The Wonders of Lavender Essential Oil!

I love lavender! It is one of my favorite essential oils. It is considered the Swiss Army Knife of essential oils and also referred to as the universal oil, because of its many uses. When you think of lavender, usually what comes to mind is its relaxing effects and when you inhale it, the majority of people feel those effects. For a restful nights sleep, I like to apply a drop of lavender in my palms and smooth it over my pillow and also apply it to the bottom of my feet before bed. It's a very gentle oil that can be used for children and babies.

Lavender oil was one of the first essential oils I used on a regular basis. Even after almost 5 years, I am still amazed at what it can do. Having two small grandchildren, I make sure that I always have a couple bottles in the house and carry one in my purse. You never know when you will need it for bee stings, insect bites, cuts, bruises, and burns. And believe me, I have used it many times for those things.

My husband, Steve, is a big user of essential oils as well. Even though he probably needed stitches when he cut his finger awhile back, he applied lavender oil a couple times a day instead. It healed quickly without infection and didn't even leave a scar.

Recently I had a friend call me with a bad sunburn and wanted to know what she could do naturally. I told her lavender oil! You can apply lavender neat on the sunburn. It soothes and cools the burn. Make sure though that you use a therapeutic quality lavender, such as from Young Living Essential Oils, because most, if not all other lavender oils are actually lavendin, which is high in camphor. Therefore you can easily have a first degree burn turn into a third degree burn. I also love the Lavaderm Cooling Mist from Young Living, especially for sunburn. Along with lavender, it also contains aloe vera. Steve recently had a fairly good sunburn on his face and neck. He sprayed Lavaderm on it a couple times, and the next day all the heat and redness was gone.

I also recently used lavender oil for my grandsons allergies. I applied it to the bottom of his feet, especially on the sinus and adrenal reflexes with great results.

Lavender oil is so versatile you can use it as a deodorant, to help eliminate dandruff and for skin problems, such as eczema and dermatitis.

You can also make some great smelling gifts such as lavender bath soak. The recipe is simple. Mix the following and put it in a pretty container with a ribbon or bow and give it with love!

25-30 drops lavender
1 cup epsom salts
1 cup baking soda
1 cup corn starch
1 cup sea salt
2 cups powdered milk
Makes about 5 1/2 cups.

Yes, lavender is definitely a wonderful oil and one you don't want to be without!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Reflexology and Essential Oils Go Hand and Feet

The use of reflexology and essential oils for health and wellness dates back thousands of years to the Egyptians. They were well aware of the benefits of each, especially with regular use. In and of themselves, reflexology and essential oils are wonderful to assist the body in achieving that state of balance called homeostasis. But in combination with each other, they are even more beneficial!

Being a certified reflexologist for 3 years now, I personally have experienced and seen what reflexology can do. And for those who are not familiar with reflexology, it's not just a foot rub. It is actually a science that deals with the principle that there are reflex areas in the feet, hands and ears that correspond to every gland, organ and part of the body. By stimulating these reflexes using the thumb and fingers, many health problems can be relieved in a natural way.

People who suffer from stress-related illnesses or anxiety, or have conditions such as diabetes, heart problems, migraine headaches, and chronic pain, to name a few, can benefit greatly from reflexology and essential oils.

Feet can be soaked first in a warm-water bath with sea-salt, epsom salts, and essential oils, to help relax the body. Lavender oil and Young Living's Peace and Calming Oil Blend are two of my favorites, because of the relaxing benefits.

Since reflexology is more than a relaxing foot rub or massage, as mentioned earlier, clients may discover certain areas of the feet are more tender than others. This is an indication there is an imbalance in a specific area of the body that may not be working as efficiently as possible. With repeated sessions, however, the body corrects these imbalances on its own.

Since stress and tension has been shown to be a major factor in many illnesses, I use many relaxation techniques throughout the session, which enhances the parasympathetic state that allows the body to rest and repair. After the session, clients are generally feeling relaxed and pain free.

To enhance the body's healing, I apply essential oils after the session. They are live plant substances that contain numerous healing properties. For instance, if the client is suffering from a cold, I may apply rosemary or Young Living's Thieves Oil Blend to the bottom of the feet. These oils will then go through the entire body in 21 minutes. Very powerful! Or if the client is normally very stressed, I may apply lavender, Peace and Calming, or geranium oil to the feet.

