NEW WEBSITE WITH MORE INFORMATION - Feisty 'n Free Naturals

www.feistynfreenaturals.blogspot.com

I have been (slowly) working on a new site called Feisty 'n Free Naturals where I am posting information on different kinds of natural and health conscious topics along with recipes and instructional videos.  

The more I learn about essential oils, the more I realize I have yet so much to learn about using them in the wisest and safest manners.  Learning is an ongoing process.  I treasure valuable, helpful, and *accurate* information for myself and for others. My goal is to offer more of that on my Feisty 'n Free Naturals site.  

I also recommend a great website with superb, unbiased information called Learning About EO's.  At this site you will get solid information from trained aromatherapists without any promotion of particular brands.  Learning About EO's also has a Facebook page and a private Facebook group which offer the opportunity to post your questions and get answers.  

Changes Ahead for Essential Oils for Health and Healing

It's been a while since I've posted on here.  Life is complicated and busy.  There is much I want to share, but it is difficult to get enough time to sit down to write and post.  I will continue to do what I can, as I can.

I have made a decision to combine the information of my personal experiences with essential oils and their many uses with another one of my sites.  I have been working on a new site called Feisty 'n Free Naturals where I am posting information about different kinds of natural and health conscious topics along with recipes and instructional videos.  I am also developing a YouTube channel called Feisty 'n Free Naturals where I will post those videos. 

I will keep this site up, but all future posts about essential oils and their many benefits and uses will be posted at Feisty 'n Free Naturals.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you'll click over to see what's new at Feisty 'n Free Naturals.

MA's Toothpaste with Coconut Oil and Baking Soda

I recently created this toothpaste using coconut oil, baking soda, and essential oils.  The Bentonite clay is optional.  If you prefer not to purchase the clay, you don’t have to use it.  Bentonite clay is a purifier and cleanser, and I had it on hand, so I also added it.  

You can also try using different complementary oils to the Peppermint besides Melaleuca and Myrrh.

MA’s Toothpaste with Coconut Oil and Baking Soda

2 tablespoons extra virgin, organic coconut oil

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon Bentonite clay powder

½ teaspoon Xylitol

15 drops Peppermint essential oil

2 drops Myrrh essential oil

2 drops Melaleuca essential oil

4 oz glass jelly jar or other small glass jar

Soften or melt coconut oil in glass container in a conventional oven at 170 degrees, by setting on a warmer, or place the oil in a saucepan on stove top at medium heat (do not microwave coconut oil).  Sometimes I will even use a blow dryer to melt it in the jelly jar I will be using for storage. 

After oil is melted or softened, stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Place some of the mix on your toothbrush and enjoy.  

If the paste hardens too much due to cooler temperatures, simply soften desired amount in your hand (with your body heat) before applying to toothbrush.  Or you can soften it by blowing it with a blow dryer.  Again, do not microwave it.  If the paste becomes too liquid, be sure to stir and mix well before applying to toothbrush.

Never microwave coconut oil or essential oils, as microwaving changes the molecular properties and damages their efficacy.

MA's Amazing & Natural Deodorant

I've been searching for years to find the most natural, aluminum free deodorant that really works.    I have tried countless natural deodorants and wasted a lot of money doing so.  I finally came across a Tom's of Maine deodorant that somewhat worked, but it wasn't that great and quite pricey.  Using it, I was still having a problem with odor unless I remembered to reapply it multiple times a day.  A few weeks ago, I came across some homemade deodorant recipes.  One claimed to really, really work, but it had ingredients that I didn't have on hand and would have to order online.  That was too costly, and I wanted to use what I had on hand.  The recipes inspired me to work on my own formula that would work perfectly for me.  It took me about three or four tries, and I finally created this recipe that is simply amazing and works excellently.  I apply it once a day and no matter the heat or the sweat, I do not have any problems with odor whatsoever.  In fact, my daughter finally gave it a try and today she exclaimed, "Mom!  You're deodorant is amazing!!  I put it on once and there isn't any odor all day!  Plus, it does not stain my shirts."

