Natural Dryer Sheet Alternative

While making the transition to a toxin free home I have gone room-by-room making changes. Recently I threw away all the candles and plug-in room scents. I have not used them in almost a year, so WHY was I holding on to them again? (Hello, my name is Jessica and I'm a hoarder.) All these "good smelling" products have no place in a healthy home. They are pollutants that can cause lung damage and can aggravate conditions like asthma and COPD, etc.

About 6 months ago I ordered wool dryer balls from Amazon. I had spent a day making my own laundry soap and had cleaned and organized my laundry room. The whole room was calming to me. I surveyed it with pride- until I saw that bright green box of dryer sheets. WHY had I gone to the effort to get rid of the toxins in my laundry and not even had a thought about replacing these guys? Not only are they full of toxins and artificial scents, but they cause buildup on clothing that can shorten the life of your wardrobe. (Not to mention your dryer) I was not going to continue to add to my family's toxin load from such a simple source I could control.

How Do Wool Dryer Balls Work?
Dryer balls are felted wool and their gentle friction against your clothing as they tumble in the dryer softens it. In addition, the dryer balls lift and separate clothes, getting heat below and between the clothing, resulting in faster drying. Dryer balls are also reusable, so they save you money!

We are only a family of 3, but I am one of the crazy ones who chooses to cloth diaper. I end up doing at least one load of laundry per day and I usually use six dryer balls per load (unless my son runs off with one of the "BALLS!") My typical routine is to dry my clothes until they are damp and then I pull out a couple of dryer balls and put 3-4 drops of essential oil on them. I toss them back in and finish the drying process. My clothes come out smelling SO good. My favorites to use are Purification, Lemongrass, Thieves (depending on the time of year) or any citrus oil.

TIP:
Dryer balls are great at combating static cling, but if you are experiencing any static, try using white vinegar in your wash where you would normally put fabric softener (we don't use anything but vinegar.) Not only does this help to get your clothes clean, it also helps to significantly reduce static cling.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

Thieves and Personal Hygiene

One thing I am a stickler about is having clean hands. I can’t stand to have icky, sticky, dirty, grimy, germy stuff on my hands. It just grosses me out. I am not OCD about it or anything, but having clean hands is important, not just for me but for those around me. I mean after all, you really don’t want me sneezing in my hand and then fixing your sandwich, right?

So, because I wash my hands several times a day, they can get dried out and irritated from all the harsh chemicals in your standard run-of-the mill soaps. I loved the foaming soaps from Bath and Body Works, but when I found out how many chemicals they use in them just to make them smell good I decided to break out and try making my own.

Here is the recipe I landed with. It is fairly simple and if you, like me, kept some of those foaming hand soap bottles instead of throwing them away, they will work perfectly for this soap.
1 foam soap pump (I reused one from Bath and Body Works)
1 c distilled or filtered water
2 TBSP Castile Soap
1/4 tsp carrier oil. I used Jojoba, but you can use almond, grapeseed, olive, or any carrier oil that stays liquid at room temperature.
10 drops Thieves Essential Oil

Add the ingredients to the foaming soap bottle being careful to add the water BEFORE you add the other ingredients. Shake it a bit and wa-la! You're all done.

You're ready to have clean hands at a fraction of the price of traditional foaming soaps, none of the harsh chemicals, and still have an amazing smell. If you see the oil separating, which is perfectly normal, you may need to lightly shake it. I hope you love this as much as I do!

Ok, so that takes care of my hands when I am at home, but I am not going to carry around a bottle of foaming hand soap in my purse. Again, I used to love those little bottles of hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works, but the chemicals in them are just not what I want on my hands. Not only that, but my grandson loved the smell so much he couldn’t resist eating it! I had to hide it from him constantly and safe to consume, it is not! So, I decided to make my own hand sanitizer. I keep a little bottle in my purse, one in my Yukon, one in my computer bag and anywhere else I think I might need it. I absolutely love this stuff and when I do spray it in public, people comment on how yummy it smells!

