Easy DIY Natural Make-Up Remover Pads

Hello friends!
So I'm all about convenience, even when it comes to the little things like taking your make-up off at the end of the day....scratch that, ESPECIALLY when it comes to taking off your make-up at the end of the day. After a long day, the last thing I want to do is scrub by eyes to try to remove every bit of mascara in an effort to do what's "healthy" for my skin. Can anyone else relate?  To prevent this, I used to buy the make-up remover pads from the store. They just stayed in their little container and I could just pull one out, swoop, and bam! Make-up gone. 
However, when I got involved with Young Living, I quickly learned that these conventional make-up removers are NOT so good to be putting on your skin....take a look at the ingredient list. Go ahead and check in your bathroom right now, I'll wait for you.

As you can see, it's FULL of chemicals and words I can't even pronounce. Eeek! Am I really putting that on my eyes?! Thus started the search for a natural make-up remover. Instead of paying $6-8 for a small pack in the store, I learned I can make my own at a fraction of the cost, AND it's actually GOOD for your skin! Win-win!

You can watch the video of me making it here if you're more of an audio/visual person. :) 

Easy DIY Make-Up Remover Pads

Ingredients:

- 1/4 to 1/2 c distilled water

- 1 tsp. unscented castille soap (I like to use Dr. Bronner's brand)

- 1 tsp. witch hazel

- 1 tsp. fractionated coconut oil

- 5-6 drops each Young Living Frankincense and Young Living Lavender Essential Oil (click here to learn why the quality of your oil matters)

- Premium quality cotton rounds

Directions:

Add all ingredients except the cotton rounds to a 4oz mason jar. Put the lid on and gently shake the jar. Then, add a stack of cotton rounds. There is no set "number" of cotton rounds that you need- add them until all of the fluid is absorbed. If you find that there are still rounds that are dry, you can add additional coconut oil and water and shake things up a bit. It does take a bit of playing around with to get the right balance!

Get some of the oils that I use (the BEST oils on the planet) here (you'll want to do the member option- quickly explained here- so you can get in on the discounts and freebies)!

On Goals and the Journey to Silver!

So let me be the first to say that I am writing this WAY later than I anticipated. When I went Silver in 6 with Young Living at the end of June, I expected myself to have written about it much sooner, but here we are in mid-August already!

Anyway, better late than never, right? :) Hitting Silver (in 6) was a HUGE milestone for my team. It was something that could NOT have been accomplished without the help and support of my amazing team. I am so thankful for them and have loved that the Lord has brought us all together on this journey.  While this is a milestone, I know it is ONE milestone, and is not the END milestone. In other words, this is just the beginning of many great things (working on toward GOLD people!).

Side note: If any of you are wondering about the Premier Aroma Collection (it retails at almost $3k, and is the company's gift to me for reaching silver in 6, can I just say I love Young Living?) that I earned. Below is a pic of me with the kit when it arrived. It was so fun opening up and I literally could smell the oils right when I opened the box!

If you would like to see the full version of me telling my story of how this began and some of my tips for building to silver, you can watch a video of me talking about it here where I was sharing for our team's weekly conference call.

However, I wanted to share some tid-bit's here too. First of all, let me just say that when I first began this journey, silver seemed SO far away. I say that to encourage you, in that everyone starts at the same level, and has the same initial thought when they look at the compensation plan. Goodness, I remember thinking that Executive seemed like such a long way away. Each of the ranks looks SO intimidating (at least they did for me) at first, but I am here to tell you that with consistent work and effort, you CAN reach those ranks and before you know it, you will be achieving numbers in your business that will BLOW your mind. Just for fun, here are some pictures of me at my first Young Living convention, 2 years ago (2014). I was a Star at the time:

One of the biggest things that has impacted me on this journey is the power of writing your goals and keeping them in front of you...
In December 2015, when I reached the rank of Executive, I had no idea if I was going to even be able to maintain it for the next month (which would have automatically dropped me out of qualification for Silver in 6). However, I knew my goal and what I wanted, and I kept pressing toward it. And I prayed, a lot. Don't ever underestimate the hand of God in your businesses. One of the biggest things that I knew above all else, was that this was in HIS hands and it was HIS businesses. Giving your business to the Lord is the BEST decision you can make for your success.

