This morning, as I was patiently ( or not so patiently) waiting for my coffee to steep in our french press, I remembered a video I saw when I started to dive into the essential world. It was a simple explanation on the distillation process process of essential oils and it has really stuck with me over the last five years when I am asked to explain the difference in quality between Young Living essential oils versus other companies.
If you have ever inquired about the quality of Young Living Essential Oils, you have probably heard the words " Seed to Seal". Young Living has a number of farms and distilleries around the world. Farms that are partnered with, must pass the Seed to Seal certification standards. You can read all about the Seed to Seal standards and guarantees, here.
Let's get back to the coffee, though! One of the standards that you get with the Seed to Seal promise, is the guarantee of essential oil from the FIRST distillation. What does that mean? Well, think of your ground coffee as plant matter. When you go to brew your coffee, that first brew is going to produce the strongest cup of coffee. Think of this as the first distillation. If you were to take the same coffee grounds that you just brewed and brew them once more, you still get a a cup of coffee BUT the quality and strength of the coffee is weaker. With each brew of those coffee grounds, the coffee will get weaker and weaker even though it is still producing a cup of coffee. Think of this as your plant matter folks!
When I am asked what I think of a certain company who says their oils are pure but provide a less expensive product, I go ahead and take a peek and the website and their prices. The first oils I look at are the flowers.Why the flowers? Well, did you know that it takes 10 pounds of Jasmine flowers to make 5 mLs of pure Jasmine essential oil? It takes 22 pounds of rose petals to create 5 mLs of Rose oil. As I am browsing the prices, I know that if a company is selling rose oil for fifty dollars, something isn't right. I know that if I see Lavender oil listed for ten dollars something isn't right. Is their product pure? Maybe. If it is pure, I can guarantee you, you are not getting the first distillation. When your oil costs significantly less than the plant matter required to create that oil, you are not getting the highest quality product. What does this mean? You are going to be using a greater amount of that oil to come close to the benefits of a single drop of pure oil from the first distillation. So are you really saving money?
Paying for a quality product is worth it friends! If you are here to reap the amazing benefits of these plant juices, know that you absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to essential oils. The transparency, high standards, and quality product that Young Living produces and guarantees cannot be beat!
Alright friends!
When is the last time you had your hair cut? I chopped my hair off in the fall and had my last cut the first week in December. With all of life's events and now the stay-at-home orders, I have absolutely no idea when a haircut will make it onto our schedule. To be honest, I wanted to start growing my hair out after my last haircut. This mama missed the ease of putting her hair in a ponytail. However, I knew I was in trouble with these color treated ends and no haircut for sometime. Over the last few months, I changed a few things in my routine and my hair has absolutely taken off and is looking super healthy! 
I am here to share that with you as I know switching to a plant-based hair care routine can be so tricky! First, in the fall, I started taking an MSM supplement, after attending Silver Retreat. Lindsey Elmore spoke about Sulfurzyme and how beneficial it was for our bodies. She said it should be incorporated into everyone's routine. This got me digging. I started googling MSM and WOW! I get it, we should all look into an MSM supplement. The list of benefits go on and on. MSM has been studied and may support things such as:
- Inflammation/Arthritis
- Cartilage Preservation
- Range of Motion & Physical Function
- Reduce Muscle Soreness Associated with Exercise
- Reduce Oxidative Stress
- Seasonal Allergies
- Skin Quality & Texture
I found this article helpful! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372953/ . Rather than go down the rabbit hole of all the supplements available, I went with what I knew and trusted, Young Living. After about three weeks of taking Sulfurzyme, I noticed a difference in my nails, hair, and muscle tightness/soreness post workouts. If you are looking for a starting point with supplements, here is a great one!
Onto nourishing my actual hair!
My hair is growing. There is no doubt about that! The question now was how to nourish and make it through all of these months without a haircut. The big key here, is a plant-based formula. We are trying to nourish the hair and stay away from harsh chemicals and toxins. However, if you have ever tried to make the switch, you know it can be tricky!
Step 1: Cleansing
I recommend everyone start with Young Living's Lavender Shampoo! It is light and you get a great lather. Another bonus, it ALSO contains MSM. You need no more than a nickle-sized amount! My husband uses less. Only cleanse your SCALP! Unless you have product in your hair, you only need to wash your scalp. Leave those natural oils that are nourishing your hair alone. If you find you need more moisture in your shampoo, then try the Lavender Mint Shampoo. If your hair is extremely dry, over-treated, or breaks easily, I would look into the Copaiba Vanilla.
