Storing Essential Oils: Tree of Life Tackles a FAQ

You love your oils. Now, learn how to treat them with a little love. Get the most out of each bottle with our tips on the do’s and don’ts of Essential Oils storage.

A few quick tips to help you get the most out of your oils! 

A few quick tips to help you get the most out of your oils! 

The Don’ts

Heat & UV Light

Heat and especially UV light can break down the integrity of your essential oils. Don’t store your oils in cars, near windows or anywhere they’d be exposed to extreme heat or direct sunlight. If an oil does get too hot, here’s a trick: wait until the oil has cooled to room temperature before opening the bottle. This can help save your oil and its effectiveness.

Plastics

Plastics + Essential Oils = Big No-No. Many oils may break down plastic storage containers, which could pollute your oils or waste them.

The Dos

Room Temperature and Even

Cool temperatures with little fluctuation will protect your oils from the breakdown of even the most delicate constituents. Although not ideal, extreme cold will not freeze or destroy the efficacy of your oils.

Dark and Dry

To protect your oils from heat and UV light, store them in a dark, dry place. Cabinets in the bathroom or kitchen work well for everyday oils, but we recommend you buy an oil storage box for your growing collection. If you make your own blends, make sure to protect them from light with an amber glass or a stainless steel container.

Upright and Tightly Sealed

This might seem like a no-brainer, but keeping your oils upright and tightly sealed will ensure you won’t spill a single drop. Keeping your oils tightly sealed will also cut down on any evaporation. You may even want to transfer oils that are running low to a smaller bottle to cut down on oxidation.  

A Couple More FAQs

Thick Oils

Sometimes you do have to apply heat to oils. These thick oils, like Rose or Myrrh, can be gently heated by placing your bottle in bowl of warm water. Lids can also get sticky or oxidize with thicker oils. If this happens just put some coconut around the rim so it doesn't get stuck again. You'll be glad you did!

Citrus Oils

Once you open your citrus oils (lemon, grapefruit etc.), they are best if used within a year of opening for maximum effectiveness.

Expiration?

Young Living Essential Oils don't ever really expire. Woo Hoo! Just follow our tips for good oil storage and you'll get to enjoy them to the very last drop. Have more questions? Leave us a comment or contact us!

Essential Oil DIY Recipe: Love Your Feet Again Foot Powder

Spring is all about fresh flowers, beautiful weather and … wearing sneakers without socks. Just us? Ok. Even if you’re not on the sneakers-without-socks train, warming temperatures mean (among many wonderful things) smellier feet.

But we’ve got one more DIY essential oil-infused recipe for you, and this one will help you love your feet again, no matter the weather. And as with all our DIY recipes, it’s quick, easy and takes just a couple household staples and your favorite oils.

Let’s get started!

Say goodbye to smelly feet with our DIY Foot Powder. 

Say goodbye to smelly feet with our DIY Foot Powder. 

Supplies & Ingredients

Supplies

  • Measuring Spoon
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Small Mason Jar

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Arrowroot powder
  • 3 tablespoons Baking Soda
  • 15 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil  
  • 15 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
  • 10 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

OR mix things up and go with 25 drops Purification Essential Oil. The amount of essential oil is a personal preference. Add less or more - it's up to you!

How It’s Done

Just mix up ingredients in your mason jar. #YesReally

Use Today

This part is easy, too. You can either sprinkle the powder in your shoes or rub some on the bottom of your feet before putting on shoes. Experiment with the method, either way, your feet should be lovable again soon! And please, don’t hesitate trying this on your kiddos’ (cute but stinky) feet as well.

Confession time: On a scale from 1-10, how much do you need this powder in your life?

Essential Oil DIY Recipe: Baby Powder

Ready for another naturally great DIY Essential Oil recipe? This one is mom-approved, baby-approved and cloth diapering safe! This week we give you essential oil-infused Baby Powder! As always, you can throw our recipes together with household staples and your favorite essential oils.

Keep baby's skin soft AND your peace of mind? That's a win-win with this DIY Baby Powder. 

Keep baby's skin soft AND your peace of mind? That's a win-win with this DIY Baby Powder. 

