Updates from Virginia Lapierre

Even if you are new to essential oils, chances are good that you have used or at least seen lavender essential oil at some point in your life, but why is it so popular?

Native to Northern Africa and the Mediterranean, Lavender gets its name from the Latin word “lavare” meaning “to wash.”  In fact, ancient Romans would add lavender blossoms to their baths and use the flowers to scent their clothes, beds, and hair. The Romans did not just use lavender for its smell, however, Roman soldiers also brought lavender with them to battle to clean and treat their wounds. Even before the Romans, ancient Egyptians would use lavender in their embalming practices, and Greek physician Dioscorides experimented with using lavender as an insect repellant. 

Today, lavender essential oil is derived from steam-distilling the flowers of this popular member of the mint family. One of the most versatile and popular essential oils, lavender is commonly used for its calming scent and its skin soothing properties. In Canada, lavender essential oil is listed as a natural health product used to:

No wonder lavender essential oil is considered the “Swiss Army Knife” of oils—it’s good for just about everything! 

Try some of these simple DIYs to incorporate lavender essential oil into your beauty and wellness routines.

 * Skin soothing roller—In a roller-topped bottle, put 10 drops lavender essential oil then fill with almond, avocado, olive, or other carrier oil. Use on scrapes, stings, bug bites, dry spots, and other skin irritations to soothe and restore skin’s natural health.

* Relaxing Lavender Bath Salts—Mix together 2 cups Epsom salt, 1 cup coarse sea salt, 1/2 cup dried lavender buds, 20 to 25 drops of lavender essential oil, and 1 tbsp carrier oil (almond, avocado, olive, etc.) until well combined. Store in air-tight container such as a glass jar. Add about 1 cup of bath salts under running water while tub fills. Relax your mind and body as you soak away the stresses of the day. Yields 3 baths. 

* Gardener’s Hand Scrub—Combine ¼ cup unscented Castile soap, ¼ cup melted coconut oil, and 15-20 drops lavender essential oil until well-mixed. Stir in 1 cup plain white sugar and ½ cup Epsom salt. Store in air-tight container such as glass jar. To use, scoop out about a Tablespoon of mixture and rub it all over hands, rinse with warm water. This scrub helps to remove dirt and soften work-worn hands. 

* Nighty-night eye pillow—Cut two rectangles of fabric 10inches x 5 inches. With the pretty side of the fabric on the inside, sew rectangles together on both long sides and one short side. Turn right-side out. Mix together 1¼ cup of flax seed, ¼ cup plus 2 rounded tablespoons of dried lavender flowers and 3-4 drops of lavender essential oils. (Use more for a stronger fragrance.) Using a funnel or a spoon, fill the fabric rectangle with this mixture. Turn the rough edges of the unsewn side of the rectangle to the inside and sew opening shut. Place over eyes at night to enjoy the soothing scent of the lavender. This can also be made into a “lovey” for a child to help promote feelings of calm at bedtime.

Water is essential for life! As a natural resource, water is necessary for our body’s health. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the human brain is 95% water, our lungs are 90% water, our blood is 83% water, our muscles are 76% water, and even our bones are 22% water. Those numbers should give you a good idea of why water is so important. In fact, even our body systems intuitively know how important water is. Your lymphatic system, the body system that helps maintain fluid balance in the body, performs ruthless triage. If you do not consume adequate water to meet all the body’s needs, it will route the available water to the more important cells, leaving less vital cells to suffer. This causes your body to function less efficiently and leads to symptoms of dehydration such as headaches, fatigue, lack of focus, dizziness, and even fainting. 

Water isn't just important, it is vital! But what exactly does it do for our bodies? Plenty. It lubricates joints and cushions vital organs. Water is the main component of blood, and water regulates the body’s internal temperature. Proper hydration is essential for promoting good mental health and cognitive function.  Maybe when that afternoon brain-fog hits, what we should reach for is a glass of water, not a cup of coffee. 

