Hand Sanitizer is Not Healthy for You

Hand sanitizer in small travel-size has been a novel idea when soap and water are not available but the alcohol that is in it is actually toxic to your body (so is the fragrance, but that's another topic). The alcohol in hand sanitizer is made from petroleum which comes from gasoline.  Yes, the gas we put in cars.  So when you use hand sanitizer you rub a derivative of gas onto your hands which gets absorbed into the body.   The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in petroleum is what is found to be toxic.  How toxic? Cancer toxic. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) considers PAHs as a class to contain reasonably anticipated carcinogens (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/roc/roc13/); the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists 14 PAHs as probable or possible carcinogens and one PAH as a known carcinogen. ( http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/)

Besides hand sanitizer, petroleum is Vaseline and found in chapsticks and lotion, It is labeled as petroleum, petrolatum, paraffin oil, or mineral oil. Burt's Beeswax is a good company because they use beeswax instead of petroleum in their products.  
If you still want that convenient, on-the-go solution for cleansing your hands when soap and water are unavailable this homemade version will not only cleanse your hands, but moisturize them too.

Ingredients
5 tablespoons aloe vera gel
4 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon vitamin E oil
8–10 drops doTERRA On Guard
(I have On Guard for purchase at the office.  It's great because of it's high clove content it really helps kill germs.)  

Note: Essential oils can be stored in plastic containers if the essential oils are highly diluted. Make sure the plastic is thicker and of high quality if you do use plastic containers. Glass containers are always better.

Instructions

1. In bowl combine aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil.
2. Add eight to 10 drops of doTERRA On Guard Protective Blend to aloe vera mixture.
3. Add water and mix well to combine. Add more or less water depending on the consistency you want.
4. Pour into container.
5. Place your homemade hand cleanser in your bag, car, or office for an effective, alcohol-free hand cleanser.

Best Healing Oil for Each Chakra!

After lots of testing and smelling and testing and smelling some more I have finally come up with the best oils for each chakra! It's been months on end of working with the oils and chakras and trying out all sorts of oils to narrow it down and then just choose one oil for each chakra.

Starting with the Root Chakra (red)
BALANCE
Balance is a blend of oils made from spruce, rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense and coconut oil. It helps promote relaxation, soothe sore muscles and joints and evoke a sense of balance and tranquility. It's good to rub on the bottom of our feet before we even get out of bed in the morning to start the day out feeling balanced.When feeling anxious, it's good to apply to neck or wrists.

Sacral Chakra (orange)
DEEP BLUE
Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Blue Tansy, German Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Osmanthus found in Deep Blue oil are a powerful ally when suffering from the occasional achy muscles. Also good for headaches, joint pain, pre or post workout and anywhere where there is inflammation in the body. And that's what the sacral chakra is concerned with, taking care of the body. And when the sacral chakra is blocked muscle spasms do occur, So wherever there is an ache put deep blue on it. You can dilute it in coconut oil or it comes in a muscle rub too!

Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow)
LEMON
Solar plexus chakra is about digestion and the lemon oil helps cleans the body and aid in digestion. It's perfect to have on you and add to your water! It helps purify the air so add it in your diffuser. It also helps the lungs and promote a positive mood and increase brain function. These aren't just any lemons but they are sourced from Italy, where lemons grow the best!

Heart Chakra (green)
ELEVATION

Also known as the 'Joyful Blend', contains Lavandin Flower, Lavender Flower, Hawaiian Sandalwood, Tangerine Peel, Melissa Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Elemi Resin, Osmanthus Flower, and Lemon Myrtle Leaf essential oils. It is excellent when you feel you need emotional support. But it is also great for post-partum depression. Add a few drops in your bath after a stressful day to elevate your mood and of course, rub it on your heart when in times of grief or sorrow. This is my favorite oil to wear as a perfume, just dab on the wrists and you are good to go!

Throat Chakra (Blue)
BERGAMOT

Besides adding a drop into regular tea to make into Earl Grey tea this citrus oil has a great way of uplifting while calming. So it is great for those of us who are anxious and depressed at the same time. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but it's true! Anxiety and depression can go hand in hand. I love using it for headaches. Put it right on the head ache spot and massage in. It is also known to help cleanse the skin so it's great for acne, rosacea or the like. I was surprised it started testing well for the throat chakra but I think it helps so well with our anxiety and depression which can be due to an ineffective throat chakra that's why it works so well!

Third Eye Chakra (Indigo)
LAVENDER
If it's one oil that does it all it's lavender and that's why you see it in so many of the essential oil blends. It's good for

Physical uses:
Stress & Anxiety
Agitation
Exhaustion
Mood Swings
Jet Lag
Hyperactivity
Grief
Depression (including Postpartum)
Concentration

Spiritual Uses:

Inner Peace
Purification
Meditation
Protection
Dispel Negative Energies
Lift the Spirits
Mental Clarity
Intuition

Crown Chakra (Violet or White)
SERENITY
Of course this blend has lavender in it for all the spiritual uses but it also has Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, and Ylang Ylang with the warming aromas of Hawaiian Sandalwood and Vanilla Bean to really help one have a restful night sleep. Great to rub on bottom of feet right before bed. Calms one down and is more intense than lavender by itself that's why it's good right before bed or meditation!

For more about the oils, click here!

Opening Up Chakras With Essential Oils!

Karuna did a wonderful chakra meditation using aromatherapy this last Thursday at the office. For those of you who missed it I wanted to share with you what oils she used for the chakras.

