Tag Archives: coconut oil

Rose Petal Body Scrub (moisturizing & homemade)

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Rose Petals Body Scrub Lemons & Petals

I’ve been thinking about using dried rose petals to make a body scrub for quite some time.  Something about it sounds so luxurious!

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I happen to receive these flowers at the perfect time!  After the petals started wilting, I pulled them off the stems and let them dry.

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Then I put them in my food processor and ground them down to small pieces.

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Then I was ready to make the body scrub.  So let’s get started.

What you will need:

  • 1 cup of epsom salt or sugar (whichever you prefer)
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil (or any other oil you prefer…olive oil and avocado oil are good choices too)
  • 20 drops of essential oils (I used lavender and geranium)
  • 1/4 cup of lightly ground rose petals

Mix all the ingredients and place in a jar.  It’s that simple 🙂

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Hope you make this!  It will leave you with soft smooth skin.  Thanks for reading 🙂

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DIY Moisturizing Body Lotion Stick

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body lotion stick

I wanted something moisturizing for my daughters’ dry skin.  They don’t like getting their hands “greasy” and therefore don’t use lotion or creams or even coconut oil to moisturize their skin.  So I came up with a solid moisturizing body lotion in a stick!  You can actually use any mold you would like for these solid lotion bars.  I chose an empty deodorant stick so my girls’ hands won’t get greasy as they apply the lotion.  I am so happy with this recipe.  And I love that it’s chemical free!

You will need:

  • 2 TBS coconut oil
  • 2 TBS shea butter or cocoa butter
  • 2 TBS beeswax
  • 15-20 drops of essential oils (I used lavender)

Melt the coconut oil, butter and beeswax in a double boiler.

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Then once melted, take it off the heat and add your essential oils.

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Quickly pour the liquid into your mold of choice before it hardens.  Set it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes to firm up before use.  To use in a deodorant stick like me, just roll up and apply on your skin.  You can customize this to be less greasy but using a bit more beeswax and by using different essential oils.

I hope you will give this a try.  Thanks for reading 🙂

Oil Pulling Chewables

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So I started oil pulling about 3 months ago.  What is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice of swishing 1-3 teaspoons of oil in your mouth for 15-20 minutes daily.  This is thought to draw out toxins from your body which not only improves your dental health but your overall health as well.  It also reduces harmful bacteria that are present in your mouth.  Oil pulling can reduce plaque formation, gingivitis and even bad breath.  It can also relieve sinus and nasal congestion and pressure as well as headaches.

I prefer to use coconut oil for my oil pulling as coconut oil has been shown to be antimicrobial, tastes better than the other oils and…..it’s easy with these chewables!  I first started out by just digging a spoon in my coconut oil jar and sticking the oil in my mouth and letting it melt in my mouth as I slowly swished the oil between my teeth.  Then I started adding some tooth healing and breath freshening essential oils to the coconut oil before I swished.  So I would melt a tablespoon of coconut oil and add in a few drops of the essentials oils and then swish.  This became somewhat cumbersome to do on a daily basis.  Since coconut oil is solid about 76 degrees, I thought about making premeasured coconut oil chewables.  These chewables make it so easy to oil pull every morning.  Just pop one out of the fridge and swish.  The coconut oil is easier to handle texture wise because it’s cold and the taste and smell is improved because of the essential oils.  Win win situation!

What you will need:

  • 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
  • 12 drops of peppermint essential oil  (like this one)
  • 12 drops of germ fighter essential oil (like this one)

The essential oils are not only for taste.  The germ fighter essential oil contains Lemon, Clove, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon and Rosemary oils.  These are known for their “germ fighting” abilities.  Peppermint essential oil helps to combat bad breath.

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Mix the coconut oil and the essentials oil together.  Pour 1-3 teaspoons into a silicone mold.  Stick the mold in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until the coconut oil has hardened.  Pop the coconut oil chewables out of the mold and stick them in a mason jar or any container of your choice.  I prefer to store mine in the fridge during the summer months as the coconut oil can melt.  It’s fine to store at room temperature during the winter months.

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Every morning before brushing or eating, take one chewable and pop it in your mouth.  Wait a few seconds for it to start melting, then start swishing it between your teeth for 15-20 minutes.  Then spit in a trash can so you don’t clog our drains with the oils.  Rinse your mouth with warm water and brush your teeth as usual.  You’re done!

Quick easy simple remedy to improving your oral and overall health.

Which oils are healthy?

Posted in Health topics by

There are dozens of oils on the shelves….which ones should you buy?  There is so much confusion out there as to what’s healthy.  One source says extra virgin olive oil is good and another source says coconut oil is good.  Well, here’s the low down.  Vegetable oils are generally NOT healthy.  This includes canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed etc.

  • These oils are loaded with GMOs.  This means that they are toxic to the human body.
  • They are heavily processed.
  • And to add insult to injury, these oils are sold in large clear plastic jugs.  Really??  Plastic is just bad news.
  • They are full of trans fat.  But wait!  The bottle says “zero trans fat”.  Technically that’s true because the polymers of these oils do not contain trans fat INITIALLY.  But these oils are highly sensitive to exposure to oxygen, heat and sunlight because of their biochemical structure.  This sets up a chain reaction of oxidative damage from the minute of extraction to the bottling of these oils.   The horrifying truth is that these oils are rancid before they even get to the shelf at your grocery store.  Rancid oil equals trans fat.
  • And that’s isn’t where the story ends.  The biochemical nature of these oils is such that they are very high in polyunsaturated, omega 6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory.  This leads to harmful cell reactions in our body that set up a myriad of inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, etc.

Please avoid these oils at all costs.  So what should we use?

There are a number of healthy oils available:

Organic, unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil 

Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat which makes it highly heat stable and extremely resistant to oxidative damage.  But isn’t saturated fat bad for you?  Doesn’t it cause heart attacks?  These myths were debunked by many studies showing no link between unrefined coconut oil and heart disease.  In fact, most of the studies showed that it is the use of refined and hydrogenated oils that cause disease.

Coconut oil is composed largely of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT).  That is good news.  These fatty acids go straight to the liver and are used as an immediate source of energy.  This means that coconut oil does not get stored in your body!

Coconut oil is also very high in lauric acid.  Lauric acid is known to be anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.  This is where coconut oil gets these attributes from.

Organic, extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil consists mainly of monosaturated fat (MUFA).  It is high in antioxidants.  It contains oleic acid and oleocanthal, which are anti-inflammatory. This is an ideal oil for use in salad dressings and light sauteeing.  It is important not to heat olive oil as it can become rancid (trans fat).  And make sure your organic, extra virgin olive oil is stored in a dark glass bottle to ensure minimal oxidation from oxygen, heat and sunlight.

Avocado oil

Avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fat which is heart healthy.  It is high in Vitamin E.  It is a mild tasting oil that is great to cook with because it is resistant to heat and oxidative stress.  It is also a good oil used to make homemade mayo.  Again make sure your avocado oil is stored in a dark glass bottle to minimize oxidation.

Thanks for reading 🙂