You see, even though I didn't know all the details of HOW I was going to make Silver in 6 happen at the time, I believed it would happen and I continued to do whatever it took to work towards my goal- even if it meant driving 1hr and 20min in rush hour to my group in Cinci for almost every weekend in March, getting up at 5am on my school break to help with a mom-to-mom sale, or stepping out of my comfort zone by calling people I didn't know. When you have a set goal, you will do CRAZY things to reach it, as long as you don't leave room for excuses.

You HAVE to KEEP your goal in front of you.  Honestly, it was scary writing my goal of silver by June when I wrote it for the first time, as it seemed so far away. In fact, I wrote that before I had even gone Executive (so it was REALLY scary). Below is a picture of my where I write my goals. You'll notice I had a different goal written initially for Silver, and I crossed that out and re-wrote my goal. Sometimes that happens, and that's OK!

Also, SHARE your goals with your upline mentor and downline leaders...this is a TEAM effort...help THEM succeed first and then you will too. Just never ever give up and I cannot emphasize this enough: keep your goals and dreams in front of you at ALL times. I had Si6 on my dream board, as well as a pin that said "silver by convention" that I carried with me to ALL my classes I did, as it was my reminder to me and my team of the bigger goal. Lastly, I put me as a silver as my screen background (It's now been changed to me as a Gold) on my phone. This is HUGE. Everyday I would see myself as a silver before I was even there. Let me ask you, do YOU see yourself where you want to be or where you are currently? It makes a difference in your mind, guys! I have many people ask me, "What does your phone background mean?" Which also gives me an opportunity for me to share with them what I'm doing!

Anyway, I want to encourage you all with this...you CAN do this if you put your complete mind and focus on it. Be dedicated to your business. If you treat it like a real business (and not a hobby), it will reap the benefits of a real business.
This is JUST the beginning...the future is bright! With all the chaos in the world today, I am proud to be a part of something that gives people HOPE! Be encouraged today!

If you accidentally stumbled upon this page and want to find out more about Young Living and joining my team, just go ahead and click here.

Love you all! :)

DIY Easy Peasy [Chocolate Orange Peppermint] Dry Shampoo!

When I first discovered dry shampoo, it changed my life. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it was definitely a big deal. I had no idea that you could just spray some stuff on your hair and VOILA, the grease was gone! After playing around with it a bit, I found out that most dry shampoos leave a nice white film on your hair, which gave me a nice salt-and-pepper/grey streaky look, which I really wasn't going for...I have since then found out that they have dry shampoo for dark hair (YAY), but since I've been into Young Living, I don't really like the idea of spraying toxic chemicals all over my scalp. SO when Young Living posted this recipe on their blog, I was ALL about it. It's SO easy, can be made for dark OR light hair, and literally took me 5 minutes to make (also it smells amazing!).


As with many of my DIY recipes, you have some leeway to modify it based on what oils you like and what you're going for. The recipe from the YL blog called for 2 drops each of Cedarwood and Rosemary, and 1 drop of Tea Tree Essential Oil. However, because I have dark hair and thus added the Cocoa, I went for oils that not only would be good for your hair/scalp, but also would complement the cocoa smell, hence Peppermint and Orange! Other oils you could try would be Cinnamon, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood, or Lavender.

I have to say though, the Peppermint-Orange-Cocoa combination smells SO GOOD I could eat it!

Sometimes things get a little messy ;) 

And there you have it! Using a make-up brush to apply it to your roots works really well.

