Semi-DIY Essential Oil Body Care and Household Items

How many of you LOVE essential oils and LOVE to make your own goodies, but just don't have the time? I hear ya, sista. There are so many amazing DIY body care or household items that I want to make, but just can't make the time for in my busy schedule.

Here are some SUPER easy semi-DIY items that you will LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Hand Sanitizer

Semi-DIY Version:

I've made DIY hand sanitizer before, using aloe vera gel (the kind you use when you get a sun burn) and rubbing alcohol...but....this takes time! So...here's an easier way to go for the time-deprived:

• Order Spark Naturals e-Spa Hand Sanitizer HERE
• Order Spark Naturals Shield Blend HERE

 
Add 15 drops of Shield Blend to every 4oz of the Hand Sanitizer. The hand sanitizer comes in a 4oz bottle that has a squeeze cap and an 8oz bottle that has a pump. Either are great, but the pump is so nice if you are keeping this out on your desk and not carrying it in your purse or diaper bag. Shake that baby up! What do you have? EXTRA strength hand sanitizer that REALLY kills the germs, is safe for EVERYONE in the family and smells like Christmas! YEAH! I have a 4oz bottle of this semi-DIY hand sanitizer combo on my desk at work. It smells SO good!

Real DIY Version:

If you happen to have some time to kill and need to get those creative juices flowing, here's how to make DIY hand sanitizer:

• 2 Tablespoons Vodka
• 2 Tablespoons of Water
• 1 teaspoon of Aloe Vera Juice (Find in the organic section at most grocery stores, co-ops, vitamin stores...pretty much any where)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vegetable Glycerin (Find in the organic section at most grocery stores and co-ops)
• 2 drops Spark Naturals Rosemary Essential Oil
• 2 drops Spark Naturals Clove Bud Essential Oil
• 2 drops Spark Naturals Eucalyptus Essential Oil
• 2 drops Spark Naturals Cinnamon Essential Oil
• 2 oz. Spark Naturals Blue Glass Spray Bottle

Add ingredients to a bowl. Stir that baby up REAL good :) Pour it into a dark colored, 2oz. size glass spray bottle. I say dark and glass because essential oils will break down when exposed directly to light and can also leech plastic. Not good. This recipe makes a little more than one, 2 oz. bottle. Use the little that is left after filling the bottle to slather your hands. :) Making a bunch for all your office buddies or all of your child's classmates? Just multiply the recipe above for the proper amount that you need.

Lotion

Semi-DIY Version:

LOTION! I LOVE LOTION! Ever made your own? It's AWESOME. But, I have an alternative that is just as good...maybe even better. Here's what ya do:

•  Order Spark Naturals Unscented Hand and Body Lotion HERE
• Order Spark Naturals Lavender Essential Oil HERE
• Order a few glass 2.3 oz. glass jars from Spark Naturals HERE
  
  
  

  

 Fill the glass jars with Spark Naturals Unscented Hand and Body Lotion into each jar. Next, add 15 drops of Lavender Essential Oil to the jar. Mix gently with a stir stick or metal knife. And that's it! EASY! Now you have AWESOME smelling lotion that soothes dry skin and heals it with essential oils. LOVE!






You could switch up the essential oil in the lotion,too! Not into Lavender? No problem. Just substitute the Lavender for a different essential oil. Another yummy smelling essential oil you may like is Wild Orange Essential Oil by Spark Naturals. It smells just like a fresh peeled orange.

Real DIY Version:

Okay...so it's not "really" lotion but it's even better. It's SALVE! This takes a few extra ingredients and supplies, but it makes a TON, keeps your hands moisturized longer than lotion and it smells AMAZING! Plus, it HEALS! HEALS, I TELL YA! Follow the recipe at the link below from a past blog I posted. It's worth it!

