Go shampoo-free with ease!

Most commonly known as the "no-poo method," I prefer to call it "shampoo-free." It just has a better ring to it. :-) Using this form of hair care, you cut out the normal use of commercial shampoos and conditioners. It's cost effective, simple to make, and I've had great success using it.

If you do a google search, you'll find several different recipes and regiments. I will be sharing mine below. Bear in mind that we are all made differently, with different pH balances, and hair types, and that this is not a one-size-fits-all situation. You may need to tweak how much of each ingredient you use.

Some people also find that their hair and scalps go through an adjustment period of a few weeks. I did not come across that, but bear in mind it may happen.

Hair Wash

2 Cups hot water
2 Tablespoons baking soda
2 Drops Young Living Thieves essential oil blend

Mix the water and baking soda together in a measuring cup or bowl until the water goes from cloudy to clear. Pour the mixture into the container you will be using in the shower (I use an empty dish soap bottle). Once the mixture is in the container, add your thieves oil. Cover & shake.

Conditioning Spray

2 Cups water

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Drops Young Living lavender essential oil

Mix the water and ACV together in a mixing cup or bowl. Pour into a spray bottle. Add the lavender essential oil. Cover and shake. 

Usage

• In the shower, wet your hair thoroughly 
• Take the wash and pour some on your hair. You want to start at the skull, and squeeze just enough to cover your hair. 
• Scrunch and massage as you would with shampoo. 
• Rinse right away. 
• You may notice that your hair feels a bit dry at this point. Don’t worry, it will be softer after the next steps.
• Right after you rinse out the wash, you want to spray your hair with the conditioner. Make sure you get really good coverage from root to end, and massage it in well. 
• Leave it in your hair for the remainder of your shower. The last thing you want to do before exiting, is rinse it out of your hair.
• Towel dry your hair, then apply 1-2 drops of lavender by dropping into your hand, then massaging into your hair. If you can, allow your hair to air dry.
• Once your scalp has adjusted to this new regiment, you should only need to do this once or twice a week. The rest of the time, just wash with water and apply lavender after.

My hair has never looked or felt better!

Homemade Playdough with EO's! Sensory awesomeness!

I may spend a bit too much time on Pinterest. LOL That being said, I decided to make play dough as favors for my daughter's rainbow unicorn themed birthday party. I didn't want to hand out little plastic toys that are easily lost or broken, or a bunch of candy. I was looking up ideas for rainbow themed favors, and most of them were either those, or more expensive items like paints and such.

Then, I saw this and I got very excited! YES! This is perfect!

So then I got to work researching playdough recipes. I stumbled across SO many different recipes and preparation methods. The first recipe I tried was WAY too sticky and didn't work. After some experimentation and tweaking, I came up with the BEST recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup salt

1/4 Cup citric acid (some recipes call for cream of tartar. I found citric acid makes a firmer, less sticky dough)

2 Cups unpacked, all purpose flour

2 Cups hot water

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (do NOT use coconut oil. bad mistake on my part!)

Optional:

Food color of your choosing

Using flavored teas instead of water for added color & scent

Add in 10-15 drops of essential oils for scent and added sensory experience

1. Place a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and let warm up while preparing your dough.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (you will be mixing the color in the bowl later, so make sure to choose one that won't stain)
3. Put two cups HOT water from the tap (or tea)  in a measuring cup or bowl
4. Add the oil, and food coloring, to the water and mix well
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well
6. Making sure the pan is heated, pour the mixture into the pan. Stir slowly, continuously, until it is no longer a liquid and becomes a pretty solid dough 
7. Turn the dough onto a dinner plate or platter and let it sit to cool
8. Once the dough is cool, you will want to knead it for a few minutes to make sure there aren't any dry ingredients left unmixed, and to make the color and consistency more uniform. If you are using essential oils, add them to the dough and THEN knead it.

Each batch yielded approximately 2.5-3 pounds of dough. You are seeing 4oz plastic containers below. Each dough ball is between 3-4oz below, and the recipe will yield approx. 15. 

As I am making this for favors, I've obviously made a whole bunch. LOL My husband said our fridge looks like a science experiment. I put them in the fridge to store just to make sure they're totally fresh for her party. 

