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How to support yourself through the change of season

When I get unwell I try to first clear my schedule to make space for rest and recover – the most important part of getting well again if you are feeling unwell. All to often we just pop a few pills and get on with life, not really listening to what the body is asking for.

I use good supplementation to start with. I take the Life Long Vitality Supplements from doTERRa, which includes a Food Nutrient Complex, a Cellular Complex and an Omega Complex. At $126 wholesale price for a monthly supply (I only take half the dose for maintenance and when unwell full dose) this is really reasonable. Very, very few of us get enough nutrients with our food – supplementation is essential for most to help our bodies heal and deal to the stresses that our lifestyles bring. I can highly recommend to implement these supplements into your daily self-care and prevention regime.

I use the On Guard products on a daily basis. On Guard is the Immune Protection blend. When I was unwell I was diffusing this blend all day long, as it has the ability to cleanse the air from airborne bacteria. I use the topical roller on my throat, under the soles of feet and top and base of the spine (can’t reach the rest… ;-). I use the hand soap all throughout the house and yoga studio and I used the On Guard Hand Sanitizer when prepping food for my family. Last but not least I also use the On Guard Cleaning Concentrate to keep the house sparkly and free of bacteria and the magic On Guard Throat Lozenges, that will soothe your sore throat in speed that surprises everyone I introduce these lollies to. Best of all they are only raw cane sugar and essential oils. Oh and the Toothpaste – keeping your mouth and teeth healthy. I also use the On Guard Mouthwash, which is now available from the USA warehouse. On Guard is your best friend as a mum or if you work with lots of people around you. They are my most used products.

Next the Easy Air Range. These save me – I have a tendency to Sinusitis and I do steam baths for my face. Bowl with hot water, drops of On Guard and Easy Air, a few Chamomile Flowers and towel over the head. So soothing and frees all the airways. I also diffuse Easy Air and use it as a chestrub. Most people don’t realise that commercial chest rubs have petrochemicals in them. You don’t want to put that stuff on your largest organ. Easy Air is a natural blend of pure, therapeutic grade, organic essential oils. You just dilute with a carrier oil and I rub that on my chest and under soles of the feet. At night I also rub it on my forehead and temples. The Easy Air drops really help with niggling coughs and to free up the sinuses or if you experience restriction in the respiratory system. I always have them in my yoga bag for students. There is also an Easy Air chestrub straight to use. However I tend to use the oil more personally.

I use my neti pot for my sinuses at least twice daily when I have infection in the sinuses. I use a bit of Himalayan Salt and warm water and flush the sinuses with it.

Herbs and Homeopathics are always part of my recovery. With my sinusitis I find Pulsatilla clears it beautifully. I do use the Malcolm Harker range, the Sinus Clear herbs too and Tissue Salts for Congestion.

I have lots of Tumeric / Ginger / Lemon & Honey teas, try to keep nutrition simple and really healthy with lots of fruit and veg, freshly pressed juices and nourishing smoothies.

I like to have Empson & Sea Salt baths with nourishing oils like Manuka, Frankincense, Cardamom or whatever I fancy really and have long, relaxing soaks.

There a few other doTERRA products I like to use when unwell. I took DDR Prime, the Cellular Protection blend, Tumeric, Frankincense and Yarrow/Pom internally to help clear the inflammation in the body. I drop the oils in an empty vegi capsule and swallow. Only short term and when I need it.

And I try to rest as much as I can – which is the most important part. The body takes time to heal and all to often we want to force it into our own crazy schedule no matter if it needs resting or not.

So those are just a few of the things I do when unwell. I hope you find a few interesting snippets.

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doTERRA quality

There is lots of talk in the media about essential oil safety at the moment, so I thought I would touch first on the doTERRA quality here. Because using a pure, unadulterated essential oil is the basis for safe usage. Adulterated essential oils and synthetic fragrance can cause allergies, skin reaction add to the toxic load in the body.

Firstly I would like to emphasise the doTERRA quality.

