Hello, I’m Jessica, blogger at sweetandspicyessentials.com. I enjoy learning about essential oils and how I can replace products in my medicine cabinet with natural alternatives. I’m really excited to be a guest here at Donna Naturale. I hope that by the end of this post you will be intrigued by essential oils and all of the ways you can use them in your home, health, and beauty routines.
Healthy Swaps
Have you ever read healthy swap lists for dining out? You know, the ones that are usually called Eat This, Not That? Then they go on to tell you, choose the Chicken Noodle Soup instead of the Clam Chowder and save xx number of calories? Well, that is what you will find in this article only my focus will be on choices you can make in the drugstore for everyday remedies.
Advice from Grandma
When I was a kid, I thought my Grandma was a little weird for always telling me to eat garlic so I wouldn’t get sick. She also loved to remind me to wash my hands, gargle with warm salt water, take a spoonful of honey for a sore throat, and eat some chicken soup whenever I was feeling sick. But then again, this is the same woman who would eat a tomato like an apple and would salt her raw potato, yuck, so I didn’t always heed her advice. Turns out she was pretty smart and I think this came from growing up in a time when there weren’t options from the drugstore to treat every little thing.
We’ve made a great deal of progress since my Grandma was a little girl growing up in the south in 1918. She used to slather cold cream on her face later in life and I’m pretty sure cold cream was mineral oil or petroleum. Hopefully, they aren’t still producing that special recipe. Yes, selection and medical science have improved, and with those new chemicals that treat every problem.
Healthy Oils
First off, one good investment in making your own natural products is purchasing some good healthy oils. Avocado, Coconut, Olive, Neem, Apricot Kernel, Sweet Almond, Jojoba. All of these oils are wonderful alone and even better when used as a carrier oil with essential oils. You don’t need to buy all of these, of course, but each has its own benefit. For example, Jojoba is the oil closest to the type of oil we produce naturally in our skin. Apricot is healing and less greasy than most oils, so it is good for use on your face. Neem is great for your hair, bugs dislike it, it can thicken your eyebrows and it’s good for eczema. As you can see, it is an excellent oil to add to your toolkit.
Quality Essential Oils
Next, a good selection of quality pure essential oils to be used with the above oils is a priority. To get started I would recommend Lemon, Lavender, and Tea Tree (Melaleuca). Then add to your oil collection as needed. Before you know it you will have collected an awesome essential oil toolkit that you can use for hundreds of recipes.
Ok, are you ready? Let’s start swapping!
Menstrual Pain
Ugh, period pain is the worst. Instead of period relief products like Pamprin or Midol, try any of these essential oils rubbed onto the abdomen with a carrier oil: Clary Sage, Rosemary, Peppermint, Lavender, Copaiba.
Clary Calm is a doTERRA blend of Clary Sage Flower, Lavender Flower, FCF Bergamot Peel, Roman Chamomile Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Cedarwood Wood, Geranium Plant, Fennel Seed, Carrot Seed, Palmarosa Herb, and Vitex Leaf/Berry essential oils. Not for use in pregnant women. The roller bottle blends are great and easy to apply, especially if you are new to oils and don’t have a large collection of oils.
Bloating
Ginger, Fennel, Peppermint, Rosemary, or Lemon rubbed onto the abdomen with a carrier oil will help with digestion and bloat. doTERRA’s premade blend is called DigestZen. It is made from Anise Seed, Peppermint Plant, Ginger Rhizome/Root, Caraway Seed, Coriander Seed, Tarragon Plant Fennel Seed.
Athlete’s Foot and Stinky Feet
Ok, those sprays you can buy are expensive and all chemicals. Try this instead: Mix the essential oils of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus with neem oil and rub into your feet and toenails morning and night. Neem oil is an effective antifungal, especially when paired with Tea Tree (anti-bacterial) and Eucalyptus (cooling and healing).
Muscle Aches
Instead of reaching for the Icy Hot, try this: Mix Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Lavender essential oils with coconut oil and beeswax. Peppermint is the mentholated cooling ingredient in this recipe. Eucalyptus is known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, deodorant, and antiseptic properties. Lavender is soothing, relieves pain and inflammation. These three oils together create an effective muscular rub.
Sweet & Spicy Essentials is a blog about all the things I’m doing to make myself a happier, healthier more focused Mom. Let’s face it, Motherhood refocuses your priorities. Reaching out and grabbing time for yourself is not always easy, but it is so important! I’m sharing my passion for more natural products and other topics like home, crafts, recipes, and other stuff that helps moms be their best.
Want to read more about essential oils? Get MORE recipes and recommendations HERE!
Are you curious about essential oils? If so, this is a great place to be! As an avid user of essential oils, I have been amazed by how practicing aromatherapy with oils has been able to calm and balance me at times when nothing else seemed to work. I love to diffuse essential oils and experiment with blending different oil tinctures. I will give you a little background on the history of essential oils along with a few tips about using essential oils for beginners and some recipes too!
