I dabbled a tiny bit in essential oil usage when I started making my own homemade household cleaners. I made a master list of easy peasy recipes and taped it up in my towel closet, inside of the door so, that I could easily remake anything I ran out of. I spent about $100 total to get started and I have so much stock that it has lasted me years. It saves us a ton of money and I feel better knowing there aren’t chemicals all over everything in our house. I started really basic and simple and have now evolved piece by piece into some really good recipes through trial and error. I started with a box of Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda, bottle of Vegetable Glycerin, Castille Soap, a big 5 gallon bucket, vinegar, a few spray bottles, Fels Naptha Soap bars, I invested in a immersion blender (for laundry detergent) and I only had Lavender and Lemon essential oils at that time. Maybe I will make a future post in more detail how I completely started. Nowadays I make an enzyme cleaner, abrasive scrub that smells sooo delicious, all purpose spray, yoga mat cleaner, wood polish, glass cleaner, disinfectant spray, hand soap and laundry detergent. I never have to buy any of those things in the store because I have all the supplies to make them myself. So, that is one reason to love essential oils. Because you have the option to rid your house of chemicals and make your own homemade cleaners. Store brand cleaners are not only very watered down, but contain pesticides, neurotoxins, and yucky things I don’t want my family inhaling or touching. Nothing that if they accidentally ingested I would have to worry about being life threatening.
Secondly, as I got older I knew I would need a method to take care of my skin. To make myself look younger longer. Aside from a healthy diet and exercise I use essential oils in my bathroom as well. There are so so so so soooo many carrier oils that are deeply nourishing for our skin. No alchols, No parabens, No Carcinogens, No Pesticides, etc going on my skin, especially my face! I started by buying products from “Say Yes to… Carrots, Cucumbers, Blueberries, Grapefruit, Coconut” etc. (I buy those at Target) and that worked pretty well for awhile and was worth the extra money it cost. My hair felt softer, my skin felt clearer… Currently I am slowly replacing those. I have replaced everything for my skin and am really proud of how soft and young my skin looks. I use a shampoo bar for my hair currently, but still haven’t replaced my conditioner yet. I make homemade deoderant (I will NEVER go back. My skin used to get dry and itchy from store bought deoderant), homemade toothpaste (also LOVE the difference in how much cleaner my teeth feel). With carrier oils like Avocado, Aloe Vera Gel, Shea Butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter…. deeply nourishing oils for you skin. I also make a mix of bath salts with essential oil, sugar or salt scrubs. I have a butter that I use on my scar (i have a big surgical scar) that just melts on when it touches my skin and leaves a non greasy barrier for hours, locking in moisture and healing my skin. So there is another very big reason to use essential oils!
I use a diffuser in my house quite often to diffuse essential oils into the air for hours. I have used them for relaxing my children or even myself at bedtime. I have diffused oils when we get sick for bronchial coughs, congestion, headaches, uplifting the mood in the house… I Love my diffuser and wouldn’t want to live without it.
As a massage therapy student I use essential oils in massage oil and lotion for warming, cooling, relaxation or pain relief. You can make a steam blend for clearing up congestion, you can use essential oils in an aromatherapy inhaler, foot cream, chest rub, pain and inflammation butter, whipped body butter, make your own lip balm, bug spray, sunburn relief or pillow spray. There are so many possibilities and each time I add a new product to my house my smile just gets bigger and my heart feels happier. The most important factor of it all is that I’m clearing my house of chemicals that are in store bought products. Products that cause yucky things like cancer or seizures or asthma attacks.
I look forward to blogging all about it! and I hope you enjoy following me!
Essential Paradise- Holistic Mentoring 