  • Each batch of doTERRA essential oil is undergoing over 50 tests in house and third party. This level of testing is unprecedented in the essential oil industry worldwide.
  • doTERRA is one of the few companies, who publish their third party test results for EVERY batch of essential oil publicly on the website sourcetoyou.com. Again this is unprecedented in this industry.
  • Their sourcing practices are sustainable and ethical. They work with many small scale farmers all around the world and in many developing countries. doTERRA provide fair, longterm income for those growers and distillers. Not only giving them an income, but also hope to improve their and their communities safety, longevity and lifestyles. doTERRA has many humanitarian projects all around the world. Again you can view a lot of information on sourcetoyou.com
  • The Aromatic Plant Research Institute (APRC) has the largest database of essential oil testing and quality. They recently conducted a study of 50 well known essential oil brands in the USA. Only 3 of the 50 essential oil brands had unadulterated essential oils in the bottle. 47 of them put synthetic fillers in their bottle, mislabel bottles, have traces of insecticides or pesticides etc.!!! That is terrible. doTERRA is one of the 3 who was tested as pure, clean essential oil. The other 2 small boutique distilleries in the USA. Most companies put profit over people and that’s one of the reasons why people get reactions to essential oils – because most of them are toxic and impure.
  • They have purer and more potent quality even than most organic essential oils. They are just not certified, because they source worldwide and sell worldwide, with different organic regulations in every country for sourcing and selling this would almost be a task impossible to archieve. Read this from one of the founders Emily Wright:

Clarity on Organic + CPTG, from Emily Wright:

“Many of doTERRA’s essential oils are certified organic, others are ECOCERT, and some do not have any certification. Why? We source from many developing countries. The certification requirements and availability differ from country to country. Some countries don’t even have a certification offering.

“For example, it costs $2,500 for a grower to receive organic certification in Madagascar. This certification lasts two years. Most of the time, an inspector never even visits the farm to verify that they are, in fact, growing organically. The fee is what matters here. However, most of the growers in this impoverished country cannot afford the certification, although they are all growing by the same standards (pesticides and herbicides aren’t used in Madagascar).

“The reason doTERRA has chosen not to print “certified organic” or “ECOCERT” on our labels is because each lot has a different certification. Some of our Ylang Ylang may come in with organic certification; another lot may not have the certification – because one producer simply paid a fee to be certified organic, and another didn’t.

“The important distinction: these two lots meet the very same quality standards. They go through the same battery of tests, and are both certified to be free of pesticides, herbicides, fillers, synthetics, or added compounds. There is no difference in the quality or purity.

“When we say that our oils are better than organic, it is because we have the ability to see even the smallest synthetic component in each lot of oil. Our Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade process was developed by the finest analytical scientists. If there is anything contained in the essential oil that was not produced by nature, it’s simply rejected.”

So the moral of the story is – I trust doTERRA oils 100%. Each bottle goes through rigorous testing from growing conditions to the distillation process, before the rawmaterials are purchased, again when they arrive in the country and all the way through until you receive it in your bottle. A pure plant essence that you can trust.

Don’t by any other oils is my recommendation, because as an individual it is almost impossible to figure out if its pure or not.

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Safe usage of essential oils

There are many factors that come into safe usage of essential oils and I would like to discuss just a few basics.

