The Anti-Mosquito Post

YAY!!!  It's finally warming up.   We have been getting the garden and yard ready. While we have been spending more time outside we saw our first mosquito of the year.   Pesty little things.     Do they even have a purpose?   Anyway, I thought it's the perfect time to write a post about what you can do to keep the skeeters away.


We have developed a wonderful line of all natural products made with Neem Oil and extract along with essential oils that have been used through time to keep the buggers away.   We also have an oil that can be rolled on bites when they do get to you.     You can find our products here. 






There's other great things you can do though besides bug salves and sprays.

-Run a fan in the area you a sitting.  The mosquitoes can fly in the wind so they don't come around.

-Make a mosquito trap. You can find the directions here.

-Plant plants that deter mosquitoes.   Citronella and lemongrass are nice big plants that are actually grasses.   They a beautiful and should come back each year.  Ageratum is a lovely low lying plant with pretty purple flowers.  They look nice in pots.  Marigold and Catnip are other plants that repel mosquitoes. 

 
-Build and hang a bat house!   Bats eat mosquitoes. 

For 3 days only 1 oz Rash Salve is $3

We have an overstock of our 1 oz rash salve so we are going to lower the price to $3 for 3 days!! This special price will end on Tuesday 4/23 at 10 am. The pricing on this is the lowest it will ever be and is below wholesale pricing. It will not be this price ever again. To make this even more fun join our Facebook page because if all 50 rash salves sell we will have a giveaway on our Facebook page for a $20 gift certificate. If we sell between 25-49 I will give away 3 oz rash salve on our Facebook page.  Click the picture to go to the sale. 

Pineapple Protein Blizzard Smoothie

It's getting warmer out so I celebrated with this summery smoothie this morning.    It's so yummy that I want to share it with you!

This is what you will need:

1 TBSP Honey
1 CUP Coconut Milk
1 CUP Pineapple
1 whole Banana
Ice (to your liking)
Protein Mix ( This is my favorite protein mix.  It tastes good. It's not gritty.  It's full of good stuff and lacking the bad stuff)

Blend and enjoy!!!   It's so yummy!

Hyssop

A couple of days ago my Bible verse of the day was Psalm 51:7, 10-12   "Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean.  Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.  Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a right spirit within me.  Don't throw me from your presence  and don't take your holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation.  Uphold me with a willing spirit."

It reminded me how much I love reading about the essential oils and herbs used in the Bible and that I have been slacking big time in blogging.   So here's to a new strat!

Today I'm going to blog about Hyssop. 

It's official name is Hyssopus officinalis. 


It is an evergreen, bushy herb, growing 1 to 2 feet high, with square stem, linear leaves and flowers in whorls, six- to fifteen-flowered.   The flowers are cultivated for use as an expectorant, diaphoretic, stimulant, pectoral,  and carminative.

Historically it was used to disinfect and purify.

Making a tea with the fresh green tops can be beneficial for asthma and rheumatism.

Benefits of the essential oil:
bruises, colds, cough, fatigue, fevers, flatulence, indigestion, inflammation, loss of appetite, nervous tension, sore throat, stress related conditions, wounds

Not to be used when pregnant or if you have epilepsy. 

Fresh batch of Diaper Rash Salve

This week I made a batch of Rash Salve.   Gosh, so I love making that.   It smells so good and my hands looks so smooth and young after. 

This last batch is a winner.   They all are good but I have mentioned before sometimes I will have an oil that's been sitting around a little bit longer making it a little bit more special.

                      Look how beautiful that oil is!!!

Some of the finished salve.   Smells good.  Works great.
This golden greenish salve is perfect for  diaper rashes and works great for cloth diapers.

Not only is this salve perfect for baby rashes but it works on many other aliments like: eczema, dry skin, cuts, burns, cuticles and my favorite dry elbows.

Wonderful Vitamin C

Let's face it, nobody wants to be a Scurvy Pirate. Arrrrr.   Luckily we have plenty of Vitamin C in our diets to keep the scurvy at bay but do we have enough to help our bodies with other ailments.

