Healing Naturally...Natural Household Cleaners

Everyone wants a clean house ,but who wants to inhale all those fumes from chemical cleaners. They are toxic and can wreak havoc on your health.
You can use natural cleaners to be both safe and effective in cleaning all surfaces in your home. They are fun and easy to make, and won't cost you much. This is part one of the series of natural cleaners for the home.

All Purpose Cleaning Spray

Mix liquid castile soap, baking soda with a little water. Add more soap for heavy jobs. Add essential oils of lemon, lavender or pine for extra disinfecting properties.

Window Cleaner

Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle.

No Streak Glass Cleaner

Mix 1/4 cup white vinegar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir well. Add 1 quart warm water and stir again.

Scouring Powder

Use baking soda. Put on a sponge and scrub. Add essential oils of lemon for a clean fresh scent.

Non Abrasive Soft Scrub

In a bowl mix 1/4 cup of borax with 1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil. Add enough castile soap to make a paste. Store in a squeeze bottle.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

1.Blend castile soap with baking soda or borax. Pour in toilet and scrub.
2.Sprinkle baking soda into the toilet bowl. Add vinegar and scrub. Clean and deodorizes the bowl.

There are several more, and I will continue them in part 2.

Aromatherapy Support to Quit Smoking

Is your New Year's Resolution to quit smoking? Then hopefully we can help you through this difficult time.

Going cold turkey is tough, but best on your body. If you choose to use the patch or nicotine gum replacement you can actually stop smoking, but become addicted to the gum. I saw a women once who had quit smoking for quite some time, but she still needed that nicotine in the form of a lozenge.

There is no easy way to stop. Nicotine is more addictive than cocaine. It plays on receptors in your brain to make you want more...and more.

We can't help you stop, but we can help you relax during those sudden nicotine attacks.
Aromatherapy can help. Using Aromatherapy to relieve stress and anxiety has been used for hundreds of years successfully.

While quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your health, it is also the hardest. Hopefully the following aromatherapy formula will help you to relax when those cravings hit. .

5 drops Rosemary (Rosemarinus officianalis)
5 drops Lemon (Citrus limonum)
3 drops Peppermint (Mentha piperta)
3 drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)
1 drop Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)

Mix essential oils together, and diffuse in an oil burner.

The mixture is energizing and relaxing.

Good Luck, and don't stop trying to quit.It is hard, but not impossible.

Healing Naturally...Using Aromatherapy for Stress

Aromatherapy for Stress

Essential oils are very effective in the treatment of stress and in the encouragement of relaxation.

• Essential oils of orange blossom, rose, chamomile and lavender have a noticeable calming effect.
  
• Scents of lavender, sandalwood and nutmeg help you shrug off the ill-effects of stress.
• Patchouli essential oil helps eliminate anxiety and lifts the mood (it is also said to be an aphrodisiac.).
• Clary sage essential oil acts as a sedative.
  
• Ylang-ylang essential oil acts as a sedative and mood regulator. Use it in moderation. It can cause headaches in some people.
• Lavender is probably the most useful of them all for relaxation. It is a sedative and a tonic. It helps you to relax, at the same time, it also eases aches and pains, such as headache. Sprinkle four drops on a tissue and inhale deeply for sudden stress. Our ancestors carried with them handkerchiefs perfumed with lavender water or rose water. After inhaling the scent of lavender, you will feel more relaxed in 10 minutes. I carry lavender everywhere I go.

The most effective methods for using essential oils to help calm the mind and relax the body include massage, baths, and vaporization. You can use them singly or in combination.

The Characteristics of Essential Oils Useful for Anxiety and Stress Management

Calm Oils Basil Bay Bergamot Cedarwood Chamomile Cinnamon Clary Sage Comfrey Cypress Frankincense Geranium Hyssop Juniper Lavender Marjoram Melissa Neroli Patchouli Rose Sandalwood Ylang Ylang

Uplifting Oils Basil Bergamot Geranium Juniper Lavender Lemon Balm (Melissa) Oils To Avoid In Pregnancy Basil Bay Clary Sage Comfrey Hyssop Juniper Lemon Balm (Melissa) Marjoram

Useful Essential Oil Blends

Essential oil combinations are useful for purposes of relaxation and producing a sense of calm. You can experiment with different combinations to determine the effects they produce on you. Try not to mix more than three oils unless it is specifically recommended

Healing Naturally....No More Winter Itch Skin

Winter in the north doesn't have to mean rough, dry itchy skin. Say good-bye to the winter itch with a few simple herbal tips.
One of the great herbs for skin is Calendula. Calendula petals steeped in a carrier oil makes a wonderful oil to help heal that dry itchy skin. You can use almost any carrier oil, but our favorite is a combination of organic apricot and almond oil. Almond oil is light and helpful to all skin types. Especially good for eczema, helps relieve itching, soreness, dryness and inflammation. Almond oil is very lubricating, but not penetrating, making it a good skin protectant.
Apricot oil contains minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin A. Apricot oil is wonderful for all skin types. It is very rich and nourishing and can be helpful for prematurely aged, sensitive, inflamed, delicate or dry skin.
Steep the petals in the oils of choice for 6 weeks. Add cocoa butter, shea butter or other ingredients to help soften skin. By adding the butters, this will make a Calendula ointment.
Other herbs that can be used or mixed into an oil are elderflower, comfrey, marshmallow root as well as rose.
Adding essential oils will prolong the life of the oil or ointment.