Who's down with LLP?? .....Yeah, you know me! (:

LLP is Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint.  I am grouping these together in one post because they are my second favorite single oils, both separately and together. 

First I will talk about them separately, then I will talk about them together.

Lavender

.....Oh where do I begin??  Let me start by saying that Lavender is the duct tape of essential oils.  And as a fellow West Virginian, we know that duct tape fixes everything, and so can Lavender!  If I would suggest only one oil for you to get, it would be lavender.  It has so many uses, here are a few:

• Insomnia- diffuse or add a drop to your pillow
• Sunburns and other burns- mixed with a carrier oil and apply to the burn
• Insect bites- apply neat or mixed with carrier oil
• Hair growth- apply neat or mixed with carrier oil
• Dandruff- I add a few drops into my ACV when I do my monthly rinse
• Mood lifter/Stress reduction- smell or apply on pulse points
• Cooking/Homemade products (soaps, lotions, etc.)
• And any other problem you have, just add some Lavender!  :)

Lemon

The lemon essential oil is cold pressed from the rind of the lemon.  It takes 3,000 lemons to produce 1 kilo of oil!  That's insane!  So needless to say, it is a very powerful oil.  Lemon is mostly commonly used in household products because it has been studied that the citrus fragrance boosted immunity, induced relaxation, and reduced depression.  In addition to cleaning, here are some other uses:

• Add a drop in your hot water....hot water and lemon is great for your skin and whole body.
• Helps with stain removal.
• Removes sticky things....say goodbye Goo Gone!
• Air freshener
• Ear infections- Add to the outside of your ear
• Skin care- helps with acne, wrinkles, age spots.  I use a mix of lemon, lavender, and frankincense with a carrier oil to help "awaken" the area around my eyes.
• Focus- I diffuse this and orange in my classroom.
• Cooking/Homemade products (soaps, lotions, etc.)
• It is also supposed to help the digestive system.

** Please note that when applying lemon to your skin, you should avoid being exposed to sunlight and UV lights within 24 hours. 

Peppermint

Before I talk about Peppermint, I need to add in another Toby Testimony.  As I mentioned in my Thieves post, my husband, Toby, was rather skeptic about essential oils.  Well, he came home on day and said he had a horrible headache.  Now, he does not get headaches often so I knew it must be bad.  I asked him to try some oils.  He said, "I'll try anything if you can get rid of this headache." (eeck!) So I had him put a drop of peppermint oil on the roof of his mouth.  A few minutes later, it was gone!  Aside from headaches, peppermint can also be used for:

• Heartburn/Indigestion issues- apply to effected area
• Mental alertness
• Focus
• Sore muscles
• Gardening- to keep critters away (Anxious to try this in the spring!)
• Helps to keep ants away- place a drop on a cotton ball
• Cooking/Homemade products (soaps, lotions, etc.)
• Nausea- Smell when nauseous (I did this in the car- I get motion sickness easily.  It didn't completely make it go away, but I felt fine when I got out of the car.  You know how you usually still feel bad once you get out of the car?  Well I didn't, so I consider that a win!)
• Congestion- put on bridge of your nose or right under nose to help with breathing.

And now.....featuring.....LLP!!

I don't usually advice ingesting oils, but for me personally, this is a miracle drug!  I add 3 drops each of Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint with equal amounts of a carrier oil to a capsule and take one daily.  This helps with allergies and the area I live in, allergies are horrible when the seasons change.

Not all symptoms are the same for everyone, but this is seriously a life saver for me!  I did get sick with a sinus infection in October.  I had not been consuming oils prior to that.  But once I got sick, I started consuming them, diffusing, and applying neat.  I was better within 3 days and typically, it usually takes me 10 days to fight off a sinus infection.

Needless to say with my love of the LLP, I ran out of Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint quickly!  I have now learned, that when applying topically, DILUTE WITH CARRIER OIL!  The oils will last you longer and the results are just the same as applying straight out of the bottle.

So....what's the easiest way to get Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, and a diffuser to help with your allergies too??  Take a look at this starter kit through Young Living.  Let me know if you have any questions.

