Lavender Essential Oil - Tips for Use

LAVENDER: (Lavandula angustifolia) is the most versatile of all essential oils. Therapeutic-grade lavender has been highly regarded for the skin.

Lavender has been clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. It may be used to cleanse cuts, bruises and skin irritations.The fragrance is calming, relaxing and balancing – physically and emotionally.

Here is a list of 20 ways to use this versital essential oil:

1. Rubbing Lavender oil on the feet may cause a calming effect on the body.



2. Rubbing a drop of Lavender oil on your palms and smoothed on your pillow may help you sleep.



3. Putting a drop of Lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite may soothe itching, stinging and discomfort.



4. Putting 2-3 drops of Lavender oil may soothe a minor burn.



5. Dropping Lavender oil may soothe a cut.



6. Mixing several drops of Lavender oil with V-6 Vegetable Mixing Oil and used topically may be soothing to skin irritations.



7. Possible help in alleviating the symptoms of motion sickness is to place a drop of Lavender oil on the end of the tongue or around the naval or behind the ears.



8. Rubbing a drop of Lavender oil over the bridge of the nose may help to unblock tear ducts.



9. Rubbing Lavender oil on dry or chapped skin may bring relief. Rubbing a drop of Lavender oil on chapped or sunburned lips may help discomfort.



Order Your Young Living Lavender Essential Oil Here......



10. Possible help in reducing and/or minimizing the appearance of scar tissue may be to try massaging Lavender oil on and around the area.



11. Rubbing 2 – 4 drops of Lavender oil over the armpit area may help act as a deodorant.



12. Rubbing a drop of Lavender oil between your palms and inhaling deeply may help in alleviating the discomfort of air borne pollen and/or dust.



13. Rubbing several drops of Lavender oil into the scalp may help with flaking.



14. Placing a few drops of Lavender oil on a cotton ball and placing in your linen closet to scent the linens and may help repel moths and insects.



15. Placing a drop of Lavender oil in your water fountain may help to scent the air, help sanitize and prolong the time between cleanings.



16. Placing a few drops of Lavender oil on a wet cloth and throwing into the dryer, may help to deodorize and freshen your laundry.



17. Diffusing Lavender oil may support the body’s natural defenses against air borne sensitivities to the skin and immune system.



18. Spritzing several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on a sunburn may help soothe it.



19. Dropping Lavender oil on a cut may help clean the wound, sanitize and soothe it.



20. Applying 2-3 drops of Lavender oil to a rash may help and soothe the skin.

If you have any questions regarding Lavender or would like help in ordering Lavender, please contact me and I'd be happy to help.

Yours in Scentsible Wellness,
Elizabeth


The above usage of Lavender was taken from "101 uses For Young Living Essential Oils" - thanks to Peggy Brackett and the many others that have contributed to the creation of this list.

R.C.™ To The Rescue

I love when my essential oils alleviate a symptom or heal me or my family without the use of over the counter medicines or prescription drugs.

When my oils bring comfort to my family it brings me great satisfaction and helps reaffirm, for me, that there are natural solutions that can be used to help my family maintain their health and bring us relief when needed.

Last night my essential oils came to the rescue and brought with it great relief and great satisfaction!!

Last night one of my dear children started in with her allergy related croupy cough. It was a threatening cough and I became concerned for our night ahead and the possibility that I would be waking in the middle of the night to administer a nebulizer to my daughter. Even my husband had that "we are in for it tonight" look on his face as my daughter headed for bed.

I have had great success with R.C.™ and Raven essential oils in the past for congestion issues with my children so I decided to pull out the R.C.™ . I mixed it with some sesame oil and rubbed it on my daughter's chest and back. I then gave her some homemade Honey Horehound cough medicine and silently said a little prayer that sleep would be in our lives this evening.

My daughter settled in nicely and I was very hopeful. About 3 hours into my sleep I awoke to her coughing. I knew in my heart that I needed to either get her more cough medicine and/or put some more oil on her chest and if I didn't, for sure, I would be pulling out the nebulizer to help her breath. I dreaded waking her for this ordeal but if I didn't do something I wasn't going to be able to get myself back to sleep due to my fretting over what was to come.

I decided that I would do the least disruptive solution and that was to set up the diffuser in her bedroom.

