My favorite diffusers are:
Serene House Supernova - my most asked about diffuser!
Young Living Aria
Young Living Desert Mist
Serene House Starlight - I use this one in our big kid's room. It is a nice smaller size and they love the changing colors!
I find that I use my oils more if they are handy to get to. I love using simple pretty dishes to hold a collection of them near each diffuser.
Favorite sleep combo: diffuse cedarwood and lavender
Lemon water is great for digestion which I like first thing in the morning. It also gets you a cup of water in and is good for your skin.
Young Living vitality oils are safe to ingest providing the benefits of lemon without the work!
Finding New Diffuser Blends: When I first started using oils I hunted down all kinds of diffuser blends I could use with the oils I had on hand. And now when I add a new oil, I do the same and add it to the list.
I keep them in a memo on
my phone so I can keep track of what I like (a heart) and then add a check for ones I
tried but didn't care for. The ones with an asterisk* are not safe for
babies (lemon - up to 6 months old and peppermint - not while pregnant
or nursing and use sparingly around young children in general).
By
doing this I find what I like and want to restock. Which has lead me to
find out that I tend to like citrus smells as well as fall themed
blends.
The numbers are the ratio of drops I use.
I started painting my nails again and it's been a wonderful form of self care! I do have to touch it up every day or so but a worthwhile investment for the joy it brings me!
I've been really happy with Habit and Aila non toxic nail polish. And the Aila nail polish remover works pretty well. You have to put a little effort in but I've found one wipe successfully gets all the polish off.
Thieves + citrus fresh is one of my favorite fall combinations. Plus we are all getting a little immunity boost thanks to thieves!
A little grapefruit essential oil in my water to help boost my water intake today! The hint of grapefruit is so good!
A FEW TIPS:
Young
Living's Vitality Oils are approved FDA safe. The vitality oils and the
regular essential oils are exactly the same oil. So if you have the
larger bottle, those are also safe to add to your food or drinks.
Essential oils don't react well with plastic so use glass or stainless steel!
I also love lemon in my water as well as peppermint in hot chocolate or my chocolate protein shake!
During cold and flu season I like to get a few things ready to help us stay well. Here are a few of my go to:
1. Thieves lozenges - any time I wake up with a sore throat I take one of these. An extra little immunity boost!
2. Elderberry - syrup, gummies, or dissolvable pills. We take it all season long and take extra doses if we start feeling like we might be sick.
3. Humidifier - we run these in every bedroom all night. Helps keep the air from being so dry, great for skin, breathing, and preventing illness. We have this one and love it!
4. Diffusing thieves - I love it with any citrus oil!
5. Sleep - getting plenty of rest is the healer of so many things! Especially for little ones. A routine bedtime and time for rest is good for all of us!
A healthier mani pedi at home! The Aila gel top coat works great! I've never had gel done at a salon so I can't compare. But it gave me a good extra couple of days before my first chip! I like it!
Eco friendly and money saving bowl covers! Plus they come in fun patterns! I ordered these from Semi Sustainable Goods on Etsy. They are toxic free and can be thrown in the wash! We are cutting back on plastic wrap and aluminum foil for wellness, using less waste, and for saving money. I still keep a roll of each but separate from our main kitchen space so I'm less tempted to grab them.
How to get the most out of Thieves laundry soap!
I've been using a natural fragrance free laundry soap for awhile and was disappointed to find its toxicity rating had gone up since I first started using it. It's been a frustrating journey to think I'm making the right choices only to feel deceived by claims of products being all natural.
The Thieves laundry soap is so natural that if swallowed it says to drink plenty of water! It is also super concentrated which means you can dilute it to get two bottles in one!
To dilute: pour half (16 oz) into an empty detergent bottle or other storage jar (like a mason jar!). Add 2-3 capfuls of Thieves household cleaner (optional - acts as a booster). Fill the rest with distilled or filtered water!
Get every last drop! Empty bottles upside down in epsom salts for a future bath!
Did you know you can use the lid of your diffuser to fill with water? Just use your finger to cover the hole! Then fill your diffuser.
Currently diffusing peace and calming, lavender, and tangerine! I didn't used to like peace and calming until I paired it with lavender! Now it is one of my favorites. I keep a list of oil combos on my phone so I learn what I like and don't like!
Bringing back my weekly naptime self care routine >> one day a week during naptime I do something for myself. Today a bath. If you are struggling to find time for yourself write it on the calendar. Make it happen! I love the natural bath bombs from a little local shop in Virginia. Thank goodness they sell online which keeps me stocked up.
Since we are all spending a little more time at home right now, it is a great time to try out new diffuser blends! I have been trying out a new combination everyday to find new blends that I like as well as narrow down my personal smell preferences!
You can look for diffuser blends on Pinterest or Google. And if you like a certain oil or only have a few, try searching those oils.
I
keep a list of blends on my phone and mark off which ones I've tried as
well as which ones I like or don't care for.
TIPS FOR STAYING WELL // As our family enters more and more back into the world, I am reminding myself of some habits to start at home for keeping us as well as I possibly can. They are my go to's for cold and flu season but with a summertime spin. Fall will be here before we know it so I'm happy to kick off these habits now as little daily rituals.
+ Opening the windows every morning to clean the air
+ Running humidifiers in bedrooms at night to help kill off germs
+ Diffusing thieves regularly. Diffuse in bedrooms with lavender at night.
+ Signs of a sore throat or possibly a cold - thieves lozenges, change sheets, clean towels, can even change toothbrushes
+ Cleaning with thieves cleaner
+ Getting plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and time outside
+ We also like using thieves hand sanitizer - I feel better about using this with my kids who are constantly eating or licking their hands! And it doesn't dry out my hands as much.
+ Yoga to help fight off joint pain that keeps me from sleeping well
+ Elderberry supplement
+ Journaling and quiet time to keep my heart at peace.
I
usually put my empty bottles upside down in epsom salts to get every
last drop and save for a bath. But life happens and I haven't been
getting many baths lately so my epsom jar is full!
So I tried the
soak in water method - to then diffuse. And I am on cup three of
soaking! I continue getting yummy smelling water so I keep refilling!
I'm
soaking what I would guess to be about 4 oz - just enough to fill a
diffuser. And I am using three empty bottles of a combo that I know will
smell good together.
Shower Cleaner // One of my favorite cleaning hacks! Fill up a soap dispensing scrub brush with some mighty cleaning power! Then leave it in your shower and clean away whenever you notice a little build up.
-fill with a little soap (I use castile soap)
-add a few splashes of Thieves Household Cleaner
-fill the rest with water
I love the Thieves Household Cleaner! A little goes a long way and it can be used in many different ways. I use it as our all purpose cleaner and it can also be used as a laundry booster.
Hand wash soap dispenser filling day!
I
use Dr. Bronner's all purpose castile soap for both dish soap in the
kitchen and hand wash in the bathroom. I like a good foam so I use these
cute white foam soap dispensers I found on Amazon.
I reuse
plastic bottles to fill partially with soap and top off with water
(about 1:10 ratio soap to water). I then store the bottles under all the
sinks for quick and easy refills.
+ natural soap
+ saves money
+ less plastic/waste
+ less wasted soap
