How to move forward with EO use...

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This post will be a little different from most. I'm not going to share a recipe or remedy I've discovered. It is more practical. How to put this knowledge into action.

In the beginning I spent some time with all of this essential oil and healthy living knowledge in my head and good intentions to apply it to life. However, good intentions and knowledge are just thoughts. Thoughts weren't changing how I did things, or my health. I needed action.

There were several reasons that action wasn't happening often enough.

• Missing some of the ingredients
• Missing some of the tools
• Fear I would do it "wrong" and waste the oils
• Too busy with the current pattern of doing things 
• Simply forgetting to use them when I intended

I want to address some of these common roadblocks toward regular EO use in this post.

Darn! I'm Missing Ingredients:

Don't let this stop you! If you see a recipe you want to try on Mom's EOs or any other site, determine to make it. Each EO has several qualities to it. Depending on what you're making, it is possible the recipe will work even missing one of the EOs. Do some of your own research and see if your missing oil would be a make or break ingredient. If it is... Many EOs  have similar qualities. Substitute an oils with similar qualities. You could pick just about any quality in an EO and find that same or similar quality in another oil.  Be brave. Try a substitute. There is an untold amount of information out on the web. You can use the Spark Naturals oil descriptions to learn qualities. This is a good, reliable research site as well. It also helps to have a few reference books such as this one. You can even message me and I'll be happy to give some suggestions to try. Some common substitutes I've used...

• Birch and Wintergreen  and Peppermint all have cooling and pain relieving properties. 
• Roman Chamomile and Lavender are both calming and relaxing
• Basil and Thyme both have germ killing properties
• Most citrus are uplifting and help with mood. 

Oops! I'm Missing Some of the Tools:

There is always more than one way to accomplish a goal. No diffuser yet? You can passively diffuse by using a tissue, piece of felt, rub some on your hands and

breathe in, or cotton balls in a jar. No roller? Try a spray bottle, or just dabbing the oils on. No fancy jar? Recycle a cleaned out kitchen jar. Don't know how (or have the ingredients) to make salve yet? Add the oils to your current lotion. Don't let the idea of somethings being "just so" stop you from experiencing your oils.

I'm Afraid I Will Do It Wrong and Waste Precious Oils:

Just start. Honestly, one of the things I have discovered about EOs is that it is pretty hard to "do it wrong". I mean, you have to be careful. Don't ever put oils in your ear canal or your eyes. Read your bottles and don't ingest any EO unless the bottle says FOR DIETARY USE. If you ever have question about the strength, dilute it. But when making blends or diffusing - try not to stress if you get 3 drops instead of 2. It's all good if you need to use a substitute. Experiment. If one thing doesn't work, don't toss it ~ add to it and try again. Trust your instincts.  If you can't stand a smell ~ pass it on for someone else to try (many people experience oils differently. It has a lot to do with body chemistry). Just make sure you start somewhere or you'll never know. You might be a blending genius!

I'm Too Busy and Stuck With My Current Patterns:

It can be hard to break a habit. What are your habits? Headache? Grab a Tylonol? Heartburn? Tums? If you are busy, set aside a time one day to make up a few few remedies before you need them. You can specialize to your frequent issues. Then, when the time comes you are ready to try something new.  Some of the first ones I had on hand...

• LLP in a roller for allergies
• Stress blend
• Headache roller

I Keep Forgetting To Use EOs When I Intended: 

I worked on this several ways. First, I put my roller blend oils in my purse so they were handy no matter where I was, and I took the Tylenol out of my purse. Next I "attached" certain oils with behaviors that were already natural. For example, I put some Jeddy's in a small spray and set it next to my face lotion. When I put my lotion on daily in the morning my Jeddy's was there and I used that as well. I also got my family involved in using the oils. Then, when something would come up, like a headache or cut, my kids would remind me I had oils I could use. If all else fails, you could place a reminder post-it note on your Tylenol bottle "try oils first"! Switch out one thing at a time. Don't try to do it all at once. I started with LLP for allergies. This was all I did for quite a few months. Then, when  saw how well it worked, I was compelled to try the next thing.

