Creating the life you dream of, one essential oil at a time. Your complete guide to everything Young Living Essential Oils. Located in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Geranium Aroma: Sweet and floral. Has undertones of rose and mint. How To Use: Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be…
Geranium
Aroma:
Sweet and floral. Has undertones of rose and mint.
How To Use:
Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be applied neet as well).
🚨 Do not use during pregnancy – Geranium can lower your blood sugar levels, use with caution.
Uses
Prevents Acne
Balances Hormones
Supports Anti-Aging
Improves Skin
Reduces Cellulite
Soothes Stress
Boost Immunity
Reduces Pain & Inflammation
Antibacterial Properties
Aides in Digestion
Promotes Kidney Health
Relieves Nerve Pain
Interesting Facts:
Geranium, being a styptic, has the ability to stop the occurrence of hemorrhage as it slows down blood flow by contracting the arteries and veins.[9] It also has hemostatic properties, which cause the blood to clot. This helps heal wounds faster.
Geraniums were first brought to Europe in the 17th century and with time, their fame has spread throughout the world.
Geranium promotes hair growth because it regulates the secretion of sebum on the scalp. The essential oil can be added to either, carrier oils or shampoo. This helps give the hair a smooth sheen and a lovely, mild rose aroma.
According to a study conducted by Dr. Bruce Frome of Beverly Hills, published in the American Journal of Medicine, topical application of geranium oil provides temporary relief of postherpetic neuralgia pain.[5] It also concludes, “Geranium oil relieves pain in minutes and is well tolerated.”
Lavender Aroma: Sweet, crisp, floral aroma. How To Use: Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be applied neet as well). …
Lavender
Aroma:
Sweet, crisp, floral aroma.
How To Use:
Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be applied neet as well).
Lavender Vitality Can be used internally to reduce nausea, aide in respiratory support or just add flavor. Try adding to your next latte – you will be in love!
Uses
Sleep Support
Anti-Convulsive/Sedative Properties
Headache and Migraine Support
Improves Skin
Calming Effects
Relieves Nausea (useful for motion sickness)
Respiratory Support
Anti-Microbial Properties
Interesting Facts:
Lavender essential oil was used in hospitals during WWI.
During the Black Plague, which hit London in the 16th century, lavender oil and alcohol were taken as a way to ward off the disease. Bunches of lavender were sold in the streets in an attempt to ease the smell of the dead and dying.
The name Lavender comes from the Latin verb, “lavare,” which means to wash
In the language of flowers, lavender can mean devotion, luck, success, happiness or distrust
Recently my bestie came into town for a girls weekend, while research fun things for us to do a place called Candytopia came across my feed. A magical candy wonderland –…
Recently my bestie came into town for a girls weekend, while research fun things for us to do a place called Candytopia came across my feed. A magical candy wonderland – think Willy Wonka meets Instagram. We had to go!
After scavenging the internet for information I came up empty handed so here it is – your complete guide to visiting Candytopia!
What To Take
Start to finish, I’ve got you covered. Everything you need to bring for a successful Candytopia visit!
Small Purse or Backpack – Each area of Candytopia features a free candy sample! Having a bag makes collecting these samples much easier. Keep in mind though that Candytopia is a maze of photo opportunities! So be sure to pick a bag that is photogenic so you don’t have to put it on the floor for every photo.
Immunity Roller Ball – There is no shortage of people walking though Candytopia with you – most of whom are children. Pack your immunity roller and use it before and after, at least.
Comfy Shoes – It’s not a lot of walking but there are some fun activities to do along the way. Wearing heels might hinder some of the fun.
Stress Away – With masses of children comes mass chaos. To combat social anxiety and tension keep your Stress Away handy.
Battery Back Up Phone Charger – As stated Candytopia is a maze of photo opportunities and you do not want to be out of battery before the marshmallow pit! (I LOVE this one!)
Inner Child – This massive candy playground is the best of Willy Wonka in an Instagram world. There are swings and confetti cannons and best of all a MARSHMELLOW pit! Remember to let loose and have fun! This oil will help you release your inhibitions and enjoy the experience!
What to Expect
From the moment you enter, the wild imagination that created Candytopia captures your eye. Every little detail is perfectly displayed.