Reflexology and therapeutic essential oils will relieve stress and increase the oxygen flow in the body. Both are very important for good health.

Essential oils also contain properties that are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. They assist the body's immune system to work properly. And when using essential oils, remember you will not get the therapeutic benefits from just any oil!

Since more and more people today are seeking alternative, natural healing methods for health and wellness, rather than using medications, reflexology and essential oils are two very good choices. They really pack a one-two punch for healing and go hand and feet!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Natural Alternatives to Chemicals in the Home

I already talked some about spring cleaning naturally with essential oils, so I thought I would give you a few other ideas to replace toxic chemicals in your home, along with a few recipes.

Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living Essential Oils

Uses:

1. Laundry
2. Dishes
3. Hand Soap
4. Cleaning
5. Windows
6. Carpets Use 1/2 Thieves Cleaner and 1/2 water in steam cleaners

Air Freshners

They may smell good, but they can contain over 1000 different chemicals. Scary!

Use 5 capfuls to 1/4 cup of Thieves Household Cleaner in a large spray bottle and add water. Replace things like Fabreeze and carpet cleaner. Great on shower walls as well!

Recipes:

Paint

Use 30 drops of essential oil to one gallon of paint.

Gathering* for the living room

Abundance* for the office

Sensation* or Joy* for the bedroom

Anti-Mildew Shower Spray

35 drops of tea tree and 40 drops of lavender in an 8 oz. bottle with water. And it leaves the bathroom smelling great too.

Citrus Dish Liquid

30 drops of Citrus Fresh* and add to unscented natural dish soap like castile.

Fabric Rinse for Washing Clothes

Add 1/4 cup vinegar, 5 drops of lavender and 5 drops of orange oil. Oh that wonderful smell!

Citrus Mint Glass and Mirror Cleaner

1 1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. liquid castile soap (optional)

8 drops of lemon or orange oil

4 drops of peppermint

* Indicates Young Living Essential Oils Blends

The more toxic chemicals we can eliminate out of our lives, the healthier we will be. I know you will enjoy these tips and recipes. Good health to you!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Spring Cleaning Naturally With Essential Oils!

Spring is already in full swing! This is the time of year that awakens the spirit of motivation to get things done, like cleaning. Well, maybe not. But let's face it, cleaning has to be done. Many choose to clean more thoroughly in the spring, thus the term 'spring cleaning.'

The store shelves are full of harmful chemical cleaners and detergents that have perfume grade essential oils added. Most of them smell nice, but are still not a natural choice. If you are thinking 'green' these days, as many are, choosing products that are natural, organic, environmentally safe and effective is very important. Therefore, spring cleaning naturally with essential oils is a higher choice.

Being concerned about using harsh, chemical cleaners, especially around children and pets, I have used things such as vinegar and baking soda for years. They work well, but who wants their house smelling like vinegar? Because I was using therapeutic grade essential oils for health reasons with good results, I thought why not use them for cleaning and have the house smell wonderful at the same time?

So here are a few ways that I use essential oils for cleaning:

Tea Tree is a great disinfectant. It can be added to anything you use in the bathroom or kitchen for an aroma that positively says 'clean.' Add a few drops to natural dish liquid, to your general purpose vinegar and water spray for cleaning, or to a spray bottle of water to freshen the air.

Eucalyptus is another disinfectant and you guessed it, a key ingredient in Vicks Vapo Rub. But honestly, why would you use that when you have the real thing? Eucalyptus is great in the winter too. I like to add a few drops to my washing machine to kill dust mites in sheets, pillowcases and blankets. It fills the house with a clean scent.

Many cleaning products say they contain orange oil. And why not? Most everyone loves the smell of orange, especially children. I love to put a few drops in natural laundry detergent and shake well. It smells wonderful and as an added bonus, it gets out those tough stains.

Lemon is another oil I like to add in the washer for its disinfectant properties. I alternate the oils I use for a variety of pleasant scents. Instead of fabric softener, I put a drop or two on a wet washcloth and throw in the dryer for that line-dried freshness. Like orange oil, lemon oil is a natural cleaner and great for giving your furniture a high shine. Mix a drop or two with olive oil, apply lightly to furniture and buff with a clean cloth.

Pine oil is found in most commercial cleaners and no wonder! It's not only a great cleaner, but has that clean, fresh scent as well. Use it to deodorize carpets by filling a mason jar with baking soda and adding a few drops of pine. Vaccum and your carpet smells wonderful!