I'm here to help. If you have questions, feel free to message me on Facebook or comment on this post!

Are there other reasons you haven't started using your Essential Oils yet? Share your reasons and any solutions you've found!

Above all... Let's just get started!

~Wendy


There are affiliate links in this post. If you choose to buy something from Spark Naturals, you will not pay any more, but Mom's EOs will get a small portion. If you'd like to save money you can use coupon code benderboymom at checkout and save 10%. 

Great Deal I Don't want you to miss....

This deal is expired  - but the post still has some great ideas of starter kits around $55

This isn't really my normal kind of blog post ~ I admit. I just didn't want my blog readers to miss what is going on at Spark Naturals and my Facebook. It is a giveaway, but everyone can win! I LOVE a good deal!

When I started with EOs I kept reading recipes that included an oil I didn't have. That was tough. I always wanted more. When I saw the new deal of a FREE 5 ml lime with a $50 purchase, I had to extend my flash deal of a free 15 ml Melaleuca with a $55 purchase.

So, until 8/15/15 if you order $55 of oils, books, e-spa, accessories, Kits, OOTM club ~ anything from Spark Naturals, you will get these 2 OILS FREE and FREE SHIPPING! You could build your collection over night. $55 can get you a lot of 5ml bottles of oils at Spark Naturals! No membership required, No commitment, No MLM, but you still get my 10% discount if you use coupon code BENDERBOYMOM. 

**If you've been waiting to start into essential oils until you can afford it ~ that time is now.

Here are some examples of what you could get for around $55 if you use coupon code benderboymom at checkout.

These oils will support your health during cold/germ season : $56.16 w/code

5ml ea of
Clove
Eucalyptus
Lemon
White Fir
Peppermint
Marjoram
Cold and Flu Bomb Kit (oregano, Shield, melaleuca,roller)


Free
5 ml Lime
15 ml Melaleuca

Or you could get these oils that all help manage stress/anxiety: $57.88 w/code

5ml ea
Bliss
Zen
Lavender
Wild Orange
Grapefruit
Lemon
Ylang Ylang
10ml roller

Free
5 ml Lime
15 ml Melaleuca

Or you could start with all of these oils that have pain relieving properties for:$56.53 w/code

5ml ea of
Birch
Clove
Eucalyptus
Black Pepper
Wintergreen
White Fir

Free
5 ml Lime
15 ml Melaleuca

Or you could start with this Aromatic kit: $56.25 with code

Free
5 ml Lime
15 ml Melaleuca

I talk about how you can use the oils in this kit ~ here

With all of the Spark Natural's oils available in both 5ml and 15ml sizes you can put together an unlimited variety of oils to make your own "starter kit" perfect for your needs!

Please feel free to comment or message me with any questions. You can search the blog and my Facebook page for recipes on how to use different oils as well. I would love to help you get started on your journey to natural health and wellness!

Oh and don't forget to enter their contest for a $150 gift card ~ I hope you win!

~Wendy

EOs ~ To Go

How I travel with EOs...

I shared this photo on my Facebook the other day. It is the mess I made while organizing and refilling my travel case(s).

I don't go anywhere without my essential oils. Anywhere. I've shared a picture of my purse pack before, but here it is again.



I keep these few rollers in a separate pocket in my purse as well. These are the ones I tend to use daily while I'm out and about.





Traveling is another story. I admit, I'm a little a lot addicted to my EOs. I start to panic when I think of being without my drawer
for too long.

Now, I could buy a few of these cute bags,
and take them ALL with me. But then I get nervous about TSA raiding my suitcase.





So I compromise and make a few travel cases of my, and my family's, most used oils. It takes some planning and effort to turn the first picture above, into the organized items below. But it is so worth it to know I have what I need with me wherever we travel.

Here they are explained.

I bring my own
Bug spray - it is the Midwest
Sunburn spray - accidents happen
Allergy spray - did I mention my allergies?
As well as a small bottle of premixed Cold and Flu bomb in case anyone tries to get sick.