I personally have seen what Vitamin C can do for anxiety.   After the birth of my last child, I suffered with postpartum anxiety.   I used my placenta and that worked wonderful until it was gone.    When I ran out of my placenta pills it was also the dead of winter.   I typically get some seasonal depression so being postpartum in the winter and then my husband's hours were cut....not a good mix.       I did what I do and researched and researched.      What did I learn?   That when you have inflammation in your body not only can that cause disease and illness but also anxiety and depression.  What is a great anti-inflammatory?    Vitamin C    So I started taking high doses of vitamin C.   I started at 500 mg and upped it until it caused digestive issues (if ya know what I mean) and then back down 500mg.  I ended up taking 5 g of Vitamin C and I was feeling better within in a week.  I wasn't 100% but my life was now manageable and I could move on with exercise and mindfulness to get the rest of the way out.     Now the whole family takes Vitamin C regularly for general health and to help my second son with his allergies and asthma.     Allergies are caused by inflammation in your body.  My hope is to get rid of the inflammation and then he no longer will suffer from the allergies and asthma.  (I feel I need to add that we do give him alopathic meds when needed because his asthma has been severe.)   I no longer take those high doses but a lower maintenance dose.     All of us from ages 3 to 37 take 1000mg a day.  

Not all Vitamin C is equal either.  Some of it contains Sodium Benzoate which is a known carcinogen.  I take Camu Camu.   It's said to be the most absorbed form of vitamin c and it's food based.  The kids take Dynamic Health Liquid Vitamin C.  They like to mix it in plain seltzer water and make "soda" 

Benefits of Vitamin C may be:
anti-oxidant
reduces inflammation
anti-aging
cold fighting
raise sperm count
may prevent premature rupture of membranes (pregnancy)
and more!!

Lice Prevention

Lice.....ugh it makes me shiver just thinking of it.   The picture I'm posting is enough to give anyone the hee-bee-gee-bees.  

Nobody wants lice but it happens.    I remember growing up people associated lice with the kids that weren't so clean, but those kids were actually on to something.   Lice are attracted to clean, shiny hair!      Another tip is they do not like the scents of mango, rosemary and tea tree.

This is what we do in our house.   I buy an unscented all natural shampoo and add 1 drop of tea tree essential oil per every ounce of shampoo.   We only wash our hair three times a week.    So far so good on the lice front. 

Let me know if you use this tip and your thoughts!

Back to School Tip!

I get asked a lot about how I keep my kids healthy.    They do get sick but it's rare.   They eat a good diet, take Vit D daily and we use lemon in our water.

In my opinion that is a very simple way to keep the sickies away.     You can do this my infusing lemon in water for a couple days or you can add a drop of high quality, pure lemon essential oil to 4 ozs of water.      Try it out and see how it works for you!

How to make Magnesium Oil and how to use Magnesium Salts

 Since I found Magnesium Oil I have been obsessed with it.  It has so many uses.    The salts, which are pure magnesium chloride crystals can be used on their own or to make the oil.    I don't think I can give these salts justice in explaining all they do.

First the importance of Magnesium.   Most Americans are low in Magnesium.   Being low in Magnesium can cause sore muscles, low recovery time, weakened immune system, nervousness, insomnia, constipation just to name a few.    It also fights signs of aging and cellulite! Sure you can take oral magnesium supplements but they tend to cause gas and frequent visits to the bathroom.  Plus, if you are the average American your gut is not very healthy and it doesn't absorb nutrients well.    Luckily, there is Magnesium chloride that can be used trans-dermal.   You can use it as an oil, bath or foot bath.   My personal favorites are the foot bath and oil.
A great book about Magnesium is The Magnesium Miracle.

First lets talk about the oil.  You can buy it or make it.   When I use to buy it I bought this one.   It works great and I liked it enough.   Now I make my own though and I will show you how to do the same.

It's really easy.  All you need is salt, boiling water and a spray bottle.    The stronger you make it the more likely it will sting when you spray it.  The stinging will not harm you but it can hurt.  Especially if you are spraying a wound.    To start off  use a 50/50 ratio, you can always make it more or less to fit your needs.  I.E.   Boil 1 cup of water.  Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.   Mix in 1 cup of magnesium salts.  Let dissolve and then add to your spray bottle.      You can get the magnesium salts here.www.aromaticsandherbs.etsy.com

Here are the ways I use my magnesium oil.   I spray it on my toothpaste before I brush my teeth.  I do this for the kids too.   It helps fight cavities and can remineralize tooth enamel.    I spray some of it on my fingers and rub onto my face every night.   The 11s between my eyebrows have nearly disappeared in just 2 months.   I spray it on my whole body before I go to bed.   I use it to heal wounds but I warn you it BURNS.  I dilute it even more for the kids.   I use it as a deodorant and it works beyond great.    My son gets little facial warts and we have eliminated all but one with the magnesium oil. The one left was the largest and now it's very tiny so it should be gone soon.  

