Frankincense is the King of Oils

Frankincense:  The King of Oils 

One of the three gifts of the Magi, Frankincense has been called "The King of Oils" for its precious and powerful properties. It is sourced from the skilled tribal growers of Somalia and distilled from the sap of the boswellia serrata tree. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-tumor, and anti-aging properties and enhances the action of every other oil. 

It is especially nourishing of skin, nail, and nerve tissue. These are some of the ways I have used this most precious oil in my everyday life:

• Place under tongue or apply to affected area with a carrier oil to reduce pain and inflammation.
• Take internally every day to protect cells and help them to function and reproduce properly.
• Layer with lavender to soothe minor skin irritations.
• Combine with a carrier oil and layer with Deep Blue rub to relieve aches and pains.
• Layer with melaleuca oil to condition and control fungal growth on skin and nails.
• Layer with melaleuca to control skin blemishes.
• Apply topically with a carrier oil to protect skin from the aging process.
• Apply to spine to tone and encourage healthy function and repair of nerve tissue.
• Combine in a capsule to make a "flu bomb" recipe.
• Mix it with Peppermint, Lemongrass, and Fractionated Coconut Oil for a soothing "nerve blend"  to calm nerve pain from back surgery. 

Frankincense is a staple of my oil rack and a must-have oil.  I use it all the time!

Happy Oiling! 

~Juli

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

Give the Gift of Soothing Homemade Lip Balms... 

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 Tbsp white organic beeswax
2 Tbsp organic white refined shea butter

14 drops of Essential Oils of Choice (see below)

In small pot or container, melt coconut oil, beeswax, and Shea butter over low, gentle heat. Add essential oils (two flavors to choose from below) and stir with toothpick. Use a glass pipette to transfer mixture to lip balm containers.  Cool to room temperature.  

Gingerbread Cookie:
6 drops ginger oil
4 drops clove oil
2 drops cinnamon oil
2 drops vanilla extract

---OR---

Lavender Mint:
7 drops peppermint OR spearmint oil**
7 drops lavender oil

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

The Sunny Citruses (Lemon Oil)

Images from Flickr Creative Commons: Commercial Use Permitted

The Sunny Citruses (Lemon Oil)

Finishing out the summer with our focus on citrus oils, I thought I would focus on all things lemon in this edition. I use lemon all the time... both IN me and AROUND me!  :)

Cold pressed from the nutrient dense rind of the fruit, lemon oil has earned its reputation as "the cleansing oil".  It basically de-gunks everything in your body and in your surroundings. It is also one of the least expensive oils you can purchase.  I go through one bottle a month. Here are a few of my favorite uses for this bright and beautiful oil: 

• Drink a few drops in your water to:
  • balance blood pressure
  • encourage fat burning and weight loss
  • cleanse adipose tissue of petrochemicals stored there
  • reduce mucous production
  • relieve minor discomfort associated with too much stomach acid production 
  • cleanse your liver and gall bladder and
  • improve digestion
• Household uses include: 
  • Run a few drops in your garbage disposer to deodorize 
  • Tap onto a barely damp cloth and deodorize a stainless steel garbage can 
  • De grease a gunky stove top
• Diffuse to:
  • improve mental focus 
  • lift mood 
  • overcome addiction

In my book, any day we can accomplish any of these things while reducing the toxic load to our bodies is a good day, indeed.  So let's clean up our act by exploring the virtues of lemon essential oil! 

Happy Oiling! 
~Juli 

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

Check out These Recipes to Try!

Exfoliating Face Scrub

1 Tbsp baking soda

3 drops fractionated coconut oil

1 drop doTERRA Lemon oil

Mix in palm of hands and scrub. Rinse thoroughly. Do this once a week in the winger months for soft, fresh skin.  Discontinue in summer months, as lemon oil will increase skin sensitivity to sunlight.  

Funky Garbage Disposal Remedy

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

5 drops doTERRA Lemon oil

Add all ingredients to the disposal.  Allow to sit until foaming slows down.  Run the disposal and rinse thoroughly. 

DIY Scouring Cleanser

2 cups borax

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup citric acid

1/2 cup kosher salt

20 drops doTERRA Lemon oil

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and stir until all is incorporated.Store in a large shaker bottle. To use, dampen surface and sprinkle powder over area you want to clean. Let sit for 15-30 minutes. For an extra cleansing boost, spray distilled vinegar on powder before wiping clean.  (I can usually find citric acid and borax at any health food store.  I get mine at Sprouts.)  

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

The Sunny Citruses (Grapefruit Oil)

Image Credit:  Flickr Creative Commons; commercial use allowed

The Sunny Citruses (Grapefruit Oil)

Oil enthusiast Dr. David Stewart, PhD once described essential oils as "evidence of God's love manifest in molecules"  With no class of oils is this more true than with the wonderfully summery citruses! Cold pressed from the rind of the fruit, citrus oils are the least expensive oils to purchase.  They are extremely versatile and pair especially well with tree and mint oils. All citruses are very high in compounds called limonenes, which are known to possess anti-tumorial properties.  

