DIY Beard Oil

Looking for something special to make as a gift for Father’s Day? Try putting together this beard oil. Enjoy the aroma and softness as you go in for a hug or kiss. So you both benefit!

C-4 Beard Oil

In a 1 oz tincture bottle add 4 drops of each essential oil:

Cedarwood – promotes hair growth

Cypress – promotes follicle stimulation

Copaiba – promotes stress relief

Coffee – promotes energy and is invigorating

Fill the rest of the bottle with fractionated coconut oil – antibacterial, antifungal.

Put a few drops on your hands and rub into the beard after your daily shower.

Summer Time Fun + Sun Without Damage: DIY Recipes!

Summer Time Fun & Sun without Damage

Enjoy the sun, but prevent damage to your skin and hair with these DIY recipes! We have the supplies you need to make them, come on by the shop!

OUCH! After Sun Spray

In a 4 oz spray bottle add 5 drops of each essential oil:

Lavender – cell renewal for burns, first aid for insect bites, skin conditions

Peppermint – soothe and cool skin, relieve itchy skin, regenerate nerves

Frankincense – reduces inflammation, prevents scarring, antiseptic, anti-infection

Fill the rest of the bottle with aloe vera juice – cooling and healing to the skin – you might even want to keep a bottle ready in the refrigerator/ice chest for a quick cooling mist. Use After Sun Spray as often as you like to relieve the effects of too much sun.

Meghan’s Summer Hair Care Lotion

In a double boiler, gently melt 1 cup Shea Butter. Move to a bowl and use a mixer to blend it with 2 Tbsp Almond Oil. Will need to mix it about 10 minutes until it becomes a lotion. Then gently mix in 5 drops of each of the essential oils:

Melaleuca (Tea Tree) – a strong antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal

Lavender – promotes balance in the body, antiseptic, useful with burns or injury

Rosemary – promotes hair growth, antibacterial, and antifungal

Cedarwood – antiseptic, astringent, reduces oily secretions, psoriasis, calming

Store in a glass jar. Apply the hair care lotion to the ends of hair daily, or apply to the scalp weekly for a deep conditioning treatment. Promotes growth and a healthy glow for your hair. May also be used on psoriasis, eczema, or dry skin.

Make Your Own Essential Oil First Aid Kit

I finally did it! You know how you sometimes have something on your to do list forever? Yep, that was me. I have intended to make an essential oil first aid kit for over a year. I even purchased all the oils and a cute little pouch to carry them in, but I just didn’t take the time to put it together.

We went on a little excursion last week and I needed my oils! One person had a headache, one a nasty bug bite, and one a sunburn…if I only had my oils with me. Sometimes we just need extra motivation. I hope you don’t wait as long as I did to make a kit to carry with you.

Here are a few suggestions for essential oils to include in a first aid kit, and ways you can use them. The oils I put into my kit are fractionated Coconut oil for a carrier, Frankincense, lavender, Lemon, Tea Tree/Melaleuca, Peppermint, Breathe, Deep Blue, and On Guard (blends from doTerra).

* Aches/pain – Deep Blue, Frankincense

* Allergies/antihistamine – Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint (work great together)

* Breath freshener – Peppermint

* Bug bites –, Lavender, Melaleuca, Frankincense

* Burns – Peppermint, Lavender, Frankincense, Melaleuca

* Cuts/bruises – On Guard, Melaleuca, Lavender, Frankincense

* Digestion/upset stomach – Peppermint

* Energy - Lemon

* Hand sanitizer – On Guard, Melaleuca

* Headaches – Peppermint, Lavender, Frankincense

* Sinus inhaler – Breathe

* Sore throat/colds – On Guard

* Stress/sleep – Lavender, Breathe

* Water purification – Lemon

I hope you find this quick reference helpful in using your essential oils on the go. I have a small book called, the Portable Essential Oils, by Anne Kennedy, which would be easy to pack into a suitcase or first aid kit for camping or travel.

Stop by the shop and I can help you put together your first aid kit. My daughter is making one to take on her mission trip this summer. I would be happy to order the cute keychain pouch from doTerra that we are using for you also, just give me a call. Essential Oil First Aid Kit - Don’t leave home without it!