I love lavender oil for its many uses. It's a gentle scent and has been used for centuries in linen closets to keep away moths. Lavender is another oil to use in place of fabric softener. A couple drops on cotton balls placed in clothing drawers is heavenly! Spray lavender scented linen water lightly on bedsheets and pillowcases for a restful night's sleep after that busy day of cleaning.

My favorite essential oil to clean with however, is a blend called Thieves from Young Living Essential Oils. This blend contains clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary. Put a few drops in water to do floors, in spray bottles of water to clean counters, mirrors and windows. Young Living also took this blend and created Thieves Household Cleaner. It's a natural, all-purpose concentrate that can be used in every room in your home without harsh and harmful chemicals. Use it to wash walls, shampoo carpets, clean the inside of the refrigerator, clean the oven and much more. It is very affective against mold and mildew as well.

With the use of essential oils, spring cleaning naturally with be a literal breeze. Happy cleaning!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Young Living Essential Oils Make Great Gifts For Teachers!

Essential Oils from Young Living are some of my favorite gifts to give. School will soon be out, so how many of you are thinking of giving a gift to that special teacher for all he/she has has done this year? If you are like me, you will choose something besides maybe the typical paperweight or pen with their name on it.

Teachers face many challenges today like lots of paperwork, perhaps even done at home, high absenteeism due to illnesses resulting from viruses such as MRSA. Some schools across the country even closed for a few days because of this particular illness. Then sometimes there are sluggish, unattentive and fidgety children that require much patience on the part of the teacher.

Therapeutic grade essential oils have benefited many teachers and their students. How? Take peppermint oil for instance. It invigorates and increases mental accuracy. Students have achieved higher test scores when peppermint oil was being diffused in the classroom. The essential oil blend of Brain Power promotes deep concentration and channels physical energy into mental energy. This oil blend helps students to focus. Vetiver, another great essential oil fragrance similar to patchouli with a touch of lemon, is psychologically grounding, calming and stabilizing. Vetiver was studied by Dr. Terry Friedmann for improving children's behavior. A great oil for children with ADD or ADHD.

To combat alot of sickness, many teachers have used the essential oil blend of Thieves, spraying it throughout the classroom and cleaning the desks with great results. Thieves is highly anti-viral, antibacterial, and anti-infectious. Teachers using these oils reported the highest attendance rates in the school.

The following is a great eperience:

Fellow Teachers,

" I diffuse oils daily in my classroom. I have a fan diffuser and put Peace and Calming and Sacred Mountain in it. First thing after they "clean" the carpet I diffuse Thieves to get rid of the mold. Daily I spray the tables, door knobs and sink with Thieves spray. I have Thieves hand soap at the sink and Thieves cleaner in a spray bottle to clean tables, floors or whatever during the day. I teach kindergarten.

Two winters ago I had all 23 children in my classroom but across the hall in another kindergarten classroom there were only 5 students there and the teacher herself was even out sick. My attendance seems always to be much better than the other 7 kindergarten classrooms.

In the after school program I have forth graders. If somebody complains of a headache or stuffy nose, I let him/her smell peppermint. I even had one of them bring a sibling in who was not feeling well and ask if they could smell peppermint.

I have put lavender or Purification on scratches or bites on the playground since I have it in my pocket. A little bit will send them back to playing.

At least twice I have put Peace and Calming on myself and went to assist another teacher or aide who was trying to calm a child in the hall. Both times it was seconds after I arrived that the child quieted down. Both of these children were being restrained. There are at least two other teachers in my building who are oilers and use oils in their classroom. Try oils in your classroom, they will make your day go better".

Linda

A basket with any combination of Young Living Essential Oils, a diffuser, or the Thieves Hand Soap and Thieves Wipes would make a perfect gift and a brighter day for any teacher!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://www.secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Young Living's New Essential Oil Blend Helps Depression

Yes that's right! The new essential oil blend from Young Living Essential Oils, called RutaVaLa is helping many to overcome depression. Ruta has not been distilled for more than three decades, but in the last couple years, Dr. Gary Young has discovered and distilled this magnificient plant found in Ecuador. This oil blend gets the name RutaVaLa because not only does it contain the Ruta essential oil, but Dr. Young added the essential oils of valerian and lavender.