Drinking water, all by itself, is an amazingly beneficial act. But when you add Young Living's Vitality oils to it, those benefits grow! The first benefit is flavor. It can be easier to drink your recommended water if it has some taste to it. With over 45 Vitality oils, Young Living has plenty of options to add interest and flavor to your water. Our citrus Vitality oils contain limonene, a beneficial compound found in the peels of citrus fruits. This compound has been found to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties. Limonene has also been shown to have heart protective benefits as it may reduce cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and triglyceride levels. Limonene also reduces appetite, decreases stress and anxiety, and supports healthy digestion. Along with the citrus oils, parsley and cilantro Vitality oils have detoxing and cleansing properties and are often included in juicing recipes to help cleanse the body from metals and toxic overload. Spearmint, peppermint, Digize, and ginger Vitality oils can all aid digestion, while clove, Thieves, Longevity, cinnamon, and other vitality oils promote a healthy immune system. Additionally, Vitality oils can make it easier for your body to absorb vitamins and minerals, making nutrients more bioavailable. Each vitality bottle contains about 80 drops of oil. They are non-GMO certified and many are certified Kosher. Not only are you getting the benefits of these amazing plants, but you are getting oils made from plants grown in healthy ways and harvested at the peak of their prime. From Seed to Seal, Young Living’s Vitality oils are the best of the best for you and your family.

Adding other ingredients can have benefits too. Sliced fruit, berries, and fresh herbs add visual appeal to your water and can impart additional nutrients. Supplements such as maca and ginseng can give you a burst of energy and increase overall health. Adding herbal teas or green tea can add extra flavor and benefits to your water as well. 

How much water you need each day will depend on many factors including gender, age, body size, and activity level. Also, how fast you lose water will be a factor. We lose water in our bodies when we breath, digest our food, sweat, and eliminate our waste. Any increase in these activities will increase our daily water demand.

In general, the guideline for water consumption is between ½ and 1 ounce daily per pound of body weight. That means if you weigh 150 lbs, you should drink between 75-150 ounces or between 9-18 cups of water. An easier rule is to aim for 8 glasses of water a day, or (4) 16-oz water bottles full. 

Did you know that water has different effects on your body depending on when you drink it? Drinking water when you first wake up activates your internal organs. Drinking water before a bath lowers blood pressure. If you drink water 30 minutes before you eat, it can aid in digestion, and taking a drink of water 30-60 minutes after you eat will give your body time to absorb the nutrients from your food. A drink of water before bed will help hydrate your body from all the water lost during the night while you sleep. One tip, cold water first thing in the morning can be a little rough on your system. I like to prepare a bottle of infused water the night before and leave it on the counter so that it is at room temperature for me to drink as soon as I wake up. 

Having a water bottle to carry around with you is a good start in making sure you drink enough water throughout the day. If you empty 4 water bottles per day, you should be getting about what you need for water consumption. I like to aim for 2 water bottles gone before lunch, 1 ½ more before dinner, and the last ½ a bottle before bed to pace myself. If you like technology and always have your phone around, there are apps like HydroCoach or Waterlogged that can track and remind you about your water consumption. 

Believe it or not, you can drink too much water, though that is less common in our society. Over-hydration can lead to feelings of nausea, fatigue, and even headaches. If you are constantly running to the bathroom and your urine is completely clear, consider if you are drinking too much water or maybe space out your water consumption a bit more.

Another consideration is your drinking vessel. Citrus oils in particular are great for pulling toxins out of our bodies and breaking them down. For this reason, they also are great at breaking down plastic from our water bottles and straws and leaching these materials into our water. Yuck! Always choose a glass or stainless-steel water bottle and/or straw when adding Vitality oils to your water. 

As I mentioned before, Vitality oils can make the nutrients we consume more bioavailable to our bodies. They can also do this with medications. Grapefruit or Lemon vitality oils are particularly known to cause possible interactions with medication (like grapefruit juice can). If your doctor has advised you to avoid grapefruit juice because of medication you take, you may want to ask about essential oils as well.

A final consideration is how much is safe to consume. Because these vitality oils are so concentrated, most people feel that it is possible to consume too much. General guidelines say that 12 drops of Vitality oils ingested per day, every day is the amount you want to keep in mind. Can you safely take more than this? Probably, but I would suggest that it be for a short time and for addressing a specific condition. Twelve drops a day would allow for 3 drops in each of your 4 water bottles per day. I don’t usually put vitality oils in every water bottle so I have yet to reach the 12 drop suggestion.

I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to enjoy your infused water, but below are some recipes to get you started. And if you're ready to try some of Young Living's vitality oils, click here to create an account and get started. 

Read each of the next lines slowly, one at a time.

 

The smell of fresh-cut grass.

Home-baked bread straight from the oven.

Smoke from a campfire.

A chlorinated pool.

Your high school crush’s perfume or cologne.

 

Chances are good that as you read each of the descriptions above, you instantly recalled the scent associated with that image. Also, without consciously thinking about it, each of those scents likely brought up a memory and/or a feeling. Why is that? Well, scientists tell us that smell is processed in the same area of our brains as our feelings and emotions, so that is why the three may be closely linked. Whatever the reason, we can use this connection to our advantage when we choose to use scent to help us process, regulate, or support our emotions.