Make Your Own Coffee Scrub

Make Your Own Coffee Scrub 

½ cup coffee grounds

½ cup sea salt

¾ cup fractionated coconut oil – enough to cover

20 drops coffee essential oil

Mix together and use to rub on non-sensitive areas of the body in a circular motion, and then rinse off in the shower. Excellent for areas of cellulite, stored fat, dry skin, and on sore muscles or joints. May be stored in a jar for up to a month.

I love to use this scrub in the shower. It makes you feel vibrant and ready for the day. I find it improves the look of my skin, reducing cellulite, wrinkles, and age spots. It is excellent for sore muscles and aching joints, increasing circulation to the area.

Sea salt is very healing and cleansing. It helps to rid you of negative energy that you may have picked up during the day. So it is useful for those who work with the general public, or do hands-on therapy.

Wonderfully moisturizing for the skin, coconut oil is antibacterial and antifungal.

 Coffee essential oil reduces free radical damage, improves mood, reduces fever, stimulates appetite, protects the immune system, aids respiratory health, has anti-aging qualities, reduces nausea, stimulates relaxation, reduces inflammation, and soothes allergic reactions. Coffee essential oil is abundant with antioxidants which help to reduce oxidative stress in the skin, increasing blood flow to those cells. It can help to prevent infections, the appearance of wrinkles, age spots and blemishes, while improving the elasticity of the skin. In addition, coffee oil contains concentrations of both linoleic and oleic acid, which lower your risk of cancer. 

*Cautions – Do not use if you are allergic to coffee, coconut oil, or salt. It is not recommended during pregnancy or for use with small children, due to its stimulating qualities.

We have all of the ingredients you need to make this scrub at Healthy Life Solutions.

Stop by and see us! 740-689-1111

Lavender, Glorious Lavender

This year in my herb garden, I grew the biggest, most beautiful lavender plant that I have ever grown. Ohio is not the best place to grow lavender, as it usually likes a warmer climate. So many times my lavender has not returned after the winter. This plant was 3 years old and gorgeous! I purchased this lavender plant from companionplants.com who brings wonderful herbs to our annual plant sale every year. I think it was called Grosso Lavender. I harvested every flower and filled a laundry basket with them. I then watched a youtube video (my children would be proud to see that I used technology!) and I learned how to make a lavender wreath. Come into the store and see my creation. I confess it was harder to do than it looked in the video, but after three tries I had a wreath I could enjoy. I love to play in my garden, learning to make things that I can use, and share them with others. What fun!

Another way that I enjoy lavender is in tea. I like the Cup of Calm from Traditional Medicinals. This tea blend contains: passionflower, chamomile, lavender, catnip, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, and stevia. It has a mild flavor and is deeply relaxing. I always keep it on the shelf at home and frequently share a cup in the store with someone who is a bit stressed and needs a friend. A box of this tea is the perfect addition to any “care package”, it makes a great gift!

Lavender is probably our best selling essential oil. It is well-known and appreciated for its many qualities. If you can afford only one essential oil, buy lavender. It is balancing, calming, relaxing, and helps you to sleep. Lavender oil is also anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antispasmodic, analgesic, and stimulating to the immune system. Lavender is great to have in a first aid kit, useful for wounds, rashes, bites, and burns. It is one of the essential oils that you can use “neat” or directly on the skin. It is often used in personal care products and works well in a diffuser for aromatherapy. Lavender is an excellent choice for use with children or the elderly.

Tension Headaches Inhaler – Open the empty inhaler and drop the essential oils directly onto the wick. Use 8 drops lavender, 5 drops marjoram, and 3 drops peppermint essential oil. Close tightly. To use the inhaler: slide off the cover, with one finger press closed the left nostril, inhale from the tube into the right nostril. Repeat on other side. Exhale thru the mouth. Repeat both sides again. Inhale as needed to ease headache, clear the brain, and lessen tension.

We carry the empty inhalers, and would be happy to assist you to make an inhaler at our “Blend Your Own Essential Oils Bar”. Stop in to the store and learn how to create something you can use yourself or give as a gift.

