February Diffuser Blend 2016

February is a tough month for lots of us, at least way up here in Canada and the Northern US.  We had a late start to winter here in my neck of the woods, but it's in full fury now, and has been really since New Years Eve or so.  By this time I'm getting cranky with the cold, and feeling like I'll never see the sun again....is spring really ever coming back?

I need something uplifting in the diffuser to lift the fog of winter and remind me that spring really is coming...because I've survived a lot of February's before, and even though it seems like the warm weather will never get here, it always does!

February is also the month we celebrate Valentines, and here in Ontario, also Family Day.  

This is a great blend for Valentine's Day, as it's comforting and lovely and uplifting all at the same time.  

I have been playing with this blend for few weeks now, and I really like this version.  It's bright and warm, and floral all at the same time.  Copaiba is a very mild scent, and here it provides some warmth. 

Lemon/Lime is always a refreshing, clean smell that livens me up. 

Joy blend contains the following:

bergamot, lemon, palmarosa, ylang ylang, mandarin, rose, geranium, jasmine, Roman chamomile, coriander

This most definitely brings a floral note to the blend, but it's not overpowering.  

1 drop Joy

3 drops Copaiba

2 drops Lemon/Lime

February 2016 Canadian Young Living Promotions

I searched high and low today for the Canadian Young Living February Promos.  I finally called them, and Brody was kind enough to help me.  Somehow though, my post didn't save, and I completely forgot what the second part of the 190 PV promo was!

So, suffice it to say, a lot of internet searching, and two calls to head office later, I'm ready to share the February promotions with you!

(Thanks go to Erika from head office who finally got me all straight on both the Canadian AND the US promotions for this month!)


Drum roll please (after all of that, I feel like I need a drum roll...)

For the Canadian OTG orders:

190 PV

15 mL Ylang Ylang

5 mL Lavender

250 PV

15 mL Ylang Ylang

5 mL Lavender

Plus an 8 ounce bottle of V6 oil

300 PV

15 mL Ylang Ylang

5 mL Lavender

8 ounce bottle of V6 oil

Plus an 8 ounce bottle OrthoEase massage oil

Now for the US orders and I warn you; It gets tricky.  But let me just say, if our Dollar was stronger, I'd be placing a 300 PV NFR order this month FOR SURE!
This applies for CANADIANS placing an NFR order this month, and you'll see it differs for a 'quick order' versus an 'ER order'.

190 PV
Quick orders of 190 PV will get a 5 mL Patchouli and 17.75 ER points

Autoship ER orders of 190 will get a 5 mL Patchouli plus points at what ever level they are earning at, plus 17.75 ER points, PLUS an additional 43 ER points.  
(for example, if you place a 190 PV autoship NFR order and you earn at 10%, you will end up with the bottle of Patchouli AND 79.75 ER points!)

250 PV
Quick orders of 250 PV will receive a 5 mL Patchouli, plus 37.75 points.

Autoship 250 PV orders will receive a 5 mL Patchouli, plus the regular points at their current earning level, plus 37.75 points, plus another 43 ER points.
(minimum of 105.75 points if you only ordered exactly 250 PV and were earning at 10% level)

300 PV
Quick orders of 250 PV will receive a 5 mL Patchouli, plus 102 points

Autoship ER orders of 300 PV will receive a 5 mL Patchouli, plus the regular points at their current earning level, plus 102 points, plus another 43 ER points.
(minimum of 175 points if you earn at 10% and order exactly 300 PV)

WOW!!   It's such an unfortunate thing that our dollar is currently so low.  :(

I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com

Young Living Idaho Blue Spruce and Northern Lights Black Spruce Comparison

Good morning!

Young Living has in the past year started distilling their Northern Lights Black Spruce essential oil on their Canadian Northern Lights farm in BC, Canada.  I had a bottle of Idaho Blue Spruce oil, and  I was curious to see how it would compare to the Canadian Black Spruce oil.  Unfortunately the Black Spruce quickly went out of stock when it first came to the Canadian order form, so I had to wait longer than I'd have liked to find out.  But now that I know, I'm going to share it with you!

I have to say, the Idaho blue spruce is a completely different oil than the Nothern Lights black spruce!  They really don't compare and they're most definitely NOT interchangeable for scent!

The blue spruce is very fresh and green smelling, similar to balsam fir, or pine.  It's a lovely outdoorsy smell, and I will continue to use it quite happily. It reminds me of a fresh cut Christmas tree, a smell I adore. The Northern Lights Black Spruce on the other hand, is so much deeper, and smokier smelling. It takes me into the woods with a campfire burning just a short ways off.

I have two drops in my diffuser now, and it's so strong I am having to turn it on and off!  Talk about bang for your buck!