My purse pack has
Hand sanitizer
Emergency deodorant - I live in Phoenix in summer
Peppermint for nausea or heartburn
LXR for stress
Birch for injuries/pain
Respire for my asthma
Frankincense because - it's awesome and has soooo many uses. It just makes everything better
Lavender for burns, calming, healing

These few are in an easy access pocket of my purse
Headache roller - to catch any migraine as soon as I even think I may be getting one
Stress roller - travel with 4 boys, nuff said
Jeddy's - great for stress, stiff neck, tension headache
LLP - my allergies are constant
Lemon - for my water



This is my vacation kit
2 pain blends - pain is no fun and can put a wrinkle in vacation
2 stiff / sore muscle blends - we do a lot of walking/hiking on vacations. Strange beds cause stiffness too
Allergy roller for bug bites and strange rashes
Jeddy's for car rides, and more than one of us needs help with focus at times
Cold and flu roller - just in case
Digest - vacation food
Tennis elbow blend - I'm very prone to this and it make everything hard if it flares up. This blend can work well on other strained things too
empty capsules - for digest, cold and flu, or LLP if needed

I also pack a jar of my pain salve and one of healing salve. I know this seems like a lot, but it really is a comfort knowing that just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean I can't keep treating my family with natural remedies. 

***I take the items that are in my purse and put them in a quart ziploc before I stand in the security line if I'm flying. The other items go in my checked bag. 

If you are wanting to make your own kit you can get the tin, rollers, spray bottles, sample bottles, and any of the supplies to make it by following the links above or going to Spark Naturals. You will want to put in coupon code BENDERBOYMOM at checkout to save yourself 10% too! 

Now I'm off to pack some clothes ;)!

~Wendy

How to get results from your Essential Oils

This will be a short post. I've really found 2 key reasons I get results from Essential Oils

#1 - Consistency. 

For the first few months I used essential oils, I would use a few oils here and there, but not regularly. I couldn't seem to get into the swing of things. Consequently, sometimes oils worked for me and sometimes they didn't.   Honestly, consistency is the first, most important "tip" I'll give for EO use. It is important to try something new with consistency. This is true for anything in life, really. Think about it. Exercise works better when we are consistent. Eating healthy helps when we are consistent. Kids adjust better to a new rule when we are consistent. Our house stays cleaner when we are consistent with daily chores. You get the idea... Even pharmaceuticals are prescribed with the expectation you will take them as directed (with consistency) for them to work.

#2 - Be Brave and Creative

Try new things. These are natural, essential oils. As long as you follow some pretty simple safety rules, they won't hurt you. 

• Don't ever put them in your eyes or ears
• More is not always better
• Don't ingest them unless they are pure and say "for dietary use"
• Always read the bottles - some oils are only for a certain type of use or are photosensitive
• If there is ever a question on strength, dilute them with carrier oil. If you are unsure of your body's reaction to a specific oil, dilute. Dilute for children or sensitive skin
• Do some research to make sure the oil you want to use is safe for any medical conditions you have, including pregnancy
• If you are on prescription medication, check with your prescribing doctor first.
• Camp Wander did a great post on EO safety here

As long as you are careful, Be Brave! If I see a new recipe for something, I try it. If I don't have all the oils it calls for, I use what I do have, and try it. If I don't know which oil to use, I do a few minutes of research, and then try something I found. Sometimes I even just go in the drawer and see what smells like it might work, and try it! I believe God created us AND these oils. They work together. There really is an intuitive component to using oils. I believe that we were meant to heal naturally, and we have an intuitive sense of what might work or not. If we listen to our body and are a good student of it, we often find what works to heal it. Trust yourself enough to try something. Allopathic doctors "practice medicine", I can "practice oils" (staying in the safety guidelines of course). 

In the end, you will need to do what works for you. But don't be afraid to try something. Just get started!

