Apr 3, 2019 | Aromatherapy, Health & Wellness, House & Home
If you are searching for natural solutions to a common problem like disrupted sleep, one suggestion you may see is pillow mists or linen sprays that contain ingredients that may promote better sleep, like lavender. Are they actually as great as they sound? Here are some of the pros and cons (and a better alternative — in our opinion!):
Pros of Using Pillow Mists
Easy to use. It doesn’t get much easier than taking the lid off a spray bottle and misting your pillow a few times! The whole process from start to finish adds just a handful of seconds to your evening routine.
Smells great. Sleep sprays are meant to smell nice. You wouldn’t be falling asleep very easily if they had a yucky scent, right? Usually, they will have calming scents like lavender.
Location is optimal for aromatherapy benefits. By using a pillow mists directly on your pillow while you’re sleeping, the scent is entering your system without having to do any work. It’s just right there. There’s no need to hold anything up to your nose or do a balancing act to be hands-free.
Alternative to becoming dependent on medication/medicines. One reason you may be looking into a pillow mist in the first place is because you would like to get away from using medication or don’t want to have to resort to medication.
Cons of Using Pillow Mists
Ingredients may not be great. Always be careful to look at the ingredients lists of your pillow or linen mist. While the packaging might say “natural” or “organic,” there may be other harmful chemicals included like alcohol or other diluents.
May not react well with your skin. Just like with any other product that touches your skin — especially on your face — you may have an issue if you have sensitivities. Even truly natural ingredients may not react well with you personally. You should always test products on a small area before using them.
Sleep is not a guarantee. While things like essential oils are great, they don’t always work the same for everyone. While lavender might knock someone out the minute their head hits the pillow, it might not always work for another person.
If you are looking for a natural and safe pillow mist, we recommend trying our Lavender-Infused Pure Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist. No synthetics, petro-chemicals, or anything not plant-based are ever used in our ShowerMists. Simply spritz a few sprays on your pillow, wait a few seconds for it to dry, and breathe in those amazing benefits while you sleep.
Another natural alternative to a pillow spray is using a diffuser by your bedside. All you need to do is add a few sprays of a ShowerMist or your favorite essential oil to promote sleep, like lavender. There are some diffusers that have 8-hour settings, so it could run all night while you’re sleeping.
What do you think? Will you be trying a ShowerMist as a pillow spray?
Mar 28, 2019 | All About Eucalyptus, Health & Wellness, Seasonal
When the weather is warm and we start spending more and more time outside, dealing with bugs and bug bites is inevitable. But instead of giving up and not doing anything OR spraying yourself with harmful chemicals, first try some natural preventatives and remedies. These tips aren’t very difficult and they can make your journey to a more natural lifestyle a little easier (and bug bite free).
Here are some of our favorite essential oils to help with bugs this summer:
Lavender
Just one of lavender’s many uses is to keep bugs away. They just don’t like the smell! You can utilize lavender a couple ways, you can grow it around your home (or in your home!) or you can put drops of it on your skin. Lavender plants both look beautiful and smell great, so that is just an additional benefit of growing them around your home. If you choose to put lavender on your body, like on your wrists, behind your ears, or on the back of your neck to ward off bugs, you’ll also be benefiting from its calming properties.
If you’ve been bitten by a bug, lavender is one of the only essential oils that you can apply directly to a bite. Its calming and anti-inflammatory properties will also work to soothe your bites heal them more quickly.
Peppermint
Just like lavender, bugs don’t like the smell of peppermint. You can put some drops on your skin diluted with a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil, or around the area that you’ll be outside, like your tent or patio.
If you have been bitten, peppermint is great for itch relief and minimizing inflammation when rubbed into the area when diluted with a carrier oil. The cooling relief will really help to calm your itchiness and it will prevent more bugs from bothering you. Bonus points: you’ll also smell really great.
Tea Tree
This essential oil is best known for its pain-relieving, itch-stopping, swelling-reducing qualities. If you have bug bites that won’t stop itching, use tea tree oil diluted in a carrier oil for some relief as well as stopping bacteria from forming and making the bite worse. Studies have been done where tea tree oil has beaten out other medications. Amazing!
Eucalyptus
This essential oil is definitely one of our favorites! It is multi-functional and can be used to prevent bugs from biting you. The easiest way to do this is by bringing along one of our 100% Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMists (we also have travel sizes as well) and spray your body as well as the area around you. While you are spraying, you’re also getting all the other great benefits of eucalyptus. This essential oil is antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, decongestant, and anti-inflammatory.
If you want to get the benefits of eucalyptus AND the other essential oils mentioned above, you can pick up an infused 100% Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMist that contains them!
