Archives for October 2017

Purification: Does What It Says–and More

Purification is a blend of six essential oils: Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Myrtle, and Tea Tree. Together, the effect is greater than the sum of their parts. Once you start using it, you'll reach for Purification again and again to freshen the air wherever you are. Use in your car USB diffuser to get rid of stale fast food smells, or in your home to disperse cooking and pet odors.

Young Living's instructions:

Topical: Apply 2-4 drops directly to desired area. Dilution not required, except for the most sensitive skin. Use as needed.

Aromatic: Diffuse up to 30 minutes 3 times daily.

Recipe of the Day

What's your favorite way to use Purification? Share in the comments.

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Peppermint: More than Breath Freshener

If the only image you have of peppermint is those little red and white striped candies for freshening your breath after a meal at a Mexican restaurant, think again! Peppermint essential oil supports your digestive system and stimulates your mind.

Young Living's peppermint essential oil is steam distilled from leaves and stems of mentha piperita grown in North America, the Mediterranean area and Great Britain. Researchers have studied its effects for many years. For example, a 2016 article in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy reported that evidence suggests the use of peppermint oil for those suffering gastrointestinal distress from irritable bowel syndrome, and may be particularly helpful for patients with abdominal pain or discomfort.

The instructions from Young Living are:

Topical: Dilute 1 drop with 4 drops of V-6™ or olive oil. Test on small area of skin on the underside of arm and apply to desired area as needed.
Aromatic: Diffuse up to 10 minutes 3 times daily.
Internally: Put 2 drops in a capsule. Take 3 times daily.

Recipe of the Day

How do you like to use Peppermint? Share in the comments!

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You'll thank yourself every day.

PanAway: One Letter Missing

PanAway is a blend of Wintergreen, Helichrysum, Clove and Peppermint, so you can imagine it has a spicy smell and a cooling feel. This essential oil blend is a popular choice for soothing aching and inflamed muscles, as well as supporting discomfort and swelling associated with bruises, sprains and cramps.

Young Living lists these suggested uses:

  • Combine PanAway with a carrier oil and massage it into your shoulders and neck for a cool, stimulating aroma.
  • Rub a single drop of diluted PanAway essential oil into your temples when you are in heavy traffic or crowded, loud spaces such as an airport.
  • Apply diluted oil onto the bottoms of your feet for a relaxing foot massage.
  • Make your own soothing bath salt by adding about 10 drops of PanAway essential oil to a cup of Epsom salt. Add a scoop of the bath salt to warm bath water and relax in a spa-like atmosphere.

Its only suggested method is:

Topical: Dilute 1 drop with 4 drops of V-6™ or olive oil. Test on small area of skin on the underside of arm and apply to desired area as needed. Not intended for children under the age of 6 without the advice of a health care professional.

How do you use PanAway? I'd love to hear from  you!

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You'll thank yourself every day.

Lemon: Ally of Thoughtful Pirates

I made a wild claim in yesterday's post that everyone's heard of lavender, but the same is even more true of lemon. The juice of the lemon has been used for centuries to treat and prevent scurvy (hence the reference in the title), but did you know that lemon essential oil supports memory and relaxation? If those pirates diffused the essential oil of lemons, cold pressed from the rind in California and Italy, they would experience clarity of thought and purpose.

Pirate mice would be happy to know (and all of us, by extension) of a 2006 article in Behavioural Brain Research indicating that lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect in mice. And doesn't it make you feel less stressed to know about this article published just yesterday in the journal Reviews on Environmental Health discussed studies of the efficacy of lemon, among other oils, as having antifungal properties for the improvement of indoor air quality?

A quick note, though–pirates using lemon essential oil should be aware that it can cause possible sun sensitivity, and should avoid direct sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after applying product.

Here's Young Living's instructions for use of Lemon and Lemon Vitality:

Topical: Dilute 1 drop with 1 drop of V-6™ or olive oil and apply to desired area as needed.
Aromatic: Diffuse up to 1 hour 3 times daily.
Internally: Put 2 drops in a capsule. Take 3 times daily.

Fun fact: It takes 3,000 lemons to produce 1 kilo of oil! That's 35.274 ounces to you and me!

And just in time for Halloween, here's a scrumptious recipe from Young Living using Lemon:

Young Living Healthy Halloween Treat with Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, and Nutmeg Essential Oils

 

Young Living Healthy Halloween Treat with Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, and Nutmeg Essential Oils

 

  • Combine apple cider, orange slices, and essential oils in a large pot and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or more.
  • Discard orange slices.
  • Serve warm. Add 1–2 cinnamon sticks to individual cups when serving.

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You'll thank yourself every day.

Lavender: Calming and Balancing

If there's an oil known by those who have no idea what an essential oil is, it's lavender. The flowering tops are steam-distilled to make the oils, harvested from fields in Utah, Idaho and France. The latter location is appropriate. The French scientist René Gattefossé discovered lavender's ability to promote tissue regeneration and to speed wound healing first hand, so to speak. He was severely burned as a result of a laboratory accident, and the lovely lavender came to his aid.

Lavender has a calming, relaxing and balancing effect on the physical body as well as on the emotions. Much scientific research has been published about lavender's effects on mood and stress. One such article is found in the International Journal of Neuroscience. Subjects were tested on their ability to perform simple math computations before and after 3 minutes of aromatherapy with either lavender (a relaxing odor) or rosemary (a stimulating odor). The rosemary group's EEG patterns after aromatherapy showed increased alertness and they answered questions faster, but not more accurately. The lavender group was more relaxed after aromatherapy, and performed the computations faster and more accurately.

Young Living's instructions for Lavender:

Topical: Apply 2–4 drops directly to desired area. Dilution not required, except for the most sensitive skin. Use as needed.

Aromatic: Diffuse up to 1 hour 3 times daily

Internally (Lavender Vitality): Put 2 drops in a capsule. Take 3 times daily.

Suggested Recipes

  • Treat yourself to this well-loved aroma by adding a few drops of oil to lotions, shampoos, and skin care products.
  • Create a spa-like retreat by combining 1 cup Epsom salt and 4 drops oil and adding to a hot bath.
  • Make a basic homemade body scrub with coconut oil, sugar, and Lavender essential oil.
  • Unwind with a Lavender-infused neck or back massage.
  • Use Lavender as part of your evening routine. Rub oil on the bottom of your feet before bed or spritz your pillow with distilled water and Lavender mixed in a spray bottle.
  • Create a DIY room freshener with Lavender or diffuse it to banish stale odors.
  • Make homemade fruit jams infused with Lavender Vitality essential oil. Try mixing it with blueberry, apricot, raspberry, or peach jams and jellies.
  • Combine Lavender Vitality’s earthy, low notes with bright citrus flavors. Experiment with lavender-lemonade or a citrus sorbet.
  • Complement dairy with Lavender Vitality in shortbread, pound cake, ice cream, meringue, or whipped cream recipes.
  • Balance Lavender Vitality in savory dishes with herbs such as thyme, rosemary, and oregano.

What are your favorite uses for Lavender? Share in the comments!

Ready to buy your very own starter kit? Visit bit.ly/DonnaFitchYoungLiving today! You'll thank yourself every day.