DIY Dry Shampoo (modified from the Young Living blog)

Ingredients:

-1/4 c. Cornstarch
-1 tbsp. Baking Soda
- Young Living Essential Oils of Choice (see paragraph #2 above, listed below is what I used)
     - 2 drops each of Peppermint, Cedarwood, & Orange
-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, for dark hair only

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and store in your container of choice. I find using a make-up brush the best way to apply the shampoo, as it gives the most control and lets you reach the roots really well, though you can also store your shampoo in an empty salt and pepper shaker or baby powder bottle and use it that way. Be sure to let it sit in your hair for a minute so it can absorb the grease, then brush through with a comb or brush.

Happy Dry-Shampooing!

DIY Antiperspirant Deodorant (Aluminum Free!)

So I'm the kind of person that sweats, a lot. Or, excuse me, should I say, that I "glisten" (girls don't sweat, right?). ;) Anyway, sweat or glisten, I need a good antiperspirant deodorant (Sorry if this is TMI for some of you, just being real here). Over the past few years, my mom has thoroughly educated me on the dangers of aluminum and how I shouldn't use an antiperspirant with aluminum. My response? I'm sorry but I NEED antiperspirant or I, nor the people around me, will be happy campers. Thus began the journey of checking every brand of deodorant in the store for the ones with the lowest aluminum percentage, and the endless search of a natural antiperspirant deodorant without aluminum. They are SO hard to find! SO when my mom found THIS recipe, which includes a natural ANTIPERSPIRANT, you can bet I was pretty intrigued.

This recipe is from Melissa Poepping's book- The Chemical Free Home- I LOVE IT!!! If you don't have one, you need to go get yourself one! You can get this book and the other volumes she has here. We made a few slight modifications on the oils we used and we used arrowroot instead of cornstarch, but other than that it's the same. :)

Yes, that is Thieves Dentarome Plus toothpaste...and it IS in the recipe. Sounds weird, right?

Gathering ingredients!

We used 20 drops each of Tea Tree and Dream Catcher, but you can substitute other oils such as Lavender, Joy, Petitgrain, Geranium, or Shutran (for the men in your life). I'd recommend always using some Tea Tree though because it is very good in deodorants! Also, be sure to use enough essential oil! Don't skimp on it...20 drops each of 2 oils is good, and it will make 4 deodorants. 

This recipe was much easier than I thought it was going to be. It probably took me 10 minutes tops.

Ta-da! And now to the fridge to chill. :)

Deodorant + Antiperspirant

Makes 4 Deodorants

Ingredients:

3/4 c baking soda

1/2 c organic arrowroot (available here on Amazon)

1 Tbsp Thieves Dentarome PLUS Toothpaste (you can get this and the other YL products for this recipe through my website, here)

1 Tbsp Young Living V-6 

1/2 c Coconut Oil (Solid)

3 tsp Vitamin E Oil

20 drops Young Living Tea Tree Essential Oil 

20 drops Young Living Dream Catcher Essential Oil (also available here)

Directions:

Put the baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil in a pot and melt over low heat until dissolved completely. Add the Thieves Dentarome PLUS toothpaste and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly (remember high heat breaks down the EO's), and add V-6, Vitamin E oil, and essential oils. Allow to cool (but not harden) to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour into an empty deodorant container using a funnel (if you need it). Be careful at this step, because the mixture may still be very hot!!! Allow to harden in the fridge.

There you have it! Super easy, one pot, deodorant. Not only is it natural, but it smells AMAZING. I know I am super excited to try it!! Finally, a deodorant that I can feel good about using.

Hope your weekend is awesome!

Citrus Ningxia Wolfberry Tea

Hi friends!

I saw this recipe posted online by one of my Facebook friends who is also involved in Young Living, and it looked so good that I just had to try it and post about it for others to try! This is a perfect tea for a cool fall or winter day to curl up with a blanket and good book. I think the best part about it is getting to eat the hydrated wolfberries at the end- it's quite a treat! :D

Citrus Ningxia Wolfberry Tea

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp. Dried Ningxia Wolfberries (or enough to thoroughly coat the bottom of your mug)

1-2 drops Young Living Citrus Fresh Essential Oil

Honey or Agave Syrup (optional)

Hot Water

Directions

Put the wolfberries in your mug. You can add more to adjust the tea to your liking. I like my tea to be flavorful, so I tend to be more generous with the wolfberries. You can't really overdo it, so just try it to see what you like! Add boiling water to the mug, and let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes. Add the Citrus Fresh, or any other dietary Young Living Essential Oil. Stir in the honey or agave to your liking, and enjoy! I like to leave the wolfberries in the tea while I am drinking it, so I can slowly eat them. :-) 

Be sure to click "Subscribe" on the right or put your email in the "Follow via Email" box so that you can stay up to date on oily posts and encouragements!

