Drinking water recipes

I have found that I am drinking SO much more water now that I have started with YLEO. It's probably because the delicious water possibilities are endless! The fact that the oils also provide natural health benefits makes it that much better! Remember, always use glass or stainless steel with oils. I either use a drinking glass, my stainless tumbler, or glass pitchers.

Here are a couple of quick individual glass recipes:

1. 1-2 drops lemon or citrus fresh plus water in a glass or tumbler (I like to drink about half then add more water and swirl around to make that drop last the longest!) I drink this first thing each morning, as it is a natural detox!

2. 1 drop peppermint plus water in a glass or tumbler when exercising! This helps keep my energy up!

Here are a couple of recipes for pitchers of water, which I have kept in my fridge for a few days at a time and just add plain water when it's getting low:

1. Citrus Fresh Water: 1 mandarin orange and 1 lemon both sliced in circles with seeds removed, 5 drops citrus fresh, fill rest of pitcher with water and swirl it all around. I made this for a "Sip N Sniff" oil sharing party and it went faster than the wine!

2. Cucumber Peppermint Water: 3 baby cucumbers sliced in circles and 3-4 drops peppermint, fill rest with water and swirl all around. This was a great refreshing drink for the beach!

What flavors of water do you enjoy?

Let the Games Begin!

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle and share my journey to becoming chemical free and overall healthier in my lifestyle. It is no coincidence that I start this blog right at the beginning of my journey with Young Living Essential Oils. When I received my starter kit in late May/early June, it was then that I started realizing just how many chemicals are in our everyday lives and how many of those items I could then replace with essential oils (God's medicine). 

I started slowly, and had already been drinking "peppermint" water when my friend and  YL enroller, Erin, and I would exercise at her house (1 drop peppermint + water in a GLASS). It's purpose is to keep you energized while working out - plus it's yummier than just regular water!

So, adding to my peppermint "workout" water, I then began to drink lemon water each day (1-2 drops lemon + water in a GLASS or STAINLESS STEEL mug - NO plastic) which is a natural detox.

I, of course, definitely wanted to get that diffuser working, so I plugged it in, and tried a new "smell" every day, Purification (get that un-bathed dog smell outta here - thanks Mandy - our rescue dog - but we really do love you), Joy ('cuz who doesn't want to be happy?), Stress Away + Citrus Fresh ('cuz I heard it smelled like dreamsicle...yum), Panaway ('cuz that one smells like root beer), and so forth.

But, I figured I better test out those medicinal properties as well. So, I started with a Thieves roll-on (10 drops thieves + coconut oil in a 10 ml roller bottle). This little gem of an oil is great for boosting immunity, so the kids and I rub a little on our feet each morning and/or night to keep the germs away! However, I have twice now, felt a cold, or something "icky" coming on, so I have also rubbed it on my chest, behind my ears, and upper back, diffused it at night by my bed, and by the next morning I have been as good as new! 

The next time we needed a "medicine," my son woke up in the morning and said he felt like he had to throw up. Well, I had learned a little more about the oils at this point, so I grabbed my roller ball of Peppermint (10 drops peppermint + coconut oil) and had him rub it in his belly button. Then I had him smell the peppermint from the bottle (while I held it, so no little fingers got into that "hot" oil) and I rubbed him with Thieves and diffused Thieves as well. This was at about 7 AM. After doing this routine about 2-3 times over the course of an hour or so (in which he told me twice he felt like he had to throw up - but never did), he was perfectly fine, downed some breakfast, and off to the movies we went to catch the 10 AM summer weekly special ($3.50 for an "older" movie plus popcorn and a drink!).  

Now, I wanted to start really making some "potions" so the first thing I tried was a recipe that had been raved about over and over to me in this very short period of time for "camping spray," which bugs don't seem to be too keen on (10 drops lavender + 10 drops purification + 1 tsp witch hazel + 1 oz distilled water in 1 or 2 oz glass spray bottle). I used this amazing product my week at Vacation Bible School when I was the "recreation leader" and thus, spent my mornings outside in the muggy, humid, typically mosquito-attracting, weather. I asked my co-teacher if she was getting bitten, and she was, but I NEVER got a single bite! And let me tell you, I don't like to brag, but I must be super-sweet, because I am usually the FIRST to get eaten alive by the mosquitoes! Not this time!

Well, that spray was so much fun, that I then made two more, a Lavender "night-night" spray and an, ahem, other type of "bedtime" spray. The Lavender spray is 10 drops lavender + 1 tsp witch hazel + 1 oz distilled water in a 1 oz glass spray bottle and is great for spraying pillows and helps me and my kids sleep like a baby. The other "bedtime" spray..which some have referred to as "sexy time" spray is 10 drops lavender + 10 drops Ylang Ylang (known for "mood" enhancing smell) + 1 tsp witch hazel + 1 oz distilled water in a 1 or 2 oz spray bottle. This can be sprayed before bed in YOUR bed and just maybe you'll be enticed to snuggle a little closer to your spouse at night. ;-) ;-)

A month or so in to this oil adventure and my daughter came down with a cough, that especially came on at night when she was laying down, trying to sleep. Well, I plugged in that diffuser, plopped it right on down by her bed and put some R.C. and lemon (3 drops of each) and she slept like a baby!

Every now and again, I will have a bit of nausea, and it sure is handy to have that Peppermint roller bottle - I just roll some right in the belly button (in fact I did it this morning) and I am good as new. Sometimes, I'll add a little extra "neat" peppermint or I'll smell it straight from the bottle. This is also a good one for my headaches, in which case I would roll it on to my temples, maybe add a little drop extra "neat."

Another oil I have used quite a bit is Panaway (pain-away), which has a tiger balm/icy hot smell and similar uses. I have had a lower back ache for a while (a few months)  on my left side, most noticeable when I bend over. So, I have been rubbing my Panaway roller (10 drops Panaway + coconut oil) and then rubbing maybe a drop more "neat" on that and it has eased my back pain significantly.

Just this week I made two more useful items which I am super-excited about. The first was a Thieves Spray All Purpose Cleaner. This was 3 drops of Thieves plus 2 oz distilled water in a 2 oz GLASS spray bottle. I wiped down my entire kitchen with this and it works great! I sprayed the surfaces and then wiped with a microfiber cloth from Costco (where you get like a 30 pack for under $15 or so) and it was fabulous!

The second item was a Thieves mouthwash consisting of 3 drops of Thieves, 2 drops of Peppermint, and 1 3/4 cups of distilled water. I put it in a clean glass bottle (was actually a Corona bottle believe it or not) with a pour spout and mixed it up gently. Then I just pour some in my mouth, swish, and spit! It makes my mouth feel so clean and fresh! 

Well, this is probably an almost-complete summary of my oil journey thus far. My next posts will (hopefully) not be as long, as I will try to post each "recipe" individually. But, seeing as how I started this journey a little while ago, I had to get you all caught up! I hope you enjoyed and if you are ever interested in taking a step towards a chemical free home, and would like to get started with Young Living, or if you just have questions regardless if you've already joined or not, I'd be happy to help!

Chemical free = Healthier me