Fall & Winter Creepy Crawly Pests

Do Creepy Crawlies Give You The Heebie Jeebies?

This fall, as it has gotten cold, the mice have decided to make our home theirs.  Well let me tell you, they are not welcome!  We have heard this from our neighbors as well.  I guess I can't blame them.  A nice warm house vs. snow, and freezing temps?  Good choice.

It also seems that our normal spider population increases as it gets cold.

Of course you can purchase traps, and rodent or insect repellents but of course those repellents are loaded with chemicals.  And I sure don't want to be looking at dead mice with bulging eyes!  Sorry for the visual there.  Our fat cat, Tigger really is not much help.  He is more of a lounger than a hunter.

 Young Living essential oils to the rescue.   Of course the oils are all natural with no harsh side affects.  

Mice: Our little visitors must have a route in our house.  We are finding them in our cupboard that holds all our pots and pains.  They are attracted to food.  Little crumbs, scraps, candy, and stored food. The worst thing possible is to find mouse droppings in your cupboard!  They will also chew on boxes, woodwork and even furniture.

Did you know mice do not like peppermint!   You can make an all natural peppermint spray with Young Living Peppermint Oil.  Mix together 2 cups water with 3 teaspoons of peppermint essential oil and spray it throughout your home. You can also saturate a rag or cotton balls and place them in areas you think the mice may be entering or where you find evidence of mice.

Here is the other great advantage, spiders also hate peppermint oil!  We have a lot of trees where we live and spiders can be a real problem.  We used to hire an expensive exterminator to come in and spray both inside and outside the house numerous times per year.  Not only was it expensive but again loaded with chemicals.  We have kids, dogs and a cat!  I didn't want them inhaling or getting into all those chemicals.

You can use the same mixture and spray windows, door frames etc. to deter those 8 legged nasties!

Peppermint oil is a real staple in our house.  We use it for many thing besides mice and spider!  Peppermint oil helps with concentration, head aches, stress, bad breath, muscle soreness and so much more.  Be sure that you only get the best peppermint oil.  Remember (I have told you this before) that the FDA does not regulate peppermint.  It is only required that 5% of the extract of the plant be in peppermint essential oils to label it as natural/organic.  Guess what the other 95% can be?  Fillers and chemicals.  If you find cheap oils at the grocery store, that is what they are CHEAP!  I only recommend 100% pure and natural Young Living Essential oils.

You can read about my story here Why I Chose Young Living.  Oh and here is a wonderful home recipe for whipped body butter that is amazing for that horrible winter dry skin...Whipped Peppermint Body Butter

Visit my website or ask me how to get these amazing Young Living oils for 24% off retail through a wholesale membership!   www.lorihanken.vibrantscents.com

If Spring ever comes back to MN - stay tuned for more posts about spring and summer pests!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Diffusing vs. Air Fresheners

I am in the midst of writing about 5 blog posts at the same time.  Of course I am not finishing any of them.   So this short little interim post will have to do for now ;)

Part of the new challenge we are facing right now is that the FDA has written letters to Essential Oil companies especially two of the big ones.  That includes Young Living.  Right now we are so seriously restricted in what we can say about the oils and what we can share about the oils.  We have never been able to prescribe, or diagnose or anything like that.  But we were able to share our own testimonials. Not anymore.  So, let's talk about something else.

Besides the health benefits that we have all received over the 20 years of Young Living's existence there are many other benefits.

Hopefully you have all seen the articles about chemicals and foreign substances in some of our products.  Here are a couple of examples.

 http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners/fairfresheners.pdf

Air Fresheners.    There are horrible things in Air Fresheners.

Honestly they give me headaches now.  And don't get me started on perfumes, cosmetics, or scented candles.  I know there are a lot of people out there that sell those warmers, candles and more.  Sorry - not for me.  I want something natural, that smells amazing and is actually good for you!

 My answer?  Diffusers with essential oils.  Here is the beauty; not only do they smell great and freshen the air, they are good for you!  Maybe they help you boost immunity, maybe they help you sleep better, help boost your immunity, help with the season stuffy nose or sore throat, give you more energy or maybe they help lift your spirits.  Sounds like good stuff right?  Oh yes - it is.

There are many benefits that we have found with diffusing oils.  I would encourage you to go to www.oil-testimonials.com to look up specific benefits of diffusing.  It is a free service!  FREE IS GOOD.  It does require registration.  That way you can look things up yourself.

