Replacing lotion with oils

After my shower this morning I put on a blend of tangerine and lavender essential oils mixed with kukui oil instead of lotion. I tried it to calm down my itchy skin, and it worked, but it also had the side effect of apparently making me smell delicious and irresistible. I went to go pick up my hoodie at Pasta Pomodoro that I forgot there last night and the guy behind me asked if he could buy me lunch. He mentioned that I smelled great. Then I also go hit on at CVS and the gas station, and those men also commented on how good I smelled. I have my hair in a messy bun and not a drop of makeup on my face, but somehow came out of running errands with a free meal, two phone numbers, and a date for next Tuesday night. I think I'll be slathering myself in this stuff more often. 

Most pleasant period of my life

I can't believe I'm talking about this, but since it's made such a difference for me I would feel bad if I could help someone else and didn't just because I was too embarrassed to talk about my cycle I would feel guilty. Ever since I started my period at age 12 I have had very heavy periods riddled with cramps and moodiness. When I was younger the pain was so bad that Advil and Tylenol wouldn't cut it, I'd miss a day of school per month just because I was in such bad pain and couldn't function. 

When I was around 18 or 19 my doctor decided to put me on hormonal birth control (the pill) to help regulate my periods. They were successful in helping with my moodiness and made my cycles less heavy. They also decreased my cramps (but I did still need at least a Tylenol to get through the day) and I stayed on the pill for a decade. 

In September of 2013 I started experiencing shortness of breath for no apparent reasons. It didn't feel wheezy like my asthma did and would hit me at weird times, like when I was laying in bed, so I went to my doctor. They did an EKG and X-rays and found nothing, so they took some blood to do blood work and sent me home. The next day I received an urgent call from my doctor urging me to head straight to the emergency room for a CT scan due to some unsettling blood work test results they'd just received back. What a terrifying phone call to get! I dropped everything and headed in to the ER. After my CT scan was read by a radiologist I was informed that I was being admitted to the hospital because I had many small blood clots in my lungs (pulmonary emboli), which can be fatal. 

I ended up having to learn how to give myself injections of blood thinners in my belly for several weeks, as well as stay on a blood thinning drug called Coumadin for 7 months. Coumadin was actually first used as rat poison and later found effective in small doses to thin blood in humans. I ended up having a lot of side effects on the drug and needed to be on nausea meds as well, plus had to be very careful about not eating too much of anything green, or grapefruit. It was one of the worst ordeals of my life, and after tons of doctors appointments, genetic testing, twice monthly blood tests, etc. it was determined that the cause of my clot was the synthetic estrogen in the birth control pill. I was told that for the rest of my life I need to stay away from anything containing estrogen. Obviously, no more birth control pills for me. 

So for more than a year I've been off the hormonal birth control and back to the monthly moodiness, heavy periods, and bad cramps. Just last month in the oily group on Facebook I noticed several women posting about using oils to help with their cycles, so I figured it was worth a try to order the oils they were using to see if it might help me. I got Progessence Plus serum as well as Dragon Time massage oil. Dragon Time also comes as a small bottle of pure essential oil, but I liked the idea of having the dragon time already diluted with carrier oil, massages and baths with it sounded nice, and the massage oil was cheaper than the pure EO. The P+ I started using about a day or two before my period was due. I put two drops on the back of my neck and one drop on my forearms two times per day, and continued that routine through the end of my period. I had zero moodiness, reduced heaviness of my flow, as well as reduced cramps. This time, instead of popping pain killers for my cramps I would instead either massage the Dragon Time oil over my abdomen or I would put a little bit in a warm bath and soak in the tub with it. It completely got rid of my cramps. For the first time in 18 years of having my period I did not need to take a single oral pain killer. That's really huge for me. I will definitely be continuing this routine every month. I am so thankful to have these oils at my disposal and wish I had found them years earlier! 

Seasonal allergy alternative

I've always suffered from seasonal allergies. I'm allergic to everything. My daily routine has been to take a Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra daily 365days/year. When allergies really get bad I also throw in a Sudafed and a Benadryl. Sometimes that doesn't even cut it and I'm still stuffy nosed and watery eyed. 

