Let's Talk About Essential Oils

So you've probably noticed from some of my posts that I've started using Essential Oils. You might be wondering what they are or why I'm so crazy about them.

Basically essential oils are part of plants, it's their essence or the part essential for them to have life. We have 100 trillion cells in our bodies, but one drop of Essential Oil contains about 40 million-trillion molecules. That one drop has enough molecules to cover every cell in our body with 40,000 molecules. That makes them extremely unique. They can pass into our skin, to our blood, and into our brain. Just smelling them allows them to get into your bloodstream.

I started using them because nothing else was working on my sinus problems. I'm now using them to completely replace my medicine cabinet. They work quicker than medicine, and they have no negative side effects. Plus, because they are working on the cellular level, they actually work to CORRECT the problem rather than just cover it up!

Not only that, but as I learn more about them, I discovered they are actually Biblical. There are many references to oils in the Bible. Mark 6:13 references them when Jesus sends out his disciples and it says "they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them." I think it's amazing that God created plants with these amazing healing powers knowing that we would be able to use them.

So what's in your medicine cabinet?

Essential oils can replace everything in this picture. They are good for pain, allergies, sleep, headaches, colds, sinuses, heartburn, and many other ailments. 

Let's look at peppermint essential oil for an example. This one oil helps with headaches, stomach aches, gas, diarrhea, nausea, inflammation, sinus problems, coughs, weight loss, and it's a great additive if you want to make your own toothpaste. These are all ways that I have used peppermint oil, but there are so many other uses for it as well. You can even use it in cooking!

It is important to note what kind of essential oils I use because there are different kinds. Most of the oils you find in stores are aroma or food grade. The kind of oil I'm talking about is Therapeutic Grade which means it has medicinal properties. It's more potent than what you will find in a store, and it's not diluted in any way.

Now that I've started using them, I LOVE them! I decided to become a distributor so that I don't have to pay for my oil addiction out of my own pocket. ;) 

So if you want to learn more about essential oils, or want to get your own, visit my website at cnbachus.wix.com/m613oils 

Fed Up

What has our society come to that I feel more self-conscious wearing a modest bathing suit than a skimpy bikini?

I won't get into the whole modesty debate and whether I think it's right for you. I don't think bad about you if you wear a bikini, but I have recently felt convicted to start wearing a more modest bathing suit. It has nothing to do with having something to hide. Granted I don't look like I did when I was 20, but I don't look bad either.  I just feel that I don't need to put my body on display for everyone to see every inch of it.

So this past week I went swimsuit shopping for a more modest swimsuit. And it actually made me feel horrible about my body.

Every swimsuit I tried on made me feel like I was trying to cover up or hide something. My generation wear bikinis until they have kids, and then feel like they need to cover up their stomachs. So I felt like I was joining the "mom" crowd.

Then when I was out this weekend wearing my modest tankini, I felt old. All the other girls, except of course the ones who have had kids, were all wearing their cute, skimpy, bikinis. And there I was, all covered up.

That's absolutely ridiculous! Society has fed me so many lies that I feel like I'm only beautiful or attractive if I "show off what God gave me." If I try to cover up, then it's only because I have something to hide.

I'm fed up with it. I'm fed up with society and the media. I'm fed up with the lies that we are told about our bodies.

I have pretty good self-esteem. I'm realistic about my body. I know I have a few extra pounds that I could probably lose, but I'm by no means fat. I think I'm pretty, and attractive.

For me to take a hit to my self-esteem because I want to show less of my body is stupid. There is something wrong with the messages that the media is sending us. What ever happened to leaving something to the imagination?

I'm done with letting the media or society tell me what is attractive. I am attractive. And I don't have to strut around in a string bikini to know that. And there is something wrong if we think we do.

My No 'Poo Experiment

I've been slowing transitioning to chemical free products. My newest experiment with this was to go no 'poo. What is no 'poo you might be wondering? It's short for no shampoo. I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner on my hair.

I did lots of research on how to do this so I could have the best results. The best blog I found was from Code Red Hat and you can read it here. I knew it would take some time for my hair to adjust to this. Shampoos basically strip your hair of all the natural oils. So you end up having to produce more to make up for it. This is why we have to wash our hair so often. Therefore, your hair will need to go through a transition period while it adjusts to not needing to overproduce oils.

So how do I get my hair clean? I premixed 2 bottles ahead of time so it would be easier.

Shampoo Mixture: 1 Tbl Baking Soda and 1 Cup water. I also added a few drops of lavender. Although, I think I will try Tea Tree Oil when I make my next batch.
Conditioner Mixture: 1 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Cup water.

Here is my before picture. This was the last time I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner. I dried it with the hair dryer, but didn't do anything else to it. Notice how frizzy it is.

I told myself I'd give it 6 weeks to try. Some people have a harder time transitioning than others, so I decided to give myself long enough to see results. In the transition period I expected to have gross oily hair and was fully prepared to wear my hair in a ponytail every day.

The first wash wasn't too bad, but actually washing my hair was not what I expected. It really just felt like I was washing my hair with water. There was no lather, so I kept putting more and more of the mixture on my hair to make sure I had enough. But I scrubbed my hair like I would with shampoo. I only did my scalp with the baking soda mixture, then I left it in while I finished my shower. I found that a squeeze bottle worked well for this mixture.

Then I rinsed it out and used a spray bottle to spray the length of my hair with the apple cider vinegar mixture. Boy did that smell! But I rubbed it into the length of my hair (not my scalp) and then rinsed it with cold water. Once it was all rinsed out, my hair did not smell like vinegar.

I fixed my hair like I normally do, just brush and blow dry. It was a little oily but not too bad.

I did this every other day. By the 2nd and 3rd time I was definitely noticing the oiliness. However, it also started getting a weird waxy feel to it. It felt gross. I got a 100% boar hair bristled brush because it was supposed to distribute the natural oils evenly, that seemed to help a little.

The 4th wash, I added lemon to my baking soda mixture because it was supposed to help with the oiliness. It did seem to help. But after a couple washes I noticed my hair becoming too dry so I quit.

It's been 2 weeks since I took the before picture and I already notice a difference in my hair. The oiliness and waxy feeling are gone and my hair is shinier. I've even gotten compliments on how good it looks. It also doesn't seem as frizzy. Here's a picture from this morning. Again, all I did was brush and blow dry my hair.

I like the way my hair looks and feels way better now. It doesn't seem as thick and unmanageable. I have these weird wavy curls in random spots on the back of my head, but with with no 'poo they seem a little straighter.

Not only does my hair look and feel better, but no 'poo is WAY less expensive than commercial shampoos and conditioners! I doubt I'll be going back!

I get my essential oils from Young Living. To get your own essential oils click here to visit my website.