Top 10 Blog Postsof 2013

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Are you having a deodorant crisis? Don’t sweat it! Try this natural deodorant recipe.

There are all kinds of natural deodorants out there, and whether they work seems to be hit-or-miss depending on what’s right for your personal body chemistry. Maybe you’ve even gone on the hunt for a natural deodorant recipe you could make yourself.

I recently made a natural deodorant recipe that is so simple and easy... and yes, effective!

Anything that’s going under my arms has got to meet a few requirements:• Smells good • Feels good • Easy to make • Organic

Once all that is established, then it’s all about which essential oils to add. That decision is personal of course, but I do have a few suggestions below.

Ingredients• 1 oz organic, unrefined, not fractionated, just leave it alone Coconut Oil• 1 tbs arrowroot powder• 20 drops essential oil

Instructions• Combine the coconut oil and arrowroot in a small bowl and mix well• Add your essential oils, and mix well• Use a small amount under your arm to be sure the arrowroot does not irritate your skin (it’s fine for most people)

Customize this natural deodorant recipe with these essential oil blend ideas:

1960• 15 drops Patchouli• 5 drops Sandalwood

You Smell Like A Rose• 6 drops Rose otto• 7 drops Palmarosa• 7 drops Geranium

Citrus Celebration• 10 drops Lemon• 5 drops Distilled Lime (Distilled Lime is not phototoxic, so be sure to use only the distilled Lime.)• 5 drops Sweet Orange

I Don’t Care How It Smells If It Works• 8 drops Tea Tree• 4 drops Lemon• 5 drops Palmarosa• 3 drops Eucalyptus

Your Deodorant Crisis Solved

Simply Elegant Body Cream is quick to make and doesn’t require any melting on the stove. This body cream has a lovely thick texture, and coats dry skin beautifully. Even a small amount of this cream is deeply moisturizing–and it lasts for hours!

If you love the aromas of shea butter, coconut oil and Neroli, you just might fall in love with this easy to makehomemade body cream. Shea butter is famous for its moisturizing abilities–and is used for healing and cooking by women in Africa. Coconut oil is perfect for addressing dry, irritated skin (and even conditions like inflammation).

Neroli is a gentle citrusy, floral scent, and the oil is known to support skin healing and soothe pain. The addition of the German Chamomile hydrosol to this body cream brings a surprisingly sweet and fruity aroma.

Some uses for your body cream:• take care of your skin after sun exposure • preventing stretch marks during pregnancy• for dry skin, hair and nails • as a nighttime moisturizer• to soothe itchy, irritated skin • to heal babies skin from diaper rash

This thick cream is exquisite for dry skin. The aroma is slightly nutty and smoky with coconut and a hint of fruit from the hydrosol.

Ingredients• 1 tablespoon Coconut oil • 3 tablespoons Shea butter• 1 tablespoon German Chamomile hydrosol • 3 drops Neroli

Simply Elegant Body Cream

DirectionsAll ingredients need to be at room temperature.• Mash the shea butter into the coconut oil with a spoon (ideal if the coconut oil is liquid).• Add the German Chamomile hydrosol and mix to a smooth cream. Mix in 3 drops of Neroli.• Store in a glass jar. As long as the shea is fresh it will last 6 months.

Notes: I keep my shea butter in the refrigerator. In order to get the ideal soft texture I leave 3 tablespoons of shea in a bowl on a warm windowsill. It takes a few hours to soften and then it is easy to mix into the coconut oil.

Here are three of my favorite healing essential oils!

Vetiver, Lavender (L. angustifolia) and Helichrysum (H. italicum) are three powerful healing essential oils, and each has a host of uses. Below are a few popular uses.

3 Healing Essential Oils:Vetiver, Lavender, Helichrysum!

Recently I was in an aromatherapy class, and each person in the room talked about their favorite essential oils. More than half the group mentioned Frankincense essential oil! It’s not surprising–there are so many amazing Frankincense essential oil uses.