Next, the foot bath.     This is the best way to use Magnesium chloride therapeutically.  If you suspect a Magnesium deficiency this is essential in your healing.   After a stressful day I can just feel it melt right away when I use a foot bath.  It's just wonderful.     I take 1 cup of salts and add it to 2 cups of hot water.   Let your feet soak for AT LEAST 30 minutes.   Do this nightly.

Lastly, the bath.      Add 2 cups of salts to your bath and soak for 20 minutes.    Simple!

I hope you fall in love with them as much as I have!

Peace and Love,
Heather

The best all natural deodorant EVER and it's not mine.

Some may think this blog post is not very business savvy but my first concern if for people not for my bottom line.

I came across a product called Magnesium Oil.    It has many different uses.   It's great for restless leg syndrome,cellulite, anxiety, stress, insomnia, migraines and much much more. I was looking for a better way to get magnesium that wouldn't cause digestive upset.  Google it.   

Another use is as a deodorant.    Not only is it a deodorant but since you are putting it directly on your armpits it helps cleanse your lymphatic system.     I'm AMAZED on how well this works as a deodorant.    It burns like a mofo the first time you use it and after you shave but it's well worth it.   

Hot Taco Bean Dip

Pampered Chef has a recipe called something like Touchdown Taco Dip.  That might even be the name.    I use to make it all the time.  I still do but I put my own little spin on it.   I made it for dinner the other night and took some pictures so I could share the recipe with you.

 You will need:
small container of sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 can refried beans. (we like black)
1 can black beans
garlic (3 cloves)
taco seasoning pack
1 can chillis
8 oz cheddar cheese.

 Preheat oven to 375.

 Combine sour cream, taco seasoning, cream cheese and minced garlic.    Mix with a hand mixer.

 Spread the can of refried beans on the bottom of a casserole dish.

 Then layer on the cream cheese mixture.

 Next spread out the chillis.

 Then layer on the drained black beans.   I was so excited to eat I forgot to take a picture of the last two steps.    After the beans spread out the cheese and then place it in the oven.  Bake until bubbling.  Around 25 minutes.

YUM!!!   This is my kids favorite.   They like using the multigrain scoops to eat it. 

Enjoy!
Love and Peace,
Heather.

Lilacs are in bloom

I have a few trees that I love and the Lilac is one of them.   The flowers are my favorite color (purple) and the smell is unbelievable.    I wish I took photos of my Lilac tree when we first moved here 8 years ago.   It was basically dead.  No beautiful flowers.   I took good care of it for two years and now it produces gorgeous, fragrant flowers again.  This year I will be harvesting the flowers and making a fragrance.   I've done this in the past and it's a beautiful way to cherish the the fragrance all year long.  Keep your eye out...if I have enough I will be making it available for purchase.        I will be posting a how to when I harvest so keep your eye out!

What deodorant is right for you?

Have you been interested in trying an all natural deodorant but not sure what will work for you?   Honestly, a lot of time it's trial and error.   What works for one person may not work for another because our body chemistry is different.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of your deodorant:

1.  Always apply to clean arm pits.    Try to get it as fast as possible after you wash your pits.   Bacteria is what causes the stink and it starts growing right away.

2.  Shave your pits.  Sorry to my hairy pit friends but bacteria grabs to the hair follicle and can cause more odor.

3.  Avoid caffine and sugar. 

4.  Some foods cause body odor also.  The number one culprit......red meat.

5.  Eat lots of leafy greens.  Chlorophyll cleanse you from the inside out.

We offer two different types of deodorants.    Regular and Extra strength.    The big difference in these and the only difference is Baking Soda.   Baking Soda in the extra strength and can cause irritation.  The reason it can cause irritation is because it can work against the pH in your body causing a horrible rash.  This will happen at different times because your pH is always changing.  For a woman the baking soda rash happens more at ovulation and mensuration.     I suggest starting with the regular but if you feel you need that extra power get the extra strength and if irritation occurs stop using.

