Top 13 Oils for Sleep and Diffuser Recipe Must Tries

Well if you are anything like me last night's time change is going to affect your sleep for a few days until your internal clock catches up to the new time on the real world clock! 

So figured today would be a great day to share some of my favorite sleep supporting diffuser blends - the Serenity Blend from doTERRA is one of my all time favorite ready to go blends. However like anything in life the body can come 'use' to supports we give it so changing up your blends can help to ensure that you do not become resistant to support.

If you are an experimenter like me and want to try making up your own favorite blends. Here are some oils that can help support sleep - please note the asterisk regarding internal use of oils. 

I would also add that 'internal use' can be a very heated debate among those who are passionate about oil safety with a seemingly divided camp on the pros and cons of this type of use. As a result it is something that should not be engaged in lightly and without a complete understanding of safe dosage, risk factors and like anything 'health related' with the support of your treating physicians advice. 

Sleep Well

Margaret 

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

DIY Essential Oil Mobiles

Wow ~ this is a cute idea from over at the doTERRA Canada blog on Facebook!
DIY Felt Mobile: Get a wooden embroidery hoop from the craft store in the desired size. Cut your favorite animals out of felt and hang them from the embroidery hoop, as desired. Essential oils can then be added to the felt to create a gentle, calming environment for your baby.

So if your wee one is having challenges sleeping a little drop of lavender on these before bed time to help provide a soothing sleep setting! 

Please remember when using oils with wee ones that less is more and that while essential oils are an amazing gift from nature that even nature needs to be respected for its power over the human body! So fact is that some oils their little bodies are not yet ready to metabolize and that you can overdose on 'essential oils' just like you can on many other things from nature turning the gift into a nightmare! It is important to make sure to do your OWN research on which oils you are comfortable using with your little treasure because ther is often conflicting information out there on oil safety and so forth! 

 

This is the recommended ideal amounts from doTERRA and their blog gives background around why they feel THEIR oils are safe for internal use as internal use of oils is one of those areas where you will find conflicting information.

My advice with internal use is to keep in mind 'accumulative dosage' so if you are taking oils internally to support health and wellness but are than also using aromatic and dermal applications for aromatherapy in the day is your 'total ideal' amount than surpassing idea.

So for example a YOUNG toddler who is being given our OnGuard capsule orally to help with immunity support could quickly reach 3 DROPS in the course of a 24 hour day specially the more everyday items we replace with essential oils. So keep in mind if they are than washing their hands with the On Guard soap which has essential oils in it, playing in a play area where we are diffusing oils and than applying an essential oil 'treatment' to feet before bedtime and so forth! 

 

Oils are AMAZING gifts but they must be respected and used in moderation and there are definitely some that should NOT be used by young children at all!  Such as the advice from Robert Tisserand around the use of menthol's like peppermint and eucalyptus in small children!

 

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Some tips for oil uses with children can be found on the doTERRA® science blog here and I personally love the resource from the Hippy Homemaker where they give tips such as SLOWLY introducing oils into ones lives because like anything we can have 'sensitivities' to natures gifts so introducing things like food and oils and so forth one at a time and 'waiting' to see how the body reacts is key. I also love how they  break down the oils by age based on their research ~ the article in its entirely can be found here. 

 

 Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

 

 

Photosensitive Oil Tips

Image source courtesy Andrea Chessell

Some essential oils, particularly citrus oils, are photosensitive meaning they are sensitive to light. When you apply these oils topically your skin will be more sensitive to sunlight and will more easily burn or develop a rash.

You should avoid sunlight for at least 12 hours after applying these oils topically.

Here is a list of oils you won't want to use before going out in the sun:

• Bergamot
• Cassia
• Citrus Bliss
• Elevation blend
• Ginger (mild)
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Lime
• Melissa (mild)
• Wild orange

Essential oils are a wonderful gift from nature that can do so much good in our lives but they also need to be used with a moderation and understanding of their potency! 

Be safe when oiling!

