Oil Pulling with a twist

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So, what is oil pulling? Oil pulling is an ancient ayurvedic method of detoxifying your body. Basically, it is done by taking a tablespoon of coconut oil or sesame oil and swishing it around your mouth for up to 15-20 minutes every morning before you brush your teeth or eat or drink anything. You then spit it out as ingesting it = ingesting the toxins. Then after brushing your teeth with a natural toothpaste, your mouth will feel unbelievably clean.

Oil pulling cleanses out bacteria, viruses, fungi and various toxins that often reside in the mouth. Since the mouth is the home to many microbial organisms, oil pulling effectively gets rid of them before they enters your bloodstream. And not only does it cleanse your mouth, it also cleanses and pulls out toxins from your body.

It has many benefits that include but not limited to a clean mouth, reducing cavities and tooth decay, clear skin, more energy, detoxing the body, and aids in over all well being. Always use organic cold pressed oils if possible. AND most important, always spit out the oil at the end of the session into your trash as it WILL clog up your sink . If you want to read more, just google “oil pulling”.

OilPulling

So, where is the twist. I started adding a dropThieves essential oil to my coconut oil for oil pulling. Thieves is an oil blend consisting of Clove, Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Lemon. It is a great support of oral health. Not only does it leave your mouth clean and fresh, it also supports your immune system.

Thieves2

I sometimes also add Lemon essential oil to my coconut oil for oil pulling. Lemon can help with detoxing and cleansing. It does leave your mouth feeling clean.

Lemon2

Similarly, you can add Peppermint or Frankincense  or Oregano or clove to your oil pulling. They each have different benefits. For example, Frankincense can help with tooth sensitivities, Oregano can help boost your immune system – I often add this when I am starting to come down with something. Try it and see the difference.

Aromatherapy Journey Continues

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My friend Rebecca sent this quote to me..

The unknowable path

…might also be the right one.
The fact that your path is unknowable may be precisely  why  it’s the right path.
The alternative, which is following the well-lit path, offers little in the way of magic.
If you choose to make art, you are no longer following. You are making.

HT to JSB.

 

Isn’t that lovely. And that is how I often feel when I think about my life pursuing Aromatherapy. It feels quite unknown and yet there is magic in this amazing journey. I just finished an Aromatherapy Intensive Class where I learned more about these powerful plant extracts – from how to use them for emotional releases to a technique developed by Young LIving called “Raindrop technique”. I will soon write more about the Raindrop in another blog.

I also learned about the chemistry about essential oils, which was fascinating. This is coming from someone who could not wait to drop chemistry when I finished high school. I was captivated by how much knowledge of chemistry is needed to learn how to properly distill and when to exactly stop the distillation process. Learning about what exactly essential oils do when they enter our blood stream and how they work with our body’s natural intelligence to heal was absolutely mind blowing.  I promise to write another blog on the chemistry of essential oils soon as well.

Finally, it made me grateful for Young Living products as they put so much effort into making sure each batch is the best. A small variation can alter the final product so much that it can go from being helpful to harmful and even fatal. This is why I stress the importance of researching essential oils and making sure they are not adulterated and absolutely safe to use (apply to skin, breathe and safe to ingest).

If you want to learn more about the class or Aromatherapy, visit CARE. They are an independent organization that teaches Aromatherapy. Thanks for joining me in this Unknown Path….

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….

 

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…