Free e-book Friday: Essential Oils & Natural Living

 

Essential Oils & Aromatherapy Reloaded: The Complete Step by Step Guide

 

Essential Oils Beauty Secrets Reloaded: How To Make Beauty Products At Home for Skin, Hair & Body Care -A Step by Step Guide & 70 Simple Recipes for Any Skin Type and Hair Type

 

Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Ultimate Guide (Boxed Set): 3 Books In 1 Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Guide with Recipes, Uses and Benefits

Essential Oils & Aromatherapy Volume 2 (Boxed Set)

Essential Oils For Weight Loss: Your Guide To Kickstart Your Weight Loss With Essential Oils 

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Guide (Boxed Set): 3 Books In 1 Essential Oils Guide for Weight Loss with Recipes

1,001 Ways to Use Essential Oils - including 61 Essential Oils

Essential Oils: Powerful Essential Oils Recipes to Release Stress, Enhance Beauty, and Feel Beautiful

Amazing smoothie for pumpkin lovers

One rule about cooking with Girl Scouts: Make sure you are watching what they're doing.

Suddenly, I was stuck with three opened, partially used cans of canned pumpkin after Tuesday's cooking experiment of Pumpkin Pie in a Cup. And with two kids at home, several games and practices on the schedule, and a sick husband, I was pretty short on time.

My solution? Make a breakfast smoothie.

Amazing Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups milk or vanilla almond milk
2 drops cassia essential oil or cinnamon essential oil
2 scoops vanilla TrimShake

Instructions
Mix ingredients in blender. Add ice and blend to desired consistency.


Note: This post does include affiliate links, in case you need a source for those ingredients.

10 New Ways to Use Lemongrass Essential Oil

Lemongrass essential oil is my sleeper favorite. I wasn't sure about trying this essential oil for quite some time because of the scent. But it quickly became one of my favorites for rubbing on sore muscles - kind of a poor man's Deep Blue Rub .

I typically use a drop or two per leg, diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil , when my legs ache. And it's been a blessing for me for when my tendonitis flares up and as my little guy deals with growing pains. But I'm finding more and more interesting uses for lemongrass oil.

Here are 10 new ways to use lemongrass oil:

1. As a natural fruit and vegetable wash. Add 1-2 drops lemongrass oil in a large bowl of water, wash your produce and it kills bacteria and cleans off pesticides.
2. Yoga mat cleaner using witch hazel and lemongrass essential oil.
3. Lowering cholesterol. I've heard anecdotally that using lemongrass essential oil can assist in lowering cholesterol levels.  Marlene Hunt reported on the dōTERRA Facebook page: “I lowered my cholesterol about 15 points- apply on bottom of feet & over my heart.”
4. As a bug repellant. Mix lemongrass essential oil in a spray bottle of water; or mix with an unscented lotion.
5. Fighting fleas and ticks.
6. For stress relief.
7. As an antiseptic.
8. Fighting lactose intolerance. Rub lemongrass essential oil on the bottoms of the feet before or immediately after having dairy. 
9. For a household cleaning spray.
10. In cooking. I stumbled across this interesting recipe on doTERRA's Facebook page:

Thai Tom Kah soup with lemongrass and lime EOs at the finish; simmer fresh-caught local or regional fish, coconut milk, and fresh, finely chopped or grated garlic, ginger, galangal, coriander, onion, celery, Add prawns and mushrooms 15 minutes prior serving, and cast scallions and cilantro after adding EOs. 

For more great tips on using lemongrass essential oil, visit doTERRA's Facebook page for reader tips.

doTERRA specials for June

I love sharing specials on essential oils! Here are money-saving options for June.

The biggest one is for both new and returning customers/wellness advocates. Any 200PV order this month gets you a free bottle of Breathe (for what it says!) and OnGuard (cold/flu protective blend). These are two of my favorites in my family and I'll be sure to stock up!

The second is a special on TerraShield - 10% off this month. This makes for an inexpensive bug spray -- a few drops per use goes a long way!

Finally, product of the month for those on the Loyalty Rewards program with a 125PV order (which you'd have if you took advantage of the first offer!) is Balance. This is a great grounding blend. At first I was not fond of it, but it's truly became one of my favorites for stressful times!

If you're interested in ordering but don't have a resource already, please feel free to use my affilliate link. I can also help you set you up as a wellness advocate to get the largest discounts.

Have a great summer! 

Cooking with essential oils: 50 recipes to try

Essential oils are derived from plants - why couldn't - or shouldn't - you use it in cooking?

