Think Dirty - Household Cleaner

So my fave housecleaner, Lysol, is no longer welcome here at our house.  I loved the lemon clean smell that I grew up with but it really irritated Ari's sinuses. They hated how it smelled and decided to do a little research on the subject of cleaning products, specifically Lysol Clean & Fresh cleaner. It’s pretty bad. In fact, the EWG rates it an F.

The obvious concerns are respiratory effects and skin damage. All but two of the disclosed ingredients that have data can cause major respiratory problems. Our old friend generic fragrance is back at it again with the acute skin and respiratory toxicity, along with its friends sodium borate (which can also cause skin damage, subfertility, and birth defects) and limonene (a culprit of contact dermatitis, organ effects, asthma, and cancer). Fun stuff!

So we chose a natural product that smells amazing to both of us. Needless to say, we’re glad we switched to Thieves™. Since we found out that there is evidence backing the main ingredient of Lysol as promoting organ failure, we figured you might want to switch, too.

The reason that Thieves™ household cleaner is a great replacement is that it has NONE of those nasties; instead, it uses all-natural essential oils from Young Living, specifically clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary, all of which also come in the FDA-approved Vitality® line, so all of which are safe and edible. That way if your food falls on the counter or your kids run across the freshly-mopped floor, you won’t need to worry! Young Living has you covered. It’s better for the environment as well, since the Lysol going down the toilet drain is a danger to aquatic life.

Thieves™ cleaner might seem a bit expensive at first but you only use a capful in a quart of water for a great household spray or spot cleaner for your carpet. It doesn’t come in those convenient wipes Lysol either but we have a recipe to make your own wipes that smell even better! So you have easy access cleaning that’s REALLY clean and not toxic. 

There are so many ways you can use this cleaner that we have thrown out lots of products: carpet shampoo, glass cleaner, fruit and veggie spray, wood cleaner, and laundry detergent, to name a few.  So we now have a lot fewer nasty chemicals in our home to screw up our bodies and cause issues we don't need.  And best of all, we find Thieves does a much better job even though it is natural enough to ingest.

If you would like to try Thieves foaming hand soap and get wholesale pricing contact me at otown.oilers@gmail.com or order direct here:

https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/start?site=US&sponsorid=3703800&enrollerid=3703800

Here are a few recipes for making your own products from the Thieves cleaner:

This blog post written by Ari

My Daily Ritual

Thieves foaming handsoap, Mermaid spray, YL ART facial wash and toner [back row] Glass jars: virgin cold pressed coconut oil, face scrub, Eye cream, deodorant and toe fungus cream.  

About a year ago, I began using essential oils to replace products in my home that were full of toxic chemicals. Little did I know that I could and would, use them to support a healthy body as well. As I have learned more about the benefits of essential oils this year and began using them with great success, a daily ritual has naturally evolved.  For someone who didn't know much about oils last year, I admit, I would have laughed hysterically if you told me this would be my morning oily routine:

After showering, brushing my teeth and washing my face, all with products made with essential oils, I use my homemade natural deodorant with lemongrass. I then spritz my hair with Mermaid spray made with Lavender, Cedarwood, Rosemary and witch hazel which has been the best hair product I've ever used. AMAZING!

Spreading Frankincense, Copaiba & Lavender mixed with coconut oil on face and neck has been even more so. When people started asking me what I've been doing to my face or saying I looked ten years younger, I knew I wasn't imagining what I saw in the mirror.

Next I rub Endo-flex blend over my adrenal glands, thyroid and on the base of my toes to support my energy and emotional levels. I could write an entire blog post or maybe even book chapter on how much this has helped me and the 18 year old.  Let's just say, I will never be without this oil again!

Then Tea Tree, Lemon, Peppermint, Thieves and Cypress cream all over my toes to support healthy feet. My nails are half way grown out now and the difference is pretty radical.  Looking forward to seeing pretty toes in a few more months.

Finally, I put a drop or two of Stress-away blend with Lime, Vanilla, Copaiba, Ocotea, Cedarwood and Lavender on my wrists and temples to support a positive and calming start to my day. I also put this one on my bracelet with lava and wood beads to carry this heavenly smell with me throughout my day.

Additionally, other oils I use for special circumstances like these:

Cold & Flu season
Thieves on the bottom of my feet 2-3X daily to support my immune systems.
Eucalyptus,  Lemon, Frankincense and Peppermint mixed with coconut oil over my chest to support healthy lungs.

When in pain
Panaway, Frankincense, Copaiba and Orange cream on sore areas to support flexibility and circulation. Think BenGay without the nasty chemicals and orange to make it smell even better.

When Tired
Peppermint and Orange to support brain function and alertness level.  Palo Santo when I need to really concentrate like when I'm doing my monthly order or paying bills.

Feeling overwhelmed
My favorite rollerball blend made this year which helps my fight or flight feelings has Lavender, Cedarwood and Vetiver with Grapeseed oil.  The kid carries this one everywhere.

Feeling under the weather
Oregano oil in a capsule was my original remedy but as I've learned more, I've added Frankincense,  Thieves and now Palo Santo to my morning and evening capsules. **Warning - SEE BELOW!

But honestly, feeling under the weather doesn't happen as often as it used to happen. I've only had one bad cold in a year. I feel so good when I do this daily routine that just thinking and writing about it, raises my endorphins! I'm enjoying the cost savings of making these all natural products and collecting a lot of great recipes. If you'd like any of them, just let me know via personal message.

And please comment below if you have any other questions or recommendations.

** Do not try this at home unless you're using the very best 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils. I personally can only recommend Young Living, the world leader of essential oils. Their Vitality Line has FDA approval for ingestion.  But honestly, diffusing and topical is just as potent so please be careful if you're buying your oils elsewhere. And realize that they only have to put 10% essential oil with 90% carrier oil to be able to label it 100% pure.  Yep! But not Young Living! They always give you the best quality and never cut their product to create perceived value.  They are transparent and forth coming in all their ingredients so if it says 100%, it really is 100% essential oil.

If you're interested in getting started with essential oils and would like to be a part of my team, the Happy Oilers, contact me at otown.oilers@gmail.com or you can order your starter kit directly here:  https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/start?site=US&sponsorid=3703800&enrollerid=3703800

With over 20,000 Happy Oilers in our groups, it is so easy to find out which oils may be best for your needs, recipes for so many household products and great contests if you like free oils.  And who doesn't like free oils!!

This blog post written by Deidra