Your tour guide starts by giving you the rundown, dos and don’ts, things to watch for and such. While he or she is talking you are free to walk around the room and examine the art. Be sure to do so – these pieces are amazing!
As a group, you will move from room to room. We chose to lag behind a bit so we would have more time in each room by ourselves. Once we separated from the crowd we had more freedom to run around and take silly pictures.
Each room has a theme, which was such a fun feature! With each theme there was also a candy sample, from Pixie Stix to Air Heads – they had it all! (There are more samples than you really want to eat all at once – thus the bag or at least functional pockets!).
The art museum room was one of my favorites, the details were amazing. Above you see a “painting” made entirely of jelly beans! 😳 From Frida Kahlo to the Mona Lisa the walls are lined with amazing recreations of beautiful art. Each handcrafted using various types of candy!
Throughout the maze, there are various activities to participate in. Be sure to give each a try. In addition to fun art and activities, there are green screen photo ops!
With these photo opportunities, you have to download the Candytopia app. After you create an account it will give you a QR code. At each photo station, they will scan your code before taking the photo.
Each of these photos will upload to the app where you can easily download them for private use (for FREE).
Just look at that amazing unicorn covered in white gummy bears!
Two rooms that stood out to me were the confetti room and the marshmallow pit! The confetti cannon photo op proved to be the perfect Instagram moment while falling into the marshmallow pit made for the perfect boomerang!
From start to finish Candytopia was such a fun experience, one that I highly recommend. Be sure to add a visit to your summer activity list your (inner) kids will LOVE it!
Location
Currently, there are only two locations nationwide one in Dallas, TX and the other in Atlanta, GA. It appears that one is coming to Houston, TX next!
If you are in the Dallas area you can find our Candytopia near Walnut Hill Lane and I-75.
Candytopia Dallas
8021 Walnut Hill Lane Suite 2000
Dallas, TX 75231
Patchouli Aroma: Warm, rich, musky aroma – strong earthy tones. How To Use: Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be applied…
Patchouli
Aroma:
Warm, rich, musky aroma – strong earthy tones.
How To Use:
Diffuse, directly inhale or dilute with V-6 Vegetable Oil Complex to apply topically (can be applied neet as well).
Uses
Grounding Effect On Emotions – Useful in Meditation
Joint Pain
Supports Balance
Improves Skin
Calming Effects
Supports Healthy Muscle/Cartlidge/Joint Function
Helps With Anxiety and Dizziness
Stimulates Circulation
Respiratory Support
Interesting Facts:
It was commonplace for silk traders of the oriental to pack the valuable silk that they were trading with dried patchouli leaves. Patchouli has shown strong evidence of being an insect repellent.
Centuries ago, European traders would exchange a pound of gold for a pound of patchouli.
King Tut had 10 gallons of patchouli oil buried with him in his tomb.
The infamous Napoleon Bonaparte attained some of these patchouli scented cashmeres, through his vast travels to Egypt. He then brought them back to France. This mysterious scent of patchouli and its origin were kept a secret, and it was not until the year 1837, that the smell and the source were identified to the remainder of the western world.
Recipes
Joyful Peace Diffuser Blend Recipe
2 drops Patchouli essential oil
3 drops Bergamot essential oil
3 drops Wild Orange essential oil
Anti-Aging Face Serum
30 mL Jojoba oil
7 drops pure Vitamin E oil
2 drops of Frankincense oil
1 drop of Patchouli essential oil
2 drops of Lavender essential oil
4 drops of Helichrysum essential oil
Grounded Roller Recipe
10 drops Patchouli essential oil
10 drops Balance essential oil
Then top off with your preferred carrier oil.
Want It Free?
Patchouli is a featured oil in May’s Essential Rewards FREEBIES. Want to know more? Email me: carolyn@handrafted.com.
ChapStick, Burts Bees, EOS, Carmex, Blistex and every random promotional lip balm in between. I love it all. My daughter and I always have chapstick at an arm’s length –…
ChapStick, Burts Bees, EOS, Carmex, Blistex and every random promotional lip balm in between. I love it all. My daughter and I always have chapstick at an arm’s length – in the car, on the nightstand, next to the couch and even in front of my computer. The smooth creamy consistency of chapstick is the best part of this constant ritual. With all of this use comes a surplus of empty tubes. If you don’t believe how many chapsticks I have at once, consider that I thought of this blog post idea and immediately collected FOUR empty tubes from various locations through the house. 😂 No need to plan and collect. 🤷🏻 (I understand it’s probably becoming a problem 🙃).