Our deodorant comes in a screw up tube and has gotten great reviews.  You can check them our at our etsy or hyenacart.       You can purchase our deodorant here. 

Peace and Love,
Heather

Natural Tattoo Care

I LOVE tattoos.   I have many.  One on my back, my neck, my wedding band, my ankle and I have a sleeve in the works.   I also love living life au natural.  Tattoos obviously are a guilty pleasure though and I'm ok with that.  However I do take steps to reduce the amount of toxins my body takes in from them and I care for them in a natural way.    Before I share with you my protocol, I'll show off my sleeve in the making. When it's totally finished I'll add new more detailed photos.

First off before my appointment I up my dosage of Vit. C and Chlorella.  I stay at the higher dosage for about 2 weeks after my appointment and drink TONS of water.   This will flush out any toxins you have been exposed to. 

Second, 5 minutes before my appointment I take a dose of the homepathic remedies Lapis and Arnica.  I take them again after my appoint and every 4 hours after that for a day or two.

Now for the after care.   

I know I could make my own balm but I only make what I can't find to my standards.    I LOVE LOVE LOVE Merry Hempsters Tattoo Balm.  I wouldn't use anything else and I won't even try to prefect something that is already perfect. I use that for about 4 days .   After the fourth day I use my own goods.

Our solar infused Calendula oil.   It's the perfect, simplest product to aid in the healing of your tattoo.  You can click this to find out more about it.

Peace and Love,
Heather.

Product Recommendation: Dr. Tungs Toothbrush Sanitizer

I have been using Dr. Tung's toothbrush sanitizers for about 3 years now.  We LOVE them.  They work great at keeping our large family from passing germs via the toothbrushes touching each other.   They work via ESSENTIAL OILS!!!     The entire product is also biodegradable.  We purchase ours through frontier but I've seen them at amazon and vitacost.   

Merry Christmas!!!! A gift for you.....

***UPDATE***  People are having problems  leaving comments so visit http://www.facebook.com/AromaticsAndHerbs for a new way to win this gift.

My favorite holiday!   I just love Christmas.  I love the magical feeling, I love the generosity and I LOVE giving gifts.    Sooooooo,  I'm going to give away a gift set.   All you need to do is leave a comment and make sure I can get a hold of you if you are the winner!!!       A winner will be picked on 12/15/2011 at 8 am.     If you are not a friend on facebook become one because there will be another surprise tomorrow!!!

Product Highlight: Wonder Water with DMAE and without

I'm 36.  We all know wrinkles happen and I'm ok with that.   However, I would love to stay as wrinkle free as possible.   Maybe it's vain but oh well. I like to look good.  When I look good, I feel good.   Not that wrinkles are not beautiful because I do feel they are, I just don't want to sport many until I'm in my 60s.    The probelm is I don't like putting stuff on my face that isn't natural and/or safe.  I've tried lots of different products, some claimed to be natural and once I got them that was far from true.  Some were natural but just didn't give me the results I wanted.   I decided to take my knowledge and create something that was perfect for me.    That's when the Wonder line was born.       The first product I would like to introduce is the Wonder Water.

Wonder Water is a toner that comes with or without DMAE.  If you have very sensitive skin I do not recommend the DMAE version.   You might wonder what the difference is, well the water with DMAE is more firming.   You can feel it working within seconds.  It's cool stuff.    

How to use it:   After you wash your face you apply Wonder Water with a cotton ball or cloth.  Apply it all over your face, neck and decollete. Go around your eyes but not on your eyelids and be careful not to get any in your eyes.   It could burn if you do.    Then apply  moisturizer.   I recommend our Wonder Serum.  If your Wonder Water as DMAE then wait 2 minutes before applying the moisturizer.  If you experience to much tingling from the DMAE that it's uncomfortable then it's not the right product for you.   Wash off with soap and water.

What's in it: All the ingredients are all natural and some are organic. You will never find anything that is unnatural in our products.   NEVER. 

Chamomile and Rose Geranium Hydrosol.-Hydrosol is a term coined by my instructor, Jeanne Rose.   It is the by product of making essential oils.   It's the water left over from steam distillation.  It contains the properties of essential oils but are much gentler.  We chose these two hydrosols because they are calming to the skin and anti aging.

