Friday, September 2, 2016

Essential Oils for College

We enjoyed a short getaway in Grand Marais last weekend.



It was good for the family to spend some time away together and leave everything behind - everything as in getting Miss Sofia ready for college everything! 

We definitely needed time to relax! 

Eating a few of the World's Best Donuts totally helped!



It was so good! The donuts and the getting away.



We love you Grand Marais!



But now we're home and deep in the throes of packing for college! It's getting more and more difficult to live in denial my friends! 

The jumble of emotions is too much! 

I'm so excited for Miss Sofia! I can't wait for her to begin this amazing time in her life. This new adventure. It's gonna be AMAZING!!!

Then, I'm so sad my baby is all grown up and going to leave me. It all happened so fast. How can this be happening?!?!?!

It's wonderful and amazing and hard and painful all at the same time. I'm a mess!

I'm so grateful for the love and support of the moms who've gone through this already and for their words of wisdom. 

So to keep my mind busy and emotions at bay, I'm keeping my head down and my mind focused on the packing list. Which includes a starter set of Miss Sofia's own essential oils.

For those not familiar with essential oils, here is a brief explanation.

They are liquid that is generally distilled - most frequently by steam or water - from leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant from which they were derived. 

While essential oils are highly fragrant, they are not simply perfume or fragrance oils. Essential oils are a highly concentrated liquid containing the beneficial chemical compounds of the plants they are extracted from, providing all of the valuable psychological and physical therapeutic benefits. These benefits are best realized through inhalation of the essential oil or through topical use.

Boom! There it is in a nutshell.

Essential oils tend to be my go to for treating things like colds, bug bites, headaches, minor burns, and muscle aches. My family has become accustomed to hearing me say, "Put some oil on it!" whenever they have a complaint. It's possible they roll their eyes every time. 

But they use them! And they feel better.

HA! Win for mom!

I do want to caution you, there are some safety concerns with essential oils. As I said, they are highly concentrated! They should almost always be diluted if used topically. And caution needs to be taken when used around young children and pregnant women. 

I highly recommend getting a good book on essential oils if you plan to use them. Do your research! Get good information from a certified aromatherapist. I like to refer to a group called Using Essential Oils Safely. Very informative and helpful!

After much research, I have chosen to purchase my essential oils from a company called Eden's Garden. Their products are fantastic! No, I don't get paid for saying that.



For Miss Sofia we purchased the create your own set of 6 oils. It's a great deal!



Miss Sofia and I discussed it and chose a cleaning blend, lemon, fighting five, sweet orange, peppermint, and lavender for her to start with.

We also purchased an inexpensive aromatherapy diffuser - for inhalation, some empty roller balls - for topical use, and a bottle with a dropper top filled with jojoba oil which is a great carrier oil for diluting essential oils.



I will be sending her with these recipes for her diffuser.

For focus while studying or to boost energy in the morning diffuse...

3 drops peppermint
2 drops sweet orange 

To boost immunity and fight colds and flu diffuse...

3 drops Fighting Five
2 drops sweet orange

This blend also smells like fall and I love to diffuse it just because.

When she is feeling stressed or can't sleep, let's face it, it can be tough to sleep the first few nights of dorm living, or during finals week, diffuse...

3-5 drops of lavender 

When she is struggling with allergies diffuse...

3 drops peppermint
2 drops lavender
1 drop lemon

When someone has been sick or when the air in the room is getting a little stale - again, teenagers living in tiny little dorm rooms. Eh hem Diffuse...

3 drops cleaning blend
2 drops lemon

It smells so clean and fresh! And it's anti-viral and antibacterial! Win!!

Recipes for topical use...

For upset stomach

1 drop peppermint
1 drop sweet orange
add to 1 teaspoon of Jojoba oil (or other carrier oil) apply to stomach

For muscle aches and pains

1 drop of peppermint
1 drop of lavender
add to 1 teaspoon of Jojoba oil (or other carrier oil) Massage into aching muscles

This should give her a good start for college and using essential oils. As she adds new oils to her collection, I'll supply her with more recipes!

One day, I may even get to hear her say, "Put some oil on it!" to her own kiddos!

And now I am going to cry!!! 

Christine

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