Read About Diffusing Here

I added about 20 drops of the R.C.™ oil into the diffuser and started it up. Once the oil began circulating in the room my daughter's coughing stopped immediately and she didn't make another sound the entire evening. When she woke in the morning her cough was no longer a croupy cough but sounded more like a cough that was breaking up. Even better, she barely coughed all day!

R.C.™ is an Essential Oil blend created by Young Living and consists of four different eucalyptus oils and other oils that are perfect for supporting the respiratory system. This oil blend is very beneficial in the diffuser to decongest and relieve allergy-type symptoms such as coughs, sore throat, and lung congestion.

Order Young Living Essential Oils Here...

Please contact me if you have any questions or need help placing an order. I'd be happy to assist you.

Yours in Scentsible Wellness,
Elizabeth

Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for medical care or to prescribe treatment for any specific health condition. This information has not been evaluated by the Federal Food & Drug Administration.

Clean Your Air Naturally Without Harmful Chemicals

Did you know that when the Natural Resources Defense Council conducted tests on popular air fresheners they found that 12 out of 14 contained the harmful chemical Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates)? Read the report here and see a list of the worst offenders.

Phthalates is a hazardous chemical that has been found to cause reproductive problems, birth defects and hormonal abnormalties in humans. In addition, exposure to Phthalates in indoor enviornments has also been associated with allergy symptoms and asthma.

Air fresheners release Phthalates into the air where they are inhaled and/or land on the skin and are absorbed. Phthalates are then absorbed into the bloodstream and that is when the problems begin.

Clearly, air fresheners are not a good solution for freshening or even cleaning the air, as some air freshener companies’ claim. A safe alternative and one of the best ways to purify and scent the air in your home or office is to use a cold air diffuser with essential oils.

A cold air diffuser consists of an air pump (like the pump for a fish tank) that blows room temp air through a tube and into a hand blown glass nebulizer. This action puts micro-fine particles of the essential oil into the air. The anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antiseptic properties of the essential oils, along with the negative ions and oxygenating molecules that are released when essential oils are diffused, remain suspended in the air to help reduce chemicals, bacteria, and metallics in the air. All added bonuses to scenting the air!

What oils should you diffuse? Most single oils are great for diffusing and Young Living offers some blends especially designed for diffusing. Here are some suggestions:







Peace and Calming is a wonderful blend to diffuse to create a calm environment. This blend is great for calming overactive children.










Purification is specifically designed to purify the air. This blend works great to rid your home or office of odors and air borne bacteria. Diffuse this blend after cooking a seafood meal and you'd never know you had fish for dinner!









Thieves Blend was tested by Weber State University and was shown to kill 100% of the airborne bacteria present when diffused into the air. This is a great blend to diffuse in times of illness or to ward off airborne bacteria to prevent illness.










Citrus Fresh is a beautiful citrus scent that makes your enviornment smell clean and fresh and works as a great air purifier.






Keep your indoor air quality free of Phthalates and at its best by avoiding commercial air fresheners, invest in a cold air diffuser.

*Ask me how you can get 50% off a Young Living cold air nebulizing diffuser.*

If you have questions or need assistance in placing an order contact me, I will be happy to help you.

Yours in Scentsible Wellness,
Elizabeth

Alleviate Hay Fever Symptoms Using Essential Oils

Raise your hand if you suffer from seasonal allergies or what's better known as hay fever....Ahhh, I thought you might. If you read the statistics you would find that you're far from alone in your suffering. According to recent statistics more than 26.1 million people in the United States alone suffer from hay fever every year. That's a crazy number of people walking around sniffling and snuffling. Well, in actuality, some, or a good many, aren't really walking around sniffling and snuffling they are just walking around feeling the side effects of their prescription medicine which can range from dry mouth, drowsiness, and sluggishness to depression or anxiety. Sadly, many of our children are sufferers of hay fever and they too are feeling the effects of their medication. I just read that their prescription medication may even cause them to have trouble functioning in school. Yikes!! Maybe you're experiencing this first hand or your children are. If you're looking for a way to alleviate the suffering but want to do it naturally read on.

There are many causes for hay fever aside from the pollen flying around outside and there are many lifestyle changes that you can do to naturally rid yourself of seasonal allergies but I am going to save that information for another day. For today, I will focus on alleviating your symptoms naturally, using essential oils and without medication.