We have diffusers in every room, bedrooms, kitchen, laundry room and in my office.  I love them!

How did I start?  I bought the starter kit from Young Living, it came with 11 5 ml bottles of essential oils.  Then I experimented.

Here are some of the oils and blends that I love to diffuse.

1.  Purification - this gets rid of smells in the kitchen and in the dog's room!

2.  Peppermint & Lemon - this is a mentally uplifting blend.  Really clears your mind and brain and helps me focus.  Search the web for other potential benefits of these two oils.

Here are some great blends from the Young Living blog and their employees:

You can read the whole post at:  https://blog.youngliving.com/creating-custom-essential-oil-diffuser-blends/#.VDWBcvldUb0 or read the excerpt below.

At our global headquarters, several Young Living employees have created their own custom diffusing blends. Here’s a favorite blend of McKenna H., who works in our Will Call:

• 7-10 drops Lime

• 6-8 drops Tangerine

• 2-3 drops Melaleuca Quinquenervia

• 1 drop Petitgrain

• 2 drops Frankincense

• Eucalyptus Radiata and Grapefruit for a fresh, clean aroma

• Jasmine, Orange, and Tangerine to create a scent reminiscent of spring

• Sandalwood, Frankincense, and Hong Kuai to help promote deeper meditation

• Christmas Spirit™ and Pine or Juniper to create a cozy, winter aroma

“I like to diffuse Peppermint and Thieves. It makes for a very fresh-smelling home, while cleaning the air of impurities at the same time.” –Gail T., Silver
–Tiffany V., Senior Star

Other custom blends ideas from Young Living employees include:

Favorite Diffuser Blends from Young Living Facebook fans:

“I created a blend for my daughter’s fourth-grade class to clear the room and help with focus: Peppermint, Clove, Eucalyptus, and Lemongrass.” –Yvonne S., Member

“I diffuse 7 drops of Stress Away™ and 3 drops of Citrus Fresh™ to help with relaxation while maintaining a house with two toddlers.” –Nichole C., Member

“For freshening air and getting rid of bugs, I use Purification, Peppermint, Valor, and Thieves.”

“Peace & Calming with some Christmas Spirit at night makes me sleep like a baby, and I wake up happy in the morning!” –Shelly M., Star

“My favorite: 2 drops Joy, 2 drops Abundance ™, 5 drops Citrus Fresh, and 3 drops Peppermint.” –Renee D., Star

“Lavender and Orange is a great mix for relaxation and creates a wonderful fragrance.” –Glenda M., Member

“Lavender and Peace & Calming at bedtime creates restful nights for the whole family.” –Darcy D., Star

Are you an essential oils user?  Leave me a comment with your favorite oils or blends.  I love to try new options!

What You See Is What You Get - A Homemade Facial Powder

It seems like I have always been a what you see is what you get kind of girl.  Although I do remember in college wearing far too much eye makeup but that is another story.

Now that I think back - I remember the ribbed turtlenecks in Junior High (yes it was Junior High when I was a kid, not middle school).  The girls wore so much makeup on their faces that their turtleneck tops were orange.  Actually so were their faces.  I always thought that was disgusting so I never did that in Junior High.  Maybe that is why none of the boys liked me.  Or maybe it was because I was 5' 11" by 7th grade.  No matter.  Back to more important things.



I keep reading on a daily basis about all the cancer causing chemicals that are in all the products we use on a daily basis.

Here is what www.lesstoxicguide.ca has to say about face powders.

"Face Powder

Mainstream powder products commonly contain talc or silica. Both talc and silica can be easily inhaled and cause respiratory problems when they are airborne. As well, face powders are frequently coloured with potentially toxic coal tar dyes, such as D&C Red 30 Lake and D&C Yellow Aluminum Lake. Other toxic ingredients in face powders include quaternium-15 and imidazolidinyl urea, two preservatives that can release carcinogenic formaldehyde, butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), a preservative and fragrance masking ingredient which can cause allergic reactions, and lanolin, a skin irritant. Synthetic fragrances, which are added to many popular brands, can also cause contact dermatitis. Endocrine-disrupting parabens are common as preservatives in face powders, and, in a few products, triclosan, another hormone disrupting chemical, is added for its antibacterial properties."