How do you keep bugs at bay with natural products? We’d love to know in the comments!
Mar 21, 2019 | Aromatherapy, Body & Beauty, Fitness Centers & Mind-Body Studios, Health & Wellness
After you’ve hit the gym and gotten in a really good workout, you probably feel great. Like you’re on top of the world. The endorphins are flowing and you feel energized. But there’s a small thought in the back of your head – this is going to hurt in the morning. You get out your foam roller and go to town, but it only does so much. You still feel sore the next morning.
Instead of always needing to default to over-the-counter pain medications, why not try some natural pain relief? Essential oils and other natural products are a great way to help ease muscle soreness and stiffness. Here are a few of our favorites and how to use them:
Menthol Crystals
These are a game-changer when it comes to muscle pain and soreness, and because their properties are so concentrated, you don’t need much product to make a difference. Here is a simple recipe to make an all-natural muscle salve that you can rub into any sore muscle for pain relief:
Ingredients:
2T coconut oil
2T shea butter
2T beeswax
4T almond oil
1t menthol crystals
30 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions:
- Measure out the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax and melt them on low heat.
- Remove from heat, and stir in the menthol crystals until they’re dissolved. Be sure to keep your face away from the mixture so you don’t irritate your eyes or nose.
- Once the crystals are dissolved, mix in the almond oil, followed by the essential oils.
- Pour the mixture into a container that has a tight lid, but allow the mixture to cool before putting the lid on.
- Store in your refrigerator to maintain texture and shelf life.
Lavender Oil
Lavender is known and loved for its calming and relaxing properties and it can do the same for your muscles as it does your mind. One effective way of using lavender specifically for sore muscles is to add the essential oil to a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil and use it as a massage oil. Working the oil deep into your muscles allows those effects to really get where it’s most needed.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint contains menthol, which brings a much-needed cooling effect when you’re sore. It’s also anti-inflammatory. If you have access to a steam room, bring our Mint-Infused Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMist along with you to get both the benefits of Peppermint and the steam room (read this blog post to read more about the benefits of steam rooms). Simply spritz a few sprays of the ShowerMist away from your face and breathe in and feel the benefits.
What are some natural ways that you deal with muscle pain?
Please share below in the comments!
Mar 13, 2019 | All About Eucalyptus, Health & Wellness, House & Home, Seasonal
It may not necessarily feel like spring where you live, but warmer temperatures are just around the corner! Spring is the perfect time of year to throw open the windows, let some fresh air in, declutter, and clean and sanitize everything that has been trapped inside all winter.
If you are looking to use some non-toxic or all-natural options for your cleaning this year, today we’re sharing some of our favorite tips and tricks to make that happen. If it feels overwhelming to you, try changing to one natural alternative at a time to make it more doable. Small steps make a big difference.
Here are natural spring cleaning tips:
Diffuse your favorite essential oils while you’re cleaning.
Before you even get started with cleaning, get your diffuser going with your favorite essential oils! Not only will it make your house smell great, but essential oils like Peppermint and Citrus oils are known to boost energy and focus.
Make your own all-purpose cleaner.
One of the easiest ways to ditch the cleaning chemicals is to make your own all-purpose cleaner. It’s effective and easy to do, which is a win-win. Simply grab a spray bottle, fill it with distilled white vinegar, and add a few drops of 100% Pure Eucalyptus Oil. This mixture can be used for virtually everything – counter tops, windows, toilets, floors, you name it. The vinegar works to cut through grease and kill bacteria, yeast, and mold while the Eucalyptus Oil is antibacterial and anti-fungal (and smells great!).
Disinfect while you shower with our 100% Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMists.
There’s not much that’s better than being able to disinfect your shower while you’re using it to relax. Because we use 100% Pure Eucalyptus Oil in our ShowerMists, you gain all the benefits (antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, etc) when you use them. Not only does this benefit your surroundings, but you’re also breathing in all of those (completely safe!) benefits as well.
Disinfect your yoga mat and other workout equipment.
Our Lavender-Infused Pure Eucalyptus Oil Yoga Mat Cleaner makes this easy. And just because it has “yoga mat” in the name doesn’t mean you can’t use it on your other exercise equipment! This Eucalyptus-based cleaner utilizes plant-based enzymes to effectively remove dirt, makeup, perspiration, body oils, and dirt from your yoga mat and other equipment without harming them or you. Simply spray liberally onto surfaces and then wipe away with a towel or paper towel.
Keep cold weather clothing smelling fresh while being stored.
Instead of using a synthetic spray to avoid musty odors while your winter clothes are being stored, put a few drops of your favorite essential oil like Lavender, Lemon, or Eucalyptus on a cotton round and add it to the box or tote before you put it away to keep your clothes smelling fresh.