If you've used it as a dried or fresh herb or spice form, you can likely use an essential oil alternative - which is great in a pinch. I've managed to drizzle some dill essential oil on my salmon as it roasts, drop in lemon essential oils in my drinks and use it to substitute for buttermilk in recipes.

Be warned, though. Essential oils can't be simply substituted for fresh or dried herbs in a 1-to-1 ratio. Here is a great guide for substituting herbs with essential oils:

A good rule of thumb is: 1 tablespoon citrus zest = 8 to 14 drops of essential oil 1 tablespoon dried spice or herb = ½ – 1 drop of essential oil ½ – 1 teaspoon dried spice or herb  =  1 toothpick dip* *Dip a toothpick in the center of the dripper cap and then swirl the toothpick in your recipe or beverage.

For stronger oils such as cilantro, cinnamon bark, lavender, oregano, and thyme make sure to always start with a lesser amount and add to taste. 

If you have a little more time, check out this online cooking class featuring essential oils:

Eat up! Here are some recipes using essential oils to get you started:

Breakfast

Whole-grain blueberry muffins
Granola blueberry crisp
Power bites
Peanut butter protein bars
Lavender blueberry banana bread
"Birdseed" bars
Wild orange and cinnamon pumpkin muffins
Cinnamon almond granola
On Guard pumpkin smoothie

Main dishes

Hawaiian barbecue chicken 

Baked chicken taquitos
Cajun chicken pasta
Almond-crusted orange chicken
Ginger stir-fry
Sun-dried tomato pizza
Grilled halibut with cilantro lime butter
Lemon-orange shrimp kabobs
Roasted marinara sauce
Honey glazed ham
Vegetarian black bean burgers
Basted holiday turkey
Lime chicken and quinoa salad
Healing soup with cilantro and ginger
Roasted marinara sauce

Side dishes

Pasta salad
Garlic & herb canapes
Black  beans and Lime cilantro rice
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Lemon broiled asparagus
Winter On Guard Quinoa Salad
Rosemary roasted red potatoes
Herbed pasta salad

Dressings & Dips

Citrus vinaigrette
Apple-walnut vinaigrette
Basil dill veggie dip
Italian bread dip
Wild Orange vinaigrette
Dill vegetable dip
Strawberry-lime fruit dip
Pico de gallo with lime essential oil
Lavender balsalmic vinaigrette

Treats & Sweets

Lemon bark
Honey peanut butter popcorn with Essential Oils
Honey lemon cake with lavender icing
Peppermint patties
Strawberry Coconut Cremes
Chocolate bliss raspberry parfait
Luscious lemon bars
Wild Orange Truffles
Whole wheat gingerbread cutouts
Pumpkin pie
Guilt-free apple pie
Strawberry orange sorbet
Tiramisu

Beverages

Strawberry citrus slush
Holiday wassail
Hot cocoa
Strawberry lemonade
Peppermint iced tea

Looking for a source for essential oils? Please consider using my online store with doTERRA essential oils. Email me at goinggreenmama at gmail if you'd like to know about saving 25% off of retail prices.

October Essential Oils Newsletter

My October essential oils newsletter is now online! Find out tips for healthy travel, classes in Indianapolis and more.

Honey peanut butter popcorn with essential oils

Sneak in a little essential oils into your snacktime!

This honey peanut butter popcorn recipe came out of a sick-day request from my daughter, who loves her grandma's peanut butter popcorn recipe. Sadly, we were out of brown sugar, but a little creativity allowed me to sneak in some essential oils and wildflower honey to help with her sinus congestion!

Honey peanut butter popcorn with essential oils
1/2 cup popcorn, unpopped
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/6 cup wildflower honey
2 T. butter
2-3 drops On Guard essential oil blend

Pop popcorn in your popper according to directions. In microwave, melt butter and peanut butter. Add honey and On Guard essential oil and stir; toss over popped corn.

Jessica Alba's essential oil chest rub

An essential oil chest rub for allergies or cold season - tried and touted by Jessica Alba in her new book The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You. I am putting this to work this week!

Chest Rub Recipe

Blend a few drops of euchalyptus, ginger, peppermint and tea tree (melaleuca) essential oils with a body oil (ie fractionated cocoonut oil) or balm. Rub on chest back, under nose and on bottoms of the feet.

I love, love, love that someone who has so many resources at her disposal chooses simple home remedies to help heal her children at home!

Natural bug repellents that work

Natural insect repellents have come a long way from the cheap, smelling good but working poorly options of a few years back. In fact, my husband who once groaned that I bought "yet another bottle of crap that doesn't work" is now grabbing my greener options over the bottle of Off.