New to Young Living? Click Here to find out how you can get some of these oils and yummy wolfberries for yourself at a reduced price!

Gluten-Free Chocolatey Pumpkin Walnut Bread Deliciousness (w/essential oils!)

MMMM I loveeee the tastes and smells of fall. Carmel apples, pumpkin pies, spiced coffees...I could go on! Today I decided to make a gluten-free chocolate pumpkin walnut bread with essential oils!! Now that's a mouthful- literally! This bread is SOOO good and very moist- it certainly does not taste "gluten-free." It is my new favorite go-to fall bread, and your house will smell amazing when you bake it. Enjoy!

Ohh fuzzy socks...! Those are also on my list for fall/winter favorites. :-)

These oils would be wonderful diffused together, they are all so wonderful in this bread!

The nice thing about this recipe is that it is a "one-bowl bread," meaning that you only use one bowl! I am a big fan of less clean-up and dishes so this made things super easy!

Note: The dough will be quite thick before you add the pumpkin and water (above picture). Don't worry though, it will become easier to work with. Also, you can remove the walnuts and/or chocolate if you don't like them, it shouldn't alter the recipe much.

Adding the oils, my favorite part!! Make sure you mix them in well (but don't overmix) so that they are evenly distributed!

This is my "I-wish-you-could-be-here-to-smell-how-amazing-this-is" look. Sigh. It is times like this that I wish scents could go through the computer!

Andddd after 67 minutes....viola! 

I like it the best when it is warm so that all of the chocolate is melted! Yum!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Walnut Pumpkin Bread w/ Essential Oils 

Ingredients:

3 c. sugar (can use xylitol for a lower carb option)

1 c. grapeseed, avacado, or olive oil

4 eggs

2 c. gluten-free flour

1 1/2 c. almond flour/meal

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. water

1-15 oz. can Pumpkin Pie (not pie filling)

1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

7 drops of Young Living Nutmeg Essential Oil*

3 drops of Young Living Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil*

2 drops of Young Living Orange Essential Oil*

1 drop of Young Living Clove Essential Oil*

*I only recommend ingesting Young Living brand essential oils. Here's why.

Instructions:

1. Grease 2 large loaf pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs together.

3. Beat in flour and almond meal (1 cup at a time), baking soda and salt.

4. Stir in pumpkin and water (if using an electric mixer, don't use it for this step, as everything will splatter all over the place).

5. Add chocolate, walnuts, and all essential oils. Mix thoroughly, but do not over-mix.

6. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Remember, if you added chocolate, it will always come out on the toothpick, but you are looking for no batter on the toothpick).

7. Let stand in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a rack and cool.

8. Wrap when completely cool. These freeze very well!

Enjoy!!! Let me know how you like it!

Beautifying Foaming Facial Cleanser

A few people have asked me what I use to make my own facial cleanser, so, here it is! I absolutely LOVE to lather my face with this recipe....it's so luxurious and refreshing- better yet, it's extremely economical AND completely natural. Can't get much better than that!

I made a video about how I do this on Youtube. This is EASY EASY EASY but some people prefer to actually watch it happen. You can check out the video by clicking here. 

The biggest thing that I emphasize when I do this recipe is that you can MAKE IT YOUR OWN!! Play around with the ratio of the oils you use, or try different oils! It's really really hard to mess this up, I promise. Sometimes I substitute different oils based on what I have on hand, and that's okay! Make this how YOU like it. Or in the words of Burger King, "Have it Your Way." 

I always like to gather all my ingredients first. 