Root Chakra - Balance
Earthy tones of Spruce needle/leaf, Ho wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils applied to the bottom of our feet helped us feel grounded.

Sacral Chakra - Digestzen
DigestZen® is a proprietary blend of pure essential oils. Ginger, peppermint, tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander and anise each have specific attributes which help restore normal balance in the digestive system and sacral chakra.

Solar Plexus - Lemon
One drop rubbed right into the stomach is very soothing.



Heart - Serenity
A relaxing blend composed of Lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla bean.

Throat - Deep Blue
A blend of wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, blue chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus work together to ease achy joints and sore muscles. We rubbed it on the neck and shoulders for muscle tension relief.

Third Eye - Lavender
Massaged right into the Third eye and it smelled soooo good!

Crown - Frankincense
Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils, frankincense is highly sought after by modern consumers for its many uses, including relaxation, immune support, and mood enhancement.

If you are interested in the oils or have more questions feel free to visit www.mydoterra.com/healingartsnyc.com
or contact me directly

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizers are a convenient way to clean your hands when soap and water are not available. However, they contain up to 90% isopropyl alcohol which is made from gas (petroleum) or about 60% ethyl alcohol. That is also known as ethanol. It is also the same stuff in wine, beer and Jack Daniels. That's right: A little 2-ounce bottle = 4 shots of vodka. (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/06/hand-sanitizer-on-rocks-please.html) Crazy! The alcohol in hand sanitizers can also be a fire hazard, cause severe skin and eye irritation, and be extremely drying to the skin. Any of you who I have helped detox petroleum solvent alcohol already know this. Instead of avoiding hand sanitizer you can now make your own! It's simple and will not only cleanse your hands, but moisturize them too.



What you need:

5 tablespoons aloe vera gel

4 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil

8-10 drops Dottera On Guard Essential Oil

Small Container

Note: Essential oils can be stored in plastic containers if the essential oils are highly diluted. Make sure they are high quality if you do use plastic containers. I use a glass dropper container which is a little heavier but I prefer glass.

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil.

2. Add 8-10 drops of On Guard Protective Blend to the aloe vera mixture.

3. Add water and mix well to combine. Add more or less water depending on the consistency you want.

4. Pour into container and you’re done! Put your homemade hand cleanser in your bag, car, or office for an effective, alcohol-free hand cleanser.

Lavender Oil Benefits

Lavender is one of the most used essential oils in the world because it's benefits are numerous! Because it is so popular I wanted to take the time to blog about it.  Lavender has been known to:

Reduce anxiety and emotional stress
Heal burns and wounds
Improve sleep
Restore skin complexion and reduce acne
Slow aging with powerful antioxidants
Improve eczema and psoriasis
Alleviate headaches




This is how I use it:

As a Natural Perfume-

Do you want to smell good without using toxic perfumes? Lavender oil is a great scent for women and for men too. You can either try adding pure oil directly to your skin, or you can dilute oil in coconut oil for a more subtle scent.

If you’d like to rub the oil right onto your skin, try adding 2-3 drops into your palms and then rubbing your hands together. Then add the oil directly onto on your skin, clothes, or hair. You can also try using 2 drops of lavender oil added to a spray bottle with about ½ cup of water. Shake up the spray bottle and then spray whatever you’d like. You may also want to consider combining lavender oil with other relaxing oils, like cedar wood essential oil or frankincense essential oil. 

As a Non-toxic Air Freshener-

The same way you use lavender oil as a perfume, you can use it around your home as a natural, toxic-free air freshener. Who needs Febreeze? Either spray lavender oil around your home or try diffusing it. To create a relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom before you fall asleep, try spraying the lavender oil and water mixture directly onto your bed sheets or pillow. You can try the same method in your bathroom as well, and also on your bath towels. Before taking a relaxing bath or shower, spray your towel with lavender oil so its relaxing scent is waiting for you when you step out of the shower.

As a Natural, Chemical-Free Lip Balm-

Lavender oil is excellent for preventing sun burns on the lips and also healing chapped, dried lips. Try adding a couple of drops of oil to shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil/coconut butter, or another “carrier oil” and then rubbing it into your lips for protection whenever you will be in the sun. If you are sun burned in other areas on your body, try using the same method to heal the skin more quickly and prevent itchiness and pealing that can result after a bad sun burn.

As a Remedy for Stomach Discomfort-

Many people find the scent of lavender to be soothing to the stomach. If you are feeling nauseous, or know that you are going to be traveling in a car of plane and are prone to motion sickness, spray some lavender oil on your skin and clothes or rub it into your temples, and palms.

As a Secret Flavor Booster in Healthy Recipes-

Lavender is a great flavor enhancer in things like grain-free muffins, teas, and even salad dressings. Lavender oil is completely edible, but you will want to use a very small amount since the taste is very powerful. Try adding 1-2 drops to your recipes for a surprising flavor booster. I use it with things like dark cocoa, pure honey, cranberries, balsamic vinaigrette, black pepper, and apples.  I have been wanting to do it in my homemade coconut milk ice cream but haven't gotten the chance to yet.  

The quality of essential oils makes all the difference just like the quality of ingredients when you cook or the quality of supplements you take.  I have done tons of research and muscle tested so many essential oil companies and doTerra essential oils test the best with Young Living essential oils as a very close second best.  We do carry doTerra lavender oil in the office for purchase or if you want to smell the tester.  Disclaimer: if you have a thyroid condition you should not use lavender oil in any way.