With all these empty tubes and the endless inspiration that is Pinterest, I set off to refill my tubes and make a better, natural chapstick!
Empty Tubes (you can recycle some of your own or you can purchase new ones here)
There are a million different scent/flavor combinations you could use in your lip balm. Some of my favorites would be:
Lemon-Lavender
Grapefruit-Peppermint
Thieves-Orange (Great for fall and cold/flu season!)
Tube Prep
If you are recycling your lip balm tubes it will take a couple of minutes to prep your tubes. Begin by removing the labels.
Next, clean out the tubes of all remaining chapstick. I first did this by using the tip of a butter knife. Then I rolled the tray all the way back to the bottom of the tube and soaked them in boiling water for a few minutes. Boiling the tubes got most everything else out of the tube.
Recipe
This lip balm is a mixture of Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Vitamin E oil. I found several recipes that called for beeswax and even one that used raw organic honey. I chose this combination because it is what I had on hand.
First I measured out the Shea Butter and Coconut Oil into a heat safe container. For this recipe, the ratio is 4:1 Shea Butter to Coconut Oil. Once my ingredients were in the bowl I placed it over a saucepan of boiling water to create a double boiler.
While the ingredients were melting I prepped two snack size baggies. For ease of use, I folded them over the tops of two water glasses. My main reason for doing this is because I wanted to try two different scents and I figured “piping” the liquid in the tube would be easier than any other method.
One the mixture was completely dissolved I split it between the two bags. I then set a timer for THREE minutes – this is important! This allowed the mixture to cool to a temperature at which it was safe to add the essential oils. If you add the essential oils too early the heat can cause the oils to evaporate or even reduce their therapeutic qualities.
After the three minute cooling period add 20-30 drops of essential oil to each bag.
To keep my tubes upright I utilized a foam insert that came with some roller ball bottles – it worked great!
Once my oils were added I carefully closed each bag and mixed the liquid around with my fingers. Next, I cut a very small hole in one corner of the snack bag. I then poured the warm liquid through the hole to fill each tube.
To help the liquid set up in each tube I first let them sit upright at room temperature and then threw them in the fridge until hardened.
I did have excess product after filling my four tubes. Instead of trashing the excess (and losing my essential oils!) I had my husband hold additional snack bags while I poured the excess in. I now have two snack bags of reserve lip balm – for the next round of empties. 🙃
Labels
Lastly, I wanted to add a little something to my tubes to help me tell them apart so using my Cricut I cut 1.75″ x 2.25″ rectangles out of vinyl I had on hand. These fit the tubes like a glove!
If you have any questions leave them below! Anyone else have an addiction to chapstick?!
In this day and age, it feels like most of us are making moves toward more natural, less-toxic, lifestyles. Granted we can’t avoid all the toxin’s in life we can…
In this day and age, it feels like most of us are making moves toward more natural, less-toxic, lifestyles. Granted we can’t avoid all the toxin’s in life we can take steps to get us closer. For me, taking this essential oil journey was a huge step. Slowly I have learned to use my tool bag (i.e. the starter kit) to help my family and myself make better choices. In the fall I opted for Young Living Shampoo and Conditioner followed closely with the Young Living Bar Soap. Step by step making reasonable changes to help my family live a better life. Next up was laundry, for the last 10 years, my family has use products such as Tide Pods, Gain, Oxy Clean, Snuggle and highly fragranced dryer sheets. During this period I have struggled with mild eczema and my husband and daughter with dry skin. It was time to make a change. Below I will take you through each step on how to make the switch.
This Thieves Laundry Detergent recipe is inexpensive (averages 6-8 cents per load!), smells great and is most importantly effective! Our clothes, sheets, towels and even shoes have proven how well this recipe works! And on top of all that it’snon-toxic!