3 Steps to JOY this Holiday Season

I have had an unusual number of people come into the store with depression this month. Are you one of those who are struggling to find JOY this year? Maybe it is the dreary weather, maybe it is too much stress, maybe it is the demands of family, or financial pressures. We all have things which can weigh us down and make daily life hard to face, much less try to put on the happy face for the holidays! If you are looking for a little natural help this season, I have some suggestions for you.

View fullsize

1. Simplify, delete, and cleanse! We overload our life with too many commitments, too much stuff in our homes, too many ideas in our heads, and too much sugary junk food. We simply don't have to say "yes" to it all. Give yourself permission right now to just say "NO, thank you". What can you eliminate from the calendar? It really is ok to spend the evening alone with a book! Give yourself spending limits, a simple homemade gift can be just as nice and maybe even mean more to those you love. Do you really need all of the decorations from the past 20 years in your house? Delete. If you don't love it, donate it to someone else and make their holiday brighter. Food, food, and more food, at every party! If you try it all, you will feel sick, you know you will. I suggest you pick one special goody to enjoy, and leave the rest. You won't feel deprived or overloaded or guilty, and you can plan to do a total body cleanse in January.
2. Take care of yourself! Stress can eat you alive. Try drinking a Cup of Calm tea, wonderful for settling down and it will help you sleep better too. Really feeling anxious? We have an herbal formula called Anxiety Free, which helps you to handle it all better, without the side effects of drugs. Make sure you are covering the basics in your diet with a good multivitamin and maybe some added B vitamins to help your nervous system.Extra Magnesium is also needed in times of stress.
3. Concentrate on giving JOY to others! Are you feeling grumpy in that long line at the store register? Give a smile to those around you. Is the family cranky and demanding? Put on some music to lighten the mood and use some essential oils in the diffuser to improve everyone's mood. If you are feeling sorry for yourself, find someone who has a bigger need and fill it. The holidays are all about giving to others. I was in Walmart a couple of weeks ago and I was feeling grumpy. There were 2 ladies ahead of me in line and one of them had more than 20 items. Ugh! The older and a bit confused lady in front of her had forgotten her credit card. So she said she would have to leave everything and come back later. The woman in front of me, the one with too many items, offered to pay for the older woman's purchases. She had to be convincing, because the first lady was a bit embarrassed. By the time it was paid for, I think everyone in line had tears in their eyes. Simple kindness. Sometimes we forget how much that can mean to someone.

I hope these simple, natural suggestions help you to have the best holiday ever! If you are out shopping and finding the stress is too much, stop by Healthy Life Solutions and have a cup of tea with me. Maybe all you need is a different perspective to find your JOY again.

Chronic Eczema

I hope you had fun at the county fair this year. I know we enjoyed seeing all of you at our booth. It is nice to get away from routine, have a little fun, and of course eat fair food. I especially enjoyed hearing some of the success stories that customers took time to share with me. One in particular stood out to me, a child around 5 years old with severe eczema, a problem since birth. 

Her mother shared the exciting news of how essential oils were making all the difference. She uses Dragon's Blood in coconut oil applied daily. I was pleased that she had no visible signs of eczema, what a blessing! Essential oils are amazing!

Chronic skin problems such as eczema are challenging. They can be hereditary, allergies, or the result of toxin exposure. Always try to eliminate the cause if you can. In children, the most common allergies are cow's milk and eggs, so you might begin with eliminating those. Use very gentle soaps and shampoos, such as castile, to eliminate chemicals. Many find it nice to make their own skin care products using healing essential oils and leaving out the chemicals. You also could do some internal cleansing with herbs such as burdock or red clover. A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids may also contribute to the condition. Also, be sure to drink enough water. Try these blends for relief from dry, itchy, irritated skin and keep the skin moisturized so it doesn't crack and weep. (Recipes are from the book: the Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness, by Nerys Purchon and Lora Cantele.)

DRY ECZEMA OIL BLEND

8 tsp. grapeseed, almond, or hemp oil

10 drops evening primrose oil

10 drops chamomile essential oil

5 drops myrrh essential oil

5 drops lavender essential oil

CREAM BLEND FOR WEEPING ECZEMA

¼ cup shea butter

15 drops lavender essential oil

15 drops frankincense essential oil

15 drops myrrh essential oil

10 drops chamomile essential oil

2 drops vitamin E oil