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, 

Eyes are the Window to the Soul

Image Source

Ever since I was wee the importance of the EYES has been drilled into me through challenging life lessons. I have had eye sight issues since birth and have used corrective lenses and had surgery to try to fix my issues. Regardless of the efforts was proclaimed legally blind in my right eye and my poor left eye is left doing all the work. In my 20's I was accidentally poked in the left eye by a child at work and my cornea was scratched leaving me temporarily blinded because they had to patch my only working eye. It reminded me how blessed I am to at least have eye sight in one out of two of my eyes!

As a result I am slightly passionate about protecting my eyes and what goes in or around them ... I want to make sure that I do not inadvertently do something that causes me to loose the sight in my one remaining good eye!  

Which is why when I saw all the pins on Pinterest declaring that 'lavender oil' or the 'oola lash' blend is amazing for helping with lash growth and eye lash mite control and so forth I went to 'google' to find out if this were actually BACKED by science and research to be proven as safe.

The results of which served a an epic reminder that it is a VERY bad habit to form when one just blindly trusts what one reads in the Internet as gospel truth because there is so much inaccurate information out there specially when it comes  to advice that gives health and wellness advice and I totally do not want to contribute to that misinformation! For everyone one 'expert' that tells you to do something cause it is good for you will will find three experts who are telling you NO do not do that do this! It is a mind field trying to decide what is the 'best choice' but ultimately that is the choice that you feel comfortable in confident in making based on your own research and judgement. I always tell my peers just because it is good for ME it might not be good for YOU I am just sharing my experience and why I love doing what I do! 

 

As much I love my essential oils and their potential health benefits I like to remind myself that they are natures MEDICINE and must be treated with RESPECT and CARE and used SAFELY! I have made my own share of mistakes as I have begun using essential oils in my journey to be healthier including putting my precious Nevada at risk  unintentionally using essential oil blends in my diffuser that are toxic to animals so now I want to be doing even more research before sharing. So this is my advice based on what I have been able to read .... just say NO to adding essential oils to your mascara!

So while there are lots of 'advice' out there from wellness advocates in various essential oil industries advising the use of essential oils in and around the eyes with DIY recipes and so forth my advice is THIS ... please do your own research before deciding if this is a risk you want to take with your own eyes! Lots of ladies might be loving it in their mascara, they might be seeing huge benefits in the length and luster and they might just be LUCKY that they still have their eye sight while doing so!

That advice is based on reading experiences and shared research from those more knowledgeable than myself including the  National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy which says the following about essential oils and eye safety: 

"placing any essential oil “in the eye” is extremely dangerous advice. Almost any undiluted essential oil coming into contact with the ocular membranes will be corrosive, possibly causing scarring of the cornea, and certainly causing significant pain.

Conclusions

* There is currently no evidence that applying dilutions of essential oil to the eyes will be beneficial in any condition."

So with adding it to your mascara or anything that is going to be that close to the eye you need to be able to be confident that it is not going to 'migrate' INTO your eye in a strength that could be corrosive and cause scarring over time! 

To be SAFE other essential oil users like the Hippie Punk Mom advice to never use your essential oils IN the ear canal, eyes or nose areas and to avoid mucus membranes! 

The other challenge that I hypothesis with 'adding' things' to store bought products like mascaras and skincare and so forth is that their chemists have carefully designed their products and ingredients to work together and in the quantities that are meant to compliment each other ... when WE add additional ingredients, even natural ones like essential oils, we risk creating an unknown chemical reaction with the other ingredients! 

Remember how the Joker used the various cosmetics people regularly 'mixed' to create a toxic storm that killed people? Kinda that same concern with 'mixing' products from different companies ~ might be GREAT on their own but when mixed with the competitions line result in an unwanted reaction or outcome!

This is something I have experienced personally when just 'mixing' brands in my youth and using one companies cleanser and another companies toner or moisturizer depending on what was 'on sale' and ended up dealing with adverse reactions on my skin all throughout my youth to the point I just stopped using ANY products to care for my skin. I was not making the connection that my reactions were because the products ingredients were not meant  to be used together ... when I found a skincare LINE and used began using the entire system together as it is meant to be I have seen amazing results in my skin. No more painful cystic acne breakouts and the psoriasis on my face cleared up and my skin has a nice healthy glow.  

