GET OILING - 14-Day Intro to Young Living Essential Oils Challenge!

I'm excited to introduce my Get Oiling 14-day Intro To Young Living Essential Oils Challenge! 

So many people have yet to reap the benefits of Young Living essential oils and coming from a person who can't live without them I want to help you achieve optimum health and wellness, NATURALLY!

So, if you....

Feel like you're not really sure how to use essential oils...

Want to live a non-toxic lifestyle but don't know where to start....

Want natural solutions for your everyday health concerns but don't know what they are....

Have oils that are collecting dust in the bathroom and wish you knew how to use them....

then this challenge is for you! After years of using essential oils and creating simple routines with them, I am excited to share them with you in GET OILING- A 14-Day Essential Oil Challenge!

     This challenge has been on my heart for awhile now because I am so passionate about living my best life through natural solutions and essential oils. These are the exact steps I have taken to using essential oils - for everything from sore throats, headaches, warts, depression- and even cleaning my toilets! I swear I don't know how anyone lives WITHOUT essential oils! Don't worry if you have no idea what to do with oils, that's why I created this challenge - to make it easy and accessible for everyone. 

You deserve to live a non-toxic life. 
You deserve to possess the confidence to care for your family, naturally. 
You deserve to clean your toilets and actually enjoy it instead of poisoning yourself and wishing you had a housecleaner!
I’ve put in everything you need to know to learn the proven, clear, and actionable steps for creating a simple essential oil routine even if you’re a complete newbie! All you need to do to get started is click the link below!! I can't wait for you to GET OILING! 

https://bit.ly/3i1D71g

https://bit.ly/3i1D71g
 

PIT PERFUME

Oh hey there! I'm just over here basking in the fragrance of my armpits!!

I love using natural essential oils for those days when I want to combat body odour. They smell naturally amazing and are toxin-free.

Did you know how harmful conventional deodorants and anti-perspirants are?

They're pretty bad ~ they contain ingredients such as aluminum, talc, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance,  and more.

WHY IS ALUMINUM BAD IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS?

It turns out there is evidence that aluminum is a neurotoxin that should not be in the human body.

* Aluminum has been found in increased concentrations in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

* Aluminum salts increase breast cancer risk by mimicking the hormone estrogen.

* Aluminum can cause the DNA damage necessary for cancer to develop in humans.

* Aluminum can prove fatal to people with impaired kidney function.

And that's just the aluminum, let's look at the threat synthetic fragrances pose to our health:

Cancer

* According to the Breast Cancer Fund, when it comes to the prevention of cancer, avoiding synthetic fragrance is one of the main ways to help yourself. That’s because the dangers of synthetic scents include hormone-disrupting phthalates and synthetic musks

Child Autism & Other Birth Defects

* fetal exposure to phthalates is linked to autism, symptoms of ADHD and neurological disorders. This why pregnant women have to be ultra careful when it comes to the products they’re exposed to on a daily basis. The dangers of synthetic scents could be even more life-altering for a developing fetus

Allergic & Toxic Bodily Reactions

* Fragrances are one of the top five allergens in the world. Allergic reactions include headaches and migraines, difficulty breathing and sinus irritation, just to name a few. Fragrance mixtures also commonly trigger contact dermatitis, a type of allergic skin reaction.  

There are a few other dangerous chemicals in typical anti-perspirants, but  I think we've heard enough already!! Ready for a better alternative?!

 There are plenty of natural deodorants on the market these days, but to be honest, I never had much success with them, they cost a lot, and often contain sketchy ingredients too :(

For the past few years I've made roller ball deodorants with mostly Sandalwood essential oil and jojoba oil. For extra protection, I'd dust my pits with some baking soda too. The thing is, the baking soda really stings when you apply to shaved pits, so that only worked out well for me sometimes. I woke up this morning and decided to make myself a baking soda-free pit paste and I love it!!

What essential oils work well in deodorants?

My favourite combo is:

 Sandalwood~ Sandalwood has a sacred place in the Hindu culture and has been used in India for centuries. It is known for its natural cooling effects. When diluted and used in DIY deodorants, it kills the bacteria that give rise to a foul odor in the underarms.The benefits of using it in a deodorant extend to healing soreness and infections in the skin.

Patchouli~ Has been used as a natural deodorant and skin tonic throughout Asia for hundreds of years. Patchouli is used to regulate sweat, absorb excess oil, and soothe skin. 

Vetiver~ Vetiver is native to India but is grown throughout the tropics for its anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. The vetiver oil has an earthy smell, much similar to what you can smell in men’s colognes.

Lemon~ lemon oil has a refreshing clean citrusy scent that’s great for deodorants. It helps neutralize body odour, keep skin fresh and clean and also has detoxifying properties that help in the elimination of wastes and toxins.

Cardamom~ Cardamom is analgesic, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory

Instead of using irritating baking soda, I use arrowroot powder. Arrow root is a silky white powder derived from the arrow root, which is a type of underground tuber. It is rich in minerals like zinc and vitamins including B-vitamins. Arrow root powder is just like corn starch except that it’s GMO-free unlike most corn starches out there. The role played by arrow root starch in this deodorant recipe is absorbing sweat and masking bad odour. You can also use corn starch in place of arrow root starch but if you’re prone to yeast infections, then it’s better to stay away from corn starch.

