Camping Spray

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It is that time of the year again and being outdoors is something our family enjoys a lot. What I am sure no human enjoys is being the target of our friends who live outdoors – yes, I mean mosquitoes and other critters.

Here are a few versions of sprays I have tested on my family.

Version 1

10 drops – Citronella Essential Oil
10 drops – Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops – Peppermint Essential Oil
10 drops – Lemongrass or Eucalyptus Essential Oil
1-2 oz – Witch Hazel
Distilled water or Carrier Oil like Grape seed Oil or Coconut oil

Citronella

Take a glass spray bottle, combine all the above essential oils. Add a little witch hazel to it. Fill that rest with distilled water. And it is ready for use. Spray liberally on clothes and on the skin. As always, be careful near the eyes

You can also make the same using a roller bottle. Combine all the essential oils. Don’t add witch hazel or distilled water. Just fill the rest with the carrier oil like grape seed oil or coconut oil. Apply it behind your neck or any exposed skin.

Version 2

MosquitoSpray

Version 3

This is the spray that I have made for repelling ticks.

15 drops Citronella
15 drops Peppermint
15 drops Thyme
15 drops Palo Santo
10 drops Purification
2-4 oz Witch Hazel
2-4 oz Distilled Water
8 oz Glass Spray Bottle

palo-santo

Just combine all the Essential Oils in the spray bottle. Add witch hazel and distilled water and it is ready to go. Spray liberally on your clothes and skin. It is safe to use on babies. Last year when my son was only 6 months old in the sumer, we used this on hiking trips. This year, we will hopefully use on a camping trip.

Thyme

If you find a tick lodged into your skin, put a drop of Palo Santo on the tick to have it back off. It will most likely die. Apply Lavender, Purification and Peppermint on the site.

Do you have a recipe using Essential Oil for chasing away bugs? Please do share…

Homemade Beach Lotion with Essential Oils

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Recently, we were in Virginia Beach and boy, was it hot there. For the past 2 years, I have been making my own beach lotion as I could not get myself to put the long ingredient list on commercial lotions and sprays on the kiddo. At first, I was intimidated by what it might take to do that, but on doing research, I found out that it was not that hard.

Here is the recipe that I used…

1/4 cup Coconut oil ( did you know that coconut oil is a natural sun block)
1/4 cup Bees wax ( this is to help with making it creamy)
2 Tablespoon Zinc Oxide ( use the non- nano version, so that it will not be absorbed)
20 Drops Young Living Carrot Seed Essential Oil
20 Drops Young Living Myrrh Essential Oil
15 Drops Young Living Lavender Essential Oil
2 T Shea Butter (optional – to make it more creamy consistency)
2 T Olive Oil (optional if it is too thick)
1 t Vit E oil (optional – I just buy vit E capsules and cut the tip off and pour it in)

Carrot seed eo  In a sauce pan, heat up water. Combine coconut oil, bees wax and shea butter (if using) in a mason jar. Once the water comes to a boil, immerse the mason jar in it till all of it melts. Take it out of the flame and add all the essential oils to it. Then add zinc oxide making sure that you don’t inhale it. Mix all to a creamy consistency and store it in a small jar. If it is too thick, add Olive oil to it. You can also add Vit E oil for added benefit to the skin.

Myrrh EO

Since this is not a commercial product, you will have to reapply it frequently especially if you will be in the sun for long periods of time. Also, reapply when if you are in the water as this may not be entirely water proof.

  lavendereo2

I really like how easy it to apply and not thick and sticky like store bought ones. And if by chance, the little guy licks it off his hands, I don’t worry much about it as I know exactly what ingredients are in it.

Let me know if you try this recipe….

 

Immune Booster

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Yesterday my husband came home having a scratchy throat and not feeling that well. In my head, I was saying “dude, this is spring already, you can’t get sick now”. Anyways, In our family, the moment something like this starts, we take out all our healing protocol to nip it in the bud, starting with Essential Oils.

The easiest way to boost the immune system is to take essential oils internally. There are 3 steps…

Take a 00 capsule

  1. Add 12 drops of Thieves
  2. Add 2 drops of Frankincense.
  3. Add 6 drops of Oregano.

Drink it with a glass of water. Take this concoction twice a day for 2-3 days till you feel better.

Immune booster

In addition, I also applied some Immupower to the bottom of feet.

You have already read about Thieves and Frank. Let me tell you a little bit about Oregano and Immupower.

Oregano: Oregano essential oil has many wonderful qualities including having strong antioxidant, purifying and immune enhancing properties. It can also support the respiratory system. At the first sign of sickies, I bring this and Thieves out. It is very strong, so always dilute it when using it. I have even used it to remove corn / callous on my little toe, so it has many versatile properties.

