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.

 

Recipe // Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

YOU GUYS. These are the BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookies you will ever taste! They're so light and fluffy and full of the flavor of fall. No, this is not the healthiest recipe to feature, but it is great for your happiness ;) This is the second weekend in a row that I've made these for Tim and I. Tim is a cookie connoisseur and these are husband-approved, so you know they're good. This weekend I made a few extra so some lucky coworkers will get to try them tomorrow (and, let's be honest, so we could have a few extra as well).

You can find the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe on Creme de la Crumb. If you're like me and can't get enough of everything pumpkin in the fall, you will not regret making these! Happy baking!

 

Home Tour // Family Room

Our apartment is a constant work in progress, but we've come a long way since moving in! Working with 580 square feet isn't the easiest thing to do, but it's definitely doable and so, so worth it for the location we're in. We've made additions here and there to make it feel like home and the family room is probably one of my favorite rooms in our space. If you're curious, I wrote a post about creating our DIY gallery wall pictured below.

Working with such a limited amount of space, we've had to get creative with storage. Other than our closet, we only have one teeny tiny closet in the entryway, so some of our items are stored in corners of our family room. Can you spot the yoga mat and extra pillows in the back right corner of the photos above? Or our vacuum hidden behind the side table with the bird cage on top of it shown below? ;-) Eventually we'll need to just go through all of our belongings and purge, but for now, it works.

What do you think about our funky vintage green plaid chair? I've had a love/hate relationship with it, but we're currently on good terms ;-) I love the shape of it; it's the perfect size for our small-ish living area and the 70s vibe goes well with some of our other eclectic decor. I'm not sure why I sometimes want to replace it. It might be because when we ultimately replace our couch (it's from my family and we've had it since I was about 7!) I'm not sure if it will still go as well in our family room, but for now it's a great conversation starter and is pulling at my heartstrings. :-) If you're in a DIY mood, check out my post about making the yarn wall hanging pictured above.

The Portland artwork pictured above on the right and also below is the newest addition to our family room. We purchased the artwork from Powell's about 2 years ago and just recently got it framed. If you can't tell, it pictures and names all of the bridges in the city (minus the newest bridge). The artwork was only about $20, but the framing was a bit pricey. Luckily, we were able to get 60% off at Michael's during one of their custom framing sales. We absolutely love it, so it was definitely worth every penny!

We're in love with our little home and wouldn't trade it for the world (well, as long as rent stays manageable). ;-) It's amazing just how little you need when you have the world to explore right outside your door.