Shark Week + Essential Oils: Yes, Please!

At the close of Shark Week 2018, we thought that Suzanne Rodolfich's Shark Week-themed posts were too good not to share on our blog! Enjoy:) 

Shark Skin? No, Thanks! Best Essential Oils for Skin Care 

Essential Oils are a great, natural way to take care of your skin! 

Did you know that shark skin actually looks and feels like little interlocking teeth? Um, no thank you!

Young Living offers SO many options for your skin! Here are a just a few top skin oils:

Top Essential Oils for Skin

• Frankincense—helps create youthful appearance 
• Tea Tree—cleanses skin
• Geranium—helps provide healthy, clear, glowing skin
• Cypress—smooths skin
• Copiaba—reduces redness
• Sandalwood—soothes, tightens, cleanses
• Blue Tansy—soothes, reduces redness, provides antioxidant
• Kunzea—provides antioxidant benefits (check out the pics of how the Kunzea plant affects a barbed wire fence)

DIY Skin Care Recipes

My Toner Recipe

• Witch Hazel  
• Equal parts Frankincense (glow), Lavender (soothe), Lemon, (brighten), Copiaba

My Skin Cream Recipe

I originally created this as a diaper cream, but now I use it for all sorts of skin issues.

• Coconut oil
• Shea butter
• Equal parts Frankincense, Tea Tree, and Lavender

My Facial Serum Recipe

• 3 drops Frankincense
• 2 drops Myrrh,
• 1 drop Rose

Lots of options, right? I love that we can take care of our skin with non-toxic products that meet our skin’s unique needs!

Do you sleep like a shark? Best Oils for Sleep Support

So many sleep support oils, which are your favorites? 

So apparently there’s lots of controversy about how and if and when sharks sleep:

• They seem to be very active at night
• Most species have to remain in motion, so for years scientists thought sharks didn’t sleep
• However, now scientists think they enter periods of rest where they slow down, but their eyes are open, and it’s not a true deep sleep

Did I describe any of you with those facts? Maybe your kids?

I think many of us seek out essential oils because we need sleep support—that was my reason 5 years ago!

But just like there are lots of things we don’t know about sharks’ sleeping habits, there are so many variables with our own sleeping habits that finding an Essential Oils combo for sleep support can be trial and error.

Best Oils for Sleep Support

• Lavender: Most people start with Lavender—this doesn’t work for me or Jonna 
• Frankincense: this is a fav in our house and a Lavender + Frankincense combo can be powerful
• Stress Away
• Peace and Calming

If you really want to sleep like the dead, then consider these heavy hitters:

• Valor
• Valerian
• Rutavala
• DreamCatcher

And then there are a few that kids especially find calming:

• Gentle Baby
• Roman Chamomile 
• SleepyIze

And finally, you may want to consider WHY you aren’t sleeping: Are you worried? Is your child needing a little extra security? Sometimes if we can support our emotions, we can sleep better.

Suzanne's Picks

So—what do WE use for sleep support in our house?

The Kids

• Jonna (6)—Frankincense, Valor, or Palo Santo
• Zanna (5)—Frankincense,  Valor, or Palo Santo
• Mila (3)—Palo Santo and White Angelica
• Vin (1)—Lavender or Peace and Calming

The Adults

• Me—Valor or Rutavala (the kids would use the Rutavala, too, but that’s liquid gold and I’m a little stingy with it )
• The hubs—whatever I’m diffusing 

And despite this lengthy post, there are still more options—I feel like I am leaving so many good ones out!

Maybe you can help me out—what are your family’s favorite oils for sleep support?

Skip the Blue Shark Blues: Essential Oils for Mood Support

No need to feel like the Blue Shark! Try out these tried and true mood boosting oils. 

This is the blue shark—according to my friends Google and Wikipedia, they are sort of sluggish and lethargic in their movements. 

Top Oils for Mood Boosting

If you’re feeling the same way, maybe a little down, a little blue, here are some oily tips to try:

• A drop of Frankincense Vitality daily under the tongue (this is a my go-to mood lifter)
• Frankincense + Lemon in the diffuser
•  A few drops of Joy in your hands and inhale
• Ylang Ylang + Orange in the diffuser
• Super B an energy and mood lifter all in one—do you know how much our body NEEDS B vitamins? They are vital! I made this a part of my daily routine after I had Vin.
• NingXia Red—daily, daily, daily! In addition to about a hundred other things, it supports healthy energy levels and regulates blood sugar (anybody else get HANGRY?)

Raise your hand if you had fun with Essential Oil SHARK WEEK! Share any skin, sleep or mood support tips below. Bonus points for Shark-themed ideas:) 

DIY Essential Oils for Back to School

We’ve reached our final course...errr post...in this series: Back to School DIY. As you’re settling into your new routine, you may just be inspired to do some DIY projects, and we are here to help with some of our fav recipes. Much like our diffuser post, these recipes will take you from Good morning to Goodnight.

So, class, are you ready? Let’s get started!

Smooth(ie) Sailing: Rise N Shine Smoothie

Make mornings easy with this quick and tasty breakfast treat. 

Need Breakfast at the push of button? Enter the Rise n Shine Smoothie. We award this one bonus points for being delicious and nutritious. Switch up ingredients to customize to your family’s tastes. Vitality oils, milks and fruits can all be swapped for your favs.

Everyday Wellness: Germy Hand Kid Soap

Feeling DIY-inspired? Try this wellness-boosting, Thieves-powered foaming hand soap. 

While we love Thieves Foaming Hand Soap, this recipe is a great DIY alternative if you’re feeling creative. Either way, you’ll be supporting your family’s wellness with the power of Thieves.