Here is my recipe for hand sanitizer:
1, 2oz. amber or dark colored glass or BPA free plastic spray bottle
Distilled water
Witch Hazel (optional)
8-10 drops Thieves or Purification essential oil

Pinch of Epsom salt Add oil to salt to be absorbed, and then fill bottle half way with distilled water. Shake to mix. Then finish filling the bottle with Witch Hazel or the distilled water. Shake well before using.

If you are one that prefers the gel sanitizers, try this recipe:
3 Tablespoons Organic Aloe Vera Gel
1/4 teaspoon All Natural Vitamin E Oil
8-10 drops of Young Living Thieves Essential Oil

Mix it together and store it in a squeezable container. You can buy them at Target or WalMart in the travel section. That’s it. It costs a buck and some change for these bottles of sanitizer instead of $5.99 and if my grandson decides to eat it, I don’t have to worry about calling poison control.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

Cleaning With Essential Oils

Cleaning with Essential Oils Keeping your home clean doesn’t mean you have to soak it in toxic chemicals and have it smelling like bleach. I have found that my essential oils are safe, smell much better, and offer a natural and effective alternative to traditional cleaning products. Here are a few of my favorites.

I love, love, love my Thieves® Household Cleaner. It is powerful, safe, natural AND, it smells like Christmas! No harsh chemical smells in this Grammy’s house. When people walk in my home, instead of smelling bleach and fake pine, they will think I am making ͞dog biscuits͟ aka, Peppernuts when in fact, I have been scrubbing my floors.

According to the Young Living Website, the dilution ratios are:
light degreasing 60:1
medium degreasing 30:1
heavy degreasing 15:1
floors 100:1
walls 30:1
upholstery, fabrics, carpet spotting 40:1
carpet 100:1
glass 320:1
pots and pans 100:1
hand cleaner 1:1

In addition, when I diffuse the oil itself, I am purifying the air so my house is clean from top to bottom. Notice: Before cleaning upholstery, fabric, or carpet, perform a spot test in an inconspicuous location. Discontinue use in the unlikely event of staining or skin irritation.

Lemon is another favorite. It will remove icky sticky stuff from just about any surface, including gum from hair. No more squishing the messy peanut butter through the grandkids hair when a piece of rogue gum plants itself on their head. Lemon is also a great degreaser, furniture polish, stain remover and, of course, it also smells like...well, lemon. No harsh chemical smells.

Finally, I want to mention Tea Tree Oil, or Melaleuca Alterfonia. This oil is great as a laundry softener, bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner, and even as a mold and mildew spray. I use it in my bathroom a lot. I sprinkle a few drops on my countertops, wipe down my door knobs, and even put a couple of drops in my toilet tank. It just makes me feel confident that my bathroom is clean, fresh, and ready for company.

I could go on about the cleaning properties of about a dozen more oils, like Purification, Pine, Clove, Cinnamon and others, but none of us have time for that. This Grammy has much more important things to do like make Peppernuts with her grandsons. For more ideas on how to clean with essential oils, check out this document from a fellow Young Living distributor. It is worth the read. http://tinyurl.com/nwqclup(This automatically downloads a .pdf file.)

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

DIY Face Wash

If you know me, you know that I am anything but typical. I tend to do things a little different than everyone else. It seems fitting that my skin would even follow that trend. As a child / teenager I got the occasional blemish, but I never struggled with skin issues. Fast forward to my early 20's and out of nowhere, I began to get the face of a teenage boy. Everything that could go wrong with my skin began to happen. I tried many products and all kinds of DIY's to help my skin, but nothing seemed to get past the surface of my skin. It would moisturize or clean, but it also left me greasy or really dry.

I recently did an experiment where I used Grapefruit, Frankensense and Elimi for about a week on my face. Several times a day I would apply one of the three, rotating them out. Every time I would put Frankincense on my under eye bags. Here is the before post, and here is the after post. No, It did not turn me into Cindy Crawford, but you can see an over all improvement in the quality of my skin.