If you are not sure where to start,  I wrote this post about getting started. Not sure which oils to use? I trust the 100% pure essential oils from Spark Naturals. Please make sure the oils you use are pure - remember, safety first. If an oil is super cheap at the flea market..... it is likely not pure. The Health and Wellness kit is a good set to start with. So is the Essential 4 pack. You can order direct from their site. No membership, no minimum, no need to order through me. If you use coupon code BENDERBOYMOM at checkout, you will get 10% off your order. Shipping is free on orders over $55 and only a flat rate $5 on smaller orders. 

~Wendy

Natural Deodorant

My Natural Deodorant Journey...

Some people look up a recipe for natural deodorant on the internet, make it, use it, and they are done. Others are like... me. This has been a long process of finding the "right" recipe. Let me start at the beginning....

Deodorant was the first health and beauty product that I set out to replace with a natural alternative. The research out there on the negative effects of commercial, chemical-laden, deodorant is just too numerous to ignore.

I thought, this will be easy. Just make one and use it. Hmmmm. Not quite. At the risk of TMI.... I will tell you, I smell. I always have. Bob is so sweet, he'll tell me I don't, but I know I do. I was one of the people that they make "clinical strength" deodorant for. I don't "glow", I sweat.

So I looked for recipes that stated they were "extra strength". I made them up and tried them. They would work some days, and not others. But my biggest issue with them was my sensitive skin. My pits seemed to burn or break out with every new recipe I tried. So it was back to the kitchen to try another.

This post isn't as much to share a recipe, since you can google and get hundreds. It is to share a journey and encourage you on your own journey to replace chemicals with natural ingredients.

I started my trial period in the fall. Convenient for one who lives in the AZ heat? Yup, I planned it that way. However, I am stubborn and I have never looked back. I'm now headed into my second summer (read 110 degrees for months).

I want to share several things I have learned on the journey. I would have found success sooner had I been able to read all of these tips in one post. And I like lists :)


~~You will smell the first few weeks no matter what. Your body is purging all of the chemicals and old bacteria, it's detoxing. Plan accordingly. I brought wet wipes to work, and extra of the current deodorant I was trying. My restroom breaks took a little longer.

~~You can expedite this detox process with this Armpit detox by Camp Wander. She also has a great explanation in this post of why you should stop using commercial deodorants.

~~Antiperspirant is unhealthy. Sweating is a way our body rids itself of toxins. If we stop it from sweating, guess where the toxins are.... Honestly, I used to sweat buckets, now that I use natural deodorant, I hardly sweat at all. I think it was a bad cycle of me stopping it, more toxins building, body trying harder to get them out, more sweat, and on it goes.

~It helps to make new recipes in 1/2 or 1/4 amounts. If you react to it, or you don't like the smell you are out less ingredients.

~You won't have a deodorant that goes on dry. Get over it. Make it be the first thing you apply out of the shower so it has time to soak in/dry. Just like any other area of your life you will make small sacrifices for the greater benefits of health.

~~Smell is caused from bacteria so essential oils with antibacterial properties work better.
I found that improving my gut health and building up the good bacteria in my body improved my body odor immensely. There was less for my new deodorant to have to 'fight'. My good and harmful bacteria have been out of balance all my life - maybe the reason I've always fought pit odor?? - could be.

~~Shaving my pits daily is critical. I think the bacteria must stick to the hairs? Just my guess. But experience says; shaving means deodorant works, skipping shaving means I smell.

~Stress sweat smells different that sweat from heat or physical exertion, and doesn't have the same causes. Learning to "let go" of things and try not to stress was not only good for my mental health but it helped my body smell better too.

~~Magnesium oil works! But it is a little irritating to my sensitive skin. I solve this by using it daily, then also using a soothing salve over it.

~~More is not always better with essential oils. I've found that if an oil is going to work with my chemistry, it works with only a few drops. If 4 drops doesn't work at all, then 10 won't either. On the flip side if you notice a difference with only 3 drops, 5 may improve the result.  I've found this principle can apply to using EOs with anything, not just deodorant.