We read all the time about the items and chemicals to avoid.  Here is a great info graphic.

http://blog.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/2013/06/25/12-toxic-cosmetic-chemicals-to-avoid-when-why-to-ditch-old-cosmetics/

I am not a scientist.  I am just someone looking for more natural alternatives to some of our daily use products.  What I found was it was very difficult to even find a list of ingredients on makeup provider's web sites!

So, what is a girl to do?  WEAR FOOD!   

Some of the recommended, "healthier" products  ranged from  $20 - $37.  

For pennies, seriously pennies, I make my own face powder now.  Here is another huge advantage, skin color/tone changes from summer to winter, change the color by adding more ingredients!  This was the only way that I could do this and be certain of the content!

It is nourishing, it is light and actually feels silky on my skin.


INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder (you can get this at most grocery stores)
• 1/4 tsp Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 1/8 tsp Ginger
• 10 Drops Of Your Favorite Nourishing Oil (I recommend Lavender or Frankincense - choose an oil based on your skin type, acne prone, oily, damaged, or a combo of the two)
• 5 Drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil)

Where to get good essential oils:  Order Here

Here are some suggestions on spices to use for certain colors.    Play around to get the best color for you.  This is MUCH BETTER than having to buy multiple shades of store bought skin powder when they don't match!  Just keep adding until you get the blend you like.

You can really use almost any spice you have on hand.  Personally as I am putting it on my face, I purchased new bulk spices from Lakewinds CoOp.  I would avoid cinnamon because it can be irritating to skin.   Here are some common oils with colors to choose.  

Hint:  You can use a coffee grinder to make your own powders from dried herbs!

1. Clove - darker brown with some reds
2. Cocoa Powder - medium to dark brown
3. Ginger - yellow tones
4. Nutmeg - medium to light brown
5. Sage - green tones

Here are some other suggestions on oils to use.  Seriously, use what you have.  I would avoid any citrus oils as they cause photo sensitivity.

Oils Good for Oily Skin and Acne (Source: Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils - by Connie and Alan Higley)

• Melaleuca Tea Tree)
• German Chamomile
• Juniper
• Lavender
• Rosewood
• Melrose

Oils Good For Skin Health, Wrinkles, Lines (Source: Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils - by Connie and Alan Higley)

• Frankincense
• Patchouli
• Lavender
• Carrot
• Fennel
• Geranium
• Helichrysum
• Rosewood
• Sandalwood

• Where to get good essential oils?  
• 
  
• I only trust Young Living oils for my home made products.  You can check them out at Order Here

Also you can check out my Facebook page for more essential oils tips and tricks Facebook Page

What home made products do you make?

Skeptically Optimistic - Why I Chose Young Living - Why I Am Staying With Young Living

You may have read my post about how we got started with Young Living essential oils.  For a brief synopsis, we were looking for alternatives to Ibuprofen for my daughter.  We were very uncomfortable with the side affects of Ibuprofen.  We were introduced to the oils and thought for the minimal investment it was certainly worth the effort to jump in and give them a try.

They sounded too good to be true with all the testimonials I had been reading.  I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL.  Although I have to say my daughter was even more skeptical than me.

What I have found is that they continue to amaze and surprise me when they work on the next thing we try them on!

I am going to go a little different direction than so many of the blogs I see out there.  I want to focus on the positive and tell you why I chose Young Living and more importantly why I stay with Young Living!

When we started looking at essential oils I had NO loyalty to any particular brand.  I am not going to tell you what is bad about other brands.  I am not even going to name them.  Honestly I have no experience with other oils so I can't speak ill of them can I?  You may know who some of them are, but please, this is simply my opinion.

Here is what was important to me.

TIME ON THE MARKET

As of July 2014 Young Living has been in business for 20 years!  That is a long time.  That means a ton of research, knowledge and product information is coming my way.  They have refined their business processes and know what they are doing.  Young Living's largest competitor was founded in 2008.

There are MANY, MANY, MANY smaller oil companies out there.  I don't know about all of them but I know the majority have not been in business for 20 years.   Personally I was very wary of start ups.  I was wary of companies that are offering "free" startup kits.  That, as a business owner, sounds pretty risky to me.

Chart Source

BREADTH OF PRODUCT OFFERINGS

Here are a couple numbers to compare.  All data is based on what is on their websites today.