As part of my continuing skin care routine, I am using the moisturiser seen in the after post. It is simply Cetaphill fragrance free moisturiser cream with about 25 drops each of Lavender, Elimi, Frankinsese and Grapefruit. (makes a 4oz jar that lasts a long time. - a little goes a LONG ways) I also continue to use the Peppermint Satin Facial Scrub seen in the after post, but only in the shower. The other times I wash my face, I need something a bit gentler. There are a lot of good options you can get right from Young Living, but I love making my own products. There is something really empowering about using products you have made.

I found this DIY face wash and I'm going to share the recipe with you.

2/3 cup distilled water
1/3 cup Castile Soap
1 tsp Tamanu or Jojoba carrier oil (you can use the carrier oil of your choice. but Jojoba oil is FANTASTIC for your skin)
1/4 tsp Vegetable Glycerin
4-5 drops of Vitamin E
10 drops of Lavender essential oil
10 drops of Chamomile or Melrose essential oil
5 drops of Frankincense essential oil or Elemi essential oil.

Mix all of these in a glass pump bottle (I actually reuse the thieves foaming hand soap bottles) and give it a gentle shake before use as it can separate a bit. I follow it with some toner (see this post) and my DIY Moisturizer (see above) for a complete skin care routine.

As with any new skin care product, it may take several applications to see any results. Keep using the cleanser for about a week before deciding if you like it or not.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

Easy DIY Toner and After Shave

My husband started using a safety razor about a year ago. It is a bit old fashioned (aka, cool) and in the end costs less than the disposable plastic razors he has used in the past. One morning he asked me to go online and order him some replacement blades. I didn't stop there. I saw all the awesome accessories I could buy him and admittedly, I went a bit overboard. He ended up with a badger hair brush, sandalwood shaving soap (which we put essential oils into) a razor holder and an awesome wooden soap dish. Luckily, it was his birthday month, so I was able to get a great gift for the hardest man on earth to buy for (maybe for the first time since we have been together).

Not only do these things look fantastic sitting on our counter, but they serve a greater purpose in our lifestyle. We have been slowly trying to find ways to replace the toxic / harmful chemicals in our home with more natural solutions. (for more on that, read this post) The shaving cream was on my list of products to get rid of. This was a no brainer move. The only thing left to replace in his shaving kit was his after shave / cologne. This, I made in about 3 minutes, and it is FANTASTIC. We both love it. (Yes, I use his after shave as my toner.)

Here is my recipe:

1 Glass Amber Bottle
Witch Hazel
Frankincense Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Cedarwood Essential Oil
Elimi Essential Oil
Optional:
Pine Essential Oil
Evergreen Essence Essential Oil

Directions:

Fill bottle about 3/4 full with Witch Hazel.
Add about 10 drops each Lavender and Elimi.
Add about 15 drops Frankincense
Add about 15 to 20 drops Cedarwood
Optional:
For a great manly scent, add 1-2 drops each Pine and Evergreen Essence. When mixed with the Cedarwood, it is wonderful.

I do not use it as my toner when I add these oils. I love the smell on him, but I do not want to smell like a walk in the woods. I prefer a crisper, lighter sent. Many times I use purification as my perfume. I just dab a bit on the pulse points and go. I get a lot of compliments on my 'perfume'. Grapefruit is another favorite of mine.

Play with the amounts until the recipe is right for you. You don't have to stick to these oils. If you have a favorite, or you are trying to accomplish something specific with an oil, add it to your toner. That is the beauty of making these products yourself, you are in control.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

DIY Lavender, Rose Hand Cream

My hands, elbows and feet ALWAYS feel rough. Over the years, I've tried lots of DIY hand lotions and some of them have worked for a few minutes, but within no time at all, I began to feel that dry, rough skin again. It's hard to feel feminine when you are a big girl with large, dry hands and feet. Since using Young Living (YL) products, I have had some success keeping those dry areas at bay.

