plant-based health

The last blog entry led to more questions about tools that can be used to struggling with an itchy scalp. 

There are so many factors to consider when dealing with an itchy scalp. Is it dry? Is it dermatitis? Is it stress related? There are somethings you can be doing to help maintain a healthy scalp that can help with all the above. 

From the inside: 

Again, check your diet. If it is high in sugar, this could lead to imbalance in pH and the good bacteria your skin needs to thrive and be healthy. Once more, a quality probiotic, such as Life 9, can support this. Not only, can you take it as directed BUT you can open a capsule up and add it to your shampoo from time to time to support your scalp with some healthy bacteria. 

Another way to get that scalp exposed to healthy bacteria, is with an apple cider vinegar rinse.

Supplement the conditioning benefits of our hot oil treatment with our clarifying apple cider vinegar rinse. If built-up product has left you in a hairy situation, use this recipe to help untangle the mess. After you rinse away the excess weight from dead skin cells, pool chemicals, saltwater, shampoo, and conditioner, you’ll notice more bounce and volume to your hair.

In addition to helping, you nail the perfect hair flip, our apple cider vinegar rinse also soothes the scalp and adds luster to your locks.

What you need:

• 16-ounce glass spray bottle
• 1/4-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 3 drops Clary Sage essential oil
• 3 drops Tea Tree essential oil
• 2 drops German Chamomile essential oil
• 2 drops Lemongrass essential oil

YL tip: For dry hair, use 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar; for normal to oily hair, use 1/2 cup.

How to make it:

1. Mix all ingredients together in the spray bottle.

2. Spray mixture all over hair, focusing on the scalp and roots. Lift hair in sections to make sure you completely saturate your hair—your hair should be thoroughly damp, but not dripping.

3. Massage into scalp with fingertips to stimulate the scalp and increase circulation.

4. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes.

5. Rinse, then shampoo and condition hair as normal.

6. Use once per week.

 Check out this Lavender Life blog entry for more recipes that support a healthy head of hair.

See the above link for more hair recipes from Young Living.  

Now, let’s chat supporting those over symptoms of an irritated scalp. There is nothing worse than an uncontrollable itch on your head and a pile of flakes on your shoulder. Over time, I have seen really great results using Young Living’s Voluminous Lavender Shampoo (remember, it contains MSM!! 😊) and the addition of some of my favorite oils. 

My favorite blend of essential oils to add to my Lavender shampoo are Melrose (blend), Cedarwood, and Peppermint. Now, you do not want to overdo this and walk away with an oily head of hair. I recommend starting with 1 drop of essential oil per ounce of shampoo. If you need to add more, you can always do so. If you add too much, then you are going to struggle. If your bottle is 8 ounces, add 2 drops Melrose, 3 drops of Cedarwood, and 2 drops of Peppermint. 

Take to topical application up a notch post-shower! Create a scalp mist to spritz on your scalp before drying. See the recipe below: 

4 ounce spray bottle

2 ounces distilled water

2 ounces alcohol-free witch hazel

2 drops Melrose

2 drops Lavender

2 drops Cedarwood

2 drops Peppermint 

Spritz scalp and massage mixture into the root of your hair. Blow-dry as usual! 

If you are interested in trying these recipes and do not have all these oils on hand. Do not hesitate to reach out for assistance with substitutions. 

Here is to a healthy head of hair!

Sugar...when I realized the impact it has on our health…

We are all coming off of a holiday high where our sugar intake was probably at its highest of the year. Have you ever thought about how we absolutely impair our immune system while indulging in our holiday fun and wonder why January and February get us down with illness? 

Sugar effects everything!!! If you are sitting there saying, "Well I don't really eat sweet stuff..." Well, I got news for you, you do not have to have a sweet tooth to overload yourself on SUGAR! America isn't overweight and unhealthy because we are lazy and don't exercise. We are unhealthy because our food is completely riddled with sugar. It isn't always easy to spot, either. Also, sugar is addictive. So that does not help with things either. When we feed our body crap, it craves crap! 

When were my eyes opened? When I started to try and conceive and struggled. The doctor looked at me and said, “We can just give you some Clomid and that will solve your problem.”  For some reason, I was not ready to do that and asked the question "WHY?" No one in my family had a history of infertility. Due to me asking that single question, I opened a can of worms that I probably would have never discovered. After bloodwork and an ultrasound, I was told I had PCOS. I had a 2 cm cyst on one ovary and a 6 cm one on the other. I also had what they called a “pretty little pearl necklace” of cysts around my ovaries. Again, the question, "WHY?". It was then that I was told to look at a book called "The Natural Diet Solutions for PCOS and Infertility". 

This book basically had me cutting grain, dairy, and sugars from my diet. I started with dairy. A month later, the 2 cm cyst was gone, and the 6 cm cyst was smaller. I moved onto sugar. This means, no rice, pasta, breads, or added sugars.  I looked healthy, but I wasn’t.  Between the dairy and the sugar, I could not believe the changes in how I was feeling. I also saw changes in the patterns of my cycle. I was never overweight. In fact, people used to ask me why I was changing my diet so drastically, because I was not overweight. Looking back at pictures, I did depuff. Again, not that I was big but just looked healthier. 