  • Essential oils are very concentrated plant essences. 1 bottle of Lemon Essential oil has the essential oil of the peels of approx. 50 lemons in it (1 bottle – not one drop!) So they need to be used with common sense and caution.
  • I only use doTERRA essential oils, because I know they one of very few companies who actually put in the bottle what they say they do. Their testing regime and ethical and sustainable sourcing is unprecedented in the world.
  • If you use them topically on the skin you ALWAYS need to dilute. And you need to dilute according to different age groups. Don’t trust every recipe that floats around on instagram, facebook or in Pinterest. Unfortunately not everyone does their research properly and also every body is entirely individual. You need to assess dilution on age, which essential oil you are using (Cinnamon & Oregano for example are very spicy and strong), you need to be aware of photo-sensitivity (all citrus oils are photosensitive – you can burn your skin quicker for 12-24 hours after application) and some people have more sensitive skin than others. You can always do a skin patch test first.
  • If you use them aromatically in the diffuser, on diffusing jewellery, in your home made air-fresheners, just make sure you do not overwhelm your olfactory glands. The micro particles of the essential oils stay around in the air for up to 2 hours after the diffuser finished. You don’t need to diffuse for 24/7. Its lovely to have a morning and afternoon boost, when uplifting & focus is necessary. Its nice to support an evening routine, especially with children to establish aromatic anchors and have more settled and deeper sleep. If we have a virus going around in our house or someone is unwell I might on occasion diffuse all day to knock any floaties in the air on the head and support our immune-system. After all you don’t drink coffee all day or eat tumeric all day or take supplements every hour of the day. Use your common sense to see when you actually need the aromatic boost.
  • And lastly lets get to internal usage. Firstly I would not use any other essential oil other than doTERRA in food flavoring and support my body. Simply because most other essential oils have toxic and artificial components in them and might do more harm then good. I always advise caution when it comes to using essential oils for flavoring. First of all you need to do your own research. I for example don’t put them in my water on a daily basis. If I take them internally on occasion when my body needs it I drop them in an empty vegi capsule (supplement capsule) and swallow. I only recommend this if you know why you are doing it, how to do it and which oils are safe to do this. The oils will have a super beneficial effect if used properly on the skin topically and aromatically from the diffuser. More often when not internal use is not necessary and in some cases unsafe. If you use them in your food make sure there are other fats to bind and dilute the essential oil – for example in bliss balls with coconut oil, soups with olive oil, salad dressings with other carrier oil.
  • The beauty of doTERRA is, that you will be provided with lots of information. You look up the essential oils on the doTERRA website you get lots of information, not only on the oils itself, but also recipes, safety guidelines etc.
  • If you open your doTERRA account with me you will have my ongoing support – you can ask me questions anytime if you are unsure. You will get access to 2 educational forums and a website packed with information.
  • As with everything you put in or on your body – do your research, make sure you use them safely and use your common sense.
  • One last remark on the critics who try to bad mouth doTERRA. Lots of side effects from essential oil use actually come from using impure oils (not doTERRA) and from overusing or using incorrectly. From my point of view, if you are replacing toxic products in your home with natural ones that can only be of benefit to you and your family – so don’t buy into the scaremongering. From my experiences there are still too many homes where people spray perfume all over themselves on a daily basis (toxic), where we find toxic and artificial air fresheners in homes and cars, where we have cleaning products that compromise your health on a daily basis, where woman have 15 times the toxic load of men, because of all the body care products they put in an onto their bodies that are full of toxins and artificial ingredients, where toxic scented candles are burnt that compromise your olfactory glands and brain health…. The list goes on and on. Still a majority of people use a multitude of toxic products in their home and on their bodies without questioning them twice and getting into research mode when it comes to a pure, plant based essential oil. Put the same research into your everyday, mainstream products – check your labels and replace them with safe natural solutions.
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The best essential oils for restful sleep

Essential Oils can support you to find a more restful sleep. There are several you can choose from. I always recommend to use both topical application as well as diffusing in the bedroom before & during sleep. It depends on the severity of the sleep problems.

Lavender is probably the most well known essential oil to support sleep and find a calmer state. It doesn’t work for everyone though – approx. 30% of the population find Lavender uplifting rather than calming. I am one of them. I love lavender to calm my anxious feelings and thoughts, but I can’t use it at sleep time. Its works super well for my children though.

The Magnolia Touch roller bottle is another best friend at sleeptime. It has a much higher Linalool content than Lavender and Linalool is well knows for its calming effects . Again this is not just for sleep time. It makes a beautiful perfume and can help us keep our emotions calm during the day and help dealing with stress.

The best and most reliable sleep oil is Vetiver, which is also called the “knock out” oil. It comes from a grass root and is a really thick and resiny oil. Vetiver works a treat not only for sleep, but also for over anxious, over active, highly stressed people. Its very grounding and calming and I definitely recommend going for this one if you have severe sleep problems.

Roman Chamomile is great as well to support sleep and one of the essential oils that are safe to use for babies and small children as well.

If there are nightmares or night terrors involved Juniper Berry is great. Its the oil of the night and helps relieve any fearfulness around nighttime. One of my children sometimes gets bad nightmares when they have a fever. If that happens I rub some diluted Vetiver and Juniper Berry along their spine and they usually settle within minutes – like magic. Before I had the oils it took lengthy periods of time to settle them back.

You can add your sleep oils to some nourishing carrier oil, like Sweet Almond Oil and massage into your skin before you go to bed. Its a really nice self care ritual. I have a morning body oil and an evening one.

doTERRA also a few blends that can benefit your sleep routines. Lavender Peace Blend is beautiful blend of essential oils specifically formulated to help sleep and relaxation. You can find more info on this blend HERE.

Also the Peace blend from the Emotional Therapy kit can be helpful for sleep and helping calm the show. The Peace blend comes either as a roller or a neat oil which can be used in the diffuser. You can find more info on this blend HERE.

And last but not least the Balance blend helps to ground and calm either morning or evening. I know many people who rub the Balance blend under their feet in the morning to stay grounded and calm. Others find it also helpful at sleeptime. More info on this blend HERE.

