Happy Bellies

Happy Bellies
A simple tool to help you balance life’s indulgences and a healthy gut...
It’s summer and all the refreshing treats are making their way into your life! Let’s face it though, life’s indulgences are always there. I am a firm believer in indulging when balanced with healthy eating habits. However, when it is trickier to keep those healthy eating habits in check, there is one tool that will continue to support a healthy gut.
A healthy gut supports a healthy immune system, right?
Well, consider this, we send our kids back to school and dive right into those fall and winter months with an unbalanced gut from all the fun food we consumed over the summer. Not to mention, heading into fall, those sweet treats don’t go anywhere. They just shift from cool refreshing treats to comforting sugar and spice. Not really the healthy balance your gut needs to keep your immune system strong. Not to mention, you want to keep those tummies comfortable and moving, if you know what I mean.
So, what can you do?
Well, you can balance your treats with foods high in probiotics! Some food ideas would be yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, or you could even add some apple cider vinegar into a refreshing beverage.
In the morning, try this drink:
8 ounces warm water
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2-3 drops Lemon Essential Oil (I want to avoid the acid of lemon juice but you can always use lemon juice)
1 teaspoon of honey

Consistency with the above food ideas can be tricky. That is why my kids and I choose to supplement with a probiotic. We take them on an empty stomach right before bed. This way, the good bacteria and do it’s work while we aren’t continually introducing food into our stomach.
Before we started probiotics, we would experience bloating after meals, occasional stomach discomfort, skin irritations, and occasional irregularity. After several weeks of consistent use, we no longer struggle with bloating, excess gas, skin is back in check, and irregularity is much more regular!
For the boys, we have fallen in love with Kidscents MightyPro Pre+Probiotics. Notice, it is prebiotics and probiotics! Afte a day of sweet treats, those prebiotics really help those probiotics multiply!
For myself, I use Life 9 probiotic. As someone who has struggled with gut health for a good chunk of my life, I wanted to make sure I was getting the most out of my probiotic. This formula has 17 billion live cultures. How is that for gut balancing???
Now, if you struggle with remembering to pick up the monthly necessities at the store, you will love what I am about to tell you. You can have these products delivered to your door monthly! You pick the date, and they will automatically head your way. No extra though required!
You can view the products at the link below! When you purchase probiotics for the family, you will notice you start to accumulate product points to cash in for future product. You can’t beat improving your health, convenience, and rewards for your healthy choices!
(Adjust quantities as needed)

Itchy Scalp...

Itchy Scalp...

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.

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:

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!