Now, I had always had issues with dairy as a child. As I stopped having the stomach issues, I assumed I grew out of it ( I think a lot of people assume this with intolerances/allergies). In college, I had a lot of stomach issues and did see a GI who put me on a prescription med that was later recalled, and I just never went back. My stomach issues subsided when I decided to cut dairy. The intolerance never went away, it just kept presenting itself in other manners such as skin inflammation, stomach issues, acne, and contributed to my cysts. 

I still needed assistance to conceive, however, the body and cycle changes were apparent. When I was pregnant, everything went out the window with my diet. I was not watching anything I ate. When I was done breastfeeding my youngest, I was HIT HARD with insane periods. I had never experienced this before but I knew it could be a symptom of the PCOS. I started to change my diet again BUT NOW I had been oiling. I tried a bottle of Progessence Plus and was amazed and the balance it provided for me during this time. Now that things are back to “normal”, I only use it during part of my cycle. 

Looking back I think, had I known what I know now about hormone disruptors, getting away from toxic products and fragrance would have had an impact on my changes as well. I was pretty much a walking advertisement for Bath and Body Works and any type of candle out there. 

Things I would tell anyone going through a similar struggle. 

1. Make the sacrifices. Doesn’t mean that you can’t gain some balancing between indulging between the good and the bad later but get your body in check. 
2. Ask the “Why?”. If I had never asked why, I would have been back and forth with different fertility drugs and never known why my body was doing this. This could have just snowballed into something more serious later. 
3. Look at natural options. They do work. If you are making changes ALL AROUND (exercise, diet, products) , they work even better! 

 Products to start with, that I would recommend for ANYONE trying to make changes to their diet or improve their overall health. (based on my experience) 

1. Ningxia Red- antioxidant overload
2. Endoflex-thyroid, adrenal, and hormonal support
3. Progessence Plus-hormonal support
4. Life 9 Probiotic- amazing gut support
5. Master Formula- It has a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Not to mention, it contains Turmeric oil which can benefit any issues of inflammation. 

Supplements, Supplement, Supplements….

We post about all these phenomenal supplements and they all sound fabulous, but do you need all of them? How do I take them? Can I take too much? These are some common questions asked when wanting to start a supplement routine. However, with all the options, it can be so overwhelming!

Everything I am about to write is based on personal experience and my own research. I AM NOT A DOCTOR!

I am always going to tell you that you want a plant-based or whole food-based supplement. This allows your body to absorb the nutrients the way it was supposed to. I like to use our supplement Illumineyes as an example. Rather than an isolate or synthetic form of Vitamin A, this supplement contains purple carrot. These carrots contain beta carotene which convert to Vitamin A as we consume the supplement. This Vitamin A helps with the eyes ability to adjust to various light and help the eye to process it. (just one of the ingredients in that supplement).  I saw the difference with a food-based supplement vs. prescription iron meds. I had much better luck with the whole food-based supplement and less side effects.

Moving on…

You do not want to take a supplement just because it looks good! You want to do your research and take what your body needs. For instance, if I am not deficient in B vitamins, I am not going to take Super B. One, because I have B a multi vitamin (Master Formula) that contains these vitamins, and two, since I am not deficient, I do not need to load up on them. As you start to develop a supplement plan, you need to ask yourself some questions.

1. What are you trying to target?
2. Are you aware of any deficiencies?
3. What does your family history tell you?
4. Do you have any targeted areas of support that need addressing now? 

I heard Dr. Lindsey Elmore speak and she enforced a Core 4. Consider a CORE 4 based on your needs. Keep in mind, you may not take some of our supplements every day. For instance, I use Alkalime as needed, when I have an unsettled stomach, heartburn, or indigestion. Someone who suffers from chronic GI issues may take this as a daily supplement.

For example, here is what my plan looks like:

Foundational Support: Master Formula. If you want to remove multiple bottles of supplements from your countertop, go with this guy. I could write an entire blog post on how fabulous this supplement is but today, we will stick with foundational support.

Gut: Life9 Probiotic

Targeted Support: Olive Essentials (family history or cardiovascular and neurological issues.)

Those three are my constants! My fourth tends to change based on my current needs. If I feel like I need hormonal support, I will choose a supplement to support those issues. If I am doing the Whole 30 or looking to support a diet change, I reach for Juvatone. Right now, I am switching my fourth item to AgilEase. I have been running consistently and this is just what my body needs.

You may only have 2 or 3 Core supplements that you stick to. You know your body and you need to listen to it. Please look at the ingredients on your supplements. Often times, ingredients can overlap.

If someone was looking to support the immune system, their core routine may look like:

Ningxia, Life 9, and Inner Defense, Vitamin D or C

If someone was looking for hormonal support their core routine may look like:

PD 80/20, Ningxia, Master Formula, and Life 9

If someone is struggling with inflammation, their core routine may look like:

Sulfurzyme, AgilEase, and CBD oil

(All of the above are just examples!)

When to take your supplements? 

Your dosage and timing should be on the bottle. Life9, should always be taken at night, an hour after eating. If you are taking an enzyme, you will take that an hour before your meal. Depending on why you are taking your enzyme, this may be a once a day thing, before a couple of meals a day, or an as needed when you indulge thing. Everything else can be worked into your day based on the directions on the bottle.

I hope this write up helped to guide you and was not too overwhelming. Please let me know if you have any questions!!

I also HIGHLY recommend The Supplement Desk Reference by Jen O’Sullivan.