Its a matter of finding an oil or blend that works for you as we are all individual beings. Experiment and have a bit of fun. And remember it might be necessary to apply both topically on the skin and also diffuse. For some people either or is enough, some people need both.

Also be mindful to have at least 30 minutes of screen free time before bed, try and go to bed before 10 pm and try to establish a bed time ritual that helps you find calm and peace and nourishes you. For example legs up the wall yoga pose (Viparita Karani) and conscious, deep belly breathing in combination with your oils could be good to try. You might like to write in your journal to process the events of the day or have a calming herbal tea and read a nice book (obviously not a gripping thriller right before bed ;-).

For those of you who need scientific research you can find lots of studies on pubmed. Here are a few examples.

Search: pubmed studies on aromatherapy Lavender sleep

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you want to start your doTERRA journey you can find instructions on my website HERE.

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doTERRA Loyalty Rewards Program

Lets talk doTERRA loyalty Rewards Program:

Everybody with a doTERRA account can either just order whenever they like with a “one time standard order” or be part of the “LRP / Loyalty Rewards Program” with a monthly order to receive your monthly Wellness Box straight to your door (my favorite parcel all month!). Your monthly order can be cancelled anytime, you can change it every month, there is no limit as to how much you have to order if you are just a customer.

What do I order regularly in my Wellness box

– essential oils (obviously ;-). I use them daily so have to replace regularly.
– doTERRA On Guard Toothpaste and Mouthwash (oohh so good and natural – no more ulcers or bleeding gums)
– doTERRA on Guard hand soap & cleaning concentrate (keeping those bugs at bay) 
– Lifelong Vitality Supplements (Food Nutrient Complex, Cellular Protection Complex and Omega’s – they are only $126 per month supply – have 30 day money back guarantee and are the top selling product of excellent quality)
– soaps bars, chest rub
– Lozenges On Guard for sore throats, Easy Air to clear airways.
– Correct X wound healing balm only $18 and I use for scrapes, cuts, burns, stings etc.
– Skin Oils – Yarrow Pom and Salubelle are the only things I use on my face. No more skin imperfections, less wrinkles and beautiful soft skin.
– Perfume – Rose, Jasmin, Neroli, Magnolia are now my perfumes. I don’t waste my money on toxic commercial perfumes anymore. Artificial fragrance in general really upsets my system if I smell it, for example car fresheners, toilet fresheners etc.
– doTERRA have a huge range of other products like skin care ranges, shampoo, conditioner etc.

So how does it work: You open your account with me with a starter kit or whatever you fancy. Then you set up your first monthly order with my help for the following month. For the first 3 months if you order for 50 PV every month you receive 10 % of your order volume back in product points. This percentage increases every 3 months until it reaches 30%. Then every so often you can treat yourself to some special oils or products from your accumulated points.

So this month I used my points to purchase a Rose Touch (best perfume ever, great for emotional balancing and has a big affinity with the skin), Manuka oil (I use for my skin potions, sore throats – its sourced in NZ – Gisborne), and Hawaiian Sandalwood (Skin Potions, grounding – great for meditation and being present, I use to support my lymphatic system) Those oils have a combined value of almost $300 wholesale. I wouldn’t usually treat myself to precious oils like this, but by purchasing products that I would usually buy in the supermarket or other places I get these treats for free. Wayyy better than fly by’s right?

Any questions let me know – I will lather on some Rose and Magnolia and go to sleep now. Be well. xxx

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Lickable Lipbalm and Anti Ageing Body Butter

The following 2 recipies are from the book “The Healing Power of essential oils” by Eric Zielinski, D.C.

LICKABLE LIPBALM

1 table spoon bees wax, 2 table spoons organic, unrefined coconut oil, 2.5 teaspoons unrefined shea butter, 5 drops Vitamin E oil, 3 drops ginger essential oil, 2 drops peppermint essential oil

set glass measuring cup or jar in saucepan filled with an inch of water. Place beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter in jar and melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When ingredients are melted, remove the jar from pan and quickly stir in Vitamin E and essential oils. Pour into small tins, let cool. apply small amount onto lips. If allergic to beeswax you can try candelilla wax or bayberry wax. Makes about 15 small balm tubes or tins.

ANTI AGEING BODY BUTTER

1 cup unrefined shea butter, 1 cup Mama Z’s oils base (see below), 5 drops essential oils (see suggested blends below).