Young Living

Singles:  85 (that doesn't include some oils that are available only in kits)
Blends:  72

Largest competitor

Singles:  40 (they listed coconut oil - I didn't count that :)
Blends:  20

Common Health Food Store Brand

Singles:  69 (this was hard to verify because they listed many oils twice in their product listings)
Blends:  10

Another Popular Brand Claiming 100% pure essential oils

Singles:  77  (again very misleading.  If you count them all there were 96.  Many oils had 2 listings one for regular oils and one for organic)
Blends:  43

These numbers may not be exact but you get the picture.  Young Living has a number of kits that have oils that are not available individually at this time so they aren't included in my counts.


What this equated to, for me, is that everyone else will always be playing catch up with Young Living.  EVEN if they do produce a good quality oil the depth and breadth of their product line will most likely never compare.

Young Living is not just oils.  It includes things like personal care products, beauty products, supplements, cleaning products and more.  All are CHEMICAL free and good for you!  You can visit my website to learn more about all the products available.

My Young Living Website or Young Living Product Information

PURITY

This is a real hot button in the industry.  Everyone says their oils are the "only" pure oils out there.  I am not even going to make that claim.  I have no way of knowing that.  What I know, is I personally trust Young Living and here is why.

Young Living has a Seed to Seal Promise.  This is not marketing hype, this is not a made up certification.  This is a quality process that they have put into place for every single oil.

You can check out Seed To Seal Promise for more information.

They currently have 7 farms and have just added an 8th in Canada.  They control the entire growth process.  Is this true for every single oil?  No of course not, but a large portion of the oils are grown on Young Living owned farms.  If they are partner farms Young Living is deeply involved in the growth process.

TESTING

Young Living is the only essential oil company that I know that has their own testing facility.  They test every batch of oils themselves internally.  If oils do not meet their rigorous testing standards, they are rejected and not released to their customers and members.

IMITATION

When you compare other company's blends to Young Living you will see the ingredient list is very close.  Usually there is only 1 oil that is different.   For example they might use orange instead of lemon.

If you trust a brand why would you want to buy an imitator?  Especially a cheap imitator?

When it comes to my families' health, I want the original.


RESULTS

The bottom line is every time we have used the oils for something, they have worked.  If that had not been the case, I would have tried something else.  These oils never cease to amaze me!  I trust the quality of the Young Living oils.  I don't trust oils that are really cheap. If there was a way to make the oils that much less expensive don't you think our largest competitor would be priced far under us?

I like to say now, that I continue to be Skeptically Optimistic.  I am always skeptical and hopeful at the same time.  I am a glass half full kind of girl.  But I have not been disappointed yet!

Do your own homework and if I can help, I am here.

Curious about the oils?  Check out my Facebook event next week.  RSVP on Facebook and learn about the oils from your smart phone, tablet or computer.  Can't make it?  RSVP anyway and come back to review the content when you want!  "See" you there.

Facebook Oils Free Workshop - RSVP Here!

If someone has introduced you to Young Living, please reach out to them.  If not, I am happy to help!  Email me at lhanken96@gmail.com

~Blessings, Health & Abundance

Lori

Are You Kidding Me?

Welcome to my blog!  So many times throughout my day I feel the need to do a face palm.  So much that you see and hear every day gets an "Are you kidding me?" response.  My Dad used to say to my Mother, "I think you are raising stupid kids!"

Sometimes though that phrase can be something of excitement, wonder, awe.  I am going to look for those type of moments more often!

I want to tell you my personal Young Living Essential Oils story.  I know some of you may be sick of hearing about my passion for oils.  Maybe if you hear how we started, you will understand why I am so passionate about it.  We continue to find new benefits on a daily basis.

Adding Young Living oils to our life was a big part of becoming whole!

Our daughter in 7th grade grew 5 inches in one school year.  The growing pains were horrible.  She also was starting to suffer from female pains!  Let's just say life was pretty miserable for her.  Just to add insult to injury (pun intended) it seems like she was always injured in sports.  We called her Danger Prone Daphne.

We carried Ibuprofen with us everywhere.  Have you all seen the studies and the information about what Ibuprofen does to you?  Our daughter was eating Ibuprofen multiple times per day!

Here is one link with a list.  Web MD Ibuprofen Article

Oh, if those weren't pleasant enough here is an article from Livestrong.com about Ibuprofen in children.  Livestrong Ibuprofen Article

For those of you that don't want to read the articles, here are two highlights.  STOMACH BLEEDING & LIVER PROBLEMS.

So here is how we found a healthy alternative!  We were at a softball tournament in Iowa.  One of Elsie's teammates was hit in the foot with a pitch.  Her foot swelled up, they went to the medic, her parents gave her 5 (count them - 5!) Ibuprofen, they iced and elevated.  She was told that nothing was broken but that she probably wouldn't play the rest of the week.