• All Purpose Healing Salve Blog Post
  
  

Pump-able Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap

Semi-DIY Version:

The best defense against getting sick is washing your hands! Wash them multiple times a day. A LOT! Here is a quick anti-bacterial handsoap that is great to have by all your sinks:

• Order an 8 oz bottle of Spark Naturals Hand Soap (8 oz comes with a pump, 4 oz comes with a squeeze cap) HERE
• Order a bottle of Spark Naturals Shield Blend HERE

 Add 15 drops to every 4oz of the hand soap. (8oz bottle = 30 drops, 4oz bottle = 15 drops). Shake that puppy up! You are good to go! Shield is Spark Naturals best defense against germs, sickness and gross stuff. You know? Gross stuff!


Real DIY Version:
Okay, now this real DIY version isn't too hard. It's actually kind of easy! And it smells amazing!

• 2 Tablespoons of UNSCENTED/Baby Mild Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (You can find this at any grocery store, big box store or co-op).
• 1 Cup of Distilled Water or Bottled Water (as long as it's filtered water, it's okay)
• 5 drops of Spark Naturals Shield Blend
• Empty soap dispenser. They have some really cute ones at the Dollar Store! Or you can use an empty one you have laying around the house.

 Mix all of the ingredients into a bowl. Funnel it into the soap dispenser. That's it! 

*~~**~~* 

Have fun getting creative with these! I hope you love them all!

All of the products named above are LINKS to their listing on www.sparknaturals.com for easy ordering. 

Be sure to use coupon code CURLY to save 10% on your purchases!

Ear Infection Treatment with Basil Essential Oil

 

Ear infections in children are SO painful. Not only for the child suffering, but for the parents watching and trying to make the child comfortable. I KNOW! My son had a few ear infections as an infant, but nothing serious. But, when I was a child, I experienced regular ear infections. They were terribly painful! There is no describing the pain they cause.

Many of my friends have said their children are suffering with ear infections lately. I thought it was time I do some investigating to figure out how to treat an ear infection with essential oils. Anything to avoid tubes, antibiotics and pain medicine in a child is worth a shot! It's truly amazing how well this will work. Because pure essential oils have no chemically induced side effects, they're perfect to treat kiddos!

Introducing, the WONDERS of BASIL Essential Oil.  I've talked about the awesomeness of Basil in a previous post when I made a treatment for my hubby's Restless Leg Syndrome out of Basil Essential Oil....but who knew all the amazing qualities and versatility it has!
 

There are two types of basil, Spark Naturals uses the Mediterranean variety, also called true sweet basil. It contains higher percentages of the natural constituents, cineol and linalool. Basil has AWESOME qualities like: Antibacterial, Diuretic, Anti-Inflammatory, Antiviral, Decongestant, Stimulant and Uplifting

Believe it or not, but Basil was used extensively in traditional and Asian medicine; basil leaves were inhaled to treat headaches such as migraines and also to alleviate chest infections.

Ready to give this little miracle a shot? Here we go!

Here's what you need:

• Spark Naturals Basil Essential Oil
• A carrier oil like Spark Naturals Fractionated Coconut Oil or even Olive Oil straight from your kitchen.
• Cotton Balls

Here's what you do:

• Take the cotton ball and apply 2 drops of the carrier oil you choose from the list above.
• Apply 2 drops of Basil Essential Oil to the same cotton ball on top of the carrier oil you just put on the cotton ball
• Use the cotton ball to gently wipe just inside the ear (NOT in the ear canal, but in the exposed area of the outer ear), around the outer edge of the ear and behind the ear. (See Photo Below)
• Continue to apply this way every few hours until the symptoms are gone.

 

 Here's to No More Ear Infections!

All of the products listed above are LINKS to www.sparknaturals.com for easy ordering. 

Be sure to use coupon code CURLY to save 10% on your order!