With this recipe, all you do is mix all the ingredients in one foaming *glass container and you're all set! It's really that simple.

Ta da! Foaming facial cleanser, it about 3 minutes. 

*A note on the container. I am reusing a Young Living facial cleaner container. I know they use a special grade of plastic that is safe to use with the oils at this level of dilution- do not just go out any buy any old plastic container! Amazon has some good glass ones, and you can also get some at www.lifesciencepublishers.com that are okay to use with diluted EO's.

Natural Beautifying Foaming Facial Cleanser

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1). Young Living Essential Oils! Use this as a guide, but you can also substitute other oils. For example, my mom uses Frankincense, Geranium, Myrrh, and Sandalwood instead of the oils I'm using.

-8 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

-4 drops Lemon Essential Oil

-7 drops Frankincense Essential Oil

-6 drops Purification Essential Oil

-7 drops Lavender Essential Oil

-5 drops Elemi Essential Oil

2). About 1/4 c. Organic unscented Castille Soap- this is available at Target or on Amazon.

3). Distilled water

Directions:

1). Pour the castille soup into your empty container. 

2). Add the oils as you desire.

3). Fill the container the remainder of the way with distilled water! 

Shake it up and you're good to go!

*Note: This supports ALL skin types, but, if you do have more mature skin, you can make it extra special by adding a little jojoba oil, vitamin e oil, and rosewater. 

If you're curious about how to get some Young Living oils, I can hook you up. Just click here to read my post about it!

How Can I get these Young Living Oils?

So you've read some of my posts or maybe some other things online about the awesomeness of Young Living Essential oils, but are you ready to try them for yourself? I'm here to help walk you through that process- seriously, it couldn't be easier! There are a few different starter kits to choose from, but the premium kit gives you the BEST deal around.

The Young Living Premium Starter kit comes with 11 of the most commonly used essential oils, your choice of diffuser, a FREE wholesale membership, and other various samples and product information.

As a side note, know that you do NOT have to promote or sell Young Living- EVER. There are NO monthly minimums. There are NO strings attached to this...really! :) You WILL be getting a box full of goodies and tools that have the power to change your life!


ᗯᕼᗩT ᑕOᗰEᔕ Iᑎ TᕼE ᑭᖇEᗰIᑌᗰ ᔕTᗩᖇTEᖇ KIT?

The Everyday Oils Collection, which includes 10 oils that come in 5ml bottles. The bottles contain about 85 drops, and since essential oils are very concentrated, you usually only use 1-2 drops per use. With this in mind, you can see how economical this kit is when you consider the price per drop. The oils included in the U.S. Kit are:

     1. Thieves: Supports a healthy immune system!
     2. Digize: Promotes healthy digestive functioning.
     3. Frankincense: The famous gift! Valued higher than gold in ancient times due to it's many uses,                                      from promoting beautiful skin to being emotionally grounding.
     4. Lemon: Uplift and clean with this oil!
     5. Copaiba: A wonderful oil that is effective in supporting healthy digestion when taken internally.
     6. Peppermint: Promotes healthy digestion and mental clarity, among it's many other uses.
     7. Panaway: The "after stretching, after climbing, after working, after bending" kind of oil.                                       Supports a healthy musculo-skeletal system.
     8. Lavender: One of the most versatile oils! Creates a peaceful and relaxing environment when                                 diffused.
     9. RC: Promotes a healthy respiratory system.
    10. Purification- Purifies the air when diffused as opposed to just masking smells; apply topically                                  to enjoy the outdoors "annoyance-free."

PLUS you get a 5mL bottle of Stress Away- one of my favorites, the name says it all!

Roller Filament- for easily using your favorite oils on the go!

Two Samples of Ningxia Red- a powerhouse of nutrients in a DELICIOUS low sugar juice                                                                   containing the Ningxia Wolfberry and essential oils.