~~Just because I'm sensitive to an ingredient doesn't mean I can't use it at all. Lemongrass causes a rash on me if I don't dilute it. I found diluting with witch hazel wasn't enough, but putting it in with the healing salve works for me. Also, the straight magnesium oil causes a sting and red bumps for me as the recipe is written. I use 1/2 magnesium oil and 1/2 witch hazel and that dilutes the magnesium oil enough to not cause a reaction but I still get the benefits from it.

Some of my journal notes on deodorant

I've tried sooooo many different types of natural deodorants I've lost count. I've tried solids, cremes, gels and liquid sprays. In the end it is worth it to find what works for you. Don't give up the fight. As I remove more and more chemicals from my life I can clearly see the effect they were having on my body. 

What am I currently using?

 

Magnesium oil in a 2 oz spray bottle with witch hazel and  6 drops ea. of Frankincense, Lavender, 3 drops ea. Cypress and Melaleuca. Then I follow up with healing slave to calm/condition my sensitive skin. Happy discovery was in the winter the healing salve by itself is a deodorant for me.  Like I said, it is a process, but worth it! I recently tried to dissolve my magnesium flakes in the oil of the salve to save a step. Don't try it, doesn't work - bummer. 

***I believe it is critical to use organic and pure ingredients, from your coconut oil and beeswax to the essential oils. If you choose to buy your oils through Spark Naturals you can rest assured that your products are of the highest quality and pure. You should also use coupon code BENDERBOYMOM to get 10% off of your order. Shipping is free after $55, and a reasonable $5 flat rate for orders lower than $55. 

Do you use a natural deodorant that works great for you? Please share in the comments! As always, feel free to comment or message me with any questions and I'll help you find the answers. We are on this journey together :)

~Wendy

47 Days and 18 Tips from the Hotel

I learned a lot about my essential oils while living in a hotel. So much that I figured I would gather that  information into one post that is easy to find.

First, let me give you a little background...

Sunday January 11th I decided that shredded bbq chicken sandwiches sounded like a good dinner. Then I realized that this decision came too late in the day to use my trusty crock pot. Soooo, I had an epiphany and decided to put 3 pounds of organic chicken breasts on the stove to cook slowly for shredded bbq chicken sandwiches. Seemed like a good idea at the time. One hour later The Fam decided it was a good time to go shopping for supplies for the upcoming baseball season. We. All. Left. The. House. Totally forgetting about the chicken on the stove. We returned 2+ hours later to a entire home FULL of white smoke. I later learned they call this "protein smoke". Apparently the worst type to get rid of - I'm lucky like that :).

Well, being the optimists that we are, my sweet husband and I thought "we'll just throw open the windows and turn on the air. It will clear out by morning and all will be well". It didn't quite work that way. It took a good hour just to be able to see in the house again. I woke up at midnight unable to breathe, pounding headache, and coughing like crazy (I have asthma). By 5 am we realized this wasn't what we thought. We called our insurance company and were placed in a hotel for the cleanup. We finally returned home February 27th. Sheesh! Never would have thought... I guess that 20 years of paying homeowners insurance was worth it.

Living away from home for an extended amount of time, without our normal routine, has been a learning experience. That first day I packed up ALL of my EOs and a few of my supplies/accessories. Honestly, I didn't think I would need them all, or even most of them. I was nervous about my investment sitting in my home on lock box. Hey, they told me to take all valuables out of the house. As I have learned things about using my oils away from home, I have posted tips on my Facebook page. I'm now gathering all of that information into one place just in case you are ever planning to be gone for weeks on end (or heaven forbid, displaced from your home suddenly). Without further ado...

EO's in the Hotel

EOs in the hotel lesson #1:  You cannot make Shield tea in the styrofoam cups they put in your room... the Shield eats a hole right through the cup... before you even have a chance to stir it. EOs - 1,
 synthetic product - 0

EO's in the hotel lesson #2:. Read your bottles carefully. They are not necessarily in "the same order I always keep them" and lavender tastes horrible in my water.