A laundry detergent that I can feel confident using for myself and my family. A laundry detergent free of SLS, petrochemicals, formaldehyde, phosphates, synthetic fragrances and optical brighteners. What a blessing!
Before You Switch
As with most things the switch to a more natural, holistic lifestyle is a process. When it comes to making the laundry switch there is one main step that many don’t tell you, stripping machine of the chemical residue. When you use conventional soap, as we did for years there is a build-up of chemicals inside the holes of your washing machine. Essential Oils naturally dissolve these kinds of chemicals, because of this, if you do not strip your machine first that residue will transfer to your clothes. We had used conventional soap for 7 years in these machines and we bought them second hand!
To strip my machine I ran it empty, adding one cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of Thieves Household Cleaner. I was attentive during the wash cycle as I was curious if the breakdown would be visible. Indeed it was, during the wash cycle the water was grey in color. After the machine finished I did this process again. This time around the water was appeared clear during the wash cycle. Feel free to do this process again if needed.
Once your machine is free of the chemical residue you are prepared to ditch and switch!
Thieves Laundry Detergent
The first step in my ditch and switch journey was to swap out my laundry soap pods for a liquid laundry detergent. I used the below-listed recipe and made a 2-gallon batch. I expect this batch to last my family of three for many months.
Begin by heating the distilled water in a stock pot on the stove. Add the Super Washing Soda and Baking Soda and allow to dissolve completely, mixing with a wooden spoon.
Once dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool. **Adding hot water to drink dispenser may crack the glass or break the seal on the spout, use caution**.
While water is cooling add the Thieves Laundry Soap and Thieves Household Cleaner to the bottom of your dispenser.
Next, add 8 drops of your favorite essential oils. For this batch, I chose 4 drops of Citrus Fresh and 4 drops of Stress Away.
Finally, add cooled water to the dispenser. Be sure to fill the dispenser in its final location, the dispenser will be very heavy once full. Stir the mixture up completely and add the lid.
For use in my conventional machine, I use 1/2 cup per load in addition to my homemade Fabric Softener.
DIY Essential Oil Fabric Softener
Ingredients
White Vinegar
Rubbing Alcohol
10-15 Drops of Essential Oils (your choice) ORDER HERE
Mix together White Vinegar, Rubbing Alcohol and Essential Oils in a jar. For this batch, I chose 8 drops Citrus Fresh and 5 drops Purification.
Shake the jar and add to the laundry as needed.
For my conventional washer, I use 1/4 cup per load. Next for those hard to get stains I use this DIY Stain Treatment – works every time!
Begin by adding the Thieves Laundry Soap and Thieves Household Cleaner to the spray bottle or 30ml roller bottle. (I got this cute bottle at the Target Dollar Spot! I then added a spray top from my collection). Add your Lemon Essential Oil (Lemon is required in this recipe!). Finally, fill the rest of the bottle up with essential oil and mix well.
Wool Dryer Balls
The final step in the laundry room ditch and switch it to purchase and use organic wool dryer balls. I purchase these ones. Wool dryer balls replace traditional dryer sheets in reducing static, and fluffing fabrics. In addition to these benefits, dryer balls have also shown to reduce drying time! I chose to store my balls in a large glass jar I found at Ross. In the bottom of that jar is where I keep all my empty (opened) essential oil bottles, this uses the remaining oils in the bottles and keeps our laundry smelling fresh.
Dryer Ball Hacks
Add one drop of essential oil directly to each ball of added natural fragrance.
Having issues with static? – attach a safety pin or two to the balls
If you have any questions about the Young Living products used in this blog, please email me carolyn@handrafted.com
Pre-treat those hard to get stains with this homemade, nontoxic, stain treatment.
Keyword
Ditch & Switch, Nontoxic Home, Thieves
Prep Time10minutes
AuthorCarolyn of Handrafted
Ingredients
1/4cupThieves Laundry Detergent
2tbspThieves Household Cleaner
10dropsLemon Essential Oil
fillDistilled/Filtered Water
Instructions
Add ingredients to spray bottle or 30 ml roller bottle.
Mix well by shaking or rolling the bottle.
Recipe Notes
Apply directly to the stain before washing. For set in or tough stains allow treatment to set on the stain before washing.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission.