10 Sample packs of essential oils for sharing with friends or to take on the go!

AND a diffuser! The diffuser acts as a humidifier, air purifier, and aromatherapy diffuser in one easy to use product that safely releases essential oils into the air to eliminate odors and create a peaceful atmosphere in any home! This is one of the MOST effective ways to use your oils! The oils are broken into micro-particles that you passively breathe, which goes into your lungs and entire body.

You also get a FREE wholesale membership that allows you to save 24% on future orders!

The Premium Starter Kit is an INCREDIBLE deal for $160 + tax and shipping. If you were to buy all these things at retail, it would cost nearly $300, so why not save some money now and take advantage of this AWESOME deal!? This is how I was introduced to Young Living, and I LOVED playing with all my oils when I got them! There are hundreds of ways to use the oils in this kit! When you order with me, you'll also get one-on-one personal support from me and group support from our Lavender Legacy Team community. We offer a New Member Bootcamp on Facebook as well for our new members, as a gathering place where you can learn about the oils in a safe environment and get started using them!

GᖇEᗩT! ᕼOᗯ ᗪO I OᖇᗪEᖇ?

Ordering your Premium Kit is SUPER easy! Just follow these simple 5 steps:

Step I

-Click Here to go to my online referral link.

-Choose your membership- "Wholesale member" will already be selected. If you want the Premium Starter Kits or another Starter kit, you can move on. If you'd like a retail account, select "retail customer."

-Young Living is a referral based business, so they will ask who introduced you to Young Living. My member number (1485460) will already be populated in both the "sponsor" and "enroller" fields, so you can move along.

Step II

-Fill out your membership information and sign-in information. Create a username, password, and pin. The password will need 1 capital letter and 1 number. I'd recommend writing this down for future log in's.

-Tax Info- select Individual or Business. Wondering why they need this? A SSN is required for wholesale members (like how you had to give it to get a Costco or Sam's membership) as a federal regulation for tax purposes. However, If no one purchases anything using your Young Living member number, your SSN will not be used. 

Step III

-Select Starter Kit- The Premium Kit should automatically be selected, but you get to choose your diffuser! The dew drop diffuser comes with the $160 price, but you can upgrade to other diffusers if you'd like.

-Essential Rewards is Young Living's monthly auto-ship program. It's COMPLETELY optional, so you don't have to worry about it right now. In the future, if you find yourself making repeat orders, then it's definitely something you'd want to do as it's free and allows you to start earning points back for free product and gives you reduced shipping rates. But for now, don't worry about that section.

-Now you can add more products or proceed to check out.

Step IV

-Select your shipping method and enter payment info.

Step V

-Review your cart, then select "Activate and Place order"

You're all set!! Congratulations on making a decision that will promote the wellness of you and your family! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the link at the top of the page! Your order should be arriving in 5-8 days. You can always log into your Young Living account to track your order. I'll be sending you a personal welcome email shortly that will give you some more information and resources for you to use while you wait for your lovely box of oils!

Also, check out this video, it really shares the heart of Young Living as a company!

I'm so excited for you to try these oils, AHHH I can't wait for you to get them!!!! Hah. I'm just as excited as you are for you to get them, because I know how AWESOME they are and how much they are going to rock your world!!

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes with Luscious Lavender Icing

About a month ago it was my birthday, so I decided that I wanted to make a dessert to celebrate! (Yes I am posting this super late, but better late than never!) Now, usually, if you know me at all, you know that I would TOTALLY go for something chocolate, because well, that's just me. BUT I'd been wanting to experiment more with using essential oils in cooking, so I decided to try something that would be (hopefully) pretty good and that would allow me to try something new with the oils. Turns out, it WAS really good!!! I ended up taking the cupcakes to a team meeting (with other oilers) and they LOVED them- yay!

Side note: I ONLY recommend cooking with and ingesting Young Living brand essential oils. You can look at my previous post to find out why it's the only company I trust, but even if you don't take it from me, Young Living oils are the only ones that are GRAS (generally recognized as safe for ingestion) by the FDA and are food-grade quality. Anything else you use migghhhttt a). cause the taste to be different and/or b). contain chemicals that might not be the smartest to ingest.