EOs in the hotel lesson #3: Bring the diffuser. Benefits are many. Including good favor with the housekeeping staff. They told me they love cleaning my room. It smells so good and relaxing!

EOs in the hotel lesson #4: Having extra bottles of stress relieving oils already on hand was a life saver. I might be going through a little more LXR, Jeddy's, lavender, Zen, roman chamomile, and lemon than normal these last 2 weeks....

EOs in the hotel lesson #5: A drop of lemon or grapefruit can go a long way in making hotel tap water both safe and palatable. Desperate times calls for desperate measures

EOs in the hotel lesson #6: Dream sleep blend, lavender or Zen on the bottoms of my feet help overcome the "hotel noise", so I can get the rest I need

EOs in the hotel lesson #7: It is totally worth the effort to figure out how to pack and transport ALL your EOs to the hotel if you are going to be gone more than a week (4 weeks now... headed into week 5).

EOs in the hotel lesson #8: Not sure how to transport some carrier oils to the hotel, I 3/4 filled, (and labeled) a couple of roller bottles with just a carrier oil so I could add whatever EOs I needed later. I also brought a few empty sample bottles. This was a good idea...

EOs in the hotel lesson #9: Some of the most important oils I brought with me are the citrus oils - so versatile and MOOD LIFTING, I need that right now!

EOs in the hotel lesson #10: Even extra cold and flu bomb supplies may not be enough. Nothing like close quarters and stress for sharing germs! - sheesh!

EOs in the hotel lesson #11: One of the keys to EOs is consistency. This is so difficult in the hotel as my routine is changed. Setting a phone alarm for daily at the same time would have been a great idea... hindsight

EOs in the hotel lesson #12: air flow in a hotel room is often "different". Turn on your diffuser and wait to see where the mist is drifting. Then place your diffuser in the most optimal location. My son had to place the diffuser on the night stand furthest from him, not the one next to his head, to get the mist to blow near him while he slept.

EOs in the hotel lesson #13: you will go through more of everything EO related than you do at home.

EOs in the hotel lesson #14: you can receive a package/mail at the hotel. The front desk is happy to sign for it. (See lesson #13)

EOs in the hotel lesson #15: Picking a specific, convenient place to keep certain EOs will help you remember to use it daily with consistency. For example, leave the Lemon EO by the drinking glass or bottled water, leave the bottle of dream by the bedside.

EOs in the hotel lesson #16:Increased and consistent use of stress combating EOs will prevent the frequent use of antiviral and digestive support EOs.

EOs in the hotel lesson #17: Once I realized that it was the hotel towels (I suspect the detergent or bleach they use) that were making my skin itch like crazy, a few drops of LLP in my morning lotion routine fixed it! No more itching insanity!





EOs in the hotel lesson #18: EOs in general had a grounding effect on me. They were a sense of stability, normalcy, something I could count on being there and working properly :). I'm sure I could have lived this past 7 weeks without them, but the time would not have gone as smooth or as healthy.



If you find yourself wanting to stock up on some essential oils check out this link for Spark Naturals. I trust them completely and use them daily. They are a pure and very fairly priced. You can even get 10% off of every order with the coupon code BENDERBOYMOM. If you want to start an EO journey of your own and don't know where to begin, please read through this blog. Feel free to comment with any questions, Facebook message me at Mom's EOs, or email me at momseos1@gmail.com. I would love to help you get started.


~Wendyw
EOs in the hotel lesson #6: Dream sleep blend, lavender or Zen on the bottoms of my feet help overcome the "hotel noise", so I can get the rest I needink emoticon






If you are interested in 

How to use the Aromatic Kit

So I've decided it is time to get some of these oils into your hot little hands! There is no comparison to getting to touch, smell and use EOs.

The Aromatic Kit is a great way to build your collection with a very useful variety of oils.

