Going Natural and Lovin' It

I have been extremely excited to write a post like this and was actually going to wait a little bit longer to do so until I was more experienced/educated/etc., but my patience has run out. I am too excited not to share what I've been up to!

It is no secret that I am going into the field of massage therapy. It is also no secret (at least I hope it's not) that I am very into alternative/naturopathic/holistic medicine. Energy work, homeopathic remedies, you name it I back it (and have tried a great deal of it). When I study these methods of taking care of you body something just speaks to me. With natural healing practices you are taking part in what 80% of the earth's population understands and also practices, and that is the art of healing - not curing - but giving your body the tools it needs to take care of itself. Our spiritual beings and our bodies are so much more intelligent than science has been able to (or really ever will be able to) discover, and it knows what it needs, when it needs it, and what to do with it. It is things like these that I have been experimenting with in the past couple of weeks and I can't keep my mouth shut anymore! I have to write about it. :)

 

1: Essential Oils... duh!

Ha ha ha, because this one came as such a huge shock to everybody I'll just cut straight to the point... these things are absolutely phenomenal! I am fortunate enough to be friends with a wonderful woman named Tiffani Benson, a young womens president back from Mesa whom I still keep in touch with (thank goodness!), who just happens to have connections and vast knowledge in the essential oils company doTERRA. Now, before all of you go crazy and start forming a mob screaming, "You joined the bandwagon, every Mormon woman uses that brand!", let me start out by saying that I did my research. In my Introduction to Alternative Medicine class I had two different speakers lecture of the modality of aromatherapy (one of which was an actual practitioner) and both of these women praised the company TRUessence to the ends of the globe and back! Because I knew a little bit about doTERRA and nothing about this new supposed miracle brand I went to work asking questions and learning as much as I could about both companies. After a while I was beginning to lean a little towards to TRUessence side... their information was more readily available to read online, their blends seemed much more easy to understand and had much more variety, and (as far as I could tell) it seemed much cheaper and easier to order from them than doTERRA. However, my research was one-sided so I agreed (without much hesitation) to go to Tiffani's house where she would be teaching a class on doTERRA essential oils... needless to say, I was a more than a little bit stoked! Well, Tiffani's presentation impressed me as did the information I learned from her. From what I had been able to learn from one doTERRA representative had informed me about ten times more than two representatives from TRUessence ever did! But I was still a little bit sketchy, so Tiffani informed me that her trainer (a woman who was high-high-high up on the rungs of the doTERRA ladder) was going to be in town from Saint George and was going to be teaching essential oil classes... um.. yes please! The only day I could go was on a Wednesday after work but my mom and I made it happen (with much craziness involve in getting there on time... holy time sheets!) and went to go listen at the feet of a doTERRA guru. ;) And holy cow... the level of integrity of the company was enough to blow me out of the water, but to back it all up their products as incredible! The potency, purity, and effectiveness of their oils is something that I was never able to try out with TRUessence. And on top of that, everybody was so open about it all! It wasn't secretive, and you didn't have to sign up to be a part of the meeting. At the beginning every woman in the room received a drop of peppermint and a drop of frankincense in her hands and was told to rub them together, after which we all proceeded to tent them around our nose and mouth and breath in the aromatherepeutic effects. They also allowed us to try some of their spritzers, cough drops, and smell just about every oil they had on the table! My mother and I also were given a free bottle of "happy oil" (Wild Orange) for it having been our first official doTERRA meeting.

So because of the integrity of the company, their methods of sourcing, the quality of their products, their "aromatouch" technique (which I will be able to implement into my practice once I'm certified) and the women I know who use it (who number far beyond Tiffani alone, and whose opinions and judgement I value) I have decided that doTERRA is going to be the company I "do oils" with. I have been using them like a crazy woman already with the four little free samples I received from Tiffani and the bottle of wild orange and have been feeling the most amazing results already! I feel so strongly that this is the direction that I need to be heading in, not just for myself but for my practice and for my future family! It feels so right, makes so much sense, and even spiritually feels familiar. I couldn't be more excited, and now that I'm on board I can't praise this company enough!

 

