Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Welcome Katie Drexler to talk about Essential Oils in the Home





Hello all.

The week before last, when we were all in our flu-prevention/treatment mode, Katie Drexler commented about how she used essential oils in her home.
I was  particularly interested because I have experimented with them some, but I'm really a novice at it.
I reached out to Katie and asked if she would consider sharing her knowledge with us. She graciously agreed, so today, I bring you Katie and her wisdom and experience using essential oils in her home. 


Essential Oils in The Home
Hello from this pure-bred South Dakota girl! I am excited to be with you guys today on the other side of the blog! Huge thanks to Cate for inviting me on to talk about how we use Essential Oils in our home.

 When I started to think about what I was going to share I started listing off what we use oils for and realized my husband and I use essential oils in our everyday living often. If you are working with essential oils make sure you are using a reliable brand. I personally prefer doTERRA oils. Today I am going to touch base on four different uses:

1)     Flu Bomb

I got this recipe from one of my mom-friends she is a mother of FOUR and this is what she had to say about it Every time someone has had something here, either stomach flu or influenza, I do this and it shortens and lessens the severity AND prevents the others from getting it. Special thanks to Missy for the recipe! Now this recipe does call for one specific oil that is sold by doTERRA called On Guard. Link here: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/p/on-guard-oil

Things You Need

On Guard, Oregano, Lemon, and Melaleuca (Tea Tree) essential oils, and carrier oil of choice (I use fractionated coconut oil)
Mix one drop of each with one Tbsp of carrier oil. You can apply to soles of feet, chest, or throat. If you have a diffuser you can also diffuse a drop of each without carrier oil. When we are sick, my husband and I actually will put a drop or two of each oil we are using in a glass with a small amount of our favorite juice to mask the taste as much as we can and just drink it. (Remember to make sure all the oils you are using are made to be ingested) I like to do that because your body doesnt have to wait for a capsule to dissolve. You can also use a vegetable capsule to take the blend internally. It is said that oregano is natures antibiotic so it doesnt hurt to diffuse it on its own.

2)     Cleaning the Kitchen Sink with Lemon Oil

Things You Need 

Lemon oil, non-scratch scrub pad, and paper towels
I know this may sound silly because it is so simple! One of my favorite things to do is to clean the kitchen sink out with a few drops of lemon oil. It leaves a nice shine and smells lemony fresh! All you have to do is put just a few drops of lemon oil in the sink, scrub it around until you feel you have scrubbed all the grub out of your sink, rinse with water and wipe out with a paper towel. I took a photo and it doesnt do the shiny sink justice, but it still looks good!xx

3)     Cleaning Dogs Ears 


Things You Need

Dogs with dirty waxy ears, cotton balls, Melaleuca oil, Fractionated Coconut oil, dog treat (bribes are ok sometimes), and an extra human
Our dogs have big floppy ears and at times they get something in them that causes them to get wax build up and causes what could be a dog version of an ear infection. A dogs skin can be sensitive so you must use caution by doing a test spot before going full on with the oils. Because Melaleuca is so strong you just mix one drop of the oil with about a teaspoon and a half of fractionated coconut oil. You then let a cotton ball soak up the oil and get your extra human to help soothe the dog while you gently clean their ear with the oiled cotton ball. Just do not go all the way in the ear. If you have a dog with more folds in their ear a Q-tip will work as long as you have the dog secure so they wont move. Once all is said and done, give the pup a treat and they will immediately forgive you for making them live through a trauma that could keep them out of the vets office. Usually we have to do this about two or three times, no more than once a day, before it is fully clear. If trying this please do use caution and make sure it is deluted properly and if you are using a brand that you don't know is pure melaleuca oil please ask your vet before using on your pet. 

 Cate back adding a note: I know that tea tree oil is very dangerous for cats because apparently there is something in there that their bodies can't process, so if you have cats in the house, take extra care!


4)     Peppermint for Motion Sickness and Headaches

Things You Need
Peppermint oil (either in a roll-on or plain)
Living in the Black Hills sometimes it feels like I am riding in a roller coaster because I struggle with motion sickness. Then I discovered my peppermint roll-on oil! If you dont have a roll-on, all you need to do is take one drop of peppermint oil and place it by your temples. The aroma will do the work from there! Do a test patch on your skin first and if you need to make sure you dilute it with a carrier oil. The premade roll-on already does that work for you or you can purchase roll-on bottles and make one yourself with peppermint oil and a carrier oil of choice.

These are just four ways we use oils in our every day lives and I am so glad I got to share today! Now I will leave you with a final photo of a Curry Thai vegetable chicken soup I made for my husband this last week. Sorry no recipe, but I can tell you I used ginger essential oil in it for flavor and that is why I wanted to share! He gave it a 7 out of 10 only because it did not have pita bread to go with it. I would say pretty good score considering I dont care for curry and it was a special soup just for him!




