First off, I must apologize that this didn't end up getting posted yesterday. It was a very busy day! I am SO excited to talk about something that to me has become somewhat MAGIC! Anyone who knows anything about ESSENTIAL OILS knows that they can really appear to be something magical. ESSENTIAL OILS are distilled from the different parts of plants, ie: leaves, stems, roots, flowers, etc. resulting in an extremely potent oil. They have been used forever for many different purposes including medicinal and therapeutic. We use them all of the time in our house and believe me when I say that they are AMAZING! There are too many for me to list in this post, so I hope it will suffice for me to talk about my top favorite and then add a few links to where you can read the rest and about many others! This Edible Nature website that I have stumbled upon is my new favorite. They carry ALL of the products we use in our family for so much cheaper than I have found them anywhere else! SCORE! Don’t worry…I’ve added the links for you ask well, just click on the oil name!
Aura Cacia Tea Tree Oil Aura Cacia Organic Tea Tree Oil
TEA TREE OIL -This oil is my best friend. I use it for everything possible. It's anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal. I use it in my cleaning products for that very reason. I'll put it in the bath for anyone not feeling well, and rub it, mixed with carrier oils (I'll cover them in a sec) over the girls, and Scott and my chests if we are ever congested because it breaks up mucous, etc. It is one of the top ingredients in many acne medications, so I'm at the point where I'll put a dot of it directly on any zits that may be brave enough to pop up on my face. Yesterday, along with a couple of other oils; lavender & eucalyptus, I rubbed tea tree, mixed with a carrier oil all over Scott's sinus areas and the back of his neck and skull, because he was bothered with a potential sinus infection. Here's a link to the treatment I used
here. You can disperse tea tree oil into your air to kill bacteria and by simple inhalation of its strong medicinal vapors, you can get rid of bacterial and viral illnesses. TEA TREE OIL is amazingly powerful stuff, and has truly been a blessing in our home. There are many more benefits that you can find
here, but I'd say for now that will suffice.
Aura Cacia Lavender Oil Aura Cacia Organic Lavender Oil
LAVENDER OIL -This is another amazing oil! I use it in our laundry detergent, and in my soaps, lotions, and body butters due to it calming effects as well as healing effects. It is helpful with sleep, circulation, congestion, headaches, etc. You must read more about it
here.
NOTE: I need to point out that due to the extreme potency, a single drop of these oils goes a long way. ALSO, there are many oils that are not safe to use during pregnancy and nursing, so please do your research before using specific oils. Essential oils should be treated as medicine and great care should be taken to keep them out of the reach of children and should be used responsibly. Also, don't be alarmed by the bottle size. When you are only using one drop at a time...a little goes a long way!
Below are some other great resources on ESSENTIAL OILS:
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/list-of-essential-oils.html
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/essential-oil-chart.html
CARRIER OILS
Due to the extreme potency, it is recommended that you mix drops of ESSENTIAL OILS with what are called CARRIER OILS. Some you have probably heard of and others maybe not. They are oils like:
Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil,
Grapeseed Oil, and
Jojoba Oil. We don't use lotion in our home, and these carrier oils are usually the actual "beneficial" ingredient in most nice lotions...so I say...let's skip the middle man and cut out all of the crap; the artificial colors, the chemical perfumes, parabens, etc. Just as with the essential oils, I'll add some of the benefits of these different oils, and then I'm going to use some of them in my body butter tutorial later today.
Sweet Almond Oil
Almond oil is wonderful because it's a light oil. It's what I use on my face, arms and body every day. When I get out of the shower and put in my contacts, I rub a few drops of Sweet Almond Oil all over my face and arms, giving it a few minutes to soak in before I put my make-up on. It is not pore clogging and is especially good for the thin skin around the eyes, including curing dark circles. You can read about some other great benefits
here.
Avocado Oil
Avocado Oil is another oil that I use frequently. It's a little heavier, so I'll use it on my face before bed or for really dry skin. I'll take it or any of the other oils for the matter and rub it on chapped lips and it's amazing! If you want anti-aging products, AVOCADO OIL works miracles with it collagen producing properties! Here's a great site with more info on
Avocado oil.
Eucalyptus Oil Grapeseed Oil Jojoba Oil
Oils and hydration are probably one of my LARGEST secrets when it come to having healthy and smooth skin. There is no need for lotions, chapstick, expensive creams, etc. when you have these oils. Skip the middle man and go straight to the good stuff; the stuff that actually does the healing. You don't actually have to buy the other lotions and products full of fillers, chemicals and just a small amount of these healthy healing oils. Just GOOGLE things like ESSENTIAL OILS or CARRIER OILS and you will find a great deal of amazing information. Here's to your health, and your beautiful skin!
) Then I take a toothbrush (for my sink), toilet bowl brush (self explanatory), or bigger hand brush (for the bath/shower) and scrub scrub scrub. The baking soda is a gentle abrasive so it won’t harm your coatings, but leaves everything nice and beautiful. Once you’ve scrubbed everything, use your hand to splash the surface down with water until you don’t feel the baking soda powder any longer. The Tea Tree Oil will kill the germs and the vinegar will also help deodorize and disinfect. 