2. The "oil cleansing" Method

Okay, this one was actually a pinterest find, and here is the story behind how I started using it... so after my wonderful meeting at Tiffani Benson's house I was stoked about two things: essential oils, and coconut oil. Though I didn't know much about it, I knew that the coconut oil I had used on my hands had been incredible and had helped to moisturize them far beyond what any lotion I would use could do (especially in the winter, my hands are hopelessly dry and nasty in the winter!). So I get home, and guess who else had just discovered coconut oil? My mother! Gleefully, and after some research, we both started using extra virgin coconut oil as moisturizers for our bodies and faces and were loving it! I also called to mind a pin from pinterest that I had been wanting to try for months called the "oil cleansing" method (which is basically cleansing your face with oil). Now when you first think about it, it doesn't make much sense does it? Washing your face with oil??? Aren't people always trying to use oil-free moisturizers and what not to prevent oily skin? Well yes, and while oily skin is not desirable - I do agree - these people are going about it the wrong way! Our skin naturally produces oil, of that we are all aware of, and when we strip our faces of the oils it naturally needs to be healthy we force it to overcompensate and overproduce MORE oil in order to be healthy! When washing your face with oil (I have been using a combination of 25% caster oil {for its abilities on cleansing and clearing dirt and grime from your pores} to 75% extra virgin olive oil {for its nourishing and moisturizing elements}) your face is being nourished, rather than stripped, with the oils it needs to be supple and healthy. Oil dissolves oil, it is cheaper than most pricey name-brand facial cleansers, and it is 100% natural! The procedure I have been following goes as follows:

 

I keep my oil in a small, washed out travel hand sanitizer bottle. To begin I turn on the hot water faucet and let it heat up while I pour a puddle of oil into my palm about the size of a quarter. I rub my hands together and then proceed to massage (not scrub) the oil into my face for a few minutes. Once the water in the sink starts to get steamy I throw a washcloth under the faucet and let it soak/heat up. Once I've finished massaging the oil into my face (which, in it of itself is relaxing and fantastic!) I turn off the water and ring out the washcloth (sometimes this can be pretty hot, so if the washcloth burns you don't be afraid to cool it down with a tiny bit of cold water). After ringing it out I lay the steamy cloth over my face and let it sit for a minute. The steam will open up your pores and draw out all of the gunk the caster oil has been working on to the surface. After about a minute I remove the cloth and use it to wipe off all the excess oil, and voila! It's as simple as that!

 

I have been having wonderful results with my face... however there has been one adverse side affect that I have been trying to address and it is this: dry skin. I'm not sure whether to blame the oil or the dry/cold weather (it's this kind of weather that gave me asthma last year as well) that has been drying my skin out, but since I started using the coconut oil, to my dismay my skin started drying out. My knuckles, arms, and shoulders began to feel scaly and almost eczema-y after a few days of using the oil and when out in the cold the problem would increase exponentially! Aside from my arms and hands, my cheeks (only my cheeks, the rest of my face has been glorious) had been getting dry and flaky as well! I changed my oil cleanser ratio (from a 1:1 ratio to the one you see above) after discovering that I was using FAR too much caster oil and did notice a small change in that area. I am also going to be trying out a mixture of jojoba and neem oil (scratch that... neem oil smells rancid! This is just going to be a trial and error process I guess, but I'm going to substitute grape seed and apricot oil for the neem) as a facial moisturizer instead of the coconut. And while I am still trying to find a good alternative to coconut oil as a body moisturizer (the negative reactions to which have been making me SO SAD...because I was seriously loving that stuff!), the results that I have been seeing in the past week and a half have been so wonderful!

 

3. All-Natural Face Masks

Since we were already talking about facial/skin treatments it would be a shame not to mention a couple of the natural face masks that I have been experimenting with as well. The first of which being one that I've already discussed on here: the "burning mask". This was also a pinterest find and has been something that I have been loving! Except, one thing I have been experimenting with in this mask is changing the proportions of ingredients (i.e. the amount of lemon juice), and have been liking the results so far. Another all-natural mask that has been wonderful? Honey. Just straight honey! If you rub it together on your hands, smooth it over your face, let it sit for a bit, and then steam it off (just like in the oil cleansing) you will be BLOWN AWAY with how soft and supple your skin will be afterwards!

 

4. Herbal Tea

My disdain for herbal teas has never ever been a secret, but ever sine a certain sleep over with a certain tea-loving friend of mine my subconscious has suddenly been prescribing herbal tea for myself when I get stressed or am needing to wind down before bed. And in my mind I'm like, "What is happening to me? I hate tea! It tastes like hot water and grass and looks like pee!" However, when I drink it, no matter how much my sudden conversion baffles me, I cannot deny the wonderful effects I have been experiencing from them. The one that I have been raving about the most has been a "happy tummy" peppermint tea that my mom recently purchased (prior to my unexpected conversion) with one drop of peppermint essential oil mixed in. All I do is drop one drop into the tea bag and the tea tastes incredible! But one of my favorite things about the teas have not been their taste, but the aromatic benefits. When I'm drinking them, the steam from the water carries the aromatic properties of the herbs from the tea bags (and the peppermint oil) and is more phenomenal than I could ever explain!

And for all you LDS women out there, no, it is not against the word of wisdom to drink herbal teas. :) From what I have ascertained, t is green, white, black, and oolong teas that we are advised against consuming. The difference? The three mentioned teas are actually brewed with tea leaves, leaves which carry certain chemicals that are addictive and are not the best for your body to have to process. Herbal