Oil of the Week: Lavender

 

Starting off this fun new segment of my blog with the oil of the week, this week we will be chatting about lavender. Lavender is a really popular oil, chances are you have used it at some point. Most people associate lavender as a sleep aid but it has so many more purposes which I am really excited for you to learn about this week!

So what is lavender? How do you use it? What are the benefits from it?

What is lavender?

Lavender, also known as lavendula angustifolia, is a flower that grows really attractive purple flowers on it. It grows in really sunny areas and has a very potent scent to it.

Where does it come from?

This video is a great way to see how doTERRA harvests and extracts the lavender oil and where it comes from. Check it out!

What are the benefits of lavender?

Lavender has many uses and has been used for centuries due to its soothing and gentle fragrance. In ancient times lavender was used by the Egyptians and Romans to bathe in, cook with, and as a perfume. Lavender is most commonly used to help calm and soothe emotions and assist in promoting a restful nights sleep, due to its soothing aroma. However there are lots of other uses for lavender. It works as a wonderful insect repellant, and it also helps to sooth the itch of insect bites. Lavender works amazing to help relieve headaches and when combined with peppermint and lemon the oils create a natural antihistamine. Lavender is also great for reducing the appearance of skin blemishes. Overall this oil has so many purposes and provides so many great emotional and soothing benefits, it is one oil you certainly need to keep on hand!

Uses for lavender:

  • Put a couple drops on pillows at night to promote a restful night sleep
  • Rub a couple drops into the bottoms of feet to help promote a restful sleep
  • Rub onto skin irritations to help soothe and reduce redness
  • Take internally to help reduce anxious feelings and thoughts*
  • Use in cooking for great and interesting flavours
  • Combine with peppermint and lemon to create a natural antihistamine
  • Rub into the back of the neck to help ease headaches
  • Diffuse to create a nice relaxing and fresh aroma in your home
  • Put a few drops in your bath to help promote relaxation

Check out this video from doTERRA for more information and uses about lavender.

So who’s excited to learn some of my favourite recipes and ways to use lavender this week? Make sure to check back daily!

See you tomorrow,

Kelsea

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

No more itching, no more scratching! 

Is it just me, or have the mosquitoes been really bad this year?! If you are anything like me the bug just love you, which means when you come in from outside you are covered head to toe in bites.

Now I also have the added factor that my big bites swell like a balloon! So not only am I itchy as all get out I’m also red, blotchy and swollen. It’s just awful.

Last night I literally couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t stop scratching at all the mosquitoe bites. So I turned to my Essential Life book and found a winning solution!

I took lavender and rubbed it on the bites and it worked great and I was able to sleep!

Today I found an even better remedy thanks to some ladies on my team. I wanted to share it here because I can’t believe how well it works and you all need to try it!

Goodbye Bug Bites Roller Stick

What you need:

  • 1 roller bottle
  • Coconut oil
  • 5 drops dōTERRA lavender
  • 5 drops dōTERRA lemon
  • 5 drops dōTERRA Peppermint

Instructions:

  1. Make sure the roller bottle is clean! Give it a wash if needed.
  2. Fill roller bottle ¾ of the way with coconut oil.
  3. Add 5 drops of each dōTERRA lavender, lemon, and peppermint oil.
  4. Put the ball and lid on tight and give a good shake.
  5. Roll on big bites as needed!
  6. Enjoy the relief from scratching!!!!

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me! Enjoy!

-Kelsea

From farm to table. 

With it being the end of strawberry season, I had to get out and get some fresh strawberries right from the field. Last night my boyfriend and I headed over to the local strawberry patch and after about an hour we had three heaping baskets of strawberries.


Now I had to figure out what to cook with the strawberries. I love cooking with essential oils, but when cooking with fruit I love combining it with citrus essential oils.

Today I made two different recipes.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients 

  • 4 cups of mashed strawberries
  • 4 drops of dōTERRA lemon oil
  • 1 ¾ cups of sugar
  • 1 package of Bernardin Freezer Jam Pectin

Instructions

  1. Mix together sugar and pectin in a bowl. Stir until well mixed.
  2. Add 4 cups of mashed strawberries and 4 drops of dōTERRA lemon oil. Stir for 3 minutes.
  3. Ladle into clean sterilized jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Apply lids. Let stand until thickened (30 minutes)
  4. Serve right away, refrigerate for up to 4 weeks or freeze for longer storage.

Makes 5 250ml sized jars.


Strawberry Lemon Banana Bread

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup of margarine; softened
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas; mashed
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 drops of dōTERRA lemon oil (add to taste)
  • 2 cups of mashed strawberries

Instructions 

  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Grease two 9×5 loaf pans with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Mix in eggs and mashed bananas.
  5. In separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to banana mixture until combined. Do not over mix.
  6. Beat in dōTERRA lemon oil and mashed strawberries.
  7. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
  8. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes. Drop temperature to 350F and finish baking for 40 minutes or until edges are slightly brown or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  9. Let cool completely before taking out of load pans.
  10. Enjoy!


These recipes were delicious and the lemon oil added a really nice flavour to them!

Hope you enjoy!

-Kelsea