Thank you so much, Katie for being with us today. I'd love to hear from others in the comments with any of your own experiences or questions!




18 comments:

  1. Cate thanks for adding the comment about cats! We don't have a cat so I tend to forget them at times! Also want to note it is also not safe for pets to consume tea tree. That is why I only use it in their ears! Thanks for having me!

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  2. Katie Drexler, welcome to this side of the moon!!! I know nothing about essential oils except that everyone is talking about them all over the place. Now I'm going to re-read this and see what's up!!!!

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    1. Ruthy I wanted to some how teleport some flu bomb to you this week! I just don't keep the on guard oil on hand. I carry beadlets around with on guard oil in them. We just swallow them with water to help prevent sickness. I am not a CRAZY oils lady, but I do love them.

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    2. I thought of that too, Katie. Hope you’re on the mend, Ruthy.

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    3. Doing much better, thank you! I was a sick puppy!!!!

      On Guard oil.... oh sweet heavens, we might have to get us some of that, ladies!!!

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  3. Good morning, Katie!

    I still have to try your lemon oil sink cleaning method, but I've used the lemon oil in the garbage disposal with wonderful success. It only takes a minute or so to get rid of stinky odors with a drop of the oil (I run the disposal with hot water first to make sure it's clean, then put a drop of lemon oil down the drain.)

    Thanks for being here today!!!

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    1. I am glad you use it in the disposal. Have you tried adding it to your washer with a load of laundry? With the DIY laundry soap 4 drops of oil gives a slight scent. Jacob likes lemongrass for that.

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    2. I love the idea of using the lemon oil in the washer. I hate that funky smell it sometimes gets (like if I forget there’s something in there 😱). But I love the scent of lemons.

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    3. Mmm...washer bacteria!!! :) Such a fun group of microscopic friends!!!!!

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  4. I've always been curious about essential oils! I have used them in a warmer for years. I used to use peppermint oil when my son was young and having so many sinus troubles.

    My daughter recently bought an ultrasonic diffuser/humidifier, and I told her to make sure to buy a really good brand of oils if she was going to be misting them into the air!

    By the way, I'm not the Missy who shared that recipe. I'm learning along with y'all! :)

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    1. I also meant to say welcome, Katie!!

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    2. Haha Missy as I read the post again I thought maybe I should have put an initial after her name! Yes using a good brand is key. I read a post recently about someone's dog getting sick from her diffusing melaleuca oil and when someone asked her what brand it was one you could buy off the shelf at Wal-Mart. Not to knock Walmart down, but I would not use an oil I can get off the shelf there with my pets. The nice part with DoTERRA is that I have a whole sale membership. I pay a small fee each year and get to buy products at whole sale cost for myself. I also earn points back fot shipping and a percentage back if I order a certain amount. We save quite a bit with that. I usually just order one or 2 things a month so I only get my shipping points back, but those add up to redeem free product!

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    3. Missy, I went to grad school with a woman who had terrible headaches. She always had a vial of peppermint oil on hand. Plus it smells nice.

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    4. Katie, I’m so glad you talked about DOTERRA. I used to hear a lot about them, but I’d forgotten because lately all I seem to hear about is the Young Living brand. I have yet another brand I get from our health food store. I forget the exact name. Something like Aura cacia.

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    5. Hi Cate! I hear a lot about young living too. I hear it is one of the more reputable brands. I have not done a lot of looking at them since I started with Doterra and have stuck with them. They are pretty big competitors between the two companies. I love the smell of lemon too! That is why I get excited to clean the sink because it smells so good and looks pretty until I cook again!

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  5. Well, this was completely enlightening. I know absolutely nothing about essential oils. My daughter has problems with scented products of any kind so I've always steered clear of anything that has a scent even now that she's moved out. Though I imagine the scent from an essential oil has to be totally different from a febreeze kind of fake smell, right?

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    1. Oh yes! To me that is more of a chemical. The right oil is natural. There are some oils I wont diffuse because I don't like how it smells, but I still use them for other things. I don't diffuse ginger, but I use it in tea and cooking such as the soup.

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  6. Ack! I can’t believe I didn’t make it over here yesterday. Blame it on unexpected house stuff that kept me away from the computer. So sorry, Katie.

    Great info. Who knew essential oils could do so much? Your thoughts on peppermint triggered a memory for me. When my mom was little she spent an entire year npbattlong cold after cold. I remember her telling me that my grandfather would give her peppermint oil to help her cough. She said he’d touch the cork to her tongue and a few moments later her cough would subside.

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