DIY Dry Shampoo

I remember going to the salon on the eve of my 30th birthday and being told by my stylist that I just have to stop shampooing every day. Impossible. It'll never happen. But, I listened...thankfully, and became a dry shampoo addict--particularly of one brand.

 My husband used to tease me that I was killing the ozone layer with my compressed spray loaded with artificial color (you know, intended to look blonde) and toxic fragrance. Maybe my one little can (every couple months for yeeeeears) wasn't actually killing the planet one spritz at a time, but it couldn't have been very good for my hair, my scalp, or this body of mine into which it absorbed.

 I sought out to make a healthier version and I experimented with a lot of recipes until I found one that caused me to do my own personal slow-clap. We are talking still-soft and not straw-like hair that looks clean for days! Mix it together with some essential oils, and toss it in a glass jar for safe keeping.

The best part? All of the ingredients already live inside your pantry! OK, the other best part? In addition to smelling great and not being bad for you, you get the benefits of the essential oils. I chose soothing lavender and cedarwood. Toss it on before bed, throw your hair in a bun (or updo of your liking), and wake up to awesome hair. It's the easy, kids.

Here's the recipe:

• A scant cup of Arrowroot powder (you can sub corn starch if you'd like)
• 1/4 cup of ground oatmeal (I just tossed it in a burr grinder--worked like a charm!)
• Four to five drops (or more, if you so please) of essential oils. Again, I chose lavender and cedarwood. You can purchase them from the only brand I trust here!
• *For dark hair, add in 1/4 c of cocoa powder and for red hair, add in 1/4 c of cinnamon. For blonde hair, you're good! Warning--you will smell amazing!

Use a whisk or fork to mix ingredients together. To apply, just use a clean makeup brush and tap off any excess. 

Let me know how it worked for you in the comments. 

Blend Spotlight: Peace and Calming

I guess you could say I've been a worrier--my whole life. It's almost like I was born, predisposed, to worrying. I worry about my family, my friends, my coworkers, myself, my pets, the people on the TV, bunnies in the grass--I worry about everything. At one point, I was even medicated for this condition, but stopped that before I became pregnant. I embarked upon yoga several years back to bring some balance into my life (physically and mentally), and it has helped. But, surely, there has to be an oil that can helping bring some comfort, some relaxation of body, mind, and spirit? That's Peace and Calming folks. Such a calming aroma that it happens to pair quite well with my downward-facing dogs, while becoming a bedtime ritual for baby and me. I pack it in the diaper bag for fussy car rides. I diffuse it during thunderstorms for whining doggies. I place a drop on my wrists and sniff it after a long day at work. For all life's ups, for all life's downs, I'm GLUED to Peace and Calming. I mean, the benefits of this blend are in its name. Please feel free to contact me to find out more about Peace and Calming, or to find out how you can embark upon your own oily journey, click here.

And so my Young Living journey begins...

I've always been leery of modern medicine, of common household goods, of everyday processed foods. Long before GMOs were a societal fear, or before products were toting their BPA-free packaging, there's just something about the American world's response to health that hadn't settled well with me. What I began to unpack about our consumption of products, of the items that were marketed to us as 'beneficial' or 'healthy' were nothing more than products that consisted of additives or preservatives. So, when I learned I was pregnant last fall, I decided that watching out for mine and my baby's health was key--and the way to do that was by taking great care to make healthy choices--pure, clean, good-for-us choices. I first learned of essential oils when I began a job in retail my sophomore year of college back in 2002. It wasn't until 13 years later, during my pregnancy, that I finally started really paying attention to the power of EOs. I was invited to an oils class a couple of months after my baby was born, and I thought, why not? I'd like to learn more, especially about Young Living. (All I knew was that YL' oils were supposedly top-notch.) I enrolled that night, but wasn't ready to make a commitment. I mean, that kit--$160 is a phenomenal deal for all of those THERAPEUTIC GRADE oils, but I wasn't sure if I would actually use these oils on a daily basis.&nbsp;</div> Then my baby, who kept picking up every bug in existence from daycare, was prescribed one antibiotic after another. I was done. At just under five months, she was prescribed three rounds of antibiotics, and I was worried about the long-term effects of the antibiotics on her immune system.

I asked around, read some testimonials and found lavender essential oil is not only considered safe for use with babies three months and up when diluted in a carrier oil, but that pure lavender EO, especially a therapeutic grade can be applied topically and used as a soother. I decided to go the holistic route and within four days, she had already improved without the help of antibiotics.i could not have survived those four days if not for lavender essential oil that provided my baby so much soothing comfort.

I ordered my kit, and embarked on my new journey with Young Living. And I'm not looking back.The Seed to Seal process lets me know these oils are the real deal. And the proof is in the pudding! Oh, and in case you were wondering, I DO use my oils on a daily basis--for diffusing, for skincare, for cleaning. Every day on this wonderful, oily adventure, I'm learning how to replace all of the chemicals in my home with a natural alternative made with Young Living's pure therapeutic grade essential oils. The amazing thing is, natural works BETTER than chemical! You guys, we're not talking about watered-down oils, or additives, or pesticides, or GMOs, or even third-party distillation, but pure oils produced start-to-finish at one of Young Living's farms. What could be better for your health or the health of your family than pure plant power? I'll end with this: as a mom, especially a new mom, I want to ensure that I'm doing everything in my power to keep my home healthy. I want to make sure that I can empower others to discover the power of Young Living's essential oils and to bring this message to as many homes as possible. What I have witnessed in my short time with Young Living is powerful. I would LOVE to tell you more about my passion for these oils!