Lose Weight with Essential Oils

Weight loss with essential oils...YES! Who knew, right? I sure didn't, until recently. A friend of mine referred me to a post her buddy made on Facebook regarding her amazing weight loss using essential oils. She has seen amazing results! 33 lbs. in 3 months! THAT'S AWESOME!

I have always struggled with my weight. Up and down, down and up. A constant rollercoaster of loss and gain. Last December, I started a diet and over the course of 8 months, lost over 40 lbs. It was hard work, but it felt SO good. What's the saying? "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels?" It's true.

Well, after getting busy again with having college full time, working full time..blah blah blah...I got out of my routine and have put on 13 lbs. since this past August. I have it under control now and have started my routine of preparing meals ahead of time, drinking a lot of water, and now....adding essential oils! I'm ready! Are you??

Alright, let's get to the good stuff. Here is what you will need:

• Grapefruit Essential Oil
• Lemon Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Lemongrass Essential Oil
• Grape Seed Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil
• Empty Veggie Capsules (Size 0 or 00, doesn't matter)

*Fill each Veggie Capsule with the following:

• 6 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oil
• 6 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
• 6 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
• 6 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
• 2 drops of Lemongrass Essential Oil
• Top off with Grape Seed Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil (about 3 drops)

*Put the capsule top back on and gently push it on until it's securely in place.
*Take 1 capsule a day with about 4 oz. of water (or more).

Here's a tip! Purchase glass droppers to put in all of these bottles of essential oils. It makes it SO much easier to put each drop in the capsule. I purchased each of the essential oils in the 15mL size because I use essential oils daily and because it's a better deal when it comes to cost. I then went to AromaTools and found a 6 pack of glass dropper caps for DIRT cheap. (Must be glass, NOT plastic---essential oils can leech chemicals from plastic--not good)

Here's the link to the ones I recommend from AromaTools (click the name of the product listed below...it's a LINK to the website)

• For Small (5mL) Bottles: 6 pack of Dropper Caps for 5mL bottles
• For Large (15mL) Bottles: 6 pack of Dropper Caps for 15mL bottles

~That's it!~

LOVE THIS! So easy! So...what are you "weight"-ing for? hehehe

All of the essential oils, capsules and fractionated coconut oil can be ordered from www.sparknaturals.com

or

by clicking the product names above...they will link you right to the product to place your order.

Be sure to use coupon code CURLY at checkout to save 10%

~Bridget

  

Winter Weather Remedies...Not Just for Hardy Minnesotans

 
Here in Minnesota, we are experiencing quite the cold snap. Temperatures finally made it out of the negative numbers today to hit a balmy 17 degrees! Yikes! It's going to get so cold, that our governor actually cancelled school for all K-12 districts in the state.

The definition of "hardy" is: robust; capable of enduring difficult conditions. Yes....Minnesotan's are hardy...but not THAT hardy! JEEZ! Check out the image below. This is the wind chill forecast for Minnesota this coming Sunday. Ummmm, yeah. To figure out the "feel like" temperature. We take the projected high (-15 degrees F) and subtract the windchill projection (-50 let's say for the Twin Cities)....You do the math. It's COLD! REAL COLD!

 This blog post is dedicated to all of those crummy ailments that come with this dry, cold weather. Let's get started!!


DRY SKIN

Dry Skin is one of the worst things to deal with during the 9 months of winter we experience here in Minnesota. I'm certain we aren't the only people in the nation that experience the horrible scaly skin that itches to no end... right? My favorite solution is All Purpose Healing Salve. I got this recipe from Camp Wander, one of my favorite blogs. The ingredients are cheap and this stuff WORKS! It includes melaleuca, lemon and lavender. It smells lovely. I have been using the salve I made since August (faithfully) and haven't had a single scale or crack all winter! This has never happened before. I've posted this recipe several times, so here is the link to that post:  All Natural/All Purpose Healing Salve Recipe


COLD TOES AND FINGERS

Cold toes and fingers are a constant issue in these cold temperatures. On Wednesday, my husband (Burty) went ice fishing for 10 hours....in -10 degree weather. This doesn't factor in the wind chill....but it was COLD. He wore his warmest coveralls, new Ice Armor boots, wool socks, heavy duty gloves...you name it. But, when he came home, he was still cold. It was radiating off his clothes. I wish I would have had some, but I didn't; Black Pepper Warming Salve! Another wonderful creation from Camp Wander.