So if you are looking for an eye lash product to help give you longer lustre to your eye lashes I will share MY two favorite products for my eyes that have worked for ME and that I feel confident using as they do not make my eyes itch and get debris into them plus they both remove with gentle ease using my Enjo eye pad and water or if I have done a 'dramatic eye' look adding a little of the Aloette Essential Cleansing Oil before using the Enjo eye pad to help loosen the mascara. 

 A-List Lash is infused with argan oil and argan stem cells to condition lashes for a long-lasting, healthy looking sheen.  The unique and clump proof wand evenly coats and curls each lash for fast, flawless application every time 

I use this as my daily mascara for the benefits of the argan oil ... it gives a nice light coat to the lashes and is great for daily use!

When I want a little more DRAMA for my eyes after applying the first coat of the A List Lash I than use the buildable formula of the Aloette Intensity mascara which lets you control the intensity - from a hint of definition to bold, full volume - without smudging or clumping. And with lash-loving vitamins and conditioners, Aloette’s long-wear eye miracle nourishes as it separates, lengthens and thickens for a captivating look that lasts all day and well into the night.

It can seriously give dramatic look to the eyes without the 'fibers' or 'extensions' or other add ons that might end up getting IN to the actual eye and causing issues! Just look at the POP in this side by side using the Intensity mascara!

Image Source

Have an amazing day!

Margaret

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Be Totallyawake4-life

 

A Cautionary Tale every Essential Oil lover needs to read

For those who have not yet met her ~ this is my treasured Nevada. A gorgeous Manx breed kitty that spent her early days in life roaming the busy streets of Las Vegas as either a feral cat born on the streets or one who was abandoned there by someone. 

They call pets that you adopt from shelters or the streets 'rescue cats' but I think she rescued me. She came into my life at a time where I was in a dark place struggling with depression and battling what point was there to life. I was in need of some serious light and she brought me that! IME it really is true that pets can relieve depression symptoms and help get the mind and body back on track!

She came into my life back Christmas 2002 when I'd taken a trip to Las Vegas with my ex who was trying to help cheer me up in face of struggling with a life altering disease and impending surgery in the New Year which would seal my fate of never having any natural born children of my own. The trip was to help me visualize that without children we would be free to have a different kind of life with more freedom for travel and seeing the world but the Universe had something different in store for me. 

We were touring the strip enjoying the architecture of the many amazing hotels and were at the Monte Carlo main entrance about enter. However they were painting the front entrance  and being a bit superstitious I did not want to walk under ladders ~ so we were rerouted to one of the side entrances. This is where we found this little treasure curled up under a  napkin on a pot light meowing at passersby ... she tugged at my heart so I stopped to pick her up and she just snuggled into me chest with those big eyes. I just HAD to help her! 

It was already late at night so no one to call for help so I tucked her inside my jacket where she snuggled right in and quieted down. We stopped at a convenience store and paid a small fortune for some kitty food and a couple bowls and litter and a box and we  took her back to the hotel.

Nevada enjoying a real meal at the Tropicana Hotel

Next morning we started calling around for their SPCA to find her help only to find out that their feral cat population is so high that they no longer help they just euthanize ~ which broke my heart. And while I could not save them all I could certainly save THIS cat who'd tugged my heart! So next we called the airport and found out what we needed in place to bring a cat back home with us to Canada! Actually pretty easy ... a certificate of health from a Veterinarian and an $80 plane ticket for an additional carry on. The certificate of health proved to be a bit more costly with it being a holiday and having to pay emergency vet fees they kept her for two days to re-hydrate her and do their tests but she got an amazing clean bill of health for a feral cat. So we altered some of our concert and attraction plans for that vacation to stay within our budget. So at the end of our vacation we brought her home where the Canadian winter was a wee bit of a shock to her ~ even after a decade she can still be found seeking out heat sources in the house! Other than seeking extra heat either in the form of a human body heat, laptop vent or heater she has made an amazing assimilation to being a landed immigrant here!

So the point of my little back story is to share how very important she is to me! She is a member of the family. And as such we would never knowingly do anything to her that put her at risk ... she eats a specialty grain free diet because we learned early on she could not tolerate certain foods, we keep her active with playful times and we take her regularly to the vet for check ups to take care of her dental and physical health.  