Anyway, I found the original cake recipe here, and the icing recipe here! However, I did make some modifications from the original recipes, since the recipes didn't use essential oils like I did. :-)

Got all the supplies ready to go!

I LOVEEE lemon zest!! Mmm! The recipe above originally called for the zest of 2 lemons, but I only used the zest of 1 lemon + 12 drops of Lemon EO. YUM. It was the PERFECT balance of fresh and tangy!

YAY! Finally out! The batter was thick, so the cake turned out to be more of a moist lemon pound-cake consistency, which was actually really delicious with the lavender icing. 

Finally, after waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting....they were cool enough to ice. :-) The original icing recipe used dried lavender instead of Lavender EO. I just used the essential oil and it worked wonderfully! BUT you ONLY need 1 or maybe 2 drops oil. Start with less, trust me. The lavender is VERY potent and if you put too much, your icing will taste like a bar of soap. 

Final touches. :)

Ta-da!! Lemon Cupcakes with Luscious Lavender Icing. Perfect for your next summer event, or the next time you want to try cooking with your YL essential oils. :-)

Gluten- Free Lemon Cake Recipe- modified from Sweetapolita's original recipe

Yields 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk, at room temp.

2 eggs + 1 yolk, at room temp.

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups gluten free flower, sifted

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp.

Zest of 1 med-large lemon

12 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil

Directions:

1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 standard sized muffin pans with baking liners.

2). In a medium bowl, combine and stir the eggs, 1/4 cup of buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside. 

3). The the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, together on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and blend on low speed for 30 more seconds, then add remaining buttermilk and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and blend for 1 1/2 minutes.

4). Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add egg/milk mixture in 3 separate batches. Beat on medium speed for 20 seconds in between additions. Stir in the lemon zest and essential oil.

5). Divide the batter between the liners, do not fill liners more than 2/3 full!

6). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 15-20 minutes). Be really careful not to over-bake. When done, place the hot pans on wire racks and carefully (they're really hot!!) remove the cupcakes to let cool. Allow to cool completely before icing. 

Luscious Lavender Icing- modified from Corkandspoon's original recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (give or take, play around with it until you get the consistency you want)

1/2 cup butter, softened (NOT melted)

about 5c. powdered sugar

salt

1-2 drops Young Living Lavender Essential Oil (I'd stick with one, personally) 

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I don't recommend the pre-bottled stuff)

2 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Directions:

1). Beat butter and 2 tbsp of milk together in an electric mixer, add a nice pinch of salt

2). Add 2.5 cups of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.

3). Add lemon zest and juice, and Lavender Oil

4). Begin alternating between additions of more sugar (about 1/2 c. at a time) and milk (no more than a few teaspoon's at a time). Taste test frequently to determine if you need to add more sugar or milk, based on the flavor of the lavender. Keep an eye on how thick it is becoming. Play around with it a bit, and make it how you like it. If the lavender is too strong, add more powdered sugar. If the icing is too thick, add more milk. 

5). If you'd like, use gel food coloring to tint the frosting. Liquid food coloring has the potential to make the frosting runny, so stick with gel if you can.

6). For best results, chill the icing 30-45 minutes before piping on cupcakes (I totally forgot this step when I made it, hence why my icing looks more runny) :) 

Enjoy and happy baking!! 

If you're curious about how to get some Young Living oils, I can hook you up. Just click here to read my post about it!

Can You Trust Your Essential Oil Company?

Okay, so this is a topic that I feel NEEDS to be addressed. If you're totally confused about the whole essential oil thing and don't even know where to start, THIS is the article for you.

There are ALOT of essential oil companies out there. Literally, just walk into the nearest health food's store and take a walk down the entire isle they have dedicated to the stuff. If you've never noticed it before, you will now. Now, if I was new to this field, I know I would feel very overwhelmed trying to decide which oil is a good one!  I was at a conference this last weekend on Essential Oils, and the speaker said that the essential oil industry is one of the most corrupted industries out there. WOW, that blew my mind! BUT it does make sense when you start to do some research! I found out that 98% of oils on the market have been adulterated or diluted to some extent.  I mean, it would be ironic, even dangerous, to try to do something "natural," but then unknowingly be using "natural" products that still contained synthetics.