How important is our sense of smell? According to Dawn Goldworm, it is pretty important! She is the co-founder and scent director of her “olfactive branding company,” 12.29. Goldworm works to design custom fragrances for celebrity clients such as Nike. She explains the importance of scent saying that smell is the only fully developed sense a baby has when they are still in the womb. Additionally, our sense of smell is our most developed sense until about age ten when we begin to rely more on sight.  When you realize that “smell and emotion are stored as one memory,” you can see what an important role our sense of smell plays in our development and in how we process emotions and memories, especially those from our youth. You can read more about the importance of smell here or here. And if you really want to dig into the science behind scent, this Ted Talk is a deep dive into the chemistry, vibration, and smell. 

 

So, if scent, memories, and emotions are all linked, then how can we use this knowledge to help us process, regulate, or support our emotions? That’s where aromatherapy and essential oils come in. According to this website, “Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being.” Many plants have been used for hundreds and even thousands of years for their beneficial properties. After all, who hasn’t heard to using lavender to help you sleep or been told to drink peppermint tea for an upset stomach? Now, however, with concentrated essential oils, we can get the benefits of using these time-tested plants without having to grow and harvest them ourselves. 

 

Not only are essential oils concentrated and convenient, they are easy to use too! Aromatically, you can add some drops to a diffuser, put some on leather, wooden, or lava bead jewelry, rub some into your hair, or add to a spritz bottle and use as an air freshener. You can also apply many essential oils topically to your skin. Just be sure to avoid your eyes and ears and to dilute with a carrier oil if the oil is very strong. One of my favorite ways to use essential oils is to add a few drops to some Epsom salts and enjoy a relaxing, aromatic bath. 

 

However you choose to enjoy them, you can use essential oils to help you work through negative emotions or support positive ones. The process of supporting positive ones is something that Jen O’Sullivan, certified French Medical French aromatherapist and author calls imprinting. She says, “Positive imprinting is a way to use specific smells to control emotional well-being. Simply use …any oil that generally you like the aroma of. Use that essential oil every time you are feeling amazing or in good spirits.” She says if you do this every day for 30 days, only when you are in a good mood, then you will begin to associate that scent with positive feelings and can then use it anytime you want to turn a bad mood into a good one. 

 

Another way to help turn a bad mood around, especially if you don’t have 30 days to prepare, is to choose an oil that has already been shown to help with the specific feeling or emotion you are dealing with. Below is a list of oils you can use to deal with specific emotions. This list is not exhaustive, but it is a good place for you to get started. If you just don’t know what to use, you can’t go wrong with citrus oils and flowers to pick you up and boost your happy feelings, and tree scents or herbs to calm you down and help you feel grounded. 

 

If you’re dealing with Anger, try: Idaho Blue Spruce, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, Orange, Ylang ylang, Pine, Jade Lemon, Valor, Christmas Spirit, Joy, or White Angelica.

 

If you’re dealing with Fear, try: Idaho Blue Spruce, Palo Santo, Cypress, Geranium, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Sacred Frankincense, Tangerine, Orange, Present Time, Release, or Highest Potential.

 

If you’re dealing with Confusion, try: Cedarwood, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Peppermint, Frankincense, Jade Lemon, Ginger, Lemon Myrtle, AromaEase, Grounding, Harmony, Rosemary, Thyme, or Ylang ylang. 

 

If you’re dealing with Stress, try: Idaho Blue Spruce, StressAway, Ylang ylang, Freedom, Citrus Fresh, White Angelica, hope, Jade Lemon, Frankincense, GeneYus, Peace and Calming, Believe, Patchouli, or The Gift.

 

If you’re dealing with Sadness, try: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus Globulus, Lavender, Jade Lemon, Valor, Inner Child, Egyptian Gold, Lime, Grapefruit, Jasmine, DragonTime, Thieves, Citrus Fresh, or Sacred Mountain.  

 

Whether you try scent imprinting with your favorite oil, or choose a specific oil to boost your mood, essential oils can become an important part in helping you support your emotional health through the amazing power of smell. If you're ready to start exploring essential oils, click here to set up an account and get started. 

 

Many people I’ve talked to say they want to use toxin-free products. They know, or at least suspect, that the cleaners and personal care products they buy at the grocery store may not be good for them. Perhaps they’ve even experienced worsening eczema, breathing issues, or other negative side effects of using harsh chemical products. However, they still end up using these products because they believe that is the only option. Many people believe that toxin-free products, and specifically Young Living products, are too expensive for them to afford. While I can see how it could appear that way to some, I believe that it is possible to switch to Young Living products AND stick to your monthly budget. That’s why today, I’m sharing with you the top six ways I save money on the Young Living products my family uses every day so you can see that natural, toxin-free living may not be as expensive as you think.