Melt Shea Butter in double boiler, let it cool. Once cool enough to handle pour into medium glass bowl. Add Mama Z’s oil base and essential oils. Chill until partly solidified (about 15 mins). Whip to a butter like consistency with handheld mixer. Store in mason jar.

Mama Z’s oil base: 54 ounces / 1.5 kg coconut oil melted, 16 ounces / 453 grams sweet almond oil, 8 ounces / 226 grams Jojoba oil, 4 ounces 113 g Vitamin E. Mix everything and store in jars. You can use handmixer. Malt coconut oil gently first if hard. Lasts for up to 1-2 years if stored in cool and dark place. Can be used for balms, salves and butters.

Essential Oil blends for beauty and anti-ageing: 20 drops Helichrysum, 10 drops Frankincense, 10 drops Sandalwood, 5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Ylang Ylang. OR 20 drops Ylang Ylang, 10 drops Geranium, 10 drops Lavender, 10 drops Rose absolute. You can swap any of those. I usually don’t use citrus oils in body butters because of sun sensitivity.

Other blend ideas: You can use the doTERRA Salubelle blend for nourishing your skin, Ice Blue for an after excercise rub, Aromatouch for massage or morning rub, Roman Chamomile and Blue Tansy for before bed.

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Deet Free Bug Spray and soothing Bug Bite Balm

DEET FREE BUG SPRAY

This all-natural insect repellent made with pure essential oils is safe for the whole family.

1 ounce / 28 grams carrier oil of choice, 3 drops citronella oil, 3 drops eucalyptus oil, 3 drops tea tree oil, 3 drops peppermint oil, 3 drops cypress oil, 3 drops lemon myrtle oil. Have 1 small spray bottle ready.

Mix all ingredients in small glass spray bottle and store in cool dark place, spritz on body when needed, avoiding eyes, reapply every so often if needed.

SOOTHING BUG BITE BALM

5 drops Peppermint essential oil, 5 drops lavender essential oil, liquid carrier oil, 5 ml glass roller bottle.

Mix everything in roller bottle. Apply as needed to relieve itch and sting.

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A good bye letter

The last few months have just been a whirlwind of so many things happening all at once, I barely any moments to digest all the major changes and I feel it will take quite a few months to fully process whats just happened.

The kids are with their nanny at the moment so I am sitting in a cafe, trying to gather a few thoughs and say a proper good bye to you all.

The last 3 years at Heartspace have been so special to me. And apart from the parting with our home, that was the hardest to let go of. I love being a yoga teacher and student, I loved my little Heartspace cocoon and building a community, getting to know you all and sharing in the highs and lows that life serves up. Having had a break from teaching now for almost 2 months I realise that is what I miss most. The connection with like-minded people, who try to look after themselves, find a bit of peace in amongst the chaos that life can sometimes be, walking each-other home really, as beautiful Ram Das said.

I have learnt so much in those 3 years. From the very humble beginnings of being a brand new yoga teacher committing to a lease of a room that was still just a shell at that stage – to handing the heartspace community & space over to new guardians – soo many things happened. I just lodged my yoga teaching hours with Yoga Alliance and they added up to 1,206 hours over those 3 years with approx. 150-200 students coming through the doors every month in just my classes.

The humble beginnings of the heartspace room – deciding on carpet and having a massive and overwhelming to do list.

I can still remember how worried, scared and insecure I felt when I first started, with my heart beating fast and my throat choking up. I am now in a space where the yoga mat is probably one of my most comfortable spaces. I know what teaching style feels most authentic to me, I found my voice, my space, my people and feel as comfortable in my skin as I ever have. It feels like life can’t knock me over so easily these days. I have grown so much more confident in my own skill and ability and have established a trust in life that feels good and comforting. I have learnt so much from you all, from your stories, your resilience, your willingness to share, your willingness to turn up for sessions through emotional ups and downs, your willingness to make space for yourselves. I loved the chatter in the beginning and at the end of the classes, the exchanges between people who just met, or friends catching up. I loved meeting some of your children and friends you brought along putting faces to names.

I am so, so grateful that I have been able to hold space for you and other teachers and their students for those 3 years. I feel very blessed to have had this opportunity. I would like to thank you for your trust and your encouragement. I still feel sad to leave that chapter behind, but I am also excited for the next chapter to start now.

I hope you all find a new teacher and/or yoga style that resonates with you. We are very lucky in Hawke’s Bay to have so many beautiful teachers and sessions to choose from.