SO what's the deal? How can you really know if what you're using for your family is safe?

Personally, I only use Young Living Oils. Yes, I'll admit that I am a bit biased. However, here's a good comparison of different companies. You can make the decision for yourself. These are GREAT questions to ask when determining what oils you want to use- the company you use should be willing to provide you with this type of information. If they don't know or won't tell you...RED FLAG.

Other reasons I only use Young Living....

1. Not only do they own their own farms, but they go BEYOND organic in their farming. They clear all their own land, so they never buy farms that have previously been farmed on, due to potential residual pesticides that could be in the soil. Pest control is done using their essential oils, and weed control is done by hand!

2. They are the largest distiller of essential oils in the world and are a 20 year old company. 
Lots of experience here!

3. When a particular plant is out of season and a product runs out of stock...we sometimes have to wait until the harvest until we are able to get that product again! While this can be a pain sometimes, it truly is evidence that they will NOT sacrifice purity for sales. It would be SO easy for them to add synthetics to the oil so that it smells almost exactly the same, but they're not about that life. They're about purity and giving their customers only the best, even if it means we have to wait for it sometimes. However, they are currently expanding their farms so that this doesn't happen. :)

4. Many Young Living Oils are GRAS (generally recognized as safe for ingestion) by the FDA.
     HINT: If an oil you ever buy from somewhere else says "not for internal use," in small print,...red flags should be going up EVERYWHERE!! After all, everything you put on your skin goes internally anyway.

5. The Seed to Seal Promise ensures quality throughout every part of the distillation and growing process. Distillation and testing facilities are on site. Check out www.seedtoseal.com for more info.

6. YL oils are first distillation only- which means they are the most potent and concentrated.



After looking at all of the facts, it was easy for me to determine that I was with a company that was providing the highest quality EO's on the market, and that YES, I could trust Young Living oils to be held to the highest standard of excellence.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there that's working through all this! Essential Oils are a wonderful thing. :) I'd love to chat with you about it and can help you get the best deal with the best EO's around! Just shoot me an email under the "contact me" tab or visit www.naturallypureoils4u.com!

Love you guys!!

Throwing It WAYYY Back: How This Began.

I started using Young Living essential oils in July 2013. 

Here's a short version of my story...

About 4 years ago my mom was going through some health challenges and was looking for a way to help her body come into balance. As a nurse practitioner, she knew the medical options available but didn't want to get into that due to the side effects that are associated with many medications. So, she started looking for more natural options that she could use to support her body systems. While she was searching around the internet, she came across a book called "Healing Oils of The Bible" by Dr. David Stewart. This book sparked her interest, and Dr. Stewart, she discovered, had a pHd in Geophysics as well as other various advanced degrees.  Curious about the book and the author, she decided to buy it and read it.
One thing led to another and as it turned out, Dr. Stewart was a distributor of Young Living products, a company that farms and distills completely pure essential oils as well as other health related supplements, etc. After reading "Healing Oils of The Bible," my mom decided to try some of the products out. Turns out, they really helped her become balanced, healthy, and overall feel much better! 

Anyway, long story short, she ended up learning more about the company and wanted to inquire about the essential oils. She began doing some of her own research and slowly started integrating them into our family. Honestly, the rest of us were pretty skeptical. Like, yes, they smelled nice, but we didn't know much about "aromatherapy", and we didn't think that the oils could actually help much!

All I can say is that these essential oils have blown my mind in what I've seen them do in my life. Yeah, I know, that's the cliche of the century. But really, I would not say that if it wasn't true. They are incredible in supporting wellness and balance in all of our body systems.  If you're skeptical, I understand that because I've been there too.  But if you just give them a chance, I KNOW they can rock your world too and CHANGE your life. AHhh. I love it. Changing lives, people. That's what this is about.