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Cleansing Tooth Powder with Essential Oils

The articles and do-it-yourself recipes from the people at DIY Natural  are truly an inspiration to me!  Often, it just happens to be that I’ll be thinking I really want to find a natural recipe for something and that week I’ll get an email update from DIY Natural with such a recipe.

As I am with any recipes, whether food, health and beauty, or cleaning related, I do my own tweaking and adjusting to fit my preferences and needs.

For today, I basically stuck to the original recipe posted by DIY Natural.  What I changed this time was the essential oils I added.

MA's Homemade Mouthwash with Essential Oils

For a few weeks, I’ve wanted to create my own homemade mouthwash using essential oils and Xylitol.  Today, I finally did it, and I’m so excited about it! I’ll never have to buy mouthwash again! 

Here’s the recipe I put together:

Sunburn Relief and Healing

Mix a few drops of Lavender essential oil with coconut oil and apply to sunburned area 2-3 times a day. Both the Lavender EO and the coconut oil will soothe the skin and promote wonderful, natural healing. 

My husband's back became sunburned recently, and I did this for him twice a day. His back never hurt and the skin did not peel. I also added in applying a Neem oil aloe gel. Neem oil is another super beneficial health and healing oil. My husband was amazed at how skin never hurt or peeled. His sunburned turned into a nice tan. 

All that said, please avoid getting sunburned, as it increases the risks of getting skin cancer.

Lemon Essential Oil Removes Nail Polish

The other day, my daughter decided to paint her nails just before she had to get dressed to go to work.  A couple of minutes before it was time for her to leave she noticed that she had touched her nails to her one and only pair of black work pants.  The pearly, light blue nail polish had smeared on her pant leg. 

Immediately, I recalled how lemon essential oil is great for removing inks like marker or sticky, gooey things such as gum.  I grabbed a wash rag, dabbed it with Lemon Essential Oil and began rubbing her pants with it.  After about a minute of rubbing (at times re-dabbing the rag with a little more oil), the nail polish was completely gone.  The only sign left that anything had happened was that my daughter had a fresh, lemony scent about her. 

This worked great!  However, please be sure to test a small, inconspicuous area of the item of clothing before trying it on a larger area.  Her pants were a polyester blend and there was no noticeable remnant of the oil.  But not all fabrics may do as well with the oil.  Although, if an item of clothing has been ruined by nail polish, I don’t think a person has much to lose by giving this a try.  We know regular nail polish remover will definitely strip the color off.  I don’t know of anything else that will safely remove nail polish from clothing the way the lemon essential oil did.

Let me know if you try this and how it worked out for you.

Anti-Fungal/Athlete's Foot Defense

Melaleuca Alterniflora

A wonderful anti-fungal/anti-athlete's foot remedy: Try using Melaleuca (Tea Tree) essential oil in the affected area. Apply at least twice a day for a few weeks.

Oregano

For a more persistent problem, first apply diluted Oregano essential oil and then apply Melaleuca.

It is imperative you dilute the Oregano oil in a ratio of at least 2 parts carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil) and 1 part Oregano. The Oregano is very strong and will burn the skin if not diluted properly. The 2:1 ratio works well for me, and I have sensitive skin. However, be sure to first apply only a little bit and test before putting on too much. If it burns, add more carrier oil.  With Oregano, "less is more".

Lemon Essential Oil for Foul Odors

Recently I had a raw whole chicken go bad in my refrigerator before it's expiration date. It took me a few days to realize it was this chicken causing the foul odor in my refrigerator. After taking the chicken out, the odor remained. So I opened a box of baking soda, dropped some drops of Lemon essential oil into the baking soda and put it into the fridge. The smell was completely gone within one hour. And the refrigerator smelled lemony fresh!

Peppermint Essential Oil as a Mosquito Repellent

PEPPERMINT is a great mosquito repellent!  My daughter was going to TX for a mission trip and was concerned about mosquito bites, since she is allergic to them and they grow to the size of quarters. Plus, she is a mosquito attractant.  I sent her with some Peppermint essential oil to try out in repelling the mosquitoes. She said it worked wonderfully! The one time she was bitten was because she had not applied the oil. Her friends were begging for her to share her Peppermint oil with them, and she was worried she would run out before the trip was over.  She came home and exclaimed to me "That stuff WORKS!"