Step 2: Conditioning
If you have fine hair that is prone to oil and grease, go with Young Living's Lavender Conditioner. I have color treated hair so I want something with more moisturizing components. I go with the Young Living Lavender Mint Conditioner. You are going to wring your hair out and gather in your hand like you are putting your hair in a ponytail. Massage a dime to a nickel-size amount into the hair you gathered, staying away from the scalp. The conditioners are as thick as body butter so you do not want to over do it. Leave in your hair while you finish your shower and then rinse.
Step 3: Leave-In Conditioning (optional)
If you have short or thin hair, you may want to skip this step or use a lighter conditioner, such as the Lavender Conditioner. I like to use the Copaiba Vanilla conditioner because my hair is color-treated and my ends need extra nourishment. A bottle will last you months and months and months if you are only using it for this step.Take a pea-sized amount in your hands and massage conditioner into the ends of your hair. Leave it in and wrap hair in micro-fiber towel.
Step 4: Healthy Scalp (optional)
I love this step year round. I change the oils I add to this recipe based on my scalp health. If I am dry, itchy, or irritated, I grab Lavender, Melrose, and Cedarwood. If I am looking to promote healthy growing conditions, I grab Rosemary, Cedarwood, and Geranium. If I want an added boost, I add Ylang Ylang. Start with half a dropper to one dropper full of Mirah Lustrious Hair Oil. Drop into two ounce spray bottle. Add 5 drops each of three essential oils of you choice. Top the bottle with alcohol-free witch hazel and shake to mix. Before drying hair, lift hair and spritz mixture on the root of your hair. Comb through and style as usual.
That is it folks! I swear by this routine. My hair feels AH-mazing. My ends look healthy and my hair is growing. If you aren't ready to jump in at once, start with the Sulfurzyme and Lavender Shampoo. Then slowly build your haircare collection from there. This would be a great time to jump on Essential Rewards, ease yourself into the routine, and earn points back to spend on your oils!
You will love the results. Here is a YouTube video of me talking about my routine!
With all of the information and testimonies that have been thrown our way when it pertains to CBD oil, I thought I would share my personal testimony to help others better understand the effects it may have on them. I think when a lot of people first hear " CBD" their mind immediately asks the questions, " How is it going to make me feel?" I know mine did! "Will I get high?" or "Are the effects immediate?"
Since the release of Young Living's CBD brand, Nature's Ultra, I quickly fell in love with the Calm Roll-On and the Joint and Muscle Rub. Those were the two products that provided me with a quick, noticeable difference in regards to what I was trying to achieve with each. The dropper bottle of CBD oil is something I dabbled in, off and on since July. I would take .5 mL sublingually when my mind was racing and I needed help falling asleep ( in addition to Vetiver on my feet). As I recommended it, I have heard " I don't feel anything." as if the expectation is an overwhelming feeling of sudden relief. Many times, that is not the case.
Over the past several weeks, as my family has struggled through some family stress and the passing of my mother, I have found myself reaching for my dropper bottle of CBD. Initially, I would use half a dropper ( .5 mL), sublingually, in the morning and as stress started to increase, I increased my frequency of application. I can tell you with consistent use, I did notice a difference in regards to feeling BALANCED. I am easily stressed, become tense easily, and a huge worrier. This causes me to have intense feelings of being overwhelmed and makes it hard to focus. I have tried so many times to put into words how CBD has helped me over the last month and it finally came to me today. It makes me feel balanced. CBD is something that works with our endocannabinoid system to help our body achieve/maintain homeostasis. Through the stress of everything we have been going through, I can tell you, applying sublingually has helped me to achieve balance. I noticed such a difference, that when it was time to travel and be with my mom, I had a bottle delivered to my parents' home so I could remain consistent with my routine through this difficult time.
If you are someone who suffers from anxiety/stress, any type of inflammation, focus, or imbalances, consistent use of CBD is worth trying. Nature's Ultra CBD is not full-spectrum. It is an isolate formula that is combine with Young LIving's essential oils. The terpenes from the essential oils activate the CBD isolate and together create a powerful combination in helping your body achieve balance. Their Smart Spectrum formula also assures that their is 0% THC in this product. With Young Living's reputation of transparency and their Seed to Seal guarantee with their essential oils and CBD oil, you can rest assure you are getting a pure, clean, and powerful product with Nature's Ultra. If CBD oil is something you have been considering, check out the Nature's Ultra website. Young Living member's receive a 24% discount on all Nature's Ultra products through their Virtual Office. A phenomenal CBD Starter Kit was also recently released for those wishing to become a wholesale member! ( Insane value in the starter kit ) Explore the Starter Kit tab on the website to check out your options!
