Lavender is Life

Last weekend, Tim and I braved the 100℉ weather and ventured out to Oregon City for the Lavender Festival at the Oregon Lavender Farm. With views of Mount Hood and bright purple lavender all around us, it was so, so beautiful. Not to mention the scent! Imagine taking a luxurious lavender-soaked bath - that's what the fragrance was like walking through the fields.

A post shared by Bre 💕 thisdaintylife.com (@thisdaintylife) on Jun 26, 2017 at 12:22pm PDT

While wandering the farm listening to the awesome local bands, I sipped on lavender lemonade, which is probably the most refreshing drink I've ever had - yes, it was really that good. I mean, just look at the photo from my Instagram! The festival also hosted vendors - everything from handmade rugs, jewelry, and artwork to candles and natural beauty products. There was lavender wreath making and a distillation demonstration, which was so interesting! I've read about the process, but I've never seen it in person.

Tim and I also enjoyed lavender beer and lavender cider - serious yum. And on our way out we picked up a Killa Dilla, a quesadilla larger than our faces, to share 😋 It was absolutely delicious. We ordered the "basic dilla," which comes with mozzarella, cabbage, marinated red onions, and a "secret tangy dressing," and we added grilled veggies. Holy moly, you guys. I can't do its tastiness justice.

As the title of this blog post suggests, I use lavender constantly, so I thought I'd share how I work it into my daily and weekly routine.

My favorite ways to use lavender essential oil:

1. Combine your favorite non-scented, natural lotion with one drop of lavender to moisturize and treat yourself to a little at-home spa experience 💜
2. Put one drop into your mascara bottle to support strong, healthy lashes 💜
3. Diffuse 3-4 drops at night to aid sound sleeping or make a pillow spray with it for the same benefits 💜
4. Add 2-3 drops to your laundry detergent, especially when washing sheets or towels 💜
5. Add 3 drops to your wool dryer balls when drying laundry 💜
6. Use a roller bottle to experience lavender's calming properties on-the-go 💜

Do you love lavender essential oil? What are your favorite ways to use it?

DIY // Essential Oil Perfume & Cologne

I am beyond excited to share this post with you all today! Ever since I dove into essential oils this past summer, I have been wanting to experiment with creating my own perfume and helping Tim create his own cologne. We finally did it and they turned out amazingly! If you also want to make your own, here are the supplies you'll need:

• 10mL roller bottle (we got ours from Whimsy & Wellness and customized the labels to say "Hers" & "His")
• At least one top note oil, one middle note oil, and one base note oil. If you're not sure which oils are considered top, middle, or base, check out this website.
• Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO). I love this one.

DIY Essential Oil Perfume

The perfume I made has a citrusy, floral scent with fresh, woodsy undertones. It smells amazing. When I was deciding which oils to use, I took out all of the oils I had that I thought would fit well in a perfume and separated them into base, middle, and top note categories. That allowed me to play around with combinations easily. To test it, I combined one drop of each oil in a small container.

Here are the oils I ended up with:

• Base note: Sandalwood (15 drops)
• Middle note: Cardamom (15 drops)
• Middle note: Lavender (17 drops)
• Middle note: Balance (15 drops)
• Top note: Bergamot (15 drops)

Some websites will tell you to combine your essential oils for your perfume using a certain ratio of base, middle, and top notes. I liked how my fragrance smelled when I used equal drops, but wanted to enhance the floral scent just a bit, so I ended up with equal portions for all oils except Lavender, of which I allocated only 2 additional drops.

Once all of your oils are in the bottle, top it off with FCO and place the roller onto the bottle to seal. It's normal for your oils to separate, just give the bottle a little shake and the oils should combine nicely.

DIY Essential Oil Cologne

Tim wanted his cologne to have an earthy, woodsy spice to it. He was actually able to find the recipe he used right on doTERRA®'s website, but customized it just a bit by adding Sandalwood.

Here is the combination of oils he ended up with:

• Base note: Sandalwood (5 drops)
• Middle note: Clove (10 drops)
• Middle note: White Fir (20 drops)
• Top note: Bergamot (40 drops)
• Top note: Lemon (5 drops)
• Topped off with FCO

To view the original recipe, visit doTERRA's website.

It's one thing to say that we each liked our own roller bottle creations, but we both loved each other's as well! Which is good... I don't want my husband hating my perfume and vice versa ;)

To learn more about essential oils, check out past essential oil blog posts or visit my essential oil education page.

Happy oiling!