I found this recipe for a rich hand lotion, and I love it. Not only does this smell fantastic, but it's super moisturizing. When I use this cream my hands feel soft as satin for hours and hours!

One thing that I love about the DIY recipes I have found using YL is that I do not have to use as much of it as I would when I am using the store bought versions. It only takes a TINY bit of this hand cream to cover your hands. When you use the hand cream, it should feel non-greasy and make your skin feel baby soft. If it feels at all greasy after you rub it in then decrease the amount you're using. If you get too much, PLEASE, do not waste it. put it on your legs, feet, those elbows, etc.

Lavender-Rose Hand Cream
(Make one 4 oz recipe)

1/4 cup Organic Coconut Oil
1/4 c Shea Butter
1/2 tsp Beeswax Pellets
1 TBSP Jojoba Oil (Cold Pressed)
1 TBSP Rose Water
1/4 tsp Glycerine Vegetable
3 drops of Vitamin E Skin Oil
10 drops of Lavender essential oil
Optional: Add 2-4 drops of Frankincense to increase the strength of finger nails

Melt the coconut oil, Shea butter and beeswax over a double boiler. When melted, remove from heat and add the other ingredients. (TIP- have them premixed in a bowl so the mixture doesn't start to harden while you add each individual ingredient).

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and immediately put it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. After it's chilled, then use an electric mixer to whip it until it's smooth and creamy. Store this recipe in a 4 oz mason jar in your bathroom.

This mix can turn a bit liquid-y in the summer due to the high amount of coconut oil (as coconut oil turns a liquid when the temp is above 76 F) but that's okay, it still works well regardless of the consistency.

Store it in the fridge for a longer shelf life.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.

DIY Magnesium Sleepy Time Spray

If you are like me you need a little help calming down at night, and help falling asleep. Taking care of an almost toddler, running a household and operating two home businesses keeps my brain switched to 'on mode' long after my body is ready to be asleep. This sleepytime spray with magnesium oil and lavender can provide a little bit of help while you work on shutting your brain down.

Why Magnesium? Magnesium deficiency is all too common, as magnesium is needed for over 300 reactions in the body, not sufficient in our food supply, and wasted by the body during times of stress. (When am I NOT stressed?) According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, ND, MD, low magnesium levels can play a role in:

*Asthma
*Blood clots
*Bowl diseases
*Cystitis
*Depression
*Detoxification
*Diabetes
*Fatigue
*Heart Disease
*Hypertension
*Hypoglycemia
*Insomnia
*Kidney Disease
*Liver Disease
*Migraines
*Muscle & nerve problems
*Osteoporosis
*Tooth decay
*Raynauds Syndrome
*Anxiety & panic attacks

Although it’s best to get this important mineral from food, transdermal sources (magnesium oil, spray, epsom salt baths) of magnesium can be an additional source. Lavender on the other hand can be very uplifting, calming, and relaxing that can help prepare you for bedtime. Which is why many makers of children's skin care products have entire lines of lavender products. (unfortunately, you are most likely getting only lavender scent there, NOT therapeutic grade Lavender oil.)

MAGNESIUM OIL & LAVENDER SLEEPYTIME SPRAY INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup magnesium chloride flakes (where to find magnesium flakes)
1/8 tsp lavender essential oil (where to find essential oils at wholesale prices)
Glass bottle (like this)

PROCESS:

1) Heat water, just before boiling point.
2) Remove from heat and add magnesium chloride flakes (not epsom salts, they will not work).
3) Add 1/8 tsp lavender essential oil.
4) Let cool and place in a glass spray bottle.
5) Use magnesium oil at bedtime or after a bath to get some transdermal magnesium.
6) The magnesium oil spray can be washed off (if you want) after letting it soak in for about 20 minutes.

Want to read more about essential oils? Check out our website to help you or contact us here.

~Grammy's Essentials Team
www.grammysessentials.com

The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and as a guideline for your personal use. It should not be used as a substitution for medical counseling with a health professional. The contributors and authors do not accept responsibility for such use.