You want to make sure you store your dough in an air tight container like a freezer bag, or Tupperware, for example.

Mistakes I made that you should avoid:

1. Do NOT use coconut oil. You want to use vegetable oil.
2. Do NOT try to skip the cooking part and just use boiled water
3. Do NOT add the coloring to the dough after it's been cooked. DO add it to the water and then cook.

Can't wait for Liberty Forum!

Made this super cute give-away for the Liberty Forum! I'm so excited about this event. It's going to be a great place to meet new people and discuss my passion for oils. Are you going? Make sure to stop by and visit!

Happy Holidays!

Starter Kit Gift Idea #7 Scented Stationary

In today's world of constant electronic communication, receiving a hand-written note in the mail is a heart-warming moment for most of us. And, it's a great way to stay in touch with folks who don't use computers or smart phones. 

Personalized stationary can run expensive, especially if you're going to The Paper Store or Hallmark. A small set of personalized, scented stationary is the perfect gift for someone you'd love to stay in touch with.

A nice pen or return address labels would be a great additions to this gift as well. 

Materials

10 sheets of stationery, note cards, paper, and/or envelopes of your choosing

1 large, resealable freezer bag

1 small cotton pad like an aroma diffuser replacement pad or a cotton round used for facial cleansing

10-15 drops Young Living essential oil of your choosing

Directions

Place your paper inside the resealable freezer bag

Drop the essential oils onto the cotton pad

Place the pad between the sheets of paper inside the bag.

Seal the bag and allow it to sit for 1-2 days to permeate the paper

**To scent many sheets of paper at one time, stack the paper in a pretty box and place an oiled facial tissue or cotton pad every 5-7 sheets. Tie or tape the box shut**

You can also do this yourself with birthdays, valentines day (orange wink wink), holiday cards etc

Grammy loves getting your letters!

Starter Kit Gift Idea #6 Healing Lip Balm

'tis the season where the heat goes on, and the air goes dry. The cold wind hits your face as you're cleaning the snow off the roof of your car or as you ski down the bunny hill. Your lips chap and you fall into the endless cycle of slathering on lip balm, only to have your lips feel dry again a short while later. Why? Because a good majority of lip products on the market include things that provide temporary relief, but in an hour or two you find your skin even drier. They create a barrier that sits on top of your lips and locks out any moisture they may be getting from the air.

So what's the solution? This homemade lip balm that help SEAL IN moisture, actually SINKS INTO your lips, and WON'T create a moisture barrier that ends up drying them out.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp grated beeswax, OR beeswax pellets (make sure you are working with small sizes for faster melting)

1 Tbsp virgin organic coconut oil

1/4 tsp organic raw honey

2 Vitamin E capsules

5-10 drops Young Living essential oils (recommend lavender, lemon, citrus fresh or frankincense)

Directions

In the double boiler, melt down the beeswax, adding in the coconut oil when about half of the beeswax is melted. After it's all melted and blended together, break open the vitamin e capsules and pour the contents in and mix together. 

Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down a little bit, but not all the way. Now add in the raw honey and essential oils & slowly mix in. Pour into your containers and let harden. Makes around 4 tubes.

Starter Kit Gift Idea #5 Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix

Close your eyes, take a deep breathe, and imagine yourself sitting by a fire with your hands wrapped around a hot cup of peppermint cocoa. Hear the crackle of the fire and the soft murmurs of family members nearby. Slowly take a sip and feel the warmth tingle down to your belly.

Now, wouldn't you love to share that moment of bliss with someone? Make some jars of mix for them and they can enjoy the same!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup organic whole sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

6 drops Young Living Peppermint essential oil

2 pint-sized mason jars w/lids

Directions

In each mason jar, layer ingredients in this order:

1. cocoa powder
2. sugar
3. salt
4. chocolate chips
5. peppermint

Put the lips on the jars & decorate as you like. Make sure to add the following directions:

Mix contents in a bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup mix into a mug & stir in 1 cup of hot milk (can use any kind of milk). Store remaining mix in mason jar. Makes 12 servings.

Not recommended for use on children under the age of 6, or pregnant or nursing women.