Acai Extract- This is made from the acai berries.  Acai is known as a super-fruit.  Besides being tasty, they contail anthocyanins and flavonoids which are very important antioxidants. Not only that but their antioxidants remain high even after storage of long periods.

Pomegranate Extract- Another yummy super fruit.  It contains ellagitannins. Ellagitannins are powerful polyphenols that fight free radicals.

White Tea- I love drinking white tea, it's so good for you inside and out. It contains polyphenols and also helps protect the skin against stress.

DMAE-(only in Wonder Water with DMAE) It's real name is Dimethylaminoethanol. This is an interesting ingredient.  It is found in the human body and in nature. People take it as a natural antidepressant to help combat anxiety, because it's a precursor to acetylcholine. That's important to know because that why DMAE works as a firming agent for skin.   It reacts with they acetylcholine on your skin and contracts...firming your skin.

Interesting tidbit:  You can use the Wonder Water withOUT DMAE as a cleanser for cuts, clean off faces, and even as a cloth wipe spray(for cloth diaper mamas)

If you have any questions about this or anything else please feel free to contact me.

Peace and Love,
Heather.

Belly Aches

It seems some members of our family have caught their first and hopefully only belly bug of the season.  I thought I would take a moment while they are occupied to blog about two essential oil remedies we use during belly aches.

Before I go on, I must stress that you should NEVER ingest essential oils from just any source.  You need to be sure they are pure, therapeutic, food grade essential oils, preferably organic.   If you are not sure you have a good source please contact me and I can help you out.   Also, please check with your health care provider before taking any supplement.   One more thing, do not EVER just take any essential oil internally.  Just because they are natural does not mean they are safe.    It really concerns me the amount of people who use essentials oils who are not trained.    Ok, I'm off I'm soap box.  I could go on about this stuff forever, but that's not what this post is about.   It's about sick bellies.


As soon as the first person complains of sickies I put our 7 blend in the cool air atomizer.   That is our first and main defense for everything.   I can not recommend getting a cool air atomizer enough.   It's a great way to disperse essential oils into the air without destroying their chemical properties.  This is the one we use.

Then we add 1 drop of peppermint essential oil to 8 oz glass of water.    They sip on that through out the day.

We also do 1 drop of ginger essential oil to 8 oz glass of seltzer water.   Sip on that.


Pretty simple and pretty effective.    Both essential oils sooth the belly and contain properties to push those sickies away!

Peace and Love,

Heather

Christmas shopping is upon us....

I have started my Christmas shopping.  I'm actually almost done.  I start early because I like to barter for a lot of our gifts or I make them.  Now, don't get me wrong I do purchase some gifts but when I do I like to buy from small business, crafters and  from the USA.   I really hope this year, if you don't already, that you buy at least one handcrafted gift, one USA made gift and one small business bought gift.  Don't forget to handmake something for someone also!  Babysteps always make a difference!

Our Winter Regimen- Keeping the flu and other illness away

Nobody likes getting sick and I can't think of anyone who enjoys the flu.  Our family chooses not to vaccinate and we only use allopathic medication when it is essential (rarely).   What we do have is a winter regimen that has done us pretty good considering we have five children, three of them in school, spreading their lovely germs around the home.

So here ya go.  This is what we do from September through March.

Check with your physician or natropath before taking any supplements. 

Vitamin C    500mg for the kids 1000mg for the adults.  I personally take 3000mg. to help with inflammation.

Vitamin D   the kids take 800iu, I take 2000iu, and my husband takes 5000iu.   Get tested because everyone's needs is different.   You want your levels to be 60-80.

Influenzinum 30 c.    I like the one from Washington. We get it at http://www.abchomeopathy.com/   I will tell you why I like it.  Washington changes theirs with the flu strains for that year.  Hylands doesn't.   This is the way I use it.   1 pillsule once a week for 1 month.  Then 1 pillsule a month until March or April.  I watch to see what the flu trends are. 

Elderberry Syrup.   You can find the info on that here on my blog.

My Heal and Clean 7 blend.   This stuff is just awesome. It's available at Etsy.   I use it to clean the house,  I put it in a cool mist diffuser(not only does it clean the air but it smells great), I make hand wash with it and for a hand sanitizer.  
If you do no want to purchase our hand sanitizer you can purchase our 7 blend and add it to your own hand sanitizer or to aloe vera gel.  


Here's to a healthy, happy winter!!!!

Peace and Love,
Heather