As the summer has finally started to cool, I've had the opportunity to get outside more, enjoying hiking trips and taking a few greener bug repellent options out for a try. They range from the homemade to off the shelf to household products. Here are just a few:

Buy it and be done:

I'll admit it. I'm the first to stop and help a vendor at the farmers market who's selling a homemade bug repellent blend. But for those needing to shop online here are a few options:

Buzz Free: Miessence's Buzz Free is a certified organic herbal extract and essential oil blend spray. It's light enough that I didn't feel sticky afterward, and works well enough that I didn't get the usual chiggers and bug bites from the early-evening soccer practices. I do appreciate that the ingredients in Miessence's body products are Australian Certified Organic and are low risk for cancer as well, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Terrashield: doTERRA TerraShield essential oil blend is the strangest of concepts. I didn't believe that you could only put a few drops on your body for insect repellent. But I took it for a test drive in an afternoon hike through the woods of Monroe State Forest and came out unscathed.

Vanilla Extract: Not the imitation vanilla, the real deal. Splurge on vanilla extract and dab it on you to deter bugs.

Make your own:

Most homemade insect repellent blends involve a blend of various essential oils (typically eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender are in the mix), with water, witch hazel or apple cider vinegar as a base.

Here are a few links for recipes using essential oils or other kitchen ingredients:
Homemade insect repellent from the Daily Green
How to make bug spray from fresh or dried herbs
Natural flea remedies
Five-ingredient blend of eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary and tea tree oils with witch hazel

Need to order small glass spray bottles? Here is a resource.

What are your favorite options or recipes for natural insect repellents?

Disclosure: This post includes an affiliate link for essential oils. Additionally, I did receive a sample of Buzz Free from Ely Organics, a Miessence independent representative. 

Learning about pain management with oils...the hard way

"Mommy, it feels worser," my five year old told me the other day.

Worser. Just the word a mother does not want to hear, especially when your little one has hobbled around for a day already.

The foot wasn't swollen. It wasn't bruised. But it was worser. So I made an appointment online with my pediatrician for the next day and assessed my options. Yes, there was ibuprofen, but it only did so much.

Would oils help? Yes, I've used lemongrass, Deep Blue and peppermint for muscle soreness, and while essential oils can be used for pain management, I wasn't sure how it'd work for a little guy.

So we went out on a limb, so to speak. And the good news? It worked. For the last two days I've used the Deep Blue Rub and Deep Blue essential oil blend on my little guy's foot, and he's feeling good enough to (slowly) tag along with his buddies at extended care.

Even better? The X-ray said no broken bone. Now, I just need to teach my kindergartener that tackle football with your buddies isn't the best option for after school play!

Essential Oils for Infants

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

I truly wish I had known about essential oils and how they could help our family five years ago. Just knowing how they could have helped would have given me additional confidence to deal with my son's colic, my daughter's croup or other minor health issues that came across.

As I've gotten to know some new moms who are interested in more natural ways in helping their children's health, I've been challenged to learn more and more about how best to use essential oils to care for infants.

Below is a summary of some of the research I've found, and I hope you can find it useful.

Cautions: Infants should not ingest essential oils. Do not put them on babies’ hands, as they could get into the mouth. Put socks on feet if applying oils there. Do not apply near mouth, nose or eyes. ALWAYS dilute oils used on babies. The recommended dilution is 1 drop per tablespoon of carrier oil. 

And finally, use your maternal judgment. This is not a substitute for seeking medical care! Always call your physician with concerns.

If you do need a resource for essential oils, please consider using my referral link for doTERRA products. My family uses them and loves them. (You can also save 25% off of retail prices by becoming a wholesale member or independent consultant - even if you just "consult" to yourself. Please email me if you have any questions about that option.) 