3. Use every drop. You’ve probably heard the saying “Waste not, want not” and this applies very well to Young Living products too. I know that I’m paying for high-quality, toxin-free products for my family, and I’m not going to waste even a little bit. If you were to come over to my home, chances are you’d see evidence of my Young Living bottles and tubes cut open and scraped clean before I throw them away or add them to the recycle bin. This works particularly well with any product that comes packaged in a tube such as the toothpaste or facial scrub. When I get to where I can no longer squeeze any toothpaste out of a tube, I cut the top ½-inch off the tube which gives me access to the product inside. As I use the remaining toothpaste, I continue to trim the tube to the level of the toothpaste left inside. I save the part I originally cut from the top of the tube, and it continues to fit back onto the tube, so my toothpaste doesn’t dry up while I use it up.

There are plenty of other ways to be sure you don’t waste a single bit of your Young Living products. Here are just a few:

The grocery store where I shop has a loyalty rewards program that earns me 1 point for every dollar I spend in groceries. For every 100 points I earn, I get a $1.00 credit to buy more groceries which translates to a reward of $1.00 for every $100.00 that I spend. That’s a savings reward of 1%.

By contrast, on Young Living’s loyalty rewards program, called Subscribe to Save, I can earn 10%, 20%, and even 25% of my purchase points back as credit to buy more products! That’s right, up to $25.00 back for every $100.00 I spend. That adds up fast! Every month that I place a 50PV (point value) order or more on Subscribe to Save, I earn 10% back in Loyalty Rewards. If I place 4 consecutive monthly orders, that bumps up my rewards to 20% back, and 25% back is earned by placing 24+ consecutive monthly orders of 50PV or more.

Additionally, the first 3, 6, 9, and 12 consecutive months that you order, you will earn a bonus gift from Young Living as a thank you for your loyal business. The savings just keep adding up! Check out this chart to see the savings you could earn just by placing your orders on Subscribe to Save verses a shop order, even without spending any more per year. 

Okay, now that you are a member and have joined Subscribe to Save to make the most of your membership, it’s time to go all in! Remember the grocery store rewards program that gave you 1% back? Now imagine if you committed to buying ALL your cleaning, makeup, and personal care products from Young Living instead of the grocery store and earned 10%-25% back instead? Plus, to reward their loyal shoppers, Young Living gives extra gifts each month based on how much you spend. Typically, there are additional rewards, oils, and products that are earned when you spend 100PV, 190PV, 250PV, 300PV, and sometimes even 400PV each month. The free bonuses vary, but usually total about half the value of the order you place. For example, last month I placed a 300PV order and earned over $150.00 in free oils and products! I just order all my cleaning and personal care products from Young Living—products that I would normally buy at the grocery store—and the free gifts are shipped to me. And that is on top of the savings from my member discount and Loyalty Rewards points! By shopping with Young Living for as many items as I can, I earn so many free oils and products that would have cost me hundreds and thousands of dollars to buy. It definitely pays to go all in with Young Living!

The other five tips that I’ve shared so far involve saving money with Young Living by making the most of your products, and by taking advantage of all the ways to earn the most rewards you can. This last tip is different because instead of saving money, I’m talking about earning it.

If you didn’t know, Young Living is a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company. That means that customers like you and me can become Brand Partners and actually have a business sharing about the Young Living oils and products we love. And since we get paid to share, I consider this an excellent way to save money on the Young Living oils and products I love. Do you remember that 300PV order I talked about placing last month? I paid for it ALL with money that I earned from my Young Living business. So not only did I get all that stuff for free like I said before, but it didn’t cost me any money out of my budget to place the order because I used my Young Living income to pay for my entire order. If you’d like more information on what it means to be a Brand Partner or how to get started, my friend, Leslie, made this great video to explain all about it. https://vimeo.com/667559973?fbclid=IwAR1J_0bSxYFWyO4dAnnO9VGrLkFd0Ow1qBI8KWB8XBV3iK0gvczZg67_0qQ

In conclusion, there are lots of ways to save money when buying Young Living oils and products. If you are committed to buying toxin-free products for your home and family, there are ways to do it that won’t break your bank. A natural, toxin-free lifestyle is within your reach, and I can help you take the first step. Follow the link to get started with me on your Young Living journey. I can’t wait to do this life together with you! https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/16782526