Oregano

Immupower: It is a must have in every home. As the name suggests, it helps to support, strengthen and build a healthy immune system. It is also quite energizing. It is a blend of nine different essential oils – Frankincense, Oregano, Idaho Tansy, Clove, Hyssop, Ravensara, Mountain Savory, Cistus and Cumin. It smells like spices : )

Immupower

In addition, salt water gargle with a couple of drops of Thieves can be very effective. Taking a couple of spoons of Fire Cider with local raw honey can also help with the symptoms.

Using Oils on Babies

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I started using the oils right after my son was born. In retrospect I wish I had started it during pregnancy and during child birth as well. Like I had mentioned, my friend Naomi was the one who introduced me to Young Living essential oils. For some reason, when I was pregnant and would smell them on her or when she made me try  a few, It would make me feel nauseous and give me a head ache. So, I actually thought, these are not for me. In retrospect and after doing research, I found out that I probably needed to have gone slow with it and should have diluted them a lot before using them. And that when there is a reaction, it actually means that your body might be needing it but it might be too much. Anyways, if there is a second time, I will do that.

When he was 3.5 months old, because of the severe winter in the New England area, he fell sick and he was having a hard time breathing well as his nose seemed blocked. Since this was the first time that he was falling sick, I was naturally concerned especially as a new anxious mother.  I turned to my new best friend – Essential oils and started researching the best ones to put on him.

rc-oil-7

I made a mixture using 2 drops R.C, Thieves, Frankincense, Purification, and Lavender oils. I then mixed it with a carrier oil. I used coconut oil as a carrier oil and applied it on his feet at every diaper change. I also applied some diluted Eucalyptus oil to chest and back to help him breathe better. I started diffusing Thieves and Lemon oils for 30 minutes every few hours. It really supported his immune system and encouraged proper nasal function. If I had any doubts in regards to EO’s, it was gone after this experience.

Since then, for the past 17 monthsI have had countless experiences with regards to using these oils for day to day use with him and our whole family. I have also introduced it to my mom and dad and they are also actively using them on a daily basis.

As a precaution, I always dilute Essential OIls when using on babies. You can always try it on you first to see how it feels before you apply it.

Have you used Essential OIls while pregnant or on your babies? If so, please do share your experience.

 

The wonderful world of Essential Oils

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Essential Oils

Back in 2013, as a new mother, I wanted to raise my child using natural products. Besides using products that contained less chemicals, I also wanted to use natural ways of dealing with common ailments that most children are exposed to. Coming from an Indian background, I was raised with home remedies all my life like drinking fennel, cumin water through the day when I had a cold. During the process of researching home remedies, I came across Essential Oils.

Essential Oils are more than just their aroma. Essential oils have been used medicinally for thousands of years through history.  When I looked on the web, I found plethora of information on Essential Oils which was overwhelming. I was looking for oils that were safe to use on babies. I also cared about the sourcing and quality of the oils.

To help me understand the usage and power of essential oils on babies and young children, my dear friend and guide Naomi (who is an advent researcher of natural remedies ) referred me to “Gentle Babies”  by Deborah Raybern. The book gave me quick insight into few oils like Lavender, Frankincense, Peppermint, R.C etc and their powerful healing qualities. The book described in details about Oils manufactured by Young Living. It intrigued my interest in finding about this company.

This company has been around for over 20 years and was founded by Dr. Gary Young. Young living is known for its exceptional high quality essential oils, dietary supplements, personal care products for creating and maintaining a healthy life style. They make their oils using the purest of the ingredients, through steam distillation and cold press. They contain the pure essence of the plants that can be inhaled, diffused and ingested as well. The biggest seller for me was that they were environmentally sustainable. It has become more important to me since I had my son as I want him to enjoy the beauty of Earth when we are long gone.

To test their quality and effectiveness, I bought a few of them like Lavender, Peppermint, Thieves and Lemon Essential OIls. These oils were versatile in their usage. I began using them sparingly at first or only when needed (when my son was sick for instance) and because I saw amazing results, I started using them daily. Initially, I bought just a few oils and then as I got more confident with my knowledge by reading and doing research, I started buying more as we now use the oils every day, sometimes, multiple times a day.

I would have to say that I was a skeptic when I first got the oils. I would forget to use them or only think of them when me or someone else was starting to get sick or needed it somehow. It took many months of using it consistently and reading about it and doing my own research that I started to love it. Now, I can confidently say, it is something I really love and I keep it close to me as I never know when I need it. Like they say, a stitch in time saves nine. If I can use it as soon as something happens, like a scrape or a burn or a sickie coming on, it is a lot more effective.

I really enjoyed playing with the oils every day with myself and my family. Do you have stories that you would like to share about using essential oils that have been useful and helpful to you? I welcome hearing from you…