflammation, congestion, and pain. 
  3. The saline solution helps moisturize your sinus membranes, therefore soothing these membranes, reducing swelling, and pain. By reducing inflammation, it makes it easier for you to breathe.
  4. The saline solution helps flush out mucus and stop post-nasal drip. That means you don’t have to swallow all that nasty snot that runs down the back of your throat. Delightful description, I know…

How do you use a NeilMed?

  1. Fill the squeeze bottle with purified water up to the line at the top of the bottle. I read this article once that talked about the small chance that parasites that can be in tap water and go into the brain when we use Neti Pots or NeilMeds. Why risk that?IMG_9525.jpg
  2. Another thing that is great about NeilMed is that you can put it in the microwave to warm up the water in 10 second increments. You want the water warm, but not hot. It can burn your sinuses if it’s too hot or cold.
  3. Add the saline solution to the water in the NeilMed. I also like to add a drop of Young Living Lavender and Tea Tree Essential Oils to give the solution a kick; these two oils soothe your skin, and Tea Tree is also known for its cleansing properties. It feels weird saying that you need to soothe the skin in your nasal passages, but it helps so much! 
  4. Get some tissue ready and stand in an upright position over the sink.
  5. Insert the black tip into your nostril, and squeeze only half of the water in the bottle. The saline solution will go up one nostril and come out the other.
  6. Blow your nose, and repeat with the other nostril using the remaining saline solution.
  7. Obviously, you cannot breathe through your nose while doing this. However, you can breathe through your mouth, but I try not to. If some goes into your mouth, spit it into the sink, but this happens much less with NeilMed than Neti Pot.
  8. Empty the remaining water from the Neilmed, and clean the squeeze bottle.
  9. I do this once a day when my allergies are bothering me, but if I’m struggling with sinus – then I do it once in the morning and at night before bed.

img_9518Tip: do not use regular table salt with the NeilMed. I cannot describe the discomfort it causes…

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Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub

It’s holiday time! I am a highschool teacher; I may get a couple of gift cards, but it’s the elementary and preschool teachers that get the good stuff. I mean, they deal with our kids ALL DAY LONG; I just have them for 45 minutes a day!

I contributed money for my daughter’s teacher, but we don’t have a room mother at my son’s preschool. This left me scrambling at Target on Saturday, hoping that they had something decent that I could pick up. I got them each a Starbucks Gift Card, but I felt lame.

My skin has been pretty dry, and I thought about making a scrub this weekend. Why not make them one too? While I was at Target, I picked up some washi gold and white tape, a gold and white ribbon, a gold Sharpie, and a snowman carrier in order to make them pretty. I had the jars in my basement already, which I had bought on Amazon; check out Ball Mason 4oz Quilted Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12.

I don’t know if his teachers will like this sugar scrub, but at least it is a thoughtful addition to a non-personal gift card. Plus, it makes your hands feel soft and moisturized, and it smells divine! I’m obsessed with all things Lime. Try it in the diffuser with Bergamot at night – you will thank me later 😉

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup sugar
  2. 1 cup coconut oil ( I used cold-pressed unrefined organic coconut oil that I got from Costco)
  3. 40 drops Young Living Lime Essential Oil
  4. 6 – 4 oz jars

This mix is so easy!  

Directions:

  1. Mix the sugar and coconut oil together.
  2. Add the Lime Essential Oil and combine until evenly distributed.img_9202
  3. Put the scrub into jars.
  4. Wrap the washi tape around the top of the jar for a little decoration.
  5. Tie a ribbon on top of the tape for some added flare.img_9211
  6. Write on the top of the jar with the Sharpie.img_9234
  7. I put them in these little cute snowman carriers for him to deliver tomorrow.img_9240

Happy Holidays!

 

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