This uses the same basic recipe from the Healing Salve above, but instead of putting in the melaleuca, lemon and lavender into the 4 oz. jars, you add 90 drops of black pepper essential oil. Simple as that! Rub the Black Pepper Warming Salve onto your fingers and feet (or any where else really) to instantly warm up. Black Pepper essential oil is a "warm" essential oil...NOT HOT. It is safe for kids, too. So think about slathering their hands and feet in this salve BEFORE they go sledding or play outside in the cold. If they get it on their face or eyes, no worries. It WILL NOT burn. BONUS!


CHAPPED LIPS

Chapped lips make my "lips hurt real bad," as Napoleon Dynamite would say. My son, Jamie always seems to get chapped lips around this time, especially if he gets a runny nose. The best solution is either, apply some of the All Purpose Healing Salve to the lips (recipe link is above) or, whip up this SUPER easy anti-chapped lip roll on. Here's the recipe:

• 1/8oz Roller Bottle
• 15 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil
• 15 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
• Fractionated Coconut Oil

Add the frankincense and lavender essential oils to the roller bottle, fill the rest of the roller bottle with Fractionated Coconut Oil. Gently shake and apply liberally throughout the day. All of the ingredients listed above are also LINKS to Spark Naturals website so you know what to order.

Use coupon code: CURLY 

To Save 10% on Your Order from www.sparknaturals.com

Keep in mind that frankincense, lavender and fractionated coconut oil are STAPLE essential oils to have in your arsenal. They can be used in SOOOO many other natural remedies. If you are just getting into essential oils, consider these your "go to" essential oils.


WINTER BLUES

 Winter Blues are pretty common once we hit January and February here in Minnesota. The cold weather and lack of being outdoors to get the Vitamin D we really need can lead to the feeling of sadness and issolation. Fear not, oh sad ones! I have something for you! I recently started using an aromatherapy diffuser. They give you the choice of what kind of essential oil you would like to diffuse into the air, make your house or room smell lovely without burning or spraying cancer-infused aerosols...they also work wonders for people who may be feeling a little sad this time of year. 
 
The essential oil I recommend for fighting off the Winter Blues is Ylang Ylang. Ylang Ylang also has historical roots in the, uhh um, bedroom. It was used long ago as a aphrodisiac. Well, back to the winter blues issue....Here's what you need:

• Aromatherapy Diffuser (there are several lovely ones available from Spark Naturals. I have two of the Zaq Dew)
• Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Add the 4-6 drops of Ylang Ylang to your diffuser and turn that baby on. Oh yeah! It smells lovely. It has a soft floral scent, but isn't over powering at all. The list of ingredients above are also LINKS to Spark Naturals website so you know what to order.

COLD AND FLU

Cold and Flu constantly plague the cold weather months. I can't tell you how important it is to take care of your immune system, especially in the cold weather season. I STRONGLY recommend Spark Naturals Shield blend. I have been consuming it 2-3 times a day since August....and guess what...haven't been sick once! SERIOUSLY! This has never happened. Last year I had several...okay, A LOT of sinus infections. So bad that some of them turned into bronchitis and pneumonia. Not FUN! At this time, last year, I had been sick with 3 sinus infections and was in the process of being treated for pneumonia. Each time, missing a week of work. I have posted about this before, but it's worth repeating. So here is the link to how to get on a Shield schedule. It's easy, cheap and WORTH IT!  Down with the Sickness....Shield Schedule Blot Post

I hope these help you take care of your self throughout the winter!