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! 

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 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. 

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:) 

June Promo: Your Summer Adventure Starts Here

The June promo from Young Living is all about oils that are great on the go. So to help as you pack for your next vacation, we’re going to share a quick, trip-ready tip for each oil you can earn this month.

And quick, before we list, let us hear a woo hoo for a 400PV level this month! You can earn rare (and super soothing) Roman Chamomile just by ordering your favorite oils.

Your (Oily) Packing List

  • Roman Chamomile: Try diffusing this sweet aroma as part of your home-away-from-home bedtime routine.  
  • M-Grain™: This oil has a cooling touch, apply to keep your cool on long travel days.  
  • Lemongrass: This fresh oil + a carrier oil = a great foot massage combo after a day of exploring.
  • Lavender: Soothe sun-bathed skin with this gentle oil.
  • Citronella: Use this oil to eliminate odors wherever you stay.  
  • Cypress: Share this welcoming, grounding aroma by diffusing for your travel companions.
  • Orange Vitality™: Don’t forget your glass water bottle or your Orange Vitality™! Use this oil to add some zest to your hydration goals.
One more tip: Orange Vitality is also a way to brighten on-to-go snacks! Try on fruit or yogurt for instant YUM. 

One more tip: Orange Vitality is also a way to brighten on-to-go snacks! Try on fruit or yogurt for instant YUM. 

400 PV

  • 5-ml Roman Chamomile
  • 15-ml M-Grain™
  • 15-ml Lemongrass
  • 15-ml Lavender
  • 15-ml Citronella
  • 15-ml Cypress

Bonus Essential Rewards Exclusive: 5-ml Orange Vitality™

300PV

  • 15-ml M-Grain™
  • 15-ml Lemongrass
  • 15-ml Lavender
  • 15-ml Citronella
  • 15-ml Cypress

Bonus Essential Rewards Exclusive: 5-ml Orange Vitality™

190PV

  • 15-ml Citronella
  • 15-ml Cypress

Bonus Essential Rewards Exclusive: 5-ml Orange Vitality™

100PV

Bonus Essential Rewards Exclusive: 5-ml Orange Vitality™

Newborn & Baby Oils

Welcome to our Family + Essential Oils series. We plan to cover every age and stage: Oils for Toddlers, Moms, Dads, Grandparents and Family Vacation. Someone we left out? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them to our plan!

This is actually our second week, so if you missed our Postpartum post, take the time to catch up (we’ll wait:). Oh, and while you’re at it, check out the Top 10 Oils for Pregnancy – it happens to be one of our all-time top 10 posts.

Ok, now that we’ve talked mamas-to-be and new mamas, we’re ready to share some general guidelines and tips for using oils with your baby.

Essential Tips for Your Oily Baby

Ready for baby's first oil? Try out these oily newborn tips. 

Ready for baby's first oil? Try out these oily newborn tips. 

Ingestion Tips

Gotcha! No tips here. Young Living suggests waiting until after babyhood to try any of our vitality line with your child. We agree! The oils are powerful and highly concentrated for such little bodies.

Topical Tips

Young Living’s official recommendation for littles 0-1 is a 1:8 oil to carrier ratio. We say that’s a good starting point, but remember that every baby is different. Test dilution with your little one.

And if you are going to try a new oil on your child it’s a good idea to use just a drop or two on a small patch first, like the forearm. After a successful patch test (a few minutes with no reaction), you can apply as needed!

Pro Tip: Apply the essential oils first, followed by your favorite dilution oil.  

Aromatic Tips

Again, think “start gently” when it comes to aromatically sharing oils with your baby. You can create a bond with baby by simply wearing an oil while skin to skin. And, just like the topical patch test, you will want to diffuse an oil for a short time at first to ensure your child has no sensitivity.

First Oily Days

In their Oils for the Nursery post, Young Living lists a few oils to use with caution with your baby.

  • Idaho Tansy
  • Clary Sage
  • Hyssop
  • Wintergreen
  • Eucalyptus
  • Peppermint

While watching for these oils is a good idea, it’s an even better idea to try out some of our favorites to support your little one’s health.

  • Ear Support: Melrose & Roman Chamomile, apply 1-2 drops behind and around ears
  • Diapering Support:
  •  Respiratory Support: Lavender or Peace & Calming, apply to chest, bottom of feet and diffuse intermittently during nap. Also, try diffusing Lavender & SniffleEase during the night or nap.
  • Sleep support: Lavender & Cedarwood,1-2 drops on chest and bottom of feet.
  • Mood Support: Frankincense & Joy, 1-2 drops over the heart
  • Digestive Support: DiGize/TummyGize, apply over the chest and belly 15 - 20 minutes before feedings. You can also apply after feeding, if needed.
  • Gut Health: Fennel, apply 1-2 drops over the colon area, rub clockwise

And that’s it, baby! Again, let us know if there are any ages or family members you’d like to see included in our series and we’ll get a writer on it!

 

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?