Citruses also:

• cleanse lymphatic tissue 
• relieve water retention
• cleanse kidneys
• aid in weight loss
• remove toxins stored in adipose tissue
• clarify and tone the skin
• energize and uplift mood and
• clarify thought processes (especially when paired with Frankincense oil)

Grapefruit Oil

Grapefruit is a perfect example of an oil that contains most or all of these properties.  It blends well with basil, bergamot, cedarwood, cypress, frankincense,  juniper, lavender, and peppermint oils. It posseses anti-depressant, diuretic, stimulant and cleansing properties that can be very strengthening to your urinary, lymphatic and vascular systems. You can blend it with any of these companion oils in a base of fractionated coconut oil and massage along your lymphatic pathways, beginning on each side of your neck and working toward the inside of your elbows.  Massage legs beginning near the groin and sweep toward the back of the knees. 

Grapefruit oil is a also a great complement to any weight reduction plan. The Department of Nursing of the Wonkwang, Korea Health Science College published an interesting study which concluded that adding grapefruit oil to a massage did, in fact, contribute to weight loss in menopausal women.   And here is something you can try.  Place 7 drops of certified pure therapeutic grade grapefruit oil in a glass bottle with 7-8 cups of water and shake. Drink this before your meals and throughout the day. 

Most citruses (lemon, lime, wild orange, bergamot, and, yes, grapefruit) are available to us year round. They are blended into many of the therapeutic blends distributed through doTERRA International.  These include Citrus Bliss, Motivate, On Guard, Slim and Sassy, AromaTouch Blend, and Elevation just to name a few. 

Happy Oiling! 
~ Juli

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

Recipes You Can Try...

Spearmint Tangerine Beverage                 

1 drop doTERRA Tangerine oil                          

1 drop doTERRA Spearmint oil                         

1 glass of cool, filtered water 

Coconut Lime Fizz

1 can coconut water

1 bottle carbonated water

1-2 drops liquid Stevia

2 drops doTERRA Lime oil

Citrus Coconut Popsicles

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 cup orange juice

1/3 cup agave juice

1-2 drops doTERRA Lime oil

• Lubricate each popsicle mold with doTERRA fractionated coconut oil. 
• Mix all ingredients together, reserving 1/2 of the can of coconut milk.  
• Fill 2/3 of each popsicle mold, dividing evenly and freeze for 10 minutes.
• Top off each mold with remaining coconut milk and freeze for 30 minutes longer. 
• Insert popsicle sticks and freeze until firm.  

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

                

                                                                          

  

Forest Bathing

What is "Forest Bathing?"

There's nothing like a good summer rain.  And for those of us who live in the desert, thank goodness we have monsoon season to look forward to!  Regardless of where you live, however, darkening skies and cooler temperatures can mean that a fragrant walk in aromatic forests is in YOUR future!  

"Forest Bathing", as it is known in Japan, provides many health benefits.  But what is it, exactly, about the essences of a pine forest that make you feel so good?

Chemically speaking, it has a lot to do with Alpha and Beta pinenes, two therapeutic compounds in the Terpene family. These compounds are plentiful in the essential oils of all coniferous and most citrus species, which is why coniferous and citrus oils often pair well together.

The health benefits of Alpha and Beta pinenes are well known. 

Alpha pinenes (plentiful in lime, lemon and wild orange as well as Clary Sage, frankincense, juniper, lavender, marjoram, pine, rosemary and sandalwood essential oils.) 

• Promote respiratory health (bronchodilator, expectorant)
• Aid memory and are... 
• Anti inflammatory
• Anti carcinogenic and...
• Anti infectious (bacterial, fungal, and viral)

Beta pinenes (Found in all "piney" smelling coniferous species):

• Are a natural serotonin reuptake inhibitor
• Enhance norepinephrine and dopamine usage in the body 
• Lift mood
• Calm anxious feelings 
• Relax muscles

I discovered "Forest Bathing in a Bottle" when I was first introduced to therapeutic grade essential oils.  My most favorite oil blend, then and now, is Balance, also known as the grounding blend, by doTERRA International.  Formulated with spruce, frankincense, Ho wood, Blue Tansy flower, and Blue Chamomile flower, this piney blend grounds and soothes me every time.

How about you?  What sorts of health benefits have you enjoyed as a result of a simple walk in the woods?

Let's get out there and enjoy!

--- Juli 

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here! 

A Soothing Aromatic Recipe Just For You!

Combine these oils... rich in Beta pinenes, and prepare to be amazed at how much it utterly unwinds you.  Use to relax muscles before or after exercise or at night right before bed for a deeply rejuvenating sleep. 

1 drop doTERRA Balance grounding blend 

1 drop doTERRA Serenity calming blend

1 drop lavender oil

1 drop wild orange oil

* Use 2 drops of each oil when diffusing.  Apply 1 drop of each topically to neck and chest.  Inhale from cupped hands. 

Questions about essential oils?  Let me help!   

Contact me here!