After School Anti-Smell: Stinky Kid Spray

Keep this spray with you anywhere stink can happen: aka EVERYWHERE.

Purification (obvious alert) purifies the air. That means that it can even refresh things like middle school boy bedroom, volleyball bag or mysterious minivan odors. Don’t leave home without it.

After School Snack: Dreamsicle Fruit Dip

Ease into homework time with a yummy snack: Dreamsicle Dip + Fruit. 

Treat your students to a sweet treat after school that’s not packed with sugar or strange ingredients. Fruit + this yummy Dreamsicle dip will please even picky eaters. Want to make it even healthier? Replace the cream cheese with Greek yogurt and the powder sugar with agave, honey or stevia.

Night Night: Sweet Dreams Cream

Relax...Sweet Dreams Cream to the bedtime rescue! 

We will share anything that helps kids have a good night sleep. Just apply this cream after evening bath to help your kids relax. It’s an easy way to use oils with your family and with Lavender and Peace & Calming II, it’s bound to invite (you guessed it) Sweet Dreams fast.

Class Dismissed 

Thanks for attending our Back to School crash course! Do you have any Essential Oil DIY inspiration to share? We’d love to hear from you!

Stay tuned, we'll share September Promo details soon!

Switch & Ditch: Personal Care Edition

Did anyone already switch to all-natural cleaning products (like this one!) and ditch your chemical-heavy cleaning cohorts? Let us know! A clean sweep never felt or smelled so good.

This week, we are continuing our switch and ditch theme, but now: it’s getting personal. Personal care products, that is.

As far as personal wellness goals go, treating your skin to natural products should be right there on your resolution list along with healthy diet and exercise. And Young Living has plenty of all-natural, essential-oil infused goodies. Ready for some switch and ditch tips? We thought so.  

Switch & Ditch: Personal Care Edition

Make your 2017 resolution a reality with a few of our favorites like the ART skincare system, Young Living's super popular face cream, foaming face wash and toner. 

Oral Care

Let’s start with something you do everyday: brush your teeth. Time to ditch toothpaste with artificial sweeteners and toxic chemicals and switch to natural toothpaste that will freshen your breath and gently wash away staining.

The Thieves lines makes this easy. Try one of three Thieves lines toothpastes along with Thieves Dental Floss and Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash.

Hand Care

Make sure washing or cleaning your hands actually washes and cleanses without artificial fragrances or toxins.

I’m in love with the Thieves Foaming hand soap. It smells wonderful and is a great way to introduce guests to Thieves goodness. For on-the-go cleansing, Thieves Waterless Hand Cleanser is on my must-travel list.

Face Care

Whether you are focusing on cleansing, restoring, moisturizing or refining, Young Living has products and oils to try. Some of my favorite anti-aging oils include:

• Rose - high-frequency oil great for moisturizing and refining skin
• Patchouli - favorite oil for daily moisturizing
• Lavender - skin MVP, a must for cleansing, moisturizing and refining
• Frankincense - sacred oil that restores and moisturizes skin  
• Myrrh - another must-have for moisturizing  

Start slow and experiment. We suggest adding a beauty oil to your order each month. Everyone is different, so everyone will have different favorites. Once you find your favorites, here are a few tips to get the most out of your beauty regime (and save some money).

Make a Homemade Cream

Make your own body and face cream and infuse with your favorite essential oils. That way you get a daily dose of oils, while stretching your supply.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shea butter
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup liquid oil (like almond, grapeseed, jojoba or avocado oil)
• 5-10 drops of essential oils of choice

Directions:

1. Melt shea butter and coconut oil on stovetop
2. Let cool completely
3. Add liquid oil and essential oils for choice
4. Whip to decadent texture

Homemade Serums

Another way to stretch your beauty oils and save time in your routine: create your own serums. Add your favorite oils and apply after your cream morning and night. To make, you will need to gather a few supplies like 1-oz glass bottles, roller ball fitments and funnels.

Ingredients:

• 1-oz. favorite carrier oil (again: think liquid food oils like almond, grapeseed or avocado)
• 1-2 drops each of your favorite anti-aging oils

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a small, amber glass bottle. Yup, it’s that easy!

Hair Care

Tame your locks with natural care products. This one is especially important, considering when you rinse off shampoo it flows down the rest of your body. Young Living has some great daily shampoos (like yummy Lavender Mint) to nourish and cleanse hair.

You can also add oils to your hair care routine. When styling, I add a drop of Ylang Ylang to my hair for a gorgeous floral scent and curl-boosting moisture. Other great hair oils include:

• Geranium - rehydrates hair, try adding to your conditioner
• Lavender - nourishes and may thicken hair
• Rosemary - allows nutrients to penetrate hair and scalp
• Tea Tree - soothes your scalp

Body Care

Body Wash

Like hair care products, body wash is exposed to large parts of your body. Making your own body wash was never easier with Young Living’s bath and shower gel base. Just add 5-10 drops of your favorite oil. Any of our favorite hair and skin oils would work, or you can try an uplifting blend like Joy.

Deodorants

And finally, we’ll end with another daily personal care product: Deodorant. Young Living offers great aluminum-free options that smell great! (Like this one). You can also experiment using an oil as a deodorant. Purification is a great, cleansing and aromatically fresh option to try!

Switch, Ditch & Save

Ready to ditch commercially produced personal care products? Easy. Switch to buying your natural shampoo, hand soap and floss with Young Living’s autoship program, Essential Rewards. We love it because we get to buy the products we love while earning freebies and points toward even more products we love. We think you will, too!

Any questions? Ask away in the comments.