Well, I felt right at home, because I also adore the aroma of Frankincense essential oil.Here are my three favorite Frankincense essential oil uses and recipes:

Frankincense for Cold and Flu Congestion• 8 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)• 3 drops Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus dives)• 4 drops Elemi (Canarium luzonicum)

Add the oils to a blank inhaler, and use as needed.

Evening Meditation• 6 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)• 1 drop Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)• 3 drops Balsam Copaiba (Copaifera officinalis)

Add the oils to a diffuser to fill your meditation space with the aroma.

Healing Scar Tissue• 10 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)• 5 drops Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum)• 5 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)• 1 oz Calendula infused oil

Apply to the scar multiple times daily.

3 Excellent FrankincenseEssential Oil Remedies

I also love to make incense sticks with Frankincense. I even made a video that teaches you how to make your own incense sticks. The recipe in the video does not use Frankincense, but you can replace the Siberian Fir in the recipe with Frankincense.

We all love to sleep well. This bath salts recipe can really help! It’s one of my favorite essential oil recipes for sleep.

I have a lot of essential oil recipes for sleep, and I especially love this one in pink bath salts. But you can use anynatural salt you like.

• 1 drop Neroli essential oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara)• 3 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)• 1 drop Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)• 2 oz pink Himalayan salt

This recipe is just the right amount for one bath, but you can easily make a larger amount and store it in a glass jar for future baths.

If you don’t like to take baths or don’t have a bath tub, this same blend can be used in 2 oz of lotion and applied to your back and shoulders right before bed. Another idea is to use the same recipe (minus the salt) in a spray bottle of water for your linens.

I Need Sleep NowEssential Oil Recipe

Great ways to use lavender essential oil!

1. Try three drops in the tub. Just be careful when adding your Lavender essential oil drops–sometimes they can come out pretty quickly! Three drops is plenty in your bath for a lovely aroma. The aroma will fill your wholebathroom, turning a simple bath into a spa experience. (And you’ll sleep beautifully!)

2. For sunburned or wind-burned skin, add 15 drops of Lavender essential oil in a spray bottle full of water, with ateaspoon of aloe vera gel (unscented) and 2 tabs of vitamin E. Keep it in the fridge for use on sunburns for an extra cooling effect.

3. As a 100% organic skin moisturizer, use a 3–4 drops in 1 oz of organic jojoba oil.

4. For effective calming action, use 5 drops Lavender and 5 drops Frankincense in an inhaler. Inhale during difficult situations or transitional times in your life. (Keep it in your bag or in your car!)

5. Make bath salts for your friends. Use 20 drops of Lavender essential oil in 4 oz of unscented bath salts for a great gift!

5 Lavender Essential Oil Recipes

You Can Have Relief From Allergies!

If you suffer from allergies, this list of blog posts about essential oils for allergies is for you!

Allergies can make you feel miserable. Fortunately, there are essential oils for allergies that can be a huge help! These are some great, natural remedies that don’t involve over-the-counter drugs or pharmaceuticals.

A few simple essential oils can help to reduce congestions, headaches and even irritation. I have seen so manypeople’s lives improve when their allergies were no longer a daily issue.

3 great reasons to use your own essential oil inhaler to help reduce your allergies:• Making your own inhaler is easy and inexpensive.• Carrying it in your packet or bag is effortless.• The aroma is personal. No one else will smell your inhaler.

On this list I created through Listly, you’ll get recipes and tips for:• Essential Oil Inhalers• Fighting Dust Mites with Essential Oils• Essential Oils for Headaches• Aromatherapy Inhaler DIY• Shower Power Flower for Kids

Check out the list by clicking here!

It’s fun and easy to make your own lip balm!

I’ll walk you through one of my favorite recipes for chapped lips. When you make your own lip balm, the basic idea is to first melt your coconut oil and beeswax, then add in the shea butter, and lastly add the essential oil. Let the blend stand and harden for a few hours before use. These make great gifts!

Lip Balm Recipe:• 1 oz of beeswax• 1.5 oz of coconut oil• 0.5 oz of shea butter• 1 oz of jojoba oil• 20 drops of Orange essential oil (Citrus sinensis)

This makes about 24 lip balms if the tube is 5 mL (1/6 oz).

