Yes, I know...it has been a very long time since I have posted anything. I have been making wine, canning, enjoying family plus all my other little arts and crafting that I do. I have also returned to a position that I held for approximately 7 + years after taking a 2 3/4 years self discovery and physical & mental health break. I have returned to my previous Clinical Administrator (Director of Nursing) position at a top notch, well respected Assisted Living Community that specializes in Dementia and Senior Aging in Place Community. I love it because it is "home" to me and it is a Christian based organization! I am also the Learning and Development Specialist for both that community and it's sister community in our area! Thank you God for bringing me home renewed & refreshed!!!
So, I am very excited to say that I have found a website that sells quality essential oils and related items. I have wanted to experiment with aromatherapy for many years but the cost of the oils has been what has prevented me in doing so. The site I have discovered has removed the cost obstacle for me and I am thrilled. I have started to stock up on supplies and am experimenting with various mixtures that appeal to my senses. I will share my recipe for a natural cream antiperspirant/deodorant for under the arms as well as a few other ideas I have come up with. The website to procure the oils is https://www.bulkapothecary.com/. I absolutely love them and there prices and their quality! I have done a lot of searching and have not found better prices & quality anywhere else (even after figuring in the shipping costs). Make sure that you buy the 19 cent disposable plastic droppers (at least one for each oil that you purchase) as the essential oils do not come with droppers and you do not want to use the same droppers in the different oils. I soak and wash my droppers really well in hot soapy water between uses and am able to reuse them.
Homemade Natural antiperspirant/deodorant (that really works!):
What you need:
3 tablespoons of baking soda
2 tablespoons of corn starch
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (it is in a solid state at room temp. of up to 76 degrees)
1 tablespoon of Shea butter
optional: 20 drops of lavender essential oil, 10-15 drops of clove essential oil, 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil, 1-2 drops of patchouli essential oil. Or you can use no essential oils or any blend of essential oils of your liking. Perhaps you would like to use a citrus essential oil. I like the spicy blend and also like the blend I listed for their antibacterial/antiseptic properties.
1 Ziplock type bag to mix and mash up the ingredients. You could use a bowl and a spoon if you prefer.
A small container with a lid to store your product. I use a short flat type of mason jar because I love mason jars. Do not use the taller jars as it will be harder to dip your fingers into the finished product when applying.
How to:
1. Mix your baking soda and corn starch in the ziplock type baggie. I make sure to crush as many of the baking soda clumps up into powder as much as possible. You will not get it perfect and that is okay!
2. Drop in the coconut oil and the Shea butter and close the bag. Mash/knead the contents until you have a toothpaste consistency. It is possible that you may need to add a little more baking soda or oil to get the right consistency. Add in small amounts at a time or you will be going back and forth. The paste needs to be easy to spread into your skin with your fingers. You may want it to be a little thicker if you are going to add essential oils as the oils will slightly thin the finished product.
3. Add the essential oils of your choice or the ones I recommend above and again mash/knead until all ingredients are well blended.
4. Cut a small corner from the bottom of your bag and squeeze out the product into your container like you would do with a pastry bag.
How to use:
After bathing dip your clean fingers into the jar and apply a thin layer of your finished product to your armpits. Allow approximately 5 minutes for the product to absorb into your skin. It will feel slightly gritty and oily when you first apply. This is how it should feel. It will absorb into your skin and you can then dress as usual. It is suggested that if you have shaved your pits you should wait approximately 30 minutes to reduce the chance of skin irritation. Make sure that you wash your pits well with a wash cloth every morning. I have read on several posts for blends similar to mine that some people get a slight dark coloring of their skin from either the baking soda or coconut oil or the darker essential oils that are easily alleviated by lightly exfoliating or using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. I have not been using the product long enough to notice a discoloration. The product is working extremely well and if the discoloration occurs, I will deal with it then.
A great by product... I discovered this by accident. The essential oils are so potent. When I am done using my droppers, I keep a glass cup of warm water (about 1 1/2 cups of water) and a drop of dish-washing detergent handy. I put the used droppers into the cup and squeeze the water in and out of the droppers to rinse the inside of the droppers. I also will dip clean droppers into a bottle of cinnamon bark essential oil, a dropper into eucalyptus essential oil, and lemon (5-fold) essential oil just enough to coat each dropper with a scant amount of the oils. I then place the droppers into the cup of warm water with the other droppers and let them sit over night. The drop of dish-washer soap will cause the oils clinging to the droppers to mix into the water (creates an emulsion). The water can then be placed into a small clean spray bottle. It is believed that this blend of oils is an excellent antibacterial. You can spray it as a room freshener or lightly onto clothing to eliminate odors or onto surfaces that need to be disinfected. I have nothing to validate its effectiveness but I light the light fresh scent. It is a wonderful scent for fall and winter. Please make certain that after allowing the droppers to soak overnight and putting the scented water into your spray container that you then fill your glass that you used to soak the droppers back up with warm water and a liberal amount of dish-washing detergent and allow your dropper to soak in this solution until you need them again. I found out the hard way that the oils are so potent that they will "melt" plastic disposable cups so make sure you use glass. Also, make sure that you rinse the droppers really well before using them again. You do not want to dilute and/or contaminate your essential oils when you reuse your droppers.
I am planning on making some scented natural soaps for bathing and moisturizing bars that you just rub on your skin (both for aromatherapy and for therapeutic pain relief) in the near future. I also have a recipe or two or three for some wonderful blend of body oil and body cream and butter. I am planning on making some of my own flavored lip balms. I am just waiting for my next delivery from https://www.bulkapothecary.com/ so that I can accomplish these new ideas.
Having all of these wonderful essential oils makes it wonderful to continue to have a Sentsational reason to have the Wisdom To Breath!