Ruta comes from the greek word meaning, "to set free" freeing people from disease. Among the symptoms that RutaVaLa has freed people from includes depression, it improves the attitude, and modulates the brain function, reduces fevers, helps with menstrual cycles, rheumatism, aches and pains of all kinds, and reverses stickiness of the blood platelets and more.

According to Dr. Young, Ruta has a direct action on the parasympathetic system. In Ecuador, they wave branches of Ruta over a crying baby's crib to calm him, and put it over the doorways to keep negative energies from crossing the threshold. And of course the essential oils of valerain and lavender are well known for their calming effects.

I must admit that I was not fond of the aroma of RutaVaLa at first. However, the more I use it, the more I like the smell. My first experience using this wonderful blend was quite impressive! I usually have trouble sleeping because my brain talks to me thru the night. And if you have ever experienced this, you know that when you wake up, you feel that you have not slept at all. The very first night of inhaling and applying RutaVaLa on the brain stem and the back of my neck, gave me a restful night's sleep. Now as long as I use this oil blend at bedtime, I wake up refreshed.

"Since inhaling RutaVaLa and applying it across my forehead nightly, the depression I have suffered for many years has lifted. I was on anti-depressants for 17 years and now I am drug free. My outlook on life has greatly improved and I feel 100% better!"

-Steve

If you suffer from anxiety, too much stress, or sleepless nights, use RutaVaLa and experience what it will do for you. It is a calming blend that promotes relaxation of the body and mind. It helps relieve tension and stress. And who doesn't have stress these days? If you tend to be a negative person, I strongly recommend using this blend because it will help overcome these negative feelings and encourage a more positive attitude.

RutaVaLa Essential Oil Blend is exclusive to Young Living Essential Oils!

Carol Wickett

http://www.youngliving-oils.com/

http://www.secretsofmothernature.com/carol

Pain Relief With Essential Oils

Several weeks ago I slipped and feel in my office. In the process of falling, the big toe on my right foot was hyper-extended to the point where it touched the top of my foot. You talk about pain! My toe was in excruciating pain! A friend happened to be at there at the time and she grabbed all the essential oils I had and started layering them one at a time on my toe. I don't know all the oils she applied, but it was alot. And she did that for about 10 minutes while I was flat on my back on the floor. Let me tell you that the pain stopped almost instantly! However, little did I know that I bruised the rest of my foot and probably pulled some tendons and ligaments. I should have went to the emergency room, but instead I chose to start applying essential oils to my foot every 20 minutes for several hours along with ice packs. Needless to say the next day, my foot and toe was much better. I continued applying the oils for a couple more days. My foot and toe is fine now thanks to the healing power of therapeutic essential oils.

There are many differents types of pain as well as many reasons for having acute or chronic pain. So it is wise to see your doctor to determine the source of pain or in dealing with chronic pain. However, essential oils can be used to help reduce pain. For instance, many of the essential oils that are helpful for arthritis and bursitis are also effective for tendonitis.

Arthritis-Bursitis-Tendonitis Recipe

10 drops basil

8 drops wintergreen

6 drops cypress

3 drops peppermint

Rub oil blend neat on location. Mix with natural massage oil base to massage larger areas of the body.

The following are some of the essential oils I personally use from Young Livng: Panaway, Relieve It, Aroma Siez, Release, Peppermint, and Wintergreen.

For instance, Panaway is a blend of wintergreen, which has an active principle similiar to cortisone; clove, which contains eugenol, used synthetically by dentists to numb gums; peppermint, calming for nerves; and helichrysum, soothing to localized discomfort. Many people have had relief from arthritis symptoms, sport injuries, sprains, muscle spasms, bumps and bruises. Apply on location for muscles, cramps, bruises, compress on the spine, and rub on reflexology points of the feet.

Relieve It essential oil blend is a great companion with Panaway alternated for deep tissue pain that is not bone related. Apply on location anywhere for pain. This blend contains spruce, pepper, hyssop and peppermint.

For muscle soreness, use basil, marjoram or lavender. For ligaments, use lemongrass, and equal parts of lavender, Panaway, Relieve It, elemi, and Idaho tansy.

When it comes to pain, we all want relief! Using therapeutic essential oils from Young Living is a natural, safe solution to reducing or eliminating pain.

Carol Wickett

www.youngliving-oils.com

http://www.secretsofmothernature.com/carol