Measure the jojoba, butters and beeswax by weight. I use a small kitchen scale.

Melt the coconut oil and beeswax in a double boiler.* When everything is melted, add in the jojoba and stir with a glass stirring rod, then take off the stove. Add the shea butter and stir again until the shea is melted, then add the Orange oil and pour immediately into the lip balm tubes. It helps a lot to have a lip balm tray to hold the tubes in place while you pour the hot liquid! It also helps to have some plastic pipettes (like you used in chemistry class!), which can reduce the chance of spills.

Remember to let them solidify before you use them. I let mine cool for several hours. I hope you love them!

Make Your Own Lip Balm!

*For a home-made double boiler, try using a Pyrex measuring cup rested in a soup pot. Add the ingredients to the Pyrex cup. Then fill the soup pot partly up with water, place the measuring cup in the water, and bring to a gentle boil. The boiling water provides the heat for melting the beeswax, coconut oil and jojoba oil.

Who doesn’t love beeswax candles? This 6-minute video shows you exactly how to make your own beeswax candle with essential oils.

Warning: There is no going back! Once you make your own beeswax candle, with your own essential oils, nothing else compares. Be prepared to be seriously spoiled!

Making your own beeswax candles is a great alternative to buying commercial candles, which often have synthetic fragrances, metal wicks and petroleum-based waxes. This way, only natural healthy substances are released into your space. Another plus is that when we work with natural beeswax, we support beekeepers!

Ingredients• Beeswax (6-8 oz) • Essential Oil (I used 2 ml patchouli and 2 ml vetiver)

Supplies• 4 oz glass jar • 1 wick• A set of chop sticks • Pyrex measuring cup• Small soup pot • 10 ml graduated cylinder (optional)

Instructions• Measure 6 oz. of beeswax (1 and 1/2 jar full). If you want the candle to fill right to the top use 8 oz. (2 jars full).• Wipe your Pyrex cup with jojoba.• Melt the beeswax in the Pyrex (see video for details).• Place the wick in the jar using the chop sticks shown in the video.• Measure your essential oil.• Once the beeswax is melted, add the essential oil to the beeswax and stir.• Pour slowly into the glass jar so to not disturb the wick.• Allow it to solidify for several hours before burning.

Make Your OwnAromatic Beeswax Candle

I’ve been receiving questions by email and on social media about what are my favorite essential oil diffusers – take a peek below at the diffusers from a company I love called Puzhen!

Right away I want to tell you that I asked Puzhen if they could offer a 10% discount to the Aromahead community. They said yes! Use code aromahead10 at check out.

Five-Sense® Yun Aroma DiffuserAn exquisite piece of art, the Yun Aroma Diffuser is my favorite diffuser from Puzhen.Soothing music is built in, you can connect your MP3 player to play your own music, or it can run without music! Optional soft LED lights contribute to the atmosphere, and a remote control makes Yun easy to operate. The “natural wood base and hand-blown glass top embody the concept of yin and yang.”Regular Price: $369 • Price After Aromahead Discount: $332.10

Touch Aroma DiffuserA new innovation from Puzhen, the Touch Aroma Diffuser works through touch. Gently diffuse oils and display warm LED lights by gliding your fingers over any part of the ceramic body, and simply tap the diffuser to turn it off. Hold your fingers on the body for 3 seconds, and the lights will gradually fade. Touch again for 3 seconds, and the light will gradually bright up. This diffuser combines “ancient wisdom with contemporary charm.”Regular Price: $169 • Price After Aromahead Discount: $152.10

Bamboo Aroma DiffuserThis diffuser is lightweight and sleek! I move it around the house to use it in different rooms. If you’re traveling by car, the Bamboo Aroma Diffuser is perfect (it’s not really small, but it is light). It is sturdy, weighs very little and travels well. It has a few different time settings, and Ilove the color options (white, green and coffee).Regular Price: $119 • Price After Aromahead Discount: $107.10

My Favorite Essential Oil Diffusers