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 doesn’t 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 doesn’t 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 doesn’t 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 dog’s 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 vet’s 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 don’t 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 don’t 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!