Switching to natural options for cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Taking simple and small steps toward a more natural lifestyle will have great benefits for you and your family!
What are some of your favorite ways to use essential oils in your spring cleaning?
Mar 6, 2019 | All About Eucalyptus, Aromatherapy, Health & Wellness, Seasonal
With spring around the corner, so are seasonal allergies. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you know that it sometimes feels as though you can’t get away from them no matter what you try. One of our favorite ways to combat this problem is with natural essential oils – many of which have been shown to be just as effective as conventional medicine!
If you’re looking for a natural way to defeat your seasonal allergies, here are four of our favorite essential oils to try:
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is one of our favorite essential oils because it can help with a variety of problems, and allergy symptoms are one of them! Because it is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and decongestant in nature, this essential oil is great to have in your toolkit during allergy season. One of our favorite ways to get the benefits of this oil is by running a hot shower and spritzing a few sprays of our 100% Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMist into the steam.
Citrus
One side effect of seasonal allergies can be feeling lethargic – like you just don’t have the same amount of energy as you normally do. Citrus oils like orange, lemon, grapefruit, and lime are proven to be energizing and to boost alertness. All of these oils can be found in our Citrus-Infused Pure Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist. Add this simple step to your morning shower and get that boost of energy that you’ve been looking for! In a clinical study, lemon oil was also shown to be a comparable alternative for conventional medicine when treating seasonal allergies.
Peppermint
If you’re looking for help to breathe a little easier, Peppermint can help. This essential oil is anti-inflammatory and can also help to bring more alertness and energy, so it’s a win-win! Try sniffing Peppermint straight from the bottle or adding it to your diffuser. Simply fill your diffuser with water, add a few sprays of Mint-Infused Pure Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist, and you can breathe in those benefits while you’re going about your day.
Lavender
Lavender essential oil is one of the more popular oils because of both it’s soothing smell and it’s great benefits. Lavender can help with your allergy symptoms specifically because it has been proven to reduce inflammation and aids as a natural antihistamine. That means that it will help your body fight the allergens and reduce your symptoms. Because Lavender also encourages deep sleep, you can get a better night’s rest, which helps speed up healing as well. Before you go to sleep, try spraying some Lavender-Infused Pure Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist on your pillow as a pillow spray.
Have you tried using essential oils to help with your seasonal allergies?
What are some of your favorite ways to use them?
Feb 27, 2019 | Aromatherapy, Body & Beauty, Health & Wellness
When you think of essential oils, chances are that Peppermint will be one of the first that comes to your mind. It’s definitely one of the most popular oils out there – and for good reason. Peppermint has numerous health benefits, and as an added bonus, it smells great too!
If you’re looking for natural remedies to common ailments, Peppermint may be able to solve some of your problems. Here are a few of our favorite benefits from this amazing oil:
Increase Energy
Instead of opening up an energy drink or pouring yourself another cup of coffee, try taking a few whiffs from a bottle of Peppermint oil. When that mid-day slump starts to hit, inhaling directly from the bottle or applying topically to your temples and the back of your neck have been proven to wake you up and improve concentration.
Promote Hair Growth
Maybe one of the lesser-known benefits of Peppermint oil is that it can naturally thicken and heal damaged hair by stimulating the scalp. All you need to do is add 2-3 drops to your shampoo and conditioner and then use as normal. Bonus point if you do this in the morning to give you that added energy boost we just talked about!
Reduce Nausea
There isn’t much worse than having to go about your regular day while feeling nauseous. Instead of being down for the count, inhaling Peppermint oil could be the solution. Inhale directly from the bottle, apply to your pressure points, or diffuse it to get this benefit.
Reduce Congestion
Peppermint is an expectorant, so it opens the airways, reduces congestion, and clears mucus. Because it is also antimicrobial and antiviral, Peppermint also helps to fight the infection that gave you the congestion in the first place. Win-win! Next time you have a cold, try making your own vapor rub by mixing Peppermint into coconut oil and rubbing it into your chest and feet.
Alleviate Headaches
Since Peppermint can relax tense muscles and help with blood circulation, it especially helps with tension headaches. When you feel a headache coming on, rub some Peppermint on your temples and behind your ears to help alleviate the pain.
Another of our favorite ways to get the benefits of Peppermint is with our Mint-Infused 100% Pure Eucalyptus ShowerMist. Simply run a hot shower and spritz a few sprays of the ShowerMist into the steam and away from your face. Relax and reap all the naturally healing benefits of Peppermint while you relax!
These are just some of the ways that Peppermint can be used in everyday situations to solve everyday problems. What is your favorite thing about Peppermint?