Northern Lights Black Spruce puts me in mind of Vetiver. Not because they smell the same, but rather they have the same quality and staying power. 

I have just touched my wrist to the drop reducer on the black spruce bottle and I can smell it all day.  That's much less than one drop.  Much like Vetiver, I would suggest using a 'toothpick swirl' when using black spruce to scent lotions or oils.  

(by toothpick swirl, I mean just dip a toothpick in through the drop reducer to get a wee bit on the toothpick and use that to stir into your lotion or carrier oil)

Infact, it's such a strong oil that I think I'll take an empty 5 ml bottle, fill it with carrier oil and add about 2-5 drops of the black spruce.  That will be perfect for adding to blends, without overpowering everything else.  This is one oil, that like Vetiver will stretch way father than you think, and in my opinion it's Well worth the investment to get yourself a bottle!

Have you tried Northern Lights Black Spruce yet?  

If not, I hope you will.  You're in for a treat!

I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com

Coconut Honey Geranium Face Mask

Here in Southern Ontario winter has set in.  It's late, but it is finally here in full force!

Every year at this time I find myself struggling with the dryness and the bitter cold, and my skin seems to suffer for it.  

I've really enjoyed making my own skincare products and cosmetics over the past few years, and I can proudly say I now make pretty well everything that goes on my face, from cleanser to toner, moisturizers, foundation, blush, and powders.  I have in large part many other bloggers to thank for this!   Over time, I will share some of my own recipes that I've come up with.  Some totally from my own head inspired by my own needs, and others inspired by other fantastic bloggers.

A huge shout out to all the amazing girls who share what they've learned, and help others like myself find our path to living a less toxic life. :)  

Three blogs in particular that I visit regularly and really love are linked below.

If you haven't checked out these blogs yet, then I highly recommend you do!

Marie at Humblebee and Me

Heather at mommypotamous

and Jessica at ScratchMommy

Now, today I'm sharing a recipe I came up with out of a need for something soothing and moisture providing for my dry skin.  

I love how this came together!

 

Look at that goodness!!  It goes on oily, and when you leave it for 15-20 minutes and then rinse away with a nice hot soft wash cloth, you won't believe how soft and supple your face is!  

Honey is incredible for drawing in moisture, and it's just the thing to use as a face mask in winter.  I've done just a honey mask before, and it was lovely, albeit very sticky, but I wanted to kick it up a notch.  This recipe is AMAZING for dry skin.  I hope you try it!

Other key ingredients:  Coconut oil  This is a fantastic oil for everything from cooking, to oil pulling, to skin care, and even lubing sticky plumbing joints!  Seriously. 

Vitamin E oil  We know vitamin E is a fantastic oil for elasticity and skin health in general.  Just a little blob in this recipe goes a long way.

Geranium Essential Oil  Truth be told, it's not necessary.  You can omit essential oils completely and this will still be an incredible mask.  You can substitute with any other EO you prefer and it will also still be an amazing mask.  However, essential oil of geranium is fantastic for skin, and it's a very light scent in this, which is what I was going for.  I really like it in the mask.  I also really like change, so I'll try either something from my suggested list of replacements, or maybe even ginger essential oil (for the warming properties) with my next batch!  

Here's what you'll need:

The ingredients are really simple enough. I just realized I forgot to put the beeswax in the picture!  In all honesty it's not really required.  I did use it, but it's such a small amount that you likely could get by without it.  

My honey and beeswax are both local (to me) and the honey is raw.

I have learned that I do get best results when weighing ingredients rather than measuring with spoons.  For this reason, most of the time when I share a natural body care recipe, you'll see weights rather than teaspoons or cups as measurements.

COCONUT HONEY GERANIUM WINTER FACE MASK

Ingredients

50 grams organic coconut oil

2 grams beeswax

25 grams raw local honey

Blob of vitamin E oil

2 drops Geranium essential oil

You can really substitute any oil you prefer, but you only need a drop or two.

Directions

Over very low heat melt coconut oil and beeswax until completely melted and combined.

Add raw honey and vitamin E oil, whisking to combine.

Whisk in honey as you allow it to cool
(I took mine to the back door and whisked in -18 degree weather.

It emulsified and thickened up quickly!)

Just as it’s starting to thicken up add in your drop or two of your chosen essential oil.  For this batch I used Geranium.  You can substitute any that you prefer, or omit the essential oil all together if you don’t want a lingering scent.

If you're finding this to be a dry and difficult winter, please try whipping up a batch of this face mask, and take some time for a little pampering today!  Your face will thank you!

It's also a multipurpose little tin of goodness. Take about a half a teaspoon and mix in a little granulated sugar to this, then rub on dry lips.  It makes a fantastic sugar lip scrub, and it tastes AMAZING!

One more time, because it's sooo pretty...

I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com