Our niece was with us and asked if she could put some essential oils on her foot.  We asked her mom and she put on PanAway and Peppermint.  To make a long (and amazing) story short.  She was walking and running that night and played softball the rest of the weekend!

My husband and I talked about it on the way home from Iowa.  David has chronic lower back pain, our son has plantar fasciitis and we could think of many other things that we were currently medicating.  We said, for $150 how could it possibly hurt to give it a try!  We signed up as members and now get 24% off retail on all our oils.
ARE WE GLAD WE DID!  No more Ibuprofen in our house.  As a matter of fact, I have thrown it all away :)

 PanAway does many things but primarily is a pain relieving blend of oils. It smells a lot like Ben Gay or Biofreeze.  

Peppermint is a natural analgesic and is also considered a driver oil so it intensifies any oil that is applied previously.







Here is the "Are You Kidding Me?" part of it.  So many parents continue to give their children Ibuprofen on a regular basis.  How can you afford not to at least try a natural alternative.

Whipped Peppermint Body Butter

I love creamy lotions. Unfortunately I live in an area where the climate can be beyond cold and dry in the winter.  As a matter of fact, it is going to be so cold on Monday that the governor has required that all MN schools close for the day.  Sigh.  

Good quality lotions can often be very expensive and full of chemicals!

Body butters, made with pure therapeutic grade essential oils are amazing.   Don’t use cheap, store bought essential oils.  You will defeat the purpose of making your own natural products!

I have researched many recipes on Facebook, Pinterest and on people’s blogs and decided to experiment.  Needless to say my first experience wasn’t a huge success.  Mine quickly hardened to a solid and had chunks!  The instructions I found were sketchy at best for a first timer.  So I will attempt to make them a bit more complete.

Ingredients

• Shea Butter – this butter has a very earthy smell.  You measure it like you measure brown sugar.  Pack it into a dry measuring cup.  You can use any butter like this, Shea, Cocoa or?  Raw Shea Butter is gray looking, be sure to get organic and butters without scents.  Lakewinds has it in bulk, WholeFoods has it in jars.
• Coconut Oil – this is also considered a solid and is measure has a consistency like shortening.  Pack into a dry measuring cup.
• Almond Oil – You can use any liquid oil for this, olive, jojoba, almond…
• Essential Oils* – It takes A LOT of oil to get the scent in the body butter.  I used Peppermint** as it is strong.  I would use 20-30 drops.

There is no right or wrong answers here, it is all personal taste.

Here is the key – you need a ratio of 75% solid to 25% liquid.  Shea Butter and Coconut Oil are solids, Almond and Essential Oils are liquid.

*Not all essential oils are good to put on the skin.  Many are used solely to make things smell nice.  Make sure you get therapeutic grade essential oils like Young Living.  I can direct you where to get them.  www.youngliving.org/lhanken

**You can use any oils but if you use a citrus oil be sure to stay out of the sun as they can make you photosensitive!

Luxurious Peppermint Body Butter

• 1 cup organic raw shea butter 

• 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
   
• 1/2 cup almond oil
   
• 15-20 drops of Peppermint Oil – more to personal taste – Order Here 

1.       Melt shea butter and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler.   Don’t have a double boiler?  A glass bowel over water in a traditional sauce pan works. 

2.      Remove from heat and let at room temperature for 30 minutes

3.      Measure and add in almond oil and essential oils of your choosing.*

4.      Place oil mixture in freezer to chill.  This step is the most crucial!

5.      Wait until oils start to partially solidify.  This is where I had trouble, if you let it chill too long, it solidifies!  You want just the edges to start to get solid but the rest to remain cool but liquid.

6.      Scrape down the sides that have hardened slightly

7.      Use a hand mixer or your stand mixer to whip to butter like consistency.

8.      Place in a wide mouth (especially if you have big hands) jar.

This body butter feels a bit greasy when you first put it on but it soaks into the skin right away!

This recipe makes about 2 ½ cups

Tips: 

If it doesn’t whip up, it was not chilled long enough.  Put it back in the freezer to chill a while longer.

If it hardens too much, your butter will have chunks.  If that happens but it back in the double boiler, melt it all up and chill again.

Do NOT keep this is a hot car – it will liquefy!

Blessings! * Enjoy!