This week I decided to cut out all of my previous pills and try something new instead. I used the recommended Young Living allergy trio, which is 4 drops each of lemon, lavender, and peppermint essential oils in a veggie capsule. I also take a second veggie capsule full of a carrier oil like olive or coconut oil to help with absorption. All three of these oils are included in the premium starter kit. 

I have no idea how or why this works, but it's been nothing short of a miracle. My allergies have been more manageable than any springtime I can even remember.  I have also tried 4 drops of each oil with water in the home diffuser overnight (on the 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off setting) and found that it worked wonders as well. Essential oils for the win!!! I am so glad to have found something natural that helps better than ingesting a bunch of chemicals daily. 

Breathe Again and Deep Relief fixed my sinus headache!

I love trying to catch up on sleep and getting to sleep in on the weekends. The only (major) drawback is that when I do sleep in I usually wake up with a mild to moderate headache in the front of my head. I think it may be due to my sinuses getting clogged up from laying flat for so long. I take 3 daily allergy medicines and have tried everything from Tylenol to Sudafed to the neti pot to migraine meds and I've even resorted to trying Vicodin in the past. Nothing helps and the headaches usually last all day. 

This morning I woke up with that same nagging headache, but decided to try something different. Yesterday I received my latest order from Young Living, so I unwrapped two of my new roll-ons. I put Breathe Again along the bridge of my nose and along my cheekbones. After that I put Deep Relief on my forehead, temples, and the back of my neck. In under 10 minutes my headache was completely gone. I could barely believe it! I have been suffering with these headaches for years with no solutions, and essential oils were the key all along! These two roller balls are going everywhere with me from now on. In fact, I need to go purse shopping to get a bigger handbag so I can tote several of my oils around with me at all times. These will also be regular monthly reorders for me, can't live without them now!

Citrus Fresh eliminates unpleasant odors!

My friend Amy had been talking about essential oils for a little while. Amy and I have a mutual love of candles, wax melts, and making our homes smell good. In February she mentioned to me that there was going to be a free virtual class on essential oils offered by her Young Living distributors, if I was interested in learning about them. I checked into the date and time, found out I was free, and figured it was worth spending an hour or two listening since Amy seemed to be such a big fan. I went in with an open mind and left very interested, but not ready to purchase until I did some more outside research on my own about oils, their uses, and the various vendors who sell these kinds of products.

After weeks of reading, watching videos, and thinking I came to the conclusion that I definitely was ready to make the plunge. I chose to go with Young Living for several reasons. Amy was having great luck with her premium starter kit and I trust her judgement. Plus, Young Living has the highest standards around and they are the only vendor which owns all their own farms, processing facilities, and everything. They are in control of everything from the time that seed goes into the ground in the field until the time the seal goes on the oil bottle. If I'm putting something on and into my body, I want the best of the best.

So, at the beginning of March I ordered my very own premium starter kit, which includes 11 oils with many everyday common uses, an essential oil home diffuser, and several different samples. I'll go over the kit more in the future, but for now I want to talk about my first uses. I was intrigued by the bottle of citrus fresh, which is a blend of orange, tangerine, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, and spearmint. I opened it and added a few drops to my drinking water, which I heard was common practice among those familiar with the oils. It was tasty! I think I will definitely be drinking more water with these oils around the house and work to give my drink a little flavor and the health benefits of cleansing and detoxifying my body, and all without any calories or artificial flavorings/sweeteners. It's like spa water without the work!

Then yesterday we had a bit of a plumbing emergency at my house. My roommate tried using the washing machine and the shower at the same time, and for some reason the pipes decided to back up! All of a sudden dirty water came back up the drains of all the showers, sinks, and toilets in the house. Yikes! The plumber was called and he came and snaked the drains, everything was resolved, but even after cleaning the sinks, tubs, and toilets, the bathroom still smelled dirty.

I didn't want to mask the smell with a scented candle or spray. I remembered reading that my new beloved Citrus Fresh was known as an air purifier and figured that was as good a time as any to unbox my home diffuser and give it a whirl! So I read the instructions and got my diffuser started with water and 5 drops of Citrus Fresh. I left the bathroom and came back about 10 minutes later, and much to my surprise, there wasn't a hint of yucky scent left! The whole area was filled with the fresh crisp scent of citrus, without being at all overpowering or too intense. Yay! I love it! Can't wait to find more uses for my oils around the house.