Tag: essential oils

All Natural Medicine Cabinet Essentials

I was taking stock of my medicine cabinet in preparation for my annual flu season overhaul. Every year, in fact, twice a year I replace the products in my medicine cabinet to keep them as fresh and effective as possible. I try my best to stick to natural, organic products that contain at least one or two of my five favorite essential oils: peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, cinnamon, and orange. Fortunately, Mother Nature has us covered. Swap out your OTC medicines for these all natural, plant-based medicine cabinet essentials.

  1. Instead of Pain / Headache medication try Past Tense
  2. Instead of Nasal Decongestant, cold and flu medication or allergy relief medication try Breathe 
  3. Instead of cough suppressant try Rosemary
  4. Instead of anti-itch lotion, sleeping aids, burn cream or cuts and scrapes disinfectant try Lavender
  5. Instead of mouthwash, add Peppermint to your homemade mouthwash recipe
  6. Instead of Immune system boost or sore throat medicine, try On Guard Blend. The Throat Drops are very handy for on the go 
  7. Instead of upset stomach medication or heartburn medication try Digest Zen
  8. Instead of a sterilizing agent, try Purify. It also works great as a room freshener.
  9. Instead of whitening flouride toothpaste try On Guard toothpaste
  10. Instead of wart removal cream try Oregano
  11. Instead of athlete’s foot cream try Tea Tree Oil

2 DIY Hair Mist Recipes to Rescue Your Winter Worn Tresses

With hat season quickly coming to an end, I’ve had to scramble to find a way to keep my hair smelling fresh and looking moisturized without having to actually put in the effort. I ditched commercial shampoos a long time ago, and my hair has never been healthier, but if I’m being totally honest, I kinda miss the intense (yet seriously toxic) fragrance that goes along with store bought shampoo. My go to has been this 3 ingredient herbal shampoo recipe, but even with the ease of making my own shampoo, and the hair care routine I follow (washing and deep conditioning once a week), I still wanted to find a mid week pick me up for my hair. Enter hair mist. I don’t even know how I ever lived without this stuff! These homemade recipes feature Aura Cacia Essential oil blends designed specifically for DIY hair care. Each recipe fits perfectly in a travel size mist bottle so they’re perfect for your purse, your gym bag, or your carry on!

Hair Protecting Mist

ingredients

  • 12 drops Aura Cacia Enrich Essential Oil Blend (find it here)
  • 1 tbsp Aura Cacia Organic Argan Skin Care Oil (find it here)
  • 1 oz distilled water

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients in a mist bottle
  • shake until well blended
  • to use, mist hair sparingly

Leave-In Conditioner Mist

Ingredients

  • 11 drops Aura Cacia Elevate Essential Oil Blend (find it here)
  • 2 tbsp aloe vera gel
  • 1/4 tsp Aura Cacia Organic Argan Skin Care Oil (find it here)
  • 5 tsp distilled water

Directions

  • combine all ingredients in a mist bottle
  • cover and shake until well blended
  • to  use, shake bottle and mist hair, then smooth with fingers

DIY Botanical Winter Salt Scrub

“The best things in life are free. The second best things are very, very expensive” —Coco Chanel

Sometimes there’s a happy place where luxury is just affordable. This homemade botanical winter salt scrub is in that happy place. This scrub contains coconut oil, thyme essential oil, lavender essential oil, fine sea salt, and Epsom salt. Salts are packed with minerals which enhance the skin. The magnesium in Epsom salts reduce inflammation while the sulphates flush out toxins. Thyme essential oil stimulates blood flow. It helps heal bruises, sprains, and other injuries. The oil is antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, and a good decongestant. Lavender essential oil is another natural antiseptic. It helps to regulate over-excretion of sebum, and over time can help visibly reduce scarring. Lavender also tones and firms skin by boosting circulation, supplying adequate oxygen and nutrition to skin cells. This helps in keeping skin cells healthy.

You guys, this scrub is a game changer. Add this into your weekly beauty routine to keep your skin smooth and hydrated all Winter long!

