Healthy Scalp Spray

If you have kids going back to school, chances are you want their scalp to stay healthy! I guess you'd want their heads to be healthy no matter what, but going back to school exposes them to all kinds of pesky annoyances that you don't want them bringing home. That would mean keeping them home and doing tons of laundry... so let's avoid that hassle this year and keep that scalp, well, healthy!

For my school-aged child, I use this simple spray on her hair in the mornings before school using essential oils:

pinch of baking soda
15 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil
1 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp witch hazel

1 oz spray bottle
small stainless funnel (will make filling that bottle a little easier!)

Put a pinch of baking soda in to a 1 oz spray bottle. Add in your essential oils (if you see oil swirling around the bottom of the bottle, add a little more baking soda. You want the soda to absorb the oil). Pour in warm water in. Cover with your finger and shake to dissolve the baking soda. Top with witch hazel and close it up.

I spray the hairline, 2-3 spritzes to get all the way around, a spray on the crown, then lift about half the hair up and get one good spray in the middle there.

Super simple, clean, and healthy!

I will note that in my home, and especially around my kids, I only use top quality, unadulterated essential oils! Learn more about what I use here!

All About Cedarwood

This month, August 2016, Young Living is giving away a free full-sized bottle of Cedarwood Essential Oil to all new wholesale members. Free! Just for signing up! So, what is Cedarwood essential oil and why do you need it in your life???

Cedarwood originally comes from Morocco and according to Life Science Publishing's Essential Oil Pocket Reference it is "closely related to the biblical cedars of Lebanon" with traditional uses in medicines and embalming. The essential oil is steam distilled from the bark of the tree.

As for modern day uses... the list is impressive! It's well known for promoting a full and healthy hair (you could add it to that hair serum recipe I shared!) It also has some great cleansing properties especially for this skin. Aromatically, Cedarwood is calming making it a great choice for focus blends and bedtime, for grown ups and for kids!

Cedarwood is such a great partner with other oils! So much so that Young Living uses it in a lot of their proprietary blends including Stress Away, Brain Power, Highest Potential, and Tranquil Roll On. Don't those sound nice? They also take advantage of  those cleansing properties when including it in their ART Beauty Masque, Peppermint-Cedarwood Moisturizing Soap, and KidScents Bath Gel.

Now, I will admit, when I first tried Cedarwood, I hated the smell!  I thought it smelled like cat pee! Fortunately, I seem to be a rare breed there! And it has grown on me. I powered through, trying to seize it's benefits by combining it with other oils and/or using it on my feet for Vita Flex applications. Now, I really like the smell. It's sweet and slightly woodsy. I use it my diffuser at bedtime almost every night. I change it up, pairing it with different things on different nights. Here are some of my favorite combos! (I use 1-3 drops of each oil)

Of course, things like peppermint and rosemary are typically perky oils, while things like lavender and Stress Away are more often used at bedtime. But remember, Cedarwood is flexible and can be helpful at all times of the day! I will also note that many ultrasonic diffusers do not recommend the use of vetiver since it is so thick and viscous. Check with your manufacturer!

Any of these combinations would make for excellent roller bottle combinations for the Vita Flex applications I mentioned before. For kids, under 10, try 1-5 drops of each in a 10mL roller bottle, topped with a liquid carrier oil of your choice. For bigger kids and adults, go with 5-15 drops of each. Within those ranges, account for specific age, size, sensitivity, and experience with essential oils.

Are you ready to get started with the essential oils, and get your Cedarwood for free? Learn more here!

Hair Conditioning Serum

Hey! How's the summer treating your hair? How about that beauty routine in general? A little rough around the edges? I'm going to share a slightly embarrassing moment I had several months ago...

Around Christmas, I started making the switch to a natural hair car routine, including a DIY shampoo followed by and apple cider vinegar rinse. I'll get to those another day. Apparently, it was not doing the ends of my color-treated hair any favors. I hadn't been in for a trim in a few months and when I finally went to get it cut, the girl asks me if I flat iron it often... I don't :( My poor ends were not handling the transition well! So, solution time!

I came home and started looking into essential oils that are good for your hair and I found a laundry list! Many tout benefits for your scalp, but having oily-prone skin and hair, I didn't want to go for a full-on oil application, either as a deep conditioner or regular conditioning treatment, so I was more selective. Here is where I landed:

Olive Oil--it's moisturizing and contains Vitamins A and E, leaving you with strong, shiny, manageable hair. Many carrier oils would be good in this application. Start with one your skin likes.

Lavender Essential Oil--it is my go-to for all things health and beauty! It's soothing properties apply to everything else I've tried, so why not my hair? I found it to be deep conditioner for hair. Plus it smells great!

Ylang-ylang Essential Oil--again, the smell! I learned that it has traditionally been used to support thick, shiny hair.

• 1/4 Olive Oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops ylang-ylang essential oil  (get started with the best oils here!)

Add EO's to 2 oz dropper bottle and top with olive oil. Use a couple of drops on the ends of wet or dry hair.

Now, when I say "a couple of drops," seriously, 2 drops is enough for my hair! It is fine and straight and if I use more, it doesn't absorb all the way and looks oily. My daughter, on the other hand, has curls and 4 drops or so suits her better. I use this every time I wash my hair, on the ends only, because I believe in an ounce of prevention! I use 1-2 drops on damp hair, before blow drying, to help protect the ends from the heat, then 1-2 drops after for smoothing. 

When I use 1-2 drops after drying, I get the bonus points of lovely, calming, uplifting aromatherapy running through my hair, right there near my nose! Delightful!

After several more months, my hair is looking smooth and strong! I only hate that the weather is too hot to wear it down more often!

DIY Mouthwash

Mouthwash you say? Yep! This recipe is free of alcohol, sweeteners, dyes, and artificial flavors. It's so easy and cost-effective you'll never want to put that other stuff in your mouth again!

You only need 3 ingredients: baking soda, water, and top quality essential oils like these!  The essential oils do the heavy lifting here and you absolutely want to be sure you are using oils that are safe to use in your mouth! If the you have an essential oil that says "for external use only," BELIEVE THEM!

Popular oils include peppermint and the Thieves blend (which you can learn a little about here). Me? I love wintergreen! I've always preferred it to peppermint, whether it's candy or gum or whatever. But here is a great opportunity to customize it to your taste and your needs!

Add around 8 drops of each oil of choice to 1/4-1/2 tsp baking soda at the bottle of a glass bottle (mine is 8oz). Fill with water, and shake to combine!

Want a bonus secret ingredient???  Hydrogen peroxide! Based on the labeled instructions, you can use up to 50% of the 3% hydrogen peroxide with 50% water. It is well known as an antiseptic and oral debriding agent, which basically means it cleans stuff out really well. Added bonus? Whitening power! If you can tolerate the taste, it's an effective addition!

Check out my video to see how quick and easy it is to whip up a batch with my favorite oil combo!