So when over the past holiday period she started sneezing/wheezing, throwing up more than the occasional hairball and getting 'hot spots' from licking herself bald we were naturally concerned about WHY. 

We brainstormed what had changed in her diet or environment that could equate for the change in behavior. We were having a really hard time figuring it out. Wondered if she was getting into the artificial Christmas tree and eating the plastic or what not!

While she was symptomatic we took her with us to the in laws for a few days over the holidays because we were afraid to leave her home alone with the teenager in charge and noticed that the symptoms totally disappeared. No weasing, not vomitting and she stopped picking at her hot spot. Leaving us to assume it was something in OUR home and not her diet that was causing the symptoms!

The only thing I was doing differently at home is I had invested in diffuser this past Fall and had gotten some new oils for the holiday season ~ and with it being cold and flu season I was diffusing more often and using my new essential oils in both our bedroom and the main floor where she spends a lot of time. Alternating between having the Holiday Joy which is a blend of Siberian Fir, Wild Orange, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark, Cassia, Douglas Fir, Nutmeg essential oils and Vanilla Absolute, a personal combo of Frankincense, Wintergreen and Peppermint, or my On guard which is a blend of Wild Orange, Clove Bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary essential oils and than mixing it up with the Purify made up of a blend of Lemon Peel, Lime Peel, Siberian Fir Needle, Austrian Fir Needle, Pine Needle, Citronella Grass, Melaleuca Leaf, Cilantro Herb essential oils.

Perfect oils for the holiday season!  They were from nature, designed to help pump up immunity and ward off germs during the silly flu season and they were being used in a diluted manner which was safe it never occurred to me that they could put my poor kitty at risk!  

Until I went to google and did some research on essential oils and pets! 

I found a few resources including the Dog Oiler which seems to have some awesome information about the beneficial and holistic use of oils with animals as well as what to be careful of including the following list.  

"NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CATS

• Melaleuca (Tea Tree)
• All Citrus oils (e.g. orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, bergamot as well as any blends containing these oils)

Also not recommended:

• Clove Bud
• Cypress
• Oregano
• Peppermint
• Roman Chamomile
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• White Fir
• Wintergreen
• Vetiver

Cats lack a liver enzyme (glucuronyl transferase) that humans and dogs have. This enzyme is necessary to metabolize and eliminate some essential oil constituents. Therefore, Melaleuca (Tea Tree) and all Citrus oils are toxic to cats.

Cats are also sensitive to high levels of phenols (which are found in Clove Bud, Oregano Peppermint and Thyme) and ketones (found in White Fir, Wintergreen, Rosemary, and Vetiver). Oils with high levels of these constituents may overwhelm the ability of the cat’s liver to properly metabolize and effectively eliminate them, which can result in toxic overload.

Cypress and Roman Chamomile also can be problematic for cats.

Do not use Blends with these oils (except in the few instances recommended in the next section).

If you decide to use any of the above-mentioned oils, dilute heavily. I recommend only using these oils for short periods of time when other oils are not giving needed support."

There seems to be some controversy in the industry with some oil users saying they use oils with their pets with no issue and others where they have shared stories of pets falling ill with them. I am always one to air on side of caution specially when I am seeing first hand a correlation between what I was practicing in my home, my poor kitties sudden on set of symptoms and than how they stopped when we changed to an environment where the oils here not being diffused daily.

For myself this has been a stark reminder that just because something is NATURAL does not mean that it is SAFE to use in abundance! Something I already KNEW but had still missed in the case of my poor kitty ~ I thought I was being SAFE in my use of them but not safe enough for her poor size and structure! 

Essential oils are holistic MEDICINE and just like ANY medicine they have amounts of use that are safe but amounts that are TOXIC and others that are safe for adults but not for children or in our case PETS! 

So while I will continue to use essential oils because I love the way they are helping with my own health and wellness I will do a much better job to heed the list of pet sensitive cautionary ones being put in my diffuser where she will inhale them.

Have an amazing day!

Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life