I use doTerra essential oils for so many things. I use them for cleaning, diffusing, in my homemade beauty products, on my pets and even in some of my recipes.

They are such a part of my life, I don’t know what I would do without them.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OIL ANYWAY?

If you have ever enjoyed the scent of a rose, then, you’ve experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. These naturally occurring, aromatic compounds are found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flower, and other parts of the plants. Essential oils provide plants with protection against predators and disease and play a role in plant pollination. In addition to these benefits to plants and also being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have long been used for food preparation, beauty treatment, and health-care practices.

How do I use my essential oils you might ask? Well, for just about every aspect of my life. Below you will find a list of all the areas I use them, plus how to make some of the products yourself. I find that I can justify the cost of the oils because of the money I save on buying expensive cleaning & beauty products. A little goes a long way, at the most I use 10 drops at a time.

CLEANING PRODUCTS:

I find that lemon, wild orange & lavender are my 3 go-to’s for cleaning. By putting a couple of drops of lemon/wild orange in some Arm and Hammer Baking Soda I create a great non-abrasive scrubbing powder that I use for my kitchen sink and sometimes my counters.

I keep a container with a tight fitting lid under my sink with vinegar, lemon & orange peels. When I need to disinfect my counters or cutting boards I put a little of the liquid in a spray bottle with a couple of drops of lemon & wild orange essential oils. Citrus is a natural disinfectant, which makes this spray perfect for an all-purpose cleaner. I use it when I mop my tile floor too.

 

 

I also use the vinegar solution combined with Seventh generation dish soap & lemon/wild orange essential oils to create an unbelievable bathroom cleaner. It not only makes the bathroom squeaky clean, but it also makes it smell fresh & clean.

 

For an easy furniture polish mix some La Tourangelle, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, vinegar solution & lemon essential oil in a spray bottle. Shake well to emulsify. Spray polish onto microfiber cloth and rub onto finished-wood furniture. Always go with the grain and evenly distribute polish.

I deodorize & kill dust mites in my mattress by mixing lavender essential oil with baking soda. I, then, generously sprinkle my mattress with it and let sit for 1 hour. Once the hour is up, just vacuum it up. I also use it on the carpet to freshen it up between cleanings.

When I wash my bed sheets, I add lavender essential oil to the rinse cycle. Lavender is known for its sleep inducing properties. When inhaled the scent travels all the way into the amygdala gland (the emotional warehouse) in the brain to calm the mind, making it perfect for sheets & pillow cases. You can also sprinkle some onto wool dryer balls to really get the benefits of the lavender scent.

HEALTH & BEAUTY:

I’m not much of a make-up person, so I really try to keep my skin looking good. I refuse to use over the counter, off the shelf, drug store beauty products. There are way too many chemicals in them for my taste. I prefer to make my own, it’s cheaper and I know what’s in it.

My go-to body lotion is Viva Labs The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, mixed with lavender essential oil. I actually use it in the shower, at the very end. To me it’s less messy and the heat from the hot water opens my pores allowing the oil to penetrate the skin easier.

I also use this same mixture on days when I’m having a dry, flyaway hair day. I put just a small drop in the palm of my hand an run my fingers through my hair and it calms it right down.

For an easy deodorant, mix some coconut oil, baking soda and an essential oil of your choice together. I like to make mine pretty thick, so I go easy on the coconut oil, heavy on the baking soda and only a drop or two of the EO. I truly believe this works better than any deodorant you can buy at the store without all the nasty chemicals.

I have a habit of oil pulling every morning after I brush & floss my teeth. I mix Frankincense essential oil with coconut oil and swish it around my mouth for at least 10 minutes, sometime as long as 20 minutes, depending on how much of a hurry I’m in that day. The antiseptic qualities of this oil can help prevent bad breath, cavities, toothaches, mouth sores and other infections.

I also make my own toothpaste. I mix baking soda, turmeric, coconut oil & peppermint essential oil together to form a paste. The turmeric reduces plaque, gingivitis symptoms, and bacterial activity at rates greater than the traditional mouthwash. Coconut oil is a natural way to reduce harmful bacteria in the mouth and improve oral health and 1 or 2 drops of peppermint to freshen your breath.

I try to soak in a bath at least 2 or 3 times a week. I use different oils for different things, but mostly I use lavender oil because of it’s soothing effects. A good detox bath is to add about 10 drops of lavender oil, about 3 handfuls of Epsom salts and about 1 handful of baking soda. Epson salt is high in magnesium, which a majority of us are deficient in, the baking soda draws out impurities and the lavender oil helps me sleep like a baby.

Sometimes if my muscles are really sore from working out or if I pulled one, I replace the lavender for tea tree/Malacca oil. I cannot even tell you how good tea tree oil is at relieving pain. You can even use it straight out of the bottle on any area that is giving you a lot of pain and it will instantly take it away. That ain’t no joke!

At night when I’m getting ready for bed, I set my diffuser up with doTERRA Breathe & doTERRA OnGard to help me sleep. I have a difficult time breathing at night without this powerful combo, it really does open up my airways and help me get a good nights sleep. My husband likes to diffuse oregano oil. He has recently quit smoking and the oregano oil is healing his lungs. It also benefits respiratory & flu infections. Traditional healers since ancient times have used oregano extract to treat respiratory issues such as coughs, colds, flu, sore throats and bronchitis.

Lavender is also a good oil to use in the diffuser. Because of the obvious reasons, a lot of people I know diffuse lavender oil. It would also be perfect in a nursery or a child bedroom. My niece is a teacher at a Montessori school and they use lavender oil in the classroom to help keep the environment calm.

COOKING:

I don’t use essential oils a lot in my food. I have made energy balls using dates, nuts, chocolate & doTERRA Wild Orange, just a couple of drops. They are really good, and easy to make. Recipe: In a food processor mix together dates, organic rolled oats, organic Chia seeds, organic masa, organic coconut, organic cacao nibs, doTerra Wild Orange EO & a little water

I have been to plenty of doTERRA parties where essential oils have been used to make all kinds of things from dips to drinks to desserts. They were all YUMMY!! No complaints from me. I think I will experiment more with using essential oils in my food this year, after all they are just the essence of a plant. 🙂

If your interested in obtaining doTERRA essential oils send an email to sustainableorganicworld@gmail.com. Let me know your name & telephone number and I’ll have a representative get in touch with you.