My best bit of advise I can give you on the way from what I learned over my 15 years of practicing and 3 years of teaching is that we are all entirely individual beings – physically, mentally and spiritually. There is no one fits all approach. Listen to your body and do what feels good and have clear boundaries around your practice. Communicate with your teacher if you like or don’t like to have adjustments done. Try a few different teachers and styles to really find what makes you happy. For me yoga has really become my nourishment. My practice needs to be nourishing, feed me, fill me up, feel good. Find what feels good to you and respect your only home that is with you for this lifetime all the time – your beautiful, magical body. It lets you know – if you make the time to listen.

And don’t forget Yoga is so much more than practicing yoga poses – yes for most of us this is where it started. For me it was and later I looked further and deeper. Those of you who came to my beginners classes would have heard about the 8 limbs of yoga. Perhaps get yourself a book and study the deeper aspects or should I say the roots of a proper yoga practice. Most of us do yoga every day anyway – without ever doing a pose.

…………

The last couple of months have been a bit tough. I am in detachment overload, we have had to let go of so many things, living out of suitcases at the moment and not leaving until mid March. So we are all ready to move into our new floating home.

Tim has been in Greece for 2 weeks and found our boat, a Bavaria 46 called Polykandros (Polly). It is getting a make over at the moment in Athens from where we still start our new life mid March. While he was away I was emptying our house, sorting, packing, cleaning, organising garage sales, pick ups, drop offs and juggling the kids needs in-between it all.

Polly on her sea-trial in Athens

If you want to follow our journey or even support us there are several ways how you can do that.

  • check out our website freedomfamily.nz
  • Follow us on facebook HERE or Instagram HERE
  • Like and subscribe to our youtube channel HERE
  • Support us on Patreon with a few dollars every week HERE. We will attempt do create a video every week to document our journey and share our experiences. The couple of dollars supports us in our work and will perhaps even enable us to stay on the water longer. We don’t have any investments or rentals, so we are essentially blowing our equity from the house for a bit of freedom. We will have to live very mindful with our limited resources financially, so every dollar helps. Our Patreons get access to our videos one week early, get access to a private facebook group, live calls and possibilities to visit on the boat.
  • I am still doing my doTERRA business from on the go and for every doTERRA purchase you do through me I earn a bit of commission. You can find more info HERE. I still support my team with education from afar via e-mail, messaging etc.
  • I also keep my heartspace.nz site up for mainly blog posts on my yoga insights and essential oils info. You can find me on Facebook HERE and Instagram HERE.

From my heart to yours – I wish you all the very best on your journeys and hope some of you stay connected. I would love to hear from you now and then and perhaps one day our paths will cross again. For now me and my family are going to jump into the unknown, practice trust, experience a bit of freedom and family time, reconnect with each other and let the wind decide which direction we go. Thank you xxxx

My emotions and feelings vision board for 2020 from my journal.
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Home made sunscreen

From “The inspired little book” by Krissy Ballinger

Zinc Oxide is rated as one of the best and safest defenses against UVA and UVB rays. Bear in mind that sunscreen should be used in conjunction with other sunprotection measures to ensure effection protection against UV rays.

Ingredients: 120 g carrier oil, 60 g coconut oil, 25 g shea butter, 20 g beeswax, 40 g zinc oxide (non-nano particles) 20-50 drops Helichrysum, Arborvitae or Sandalwood essential oil (essential oil is not necessary).

In a double boiler (pot with boiling water with class or metal bowl on top that is not submerged in the water) melt carrier oil (almond, jojoba etc.), coconutoil, shea butter, and beeswax . Add zinc oxide and essential oils once cooled down a little and stil until well combined. Pour into jar or container, taking care to scrape out all the zinc. When sunscreen sets, stir the cream to evently distribute the zinc oxide, which is the main SPF factor.

Use as you would use any other sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours.

Don’t use any Citrus Oils in your sunscreen, as most of them are photo and light sensitive and that would be a really bad idea. You are more likely to sunburn on the spot where you applied citrus oils for 12-24 hours after application.

I also found 2 other variations of this recipe. 1 is from Wellness Mama and you can find this HERE.

The other one is from Pronounce Skin care and you can find the recipe HERE.

I will try this year to make my own sunscreen as well as other body care products, like my body butters and body oils. I am hoping to reduce plastic waste through doing this as well as reducing our toxic load.