Other essential oils you can use:

Lavender

Tea Tree

Grand Fir

Ylang Ylang

Thyme

Lemongrass

Frankincense

Grapefruit

PIT PERFUME

3 Tbsp coconut oil

3 Tbsp shea or cocoa butter

3 Tbsp beeswax

1 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil

6 Tbsp arrowroot powder

60 drops of essential oil 

(I used 30 drops Sandalwood, 10 drops Patchouli, 10 drops Lemon, 5 drops Vetiver, 5 drops Cardamom)

Melt the oils and beeswax in a bowl over simmering water. Turn off heat, stir in arrowroot, vitamin e, and then the essential oils. Pour into a small jar. Apply and enjoy!

Interested in learning more about natural solutions for women's health and beauty? Join Keeping It Real Natural Living FB group! It's the home of my FREE Detox Your Diet in 7 Days Challenge too!

MOMMY GUILT

     MOMS! I just want to say you are amazing. You are incredible. You are perfect. Just the way you are. I recently engaged in a Facebook conversation that I wish I hadn't. Isn't it really hard to just read posts and not put your two cents worth in? But sometimes you just have to speak up! Ya know? Anyway, that "conversation" is what inspired this post.
     I'd like to address the guilt and pressure mothers sometimes feel. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

* I should exercise. Look at my body! I'm a flabby mess and I feel like complete shit because my body never gets to move - aside from picking up toys off the floor and vacuuming.
* Why do I just want to run away? I wish I'd never had kids, life was so much EASIER before I became a mom!
* I should stop eating so much fast food and chocolate! No wonder I'm so fat and the kids teeth are rotting out of their skulls!
* Why do I yell so much at the kids? I am an awful mom - I am ruining my children.
and on, and on, and on.
* I should just put the kids in daycare and get a job - then maybe our family wouldn't be in such a financial mess. Oh, but then I will feel guilty for having someone else raise my kids! Oh, but just escaping from this insanity for a few hours each day would be so nice, and I'd get paid!
* The last thing on my mind right now is sex! How can he expect me to want to touch anyone else when I've had kids clinging to me all day. Oh, but our marriage is a disaster and maybe that would help - but dear god I just want to sleep!
* I'm going insane!

     If there is one thing I've discovered after having two kids is that life becomes more about survival than anything else, especially in the early years. Things you used to take for granted - oh like being able to go for a walk whenever you want, or peeing in privacy - suddenly seem like complete luxuries once you have a kid. You are placed in a pressure tank and the only thing you can do is take it moment by moment. The key word for surviving motherhood is "surrender." I say that with utmost sincerity and emphasis - surrender to everything. Surrender your idea of what life is supposed to be like, or what it once was. Surrender your notion of what a marriage should be and embrace what it is. Give yourself a break. Don't beat yourself up for every imperfection - your imperfect body, your imperfect kids, your imperfect diet, your imperfect pregnancy, your imperfect birth. LIFE ISN'T PERFECT. It wasn't before you had kids, it sure as hell isn't going to get any more idyllic now that you have them. Instead, celebrate those fleeting and precious moments of bliss you do experience. Savour them like the tastiest chocolate bar you "shouldn't" have. They are the treasures of motherhood and what will give you hope when all you feel is overwhelmed, despair, and are knee deep in dirty diapers and complete and utter chaos.

     I am now in what feels like the other side. The kids are in school for at least part of the week and our family is on the rebound in so many ways. The past year or so I've felt ready to focus more on me and do the things I always wished I could do when the wee ones were home all the time. I go for walks at least 3 times a week. I do yoga every other day. I am re-establishing my career. I have time to knit. It all comes back to you again, I promise. Things will never be the same as they were before I had kids. I wouldn't want them to. I always wanted a family - and even though my vision of what that would be like was totally idyllic, unrealistic and a romanticized version of the reality - I love my kids and am glad I have them. I just felt like I had to reach out to all the mommas out there and just say I understand what you are going through. Try not to be so hard on yourself. Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't doing enough, or that you aren't working out enough, or you're not trying hard enough. You are enough. You are doing a great job. You are woman. You are mother. You are everything.

     I am sharing this image of the Indian Goddess Kali. She is a powerful symbol for mothers - I encourage you to embody her strength and energy.

"Kali is a particularly appropriate image for conveying the idea of the world as the play of the gods. The spontaneous, effortless, dizzying creativity of the divine reflex is conveyed in her wild appearance. Insofar as kali is identified with the phenomenal world, she presents a picture of that world that underlies its ephemeral and unpredictable nature. In her mad dancing, disheveled hair, and eerie howl there is made present the hint of a world reeling, careening out of control. The world is created and destroyed in Kali's wild dancing, and the truth of redemption lies in woman's awareness that she is invited to take part in that dance, to yield to the frenzied beat of the Mother's dance of life and death." (From http://www.exoticindiaart.com/kali.htm)