Lotion Bars: Lotion To-Go

The first time I saw lotion bars I thought it was an ingenious idea! Lotion on the go! Nothing to spill! Great for traveling! Easy to make! Okay, enough exclamation points...you get the idea that I really love this concept and I think you will too.

In the last year, I've made my fair share of these little gems. I keep a stock pile of them around for my travel bag,  and have made some to share as gifts. I love them for dry trouble spots - they're great for rubbing the awesome lotion power into elbows, heels, knuckles and dry patches on your skin. 

I got my recipe from Katie at Wellness Mama in a post she wrote for Health Impact News Daily, {click here} to read the post. She has great ideas for personalizing them by adding different essential oils and other products.

What is a Nasal Inhaler?

A nasal inhaler - hmm. I have heard of these over the last year that I have been exploring the world of essential oils. I never looked into exactly what they were because it sounded odd, like something complex I wouldn't be interested in. 

Then I took this *free* intro class (click here) from Aromahead Institute. Now I can't wait to make a few.

Wonderful White Fir

This week in our EO spotlight, we're looking at white fir. I hope you're enjoying these posts as much as I am, they remind me of all the great uses for my stash of oils.

Scientific name: Abies alba

Common extraction methods: steam distilled from needles

Properties: Anti-arthritic, anti-catarrhal (inflammation of mucous membranes), antiseptic (pulmonary), expectorant, stimulant, and analgesic (painkiller).

A Look at Clove Essential Oil

For our EO spotlight this week, let's take a look at clove.

Scientific name: Eugenia caryophyllata

Common extraction methods: steam distilled from bud and stem

Properties: Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antiseptic (strong), disinfectant, analgesic (painkiller), immune stimulant, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antiviral.

Applications: Dilute this oil before topical use; I recommend a 2% dilution for adults (10-12 drops per 1 oz carrier oil) and a 1% dilution for children (5-6 drops per 1 oz carrier oil). Diffuse.

All Purpose Healing Balm

As you probably know, I love the All-Purpose Salve That Solves it All. I am also very fond of the All-Purpose Healing Stick. Recently, I sent my brother a 5mL roller bottle of the healing stick and his response was, "Can you make me something more like a paste or cream?" Although he liked the idea, the healing stick is wet and can drip (but in my opinion evaporates quickly). 

So for weeks I've been thinking about how to make something more like an over-the-counter first aid cream. Then one day it hit me and I had that wonderful "light bulb" moment. I decided to combine two of my favorite things - the above mentioned Salve That Solves it All and my lip balm recipe, affectionately called Kweli Kisses.  Voila! 

September is National Preparedness Month

A friend mentioned that September is National Preparedness Month and that got me thinking..."How prepared am I?" The answer is, not very. I figured, if I'm not that prepared, it is likely that others aren't as well. So I thought, maybe we should get prepared together!

My cousin, Jen, is prepared. I like to tease her about being a prepper. I also joke that if there's a nuclear winter or a zombie attack, I'm too much of a wimp to want to stay alive. Jen was kind enough to offer some tips from her personal experience to help us all get prepared (or as I like to call it, "prepped"). Here's what she had to say: 

Practical Peppermint

Back to our EO spotlight...Today let's look at peppermint. To me, this is a very strong smelling EO and I find that it overpowers other EOs when mixed into a blend. So, as a word of caution, make sure you take that into account when measuring prior to blending EOs. But, on the upside it is an invigorating oil and is a great one to wake up your senses.