Supplies & Ingredients

Supplies

  • Glass Mixing Bowl
  • Measuring Cups
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Storage Container (Mason Jar or glass shaker)*

*Store in a dark, dry place.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Arrowroot powder**
  • 5-10 drops of (pick one):
  • Lavender
  • Roman Chamomile
  • Ylang Ylang
  • Melrose
  • Gentle Baby

**You can also use ¼ cup cornstarch and ¼ cup Arrowroot, but again, we prefer Arrowroot. It’s best for sensitive skin and does not promote yeast growth like cornstarch can.

How It’s Done

Another “why haven’t I tried this before” two-step process!

  1. Combine all ingredients in your glass mixing bowl.
  2. Store in your chosen container.

Use Today

Baby powder helps absorb extra moisture to keep your baby’s skin soft and smooth. Add your favorite soothing oil to keep your baby smelling fresh and a smile on your face, even during diaper changes. Plus, giving your baby a signature scent will give you an instant connection to sweet baby days whenever you happen to smell the oil you use in your powder recipe, even years later!

For baby,

  1. Shake powder out onto your hand (avoiding baby’s face).
  2. Apply with every diaper change and after every bath.

For You,

Don’t let baby have all the fun! This recipe is also great for parents (and non-parents). Apply in the morning and throughout the day to keep your skin sweat-free and soft.

Do you DIY? What’s your can’t-live-without-it homemade beauty product?

Switch & Ditch Quick Fix: Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray

In honor of our 2017 Switch & Ditch resolution, we wanted to highlight one of the goodies from the March promo: Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray. Learn how to banish herbicides from your life with just a few spritzes.

Why?

Small but mighty, Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray is one of our favorite Switch & Ditch solutions! Easy, quick and effective (woo hoo!). 

Small but mighty, Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray is one of our favorite Switch & Ditch solutions! Easy, quick and effective (woo hoo!). 

You make sure your family eats fruits and veggies (check).

You even buy organic when it makes sense (check again).

But … (you knew a ‘but’ was coming, right?) ...

Did you know that even organic produce still has herbicides you don’t want in your bodies?

Enter Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray.  

How Does it Work?

Powered by Thieves and Lime essential oil, this spray safely and effectively cleanses produce.

How-To:

  1. Spray to cover produce.
  2. Rub for 30 seconds.
  3. Rinse under running water.

Where?

Here’s one of our favorite parts! The 2-oz. bottle is perfect for on-the-go, which means you can have clean produce wherever your day takes youacross town or around the globe.  

More Ideas:

Here are a few ways Tree of Life team members have used the Fruit & Veggie spray beyond cleaning their favorite fruits and veggies:

  • Cleaning coolers
  • Cleansing pacifiers (just like with produce, make sure to rinse with water before handing back to baby)
  • Taking grease stains out of clothes
  • Repelling picnic pests

We may have to award it a MVP for most versatile product!

One More Spotlight

We loved taking the time to highlight one of our favorite Ditch and Switch items today. We hope it inspired you to continue ditching harmful chemicals in your family’s daily life. What’s even better? You can earn the Thieves Fruit & Veggie spray for free this month! Check out this post to find out how. And check out our Essential Rewards 101 page to learn everything you need to know about how to earn more of your favorite Young Living products for free.

What’s your favorite Switch and Ditch you’ve made in 2017?

Young Living March Promo: Fresh & Free!

What's not to love about Fresh and Free? This promo is full of refreshing freebies for spring, including one of our most beloved essential oils: Frankincense. Seriously, we use it for everything from skin support to mediation focus. Love. It. Other goodies include lovely Lavender, Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray, woodsy Blue Cypress and zesty Lime Vitality. Check out the full details below!

Order your favorite products to earn your favorite products? Sounds like a good way to kick off spring. 

Order your favorite products to earn your favorite products? Sounds like a good way to kick off spring. 

300 PV (Retail Value: $184.22)

Essential Rewards exclusive:

250 PV (Retail Value: $87.51)

Essential Rewards exclusive:

190 PV (Retail Value: $56.59)

Essential Rewards exclusive:

100 PV (Retail Value: $7.57)

Essential Rewards exclusive:

Essential Rewards 101

Don't miss out on exclusive essential rewards freebies! Find out everything you need to enroll here.

Poll Time: What's your favorite oil to diffuse for Spring?