I hope this post finds you with some new ideas about using essential oils to help you stay healthy!  I'm getting very terrified to think of what is actually in medication that is sold over the counter.  I like the idea of making my own medicine and knowing exactly what is going in my body.  After all, you only get one body....you better take care of it! 

xoxo ~K


*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Thieves Essential Oil Blend- My FAVORITE!

The first oil I wanted to talk about is the Thieves blend.  It is my all-time favorite! 

Before I start the Thieves talk, here is a little background information.  My husband is very sensitive to smell and is a big skeptic.  When I ordered the kit, I was nervous about diffusing.  I had purchased a diffuser earlier last year for my classroom and diffused Patchouli (A gift from the parent of the boy with behavior issues that I blogged about in Essential Oils 101.) in our basement.  My husband came home and hated it!!  To his defense, Patchouli is a very strong scent.  The next day, I diffused Lemon and he hated that too.  I thought, "Oh crap!  I just bought 11 oils and a diffuser.  WTH did I get myself into!?"  So a few days after receiving my kit, I diffused Thieves and he LOVED  it!  This isn't the only reason I love it, but just one of the few...

So what is Thieves? 

Thieves is an essential oil blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary.  It is an anti-viral, antiseptic, and anti-infectious essential oils. 

What's with the name? 

One reason that I love the Thieves blend is because of its history.  According to my "Essential Oils Pocket Reference" book, here is the Thieves history.  "It was created from research based on legend about a group of 15th-century thieves who rubbed oils on themselves to avoid contracting the plague while they robbed the bodies of the dead and dying.  When apprehended, the thieves were forced to tell what their secret was and disclose the formula of the herbs, spices, and oils they used to protect themselves in exchange for more lenient punishment."  How cool is that!?  There have also been studies done that after diffusing Thieves, it reduced the bacteria in the air.

 

How I use Thieves...

I diffuse Thieves Every. Single. Night!  Since my husband likes the scent and it is great for keeping those germs away, I diffuse nightly. 
 

I also apply to the bottoms of my feet mixed with a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil) whenever there is a lot of sickness going around or I feel like I am coming down with something.  And luckily (knock on wood...), I haven't gotten this nasty flu that has been going around.  I would love to diffuse in my classroom because of all its wonderful powers, but am nervous because it is a blend and I do not know if any students would have a reaction to it.  However, I really would like to try since there is so much nastiness going around. 

My enroller Arsy gave my a Thieves hand spray to replace hand sanitizers that are packed with alcohol and dry out your hands.  I LOVE using it not only on my hands, but on the shopping cart at Wal-Mart, because you know those are naaaasty!

Thieves also has a line of cleaning products that I would like to use in the future, but with Arsy's hand spray, it inspired me to make my own foaming hand soap.  I followed a recipe on Pinterest and am loving using it! 
 

I also use the Thieves toothpaste and dental floss from Young Living and LOVE it!  It is a natural toothpaste, which takes some getting used to as that it doesn't suds that much.  But once you get used to it, it is great!!  I just love the taste of it and all the beneficial factors! 

 

So there is my Thieves talk.  I love, love, love, love, love this blend!!  It is especially great when our society has been so avoidance of germs.  But some germs are good for you!  And hey, if it was used and successful back in the 15th-century, shouldn't we still be using it!?

 

xoxo ~K

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.





Essential Oils 101

My journey with essential oils began last school year.  I had a student wil a lot of behavior issues.  His parents were very supportive and willing to try anything.  His mom came across an article on how essential oils can help with students' attention and behaviors.  She bought a blend and began using it on him.  Within weeks, I saw HUGE improvments! 

This made me start to think....is there a way to heal our bodies without chemicals and with natural ingredients? 

YES THERE IS!!  Essential Oils are the answer!

I started looking on Pinterest (it's better than Google if you ask me) and found a lot of information.  My sister invited me to join a webinar about essential oils and I was so excited about the possibilities to naturally heal my body!