There are 10 versatile oils in this wonderful kit. Following is a brief list of only some of the uses for these oils. Each one is linked back to the Spark Naturals web page so you can read about its properties, and if the oil can be used aromatically, topically, or internally. It will also state if the oil can be applied neat (straight from the bottle) or if it should be applied with a carrier oil. If ever in doubt... it never hurts to apply with a carrier oil such as coconut oil, almond oil, hemp seed oil, grape seed oil or even olive oil! Use what you have.
For the first 3 - 
Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint I'm going to refer you to an awesome list from Jill at One Good Thing by Jillee blog - and another list here too. Why reinvent the wheel? She's done a great job on these lists! She even has them in printable form for you! But as a teaser...


Lemon
* a drop in your water for health and taste
*remove sticky stuff from labels
*remove dried paint from clothes




Lavender
*diffuse to relax
*freshen linens
*Use for allergies
Peppermint
* a drop in a swallow of milk for heartburn
* a sniff in the morning for an alert mind
*a drop with oil for sore muscles


Wild Orange
*I love this citrus oil! It is delicious in sparkling (or normal) water.
*It is wonderful mixed with Zen in the diffuser.
*3 drops make a pan of brownies really special
*Just opening the bottle and sniffing is a mood lifter for me




Shield
*Mix with witch hazel for homemade hand sanitizer
*Diffuse to kill germs
*Use with honey and lemon for a sore throat soothing tea




Respire
*Rub on chest with carrier oil to ease breathing
*Rub on bottoms of feet when you have a cough
*Blend with a salve base for a Vics type rub
*Diffuse to kill germs

Bergamot
*Apply to scars to fade them
*Diffuse for its mood-lifting properties
*Use it on wounds for quicker healing
* Apply it to relax nerves and muscles






Zen
*LOVE to diffuse this with Respire at night for a restful sleep
*Rub on pulse points as a perfume
*Rub on chest to help with anxiety
*This is one of my favorites


White Fir
*Use topically for pain, sore muscles
*Diffuse to kill germs and support the immune system
*Diffuse for alertness

Ylang Ylang
*Add to massage oil or add a few drops to water for a special evening :) (read aphrodisiac)
*Use in body care products to balance skin
*Diffuse to calm mood or anxiety







To buy these oils separately would be $83.75. This kit is normally $62.50 which is a good deal! But it is on sale this month! All of February 2015 you can get the Aromatic kit for $50.62 when you use coupon code BENDERBOYMOM. That is over $12 savings.



To celebrate, I'm going to do a giveaway! From 2/19/15 - 2/26/15 You can enter to win this kit and some included accessories. Details are in the graphic. Tell your friends to enter too - this is too good to pass up! . Winner will be announced 2/27/15. If you don't win you will still have a day to get it at the sale price.

I am also including a set of dropper tops for the oils you choose to use often, and 2 roller bottles so you can combine EOs with a carrier oil for easy application.

Just jump in and give it a try. You'll never look back once you realize how easy it is to get started. If you have questions please comment or message me. I would love to answer them or help you find the answers. I've included several graphics from www.organicfacts.net. They are a great resource too.

~Wendy

Let's talk pain....

So I have already shared with you that my essential oil journey started with allergies (post here). But really, I had a lot of health issues, and allergies was just the most enduring and daily issue. 

Pain, in several forms, had become my daily companion also. I have hip problems (which have now undergone surgery to repair and correct, results still pending, but positive), arthritis in my hands and other joints, tendon damage in my knee, back pain etc.

I cannot take any NSAIDS and did not want to be dependent on narcotics. Aspercreme is full of chemicals, and really only worked on my hands a short while... sometimes. Tylenol didn't touch the pain. Plus taking that stuff for an extended period of time is horrible for the liver and kidneys.  I wanted a natural pain relief product.  After discovering that the essential oils worked so well for my allergies, I was ready to attack the issue of pain. 

Now, before we get to the recipe for my go to pain salve, I want to be honest and say that I am convinced my diet and lifestyle changes added to my daily success in the battle against pain. Not just using my pain salve. Honestly, my goal is to use the pain salve as needed until I find all the root causes of pain and fix them. For example, over Christmas I cheated a little, ok fine!,  a lot on my no wheat rule. My body kept score, no doubt about it. Everything was sore when I woke in the mornings. Thankfully I'm back on the wagon - Christmas cookies are just my nemesis. I am very careful and aware of what chemicals go in and on my body. No more fake sugars. No more preservatives. I'm working hard to make many of my own beauty and cleaning supplies.