How I Use Essential Oils Daily

One of the questions I get asked frequently is: "Okay, you have all of these oils and products, but how do you actually incorporate them into your daily life?" So I thought it'd be fun to do a #DailyEssentials series on Instagram and Facebook. Here's a recap for those of you that missed it!

One of my favorite ways to use my essential oils daily is by using doTERRA®'s Whisper® blend as my perfume. I put it on every morning! So what's in it? This blend includes Bergamot Peel, Ylang Ylang Flower, Patchouli Leaf, Vanilla Bean Absolute, Jasmine Flower Absolute, Cinnamon Bark, Labdanum, Vetiver Root, Hawaiian Sandalwood, Cocoa Bean Absolute, and Rose Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil. It emits a warm, musky aroma and combines with each individual's chemistry to create a unique, personal fragrance.   

Did you know you can rub essential oils on the bottoms of your feet? Because of their ability to effectively absorb all of the amazing nutrients, rubbing oils on the soles of your feet can help enhance the holistic benefits you're seeking. Depending on how I'm feeling and my needs for the morning, I typically rub either On Guard® or Balance® to the bottoms of my feet. On Guard moreso during this time of year when seasonal and environmental threats are high, but I definitely also rotate in Balance, a grounding blend, to help ease anxious feelings and promote a whole body sense of relaxation.

At lunchtime, I always take my doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack® supplements. These supplements are formulated to provide you with potent levels of bioavailable nutrients and powerful metabolic factors for optimal health, energy, and longevity.* If there's ever a day I forget to take them, I truly feel the difference!

Sundays are almost exclusively dedicated to prepping for the week ahead. It can oftentimes feel overwhelming thinking about all of the daily and weekly deadlines hitting you in an upcoming week, which is why I LOVE giving myself a quick boost of energy and motivation with doTERRA's Citrus Bliss® hand lotion and peppermint roller bottle.

Health Benefits of the Citrus Bliss Hand Lotion:

• Its refreshing aroma is energizing and uplifting
• Sunflower and macadamia seed oils are known for their exceptional moisturizing properties and ability to retain moisture in the skin
• Non-greasy formula absorbs quickly leaving skin looking healthy, soft, and smooth

Health Benefits of the Peppermint Roller Bottle:

• Helps lessen feelings of tension
• Uplifts mood and promotes a sense of focus
• Helps provide relief for head tension

Lotion is definitely part of my morning routine. I love the doTERRA SPA Hand & Body Lotion because it easily blends with whatever essential oil I'm in the mood to use for a customized aromatic experience. Pairing it with lavender essential oil is definitely one of my go-tos! Two important ingredients in the lotion are sunflower and macadamia seed oils because they are known for their exceptional moisturizing properties and ability to retain moisture in the skin. This lotion definitely makes my skin feel healthy, soft, and smooth.

Throughout the day I rely on various essential oils to help balance my mood, ground me, and increase focus. These are just three of my favorite go-tos that I apply on my inner wrists so I can easily and quickly experience the aroma when I need it most. I keep them in this cute little pink bag in my purse so I can reapply as needed.

• Breathe®'s calming aroma promotes a restful environment
• Lavender provides a calming, relaxing effect, perfect for particularly stressful or high-pressure days
• Peace® counteracts anxious and fearful emotions

Sometimes you just need a little passion, cheer, and motivation to make it to the end of the workday. Like my Breathe, lavender, and Peace roller bottles, I apply these on my inner wrists so I can easily and quickly experience their aroma when I need it most.

• Passion® ignites feelings of excitement, passion, and joy
• Cheer® promotes feelings of optimism, cheerfulness, and happiness
• Motivate® promotes feelings of confidence, courage, and belief

My nightly routine includes a warm, relaxing shower with doTERRA's Salon Essentials® Protecting Shampoo and Smoothing Conditioner and the Moisturizing Bath Bar. After I hop out of the shower, I place a few drops of the Root to Tip serum on my scalp and on the tips of my hair before styling and also use this all-natural Detoxifying Mud Mask once or twice a week. I legitimately feel like I'm at a spa using these products... it's just one of the ways I give back to myself!

These are our four main go-tos for diffusing at nighttime.

• Breathe is great to help open up airways and minimize the effects of environmental threats
• I love On Guard to help combat seasonal threats and purify the air in our home.
• Depending on the night, we diffuse either lavender or Serenity® for 2 hours after we lay down to help us relax, fall asleep, and experience a truly restful night's sleep.

I hope this is helpful as you navigate the wide world of essential oils! There are many more ways to use them that I haven't mentioned here - check out my essential oils education page for more info.

*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.