Here is a list of essential oils that are great for sinus relief:

• Eucalyptus - acts as an antispasmodic, expectorant and decongestant. You can use any of the Eucalyptus oils or use one of Young Living's eucalyptus blends such as RC or Raven.


• Lavender - works as a sedative and antispasmodic and may dull your sensitivity to pollen.


• Frankincense - serves as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant and sedative.


• Roman Chamomile - may reduce the severity of your immune reaction to pollen.


• Harmony Blend - a highly fragrant blend that includes Lavender, Frankincense, and Roman Chamomile. It's like a triple whammy in reducing symptoms.

• Peppermint - serves as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti fungal. It has also been found by researchers to block headache pain. Good to know if you suffer from sinus headaches.

Try the following methods using the essential oils to reduce the hay fever symptoms:

• Diffuse the oils throughout the day in your home or at work. Ideally diffuse the oil 15 mins. every 2 hours as needed. A small appliance timer is great for this purpose. You can find one at Diffuser World.


• Add 5-10 drops of oil to a steam vaporizer and breathe the moist air.


• Apply 5-10 drops of oil to a tissue or handkerchief. Inhaling deeply from the tissue or handkerchief throughout the day may help reduce inflammation and aid with congestion.

• Mix a small amount of oil with Massage Oil Base or V-6 Vegetable Mixing Oil and massage into the chest and over the sinuses. Eucalyptus works especially well for this.

• Drop 1-2 drops of oil into the palm of your hand, rub hands together, cup hands over nose and breathe deeply. Peppermint is especially good for this method just be sure to avoid your eyes.

• Place Lavender directly on tip of nose and over sinus area on face to relieve congestion.

• Place Harmony blend on third eye (center of forehead directly above nose), brain stem, and on tops and bottoms of ears for a surprising release of symptoms.

• Use the oils as a gargle to relieve inflammation and itching in the throat. Only use 100% Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils for internal use.

• Use a Neti Pot (neti pot search) - this simple little item helps to keep your sinuses clear of allergens such as pollen or dust and is great when you're experiencing sinus congestion. It cleans out the sinuses like no nose blowing can Initially it's very awkward to use but once you get the hang of it you will be glad you did. My children actually ask for the neti pot when they are feeling the effects of their allergies or have a cold. When using the neti pot be sure to use 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt and warm water so you don't experience any burning sensation. For additional relief add a drop or two of lavender or eucalyptus for relief of sinus inflammation.

If you want to see the neti pot in use here is a video for your viewing. Its fun to watch just for the giggle effect I mean, really, who auditions for these kinds of parts?



As always, I hope you find this information useful. You can E-mail this information to a friend who may be in need of some hay fever relief, heck you must know one of those 26 million sufferers! Leave me a comment and let me know how they work for you or if you have any other natural solutions you'd like to share to help alleviate hay fever symptoms.

To order any of these products please visit my Young Living Website.

Yours in Scentsible Wellness,
Elizabeth

Homemade Cough Syrups

I recently had a request for the homemade honey cough syrup recipe that I made for my children this year. Its a wonderful cough syrup that I am sure some of you could benefit from during this time of allergies when coughs become bothersome. I took a swig tonight and it rid me of the annoying tickling cough that I have been experiencing all day today. Why it took me all day to think of it is beyond me but I am very comfortable now while I type this out.

The cough syrup worked great for my family this past cold season; it even worked well on my husband whose coughs are generally tough to kick. Click here to read the article for a couple of different recipes. I can only vouch for the effectiveness of the horehound and honey recipe.

If you were to make any of the recipes with the highly antimicrobial Manuka Honey (click here to read about this awesome honey) you’d have a nice homemade cough medicine. Horehound can be found in a natural food market or health food store that sells herbs. I found horehound tea bags and made the recipe that way. Manuka Honey is becoming more popular and also can be found in natural food markets and health food stores.

I hope you experiment with these natural cough solutions and utilize the healing benefits of honey. You'll even have a natural solution for your coughs instead of using all those over the counter medicines that are questionable for you and especially your children to use.

If it is allergies that you are suffering from, Lavender and Young Living's blend Harmony might be just what the doctor should have ordered. I'll save that for tomorrow's post. Let me know if you try these recipes and how they work for you.

Yours in Scentsible Wellness,
Elizabeth