History of Essential Oils
Although essential oils have been used for thousands of years, the first recorded use of oils goes as far back as the 11th century, where aromatic and medicinal oils and ointments were sold and traded across India, Persia, and Egypt and then later migrated into Greece and Rome.
Essential oils, typically named for the plant they are derived from, are extracted from the flowers, leaves, woods, and roots of fragrant and healing plants like mint and lavender. Oils can be harvested by several different methods, but the most common method of obtaining essential oils uses a distillation process to sort-of “milk” the pure oils from the glands of the plants.
Uses for Essential Oils
Essential oils are used in 3 ways:
As fragrance in cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, cleaners and detergents, and other industrial products
As flavoring in baked items, candy, meat, soft drinks, and other food and drink items
As pharmaceuticals for aromatherapy, also in some dental products and medicines
Oils for Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the practice of using our sense of smell, in this case with essential oils, to promote physical and emotional health and wellness. Dispersing oils into the air with a diffuser for inhalation, mixing a tincture for topical application in a massage oil or roller bottle, or adding several drops of essential oils to your bath water are all wonderful ways to implement aromatherapy with oils.
Essential oils are great for aromatherapy because the different fragrances stimulate the olfactory nerve in your brain. Have you ever gotten a whiff of a familiar fragrance and all of the sudden a memory or feeling you had forgotten about comes flooding back? This is because the olfactory nerve is part of the limbic system which controls memory, learning, and emotion.
Diffuser Blends
Here are a few of my favorite blends for diffusing oils at home. Just add water to your diffuser’s fill line then add pure essential oils!
When blending oils for topical application on the skin either in a roller bottle or in a massage lotion, you should use a carrier oil. Carrier oils are used to dilute pure essential oils and reduce allergic skin reactions, sensitization, and phototoxicity. They also do not evaporate easily so they stay on skin longer and allow for more absorption. Carrier oils are usually un- or lightly scented so as not to distract or change the scent you are blending. Rosehip, coconut, almond, and jojoba oils are common carrier oils, but there are several others you may use depending on your personal preference.
Dilution
The standard dilution rate varies for babies, children, and adults. A 1% dilution is recommended for children over the age of two, while a range of 2-3% dilution is suitable for use in children 2-10 and adults. This is because children have thinner, more porous skin. A good guideline to follow is to use one drop of essential oil for each teaspoon of carrier oil. When using essential oils on infants under 2 years old, I use a 0.10%-0.20% dilution rate. This figures to approximately 1-2 drops of essential oil per 1 oz (6 tsp.) Here is a great resource for best practices for using essential oils on babies and children from Nourishing Joy.
My Favorite Essential Oil Blend Recipes
I use almond or coconut oil as a carrier oil, but you may have another that you prefer. All recipes below are for blending approx. 4% dilution in a 10 oz roller bottle. (These blends can be used in a diffuser as well!)
2 tsp carrier oil 2 drops Lavender 2 drops Clary Sage 1 drop Ylang-ylang 1 drop Bergamot
(See Pin-able version at the bottom of post!)
Other Oil Remedies
Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways to enrich your life, health, and well-being. For instance, did you know lavender oil is great for dabbing on bug bites to relieve itching and swelling? Or that applying a dab of peppermint oil on each temple can relieve a headache? These and other common oil remedies can be a great alternative to pharmaceutical “fixes” which sometimes come along with a list of terrifying side effects.
DO Try This at Home!
Here are a few quick tips for you beginners:
*Some oils can be used “neat” (meaning they are safe to be applied onto the skin without a carrier oil) and some cannot.
*Test on a small area of skin for allergies
*Use only PURE essential oils
*Heed blending recommendations, especially when mixing oils for use on babies and children.
I encourage you to expand your knowledge of essential oils and have fun experimenting with your own blends!
Try the Simply Earth Essential Oils Box!
I just received my Simply Earth April Box and it is FULL of great stuff! The box contained 6 essential oil recipes for mixing and diffusing, several roller and tincture bottles, and coconut and almond oils. I love that this box has everything I need to mix the 6 included recipes and even came with pre-printed labels too!
Save $50 on Simply Earth with coupon code: AMANDAC5016
Still curious about essential oils? Check out these great essential oil resources and books for beginners!
DISCLAIMER: I am no expert!
Use caution when mixing oils, especially for use on children. Follow the recommended blending ratios. You may experience irritation, rash or allergies if used improperly.
Please consult a health professional if you experience any adverse side effects.
ANOTHER GUEST BLOG POST COMING NEXT WEEK! STAY TUNED FOR SUSTAINABLE ORAL CARE WITH ELLIE FROM GREENSPLAINED!
Ellie Auras is a sustainability coach and waste reduction, advocate. She writes about all topics related to the sustainable lifestyle and businesses on her blog Greensplained.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on everything Green.