Now on to what you've been waiting for

I started by purchasing the ingredients for this salve from Camp Wander and making it. While it helped the pain in my hands, it hardly touched my hip pain. Now, in all fairness, my hip pain was pretty severe. I had a frayed (not just torn, lots of tears) labrum in each hip along with arthritis and I had bones that weren't formed quite right aggravating the issues. The pain was enduring and DEEP in the hip. I started to research which essential oils were commonly used for pain. In other words, they have analgesic properties themselves, or they fight pain with other properties they have ~ such as fighting pain by reducing inflammation.  Come to find out there are quite a few, this isn't even a complete list, just the oils I had considered in making my salve.

Birch

Clove

Peppermint

White Fir

Wintergreen

Eucalyptus

Lemongrass

Rosemary

Myrrh

Thyme

Black Pepper

Frankincense

Using the Naked Salve recipe from Camp Wander, I began to experiment. I was going for an extra strength salve that would hopefully penetrate deep into the hip joint. After quite a few trials this is the recipe I came up with.

Mom's EOs Pain Salve

1/4 C Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (I love this one ~ the quality is worth it)

1/4 C Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 Tablespoon Organic Beeswax Pearls

Melt these ingredients slowly in a double boiler ( I use a Pyrex measuring cup in a small pot. Easier to pour into salve jar at the end)

In a 4 oz glass jar put 

1/2 teaspoon vitamin e oil

30 drops Birch

30 drops Clove

30 drops Eucalyptus

15 drops Frankincense

10 drops White Fir

Pour melted salve base over EOs in jar and let cool. 

That's a lot of oils, I know. I get it. But if you are in a battle with regular, deep pain it may be worth it to you. Keep in mind ~ this is what it took for me to get the deep pain relief I needed for my hips. It may be overkill for you. You may need to play with the recipe to suit your own pain needs. However, I have found a lot of relief from this salve on my hands, knee, hips, post-surgery pain and back pain. I have given samples to many people and each time they come back with "that stuff is amazing". My friend Laura recently had carpel tunnel surgery and wanted natural pain relief for her hand. I gave her a sample. Here is what she had to say...

" I love it!!! It truly takes away the pan... Can i just buy some from you??? Please reply to this and tell me what you put in it so i can share to my facebook family and let them know about you and your blog!!! I have used it twice already today and plan to use it again tonight for comfort! Thank you Wendy bear!!! Mom's EOs rocks!!"

If you just can't bring yourself to make the salve but want to try it, email or message me. I do not have the ability to be in full scale production of EO products, but I have a few jars I can sell and I will figure out how to get some into your hands. 

There are some other options that Spark Naturals sells for pain that you can always try as well. I love the Relief  blend for headaches and have been known to use it in a pinch for my knee and hands when I am out and that is all I have. They also sell Amend and Amend +. Any of these blends can be used with some basic salve or coconut oil for rubbing in and they will help with pain also. Camp Wander did this great post for Amend + pain salve that is easy and powerful.

Things I've learned in the year long process of creating this recipe...

• *****Birch is really powerful, should be avoided if you are on blood thinners, pregnant, or have epilepsy. There is a high concentration of methyl salicylate
• We are very blessed that high quality, pure Birch is readily available through Spark Naturals - not all companies offer it
• A little salve goes a long way on my hands
• Taking the time to really rub it in makes it work better (and keeps you from leaving oil on things like your phone screen)
• If you make it and need to tweak the recipe, add more of an oil, add another oil etc. you can warm the glass jar slowly in a low heat oven and then just add the adjustment to the re-melted salve.
• Sometimes a second application 20 min. later is enough to get me through several hours

I hope you are able to find natural relief from pain. Have you found another recipe or oils that help? Please share with us in the comments!

~Wendy

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