Peppermint Cools

PEPPERMINT has a wonderful cooling effect. Use it to help with hot flashes, fevers, itching, or burns. For hot flashes, you can apply the oil to the bottoms of your feet and rub your feet together to blend in. Or, you can apply on to your scalp, behind your ears, or on the back of your neck.  Peppermint is also a rapid fever reducer.  It will bring a fever down much faster than oral medication.  Give it a try next time someone is sick with a dangerously high fever.

Treating Burns with Lavender

LAVENDER is wonderful for burns. Apply to burns (including sunburns) to relieve the pain and speed up the healing process. For sunburns, you can mix in a spray bottle with a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil and spray on the skin.

Treating a Mysterious Rash

Melaleuca Alternifolia

I had a strange little rash appear on my skin last week. No idea where it came from. It itched like crazy. Not only did it itch, it hurt and burned. So I began applying twice a day some Melaleuca (Tea Tree) essential oil to treat the rash along with Peppermint essential oil to help stop the itching and burning, and within three days the rash was gone! Hooray! I never cease to be amazed by the power of the oils.

WOMEN'S NEEDS - Menstrual Cramping

WOMEN’S NEEDS

I wanted to start a discussion on using essential oils for particular women's needs. Feel free to join in with any helpful ideas which you have implemented and have worked for you.

RELIEF FROM MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

This past menstrual cycle, I began trying essential oils to ease the menstrual cramps.  I do not like to resort to using Motrin, Advil, or anything like that because typically I end up getting a rebound headache the next day.

I had Clary Sage, Lavender, and Peppermint oils on hand and decided to give those a try.  Geranium is also supposed to be excellent for treating menstrual cramps, but I did not have any of that on hand.  I’ve ordered some and will have it on hand next month.

"GREEN CLEANING" recipes with essential oils

This discussion topic will serve the purpose of sharing safe and natural recipes for cleaning around the home, office, or anywhere where cleaning is needed.

Recipe #1 - ALL PURPOSE CLEANER

2 C. vinegar
2 C. distilled water
10 drops Lemon essential oil

Mix all together in a GLASS bottle and shake well before each use.  Do not use plastic as the Lemon oil will break down the plastic.

Recipe #2 - MIRROR OR WINDOW CLEANER

1 and 1/2 C. vinegar
1/2 C. purified or distilled water
8 drops of any type of citrus essential oil of choice (Lemon, Wild Orange, Grapefruit, etc)

Mix all together in a GLASS bottle and shake well before each use.

PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL and its applications

PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OIL (Mentha piperita) can be used in an abundance of ways. The oil is distilled from the leaves, stems, and flower buds of the plant. It has a strong menthol aroma with a sweet undertone.

Historically, peppermint has been used to ease digestive problems such as gas, heartburn, and indigestion, and to help freshen breath. Its properties are analgesic, antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, and invigorating. It is very cooling in nature and may help reduce fever. And of course, peppermint is widely used today as a food flavoring.

Essential Oils for Health and Healing Begins

I’m not quite sure how I’ve arrived here, but I’m doing my best to live fully “in the moment”. 

I am *so enthusiastic* about what I have recently discovered on healing and health using essential oils and equally excited about what I also have yet to discover and apply.  When I am enthused about something helpful, I want to share it with as many people as possible who may also find it beneficial in their lives.  That is why I have begun this blog.

I will do my best to post updates as often as possible.  However, there will be moments of silence along the way.  My time is divided in many ways, with varying responsibilities, including writing for four other blogs which I keep on different subjects.

Over the last few years, I have become more and more interested in natural and holistic health and healing.  A few years ago, I had some very serious problems with my stomach and that experience was a huge turning point which drove me to learn much more about natural ways to care for my own body and for my family. I tell that story in complete detail on my health blog called The Acid Truth.