Did you know as women we put 500 chemicals in our body a day!  This can be through make up, medicine, hair and face products, as well as food.  I thought to myself, "I want to eliminate as many chemicals in my body as I can!"

So I signed up to get a starter kit through Young Living Essential Oils and was very excited to start using the oils.  In the Premium starter kit, I received 11 oils, a diffuser, and samples. 

Once my oils came, I started expermienting and am very happy with them!  I will be sharing about each oil in seperate posts. 

Essential Oils have the highest frequency (MHz) than anything else.  Which means there is a better chance for overall wellness.  A lot of essential oils are not 100% pure, but mixed with other carrier oils (coconut, jojoba, almond, avacado, olive oils etc.).  Young Living essential oils are 100% pure and a therapeutic grade.

Essential Oils can be used three different ways: topically, internally, and inhilation.

Topically
Oils can be applied neat directly to the skin.  They can also be mixed with a carrior oil and applied to skin.  Mixing with a carrier oil helps your oils last longer (which I learned the hard way...lol). 

One of the best places to apply oils is to the bottom on your feet. Your feet have a lot of pores and absorb oils quickly.  Your spine is another great place too.  If you are having issues with the top half of your body, apply from the bottom to the top of your spine.  If you are having problems with the bottom half of your body, apply from the top to the bottom of your spine.  Pretty much, you are pulling the oils towards the half of your body that needs it. 

Internally
Most therapeutic oils can be consumed internally (see labels for more information on oils- NOT ALL be consumed).  There are a few ways you can do this:

• Simple add it in a liquid (coffee, water)
• Make a capsule like these
• Add drops of oil on a spoonful of honey
• Add drops under tongue or on the roof of your mouth

Inhilation
The fastest way for essential oils to be absorbed into your body and bloodstream is direct inhilation.  When a drop of oil lands on your skin, it takes 2 seconds for it to be absorbed in your bloodstream. This can be done by:

• Breathing oils directly from the bottle
• Add a drop of oil on hands, rub together, and inhale.
• Using in a home diffuser and the starter kit comes with a great one!  The diffuser mixes water and the oils and creates a cool mist, almost like a humidifier.

How to get a Welcome Kit
Order a Premium Starter Kit as a wholesale member through my link and I will send you a welcome gift! Young Living is a referral business. Meaning that you have to order through someone’s link – someone that referred you! I would love it, if you purchased your oils through me.

As a thank you, I will send you an awesome welcome gift with some tools to get you started with your oils! If you sign up as a wholesale member with Young Living, you get 24% off all of your essential oil purchases! Often people are confused by the term “wholesale member”, not realizing that there is nothing required of them.

If you sign up as a wholesale member you have absolutely no obligation to purchase more oils or to sell the oils, ever! If you want to keep your wholesale membership, then you have to order 50PV (essential $50) worth of oils or products a year, that’s all. If you don’t do that, there is no penalty, you’ll just lose your 24% discount.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR STARTER KIT

The “Enroller ID” and “Sponsor ID” boxes should already be filled in for you. If they aren’t for some reason, my ID is 2073220, and you can fill both the boxes with this number.

The Premium Starter Kit (which is what I got) comes with:

• The 10 Everyday Oils Collection (5 mL bottles) Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Thieves, PanAway, Frankincense, Copaiba, Purification, R.C., and DiGize. 
• A home diffuser
• A bonus oil! 5 mL bottle of Stress Away
• Aroma Glide roller fitment turn your most used oil bottle into a convenient roll on
• 10 sample packets (I keep these in my purse for traveling and emergencies while out)
• 2 NingXia Red 2-oz. samples (antioxidant supplement)

When signing up, not only do you get amazing oils to use to help heal your body, but you also get a superb network of people.  There are Facebook groups and newsletters that give you ideas and help.  And the company is excellent!  They have a Seed to Seal guarantee.  Young Living was founded in 1993 and they only sell about 28% of the products they make.  The other 72% of their products are used as pesticide- talk about organic!!

Ok, enough rambling on and on about this great company and products.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at KrissySwango@gmail.com.  :)

In good health,

~Krissy

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.