Issue	doTERRA essentail oils that may help ease symptoms*
Colic	Lavender, DigestZen blend (diluted), Marjoram, Bergamot, Ginger- use on an abdominal massage
Cold	Thyme, Lemon, Melaleuca, Rosemary - dilute 1-2 drops into 2 tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces and massage on neck and chest
Constipation	Wild orange, lemon or Roman Chamomile - 1 drop in 1 tablespoon carrier oil. Massage abdomen, lower back and feet twice daily.
Cough	Lavender - 1 drop in 1 tablespoon carrier oil. Rub on chest/back.
Cradle Cap	Lemon, Geranium – mix 2 tablespoons almond oil with one drop lemon and one drop geranium
Croup	Marjoram, Thyme, Sandalwood- dilute 1-2 drops into 2 tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces l and massage on neck and chest
Diaper rash	Lavender, Roman Chamomile
Earache	Melaleuca, Roman Chamomile - combine 2 tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces with one drop Roman chamomile and one drop melaleuca.  place a drop on a cotton ball and apply on ear, behind ear and reflex points on the feet
Fever (mild)	Lavender, On Guard, Peppermint - dilute 1-2 drops into 2 tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces and massage on neck, back and feet * Call your pediatrician for high fever.
Gas	Lavender - 1 drop lavender in 1 tablespoon carrier oil. Massage 2-3 drops on the abdomen, moving clockwise
Sleep	Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Serenity, Citrus Bliss
Teething	Clove, Lavender, Myrrh, Roman Chamomile  - Dilute the oils with one drop oil and 3 - 4 drops FCO and rub directly on the gum or rub the diluted oil on outside at the jaw line.
Thrush	Melaleuca, Lavender, Thyme, Lemon, Geranium - dilute 1-2 drops into 2 tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces and massage on location

Sources: Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils; Essential Oils for Maternity; everythingessential.me; articles in medical journals International Journal of Nursing Practice and Early Human Development

* Using essential oils should be a complement to, not replace seeing your physician with ANY medical concern. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The recommendations above are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

 

10 reasons to love peppermint essential oil

Peppermint essential oil is what sold me on actually using essential oils as an alternative to prescription or over-the-counter medications.

While I'd dabbled in essential oils for stress relief, it wasn't until last summer, deep in a web relaunch-induced migraine and tossing a mini bottle around in my hand that I opted to do it. I dropped the oil in my hands. Rubbed my temples. And in minutes the headache was gone.

Funny thing is it wasn't just once. It worked over and over. And then the other day, cleaning out my desk, I found a bottle of headache medicine - expired 12/12 - that had long gathered dust.

The reality is quality peppermint oil - not the diluted stuff or extracts - really rocks and is so versatile.

Here are 10 reasons to LOVE peppermint essential oil:

1. Headache relief. And on really bad days, I mix it with frankincense essential oil to "amp" it up.
2. Helping nausea. Last fall was our first trip that we didn't buy Dramamine - and that's with us driving through the Smoky Mountains AND taking a boat trip. When in doubt, we use peppermint oil.
3. Staying pumped. Peppermint essential oil is great to simply rub in your palms and breathe deeply when you are stressed or worn out. My daughter says it helps her work well at school, and she loves it in water at soccer practice.
4. Keeping bugs at bay. Peppermint essential oil wards off ants, spiders and mice. (Thankfully the mice bit I haven't had to put to the test!)
5. Aches and pains. Peppermint essential oil is great for muscle aches, pains and even arthritis.
6. Slowing allergies. I use two drops each of peppermint, lavender and lemon essential oils in a veggie capsule when my allergies are at my worst.
7. Cooling off. Peppermint essential oil in water is a great cooling spray on hot summer days.
8. Stopping fever. When my kids come down with a fever, I rub peppermint essential oil on their feet and neck as often as needed. It makes a difference in minutes, and I don't have to wait the four to six hours I might need to do with Tylenol or ibuprofen. (And use of peppermint oil doesn't preclude you from using over the counter medications, either!)
9. Freshen breath. 'Nuff said. (Personally I love the peppermint beadlets that doTERRA just came out with!)
10. Making my son smile. My little guy likes peppermint on one foot, lemon on the other. I don't get it but it relaxes him and makes him happy. If he's happy, mom's happy!

Love peppermint oil too? Take doTERRA's Peppermint Challenge. Complete this form  and I'll send you a coupon to trade in a bottle (new, in use or empty) of peppermint essential oil for a bottle of doTERRA's brand. Offer ends Sept. 15.

Want to buy? Please consider checking out my affiliate link to buy peppermint or other essential oils.

Follow Robbie @ Going Green Mama's board Essential Oils on Pinterest.

Treating bug bites with essential oils (a success story)

An essential oil success story to share: Sunday evening at our church service, I noticed my daughter had a bite on her arm. It was hot and the area around it had swelled to a pink circle the size of the bottom of a soda can.

My friend standing next to me, who is a nurse, looked at it and thought it was possible that it was a spider bite. Of course, I had nothing in my recently cleaned out purse but felt I needed to try something.

I gave her two On Guard beadlets on the spot and rubbed peppermint essential oil on it for the heat. She felt immediately better. At home, we used basil essential oil and doTERRA's Purify blend on the bite area several times, and my daughter continued to use peppermint oil on it during day care the next day.

This morning, I looked at the bite, and the heat is nearly gone, as is the swelling!

Note: This post does contain affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

Beating Sunburn Naturally

Photo from Google Image

A sunburn was not what I counted on during a cloudy, cool week at summer camp. But yes, my little guy came home with red, sore shoulders one afternoon.

I was blessed to find a quick home remedy within my "medicine cabinet:" a blend of coconut oil and melaleuca essential oil (otherwise known as tea tree oil). After rubbing it into my son's shoulders a few times a day, his redness was quickly relieved.

The good news is it wasn't a fluke. The bad news is I got to test it out a few weeks later.

After a day at the lake with a friend, my daughter noticed what she called a "rash" on the back of her legs and any other area she neglected to put sunscreen. After nearly eight years, she had her first sunburn. And it was a painful one at that. As we were at home rather than at camp, we had a larger arsenal of essential oils to tap into (good because it gave a break from the complaints about the smell of melaleuca oil!) We primarily used melaleuca and lavender essential oils and coconut oil to help spread it. I went quite liberally with the essential oils, and the redness was gone by morning. The soreness in a day or two.

Needless to say, I have a bottle of "sunburn blend" mixed up and ready for our next outdoor adventure!

What is your favorite natural home remedy for sunburn and other summer maladies?

Removing paint fumes with essential oils

Preparing to paint your room? This is a tip from Modern Essentials I'll be sure to try during my repainting this spring:

Add one 15 ml bottle of essential oil (such as lemon oil or doTerra's Purify TM, Elevation TM or Citrus Bliss TM blends) to a five gallon bucket of paint. Stir it vigorously to mix.

You can buy these online by following my affiliate link.

Wake up with this body scrub

A simple shower scrub idea that doesn't require sugar, which always makes me feel sticky afterwards. Even better, it reuses those coffee grounds that my husband would typically toss in the trash.

Wake Up Shower Scrub

leftover coffee grounds from one pot of coffee

approx. 2 Tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces or grapeseed oil (more or less depending on desired consistency)

15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Mix. Makes enough for multiple batches. 

It sounds strange, but trust me on this.

Looking for grapefruit essential oil or fractionated coconut oil? You can buy these online by following my affiliate link.

Cinnamon apple smoothie

Cinnamon apple smoothie

1 cup diced apple
1 cup skim milk

1 scoop DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake or other vanilla protein shake

1/2 cup ice or more if desired.

Blend all.


Calories according to MyFitness Pal: 365 for the entire thing. It tastes amazing and was so filling!



Disclosure: I do receive a percentage of the sales for the DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake by following this link, however, I wouldn't use it if I didn't like it!

Fighting fever naturally

The school's number flashes on my phone and I cringe. I know what it means this time of day: Someone is sick.

Yes, my little guy wasn't feeling well, the after-school care staff reported. And after getting him home, we confirmed the worst: a temperature of 100.2.

Interestingly, he wanted nothing to do with taking Tylenol. Instead he asked me for oils: Pizza feet and peppermint oil.

The peppermint essential oil, which is cooling, especially for a fever, went on his neck and belly per his request. The "Pizza Feet" is our adaptation of what's known as a flu protocol. For my kids who are feeling "off" and on their way to the flu, rather than have them take oils internally, I will rub oregano essential oil (hence the "pizza feet") on the soles of their feet, along with doTerra OnGuard Essential Oil Blend and lemon essential oil. The great thing is they can use it as needed, rather than wait for four to six hours for them to be able to take ibuprofen again.

While I'm still working with my husband on raising his comfort level with using the oils on sick days, it just amazes me what the kids know their body needs. My son came to me first and requested what he wanted to help his body feel better.

For other tips on fighting the flu and cold naturally, visit Good Girl Gone Green's recent post.

Natural Air Freshener for our Brownie Household Elf

The Brownie Household Elf badge requires the girls to learn about ways to naturally freshen the air, whether it's to grow and care for an indoor plant or creating a natural air freshener.

Unfortunately, the book gives an example that requires boiling liquids - not something you want to do with 16 excited girls!

We found some great ideas on Pinterest, though. One was particularly easy and got rave reviews from the girls and parents alike. ("We needed it last night," one mom said!)

Natural Air Freshener

1 oz Amber Boston Round Glass Bottle with Fine Mist sprayer

water

doTERRA Wild Orange essential oil

Fill bottle with water until it begins to curve at the top. Add five drops essential oil. Cap and shake.

We designed Avery labels that the girls could label their bottles too. I'll post the template soon!

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Projects on Pinterest.

Looking for more Girl Scout ideas? Visit my new scout leader resource site, Use Resources Wisely.