DIY Botanical Winter Salt Scrub

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Coconut Oil (you can also substitute this with olive oil)*
  • ¼ cup Fine Sea Salt*
  • 1 cup Epsom Salt*
  • 10-15 drops Lavender Essential Oil*
  • 5-10 drops Thyme Essential Oil*

Directions

  • In a small glass bowl, mix the salt and oil together (I use a fork to mix it)
  • stir in essential oil until well blended
  • store in an air tight glass container
  • to use, simply spoon a small amount into your hands, gently rub it on your skin, and rinse it off with warm water

*The ingredient proportions here are just an approximation. I usually make these homemade products by eyeball the ingredients, so just play around with the proportions. The idea is that you don’t want the mixture to be too oily, or too crumbly!

Source: Cleanse by Hepzabeth

Homemade Leave-In Conditioner

This is probably the best thing I’ve done for my hair in a long time. I waged a silent war against split ends in the dead of Winter. I’m the lady that likes to wear a hat, or a scarf, or a hair tie all the time just to keep my hair out of my face. Problem is, all that friction from whatever I’m covering my hair with causes a lot of breakage. I’ve never dyed my hair. I’ve never cut it. I’ve never put hair extensions in it. I’ve only straightened it a couple of times in my life, still I was starting to look like I could be the 5th member of Motley Crue. Breakage, split ends, and an overall dull and overly processed appearance. Anyway, I was fed up, so I whipped up this amazing leave-in conditioner and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

So many of the leave-in conditioners on the market are way too heavy for my hair texture, and after trying out a ton of these cream based products, I decided I needed a really light oil to keep my hair from feeling weighed down. I used Organix Nourishing Coconut Oil, and I loved it, but I do have a couple of issues with this product. The price is a little too high and despite the brand’s name and some pretty clever marketing, it contains ingredients that I’m definitely trying to avoid in cosmetics. They’re on the right track though. Coconut oil is undoubtedly a good start when you’re looking to hydrate your hair.

This is probably the easiest homemade beauty recipe I’ve made, and the results are fantastic. My hair looks strong and healthy with a glow like I got it professionally done. Sigh. I’m a little bit ashamed of myself that I spent so much money over the years on hair care products just to end up covering my hair anyway. After using this leave-in conditioner for a couple of weeks, I’m actually ditching my hats! All those products, with the ingredients we can’t pronounce, are totally unnecessary. All you need is a few natural ingredients to get your glow back.

 

Homemade Leave-In Conditioner

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup distilled water
  • 1.5 tsp vegetable glycerine (find it here)
  • at least 2 tsp sweet almond oil, liquid coconut oil, or jojoba oil
  • 8-10 drops lavender essential oil

Directions

  • In a spray bottle, mix water, vegetable glycerin, and oil
  • add the drops of essential oil
  • shake the bottle well before each use
  • to use, simply give a few spritzes to your scalp and massage from root to end

Just a note, if you’re concerned about buying a whole bottle of vegetable glycerine for just this recipe, don’t worry! Vegetable glycerin has a wide range of uses in cosmetics, so I promise that you’ll really get your money’s worth. I’ll be sharing more beauty recipes with you that are sure to put it to use.

Homemade Eucalyptus Oatmeal Bath Salts---Spa Days at Home

Homemade Eucalyptus Oatmeal Bath Salts—Spa Days at Home

I’ve been super stressed lately. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I’ve had this general sense of anxiety and malaise for weeks now. This weekend was a particularly rough one, and I couldn’t really calm down long enough to get any rest. Sigh. So Sunday night, after all my efforts to chill had been exhausted, I decided to soak in a bath. I don’t know guys, lately I just really feel like I need a 24-hour hug. A warm bath is always the next best thing, so I whipped up this quick bath salts recipe and melted away in the tub. It was a total pick-me-up and my skin felt amazing. This is my new favorite and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it too!

Homemade Eucalyptus Oatmeal Bath Salts

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked oatmeal, blended
  • 1 cup unscented Epsom salt
  • 1 tbsp unrefined sea salt
  • 10-15 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Homemade Eucalyptus Oatmeal Bath Salts

Directions

  • In blender, add uncooked oatmeal and lightly blend it until it’s almost flour
  • in a glass container, mix together your blended oatmeal, epsom salt, and sea salt
  • slowly add in the drops of eucalyptus
  • store in a sealed glass container in a cool dry place for up to two months
  • to use, just add 1-2 tablespoons to your bath water and relax

***If eucalyptus isn’t your thing, you can replace that essential oil with another soothing essential oil of your choice (lavender, chamomile, or peppermint all work well)

***You can also add fresh herbs like rosemary or lavender to this mixture, but be warned that the overall mixture won’t stay fresh for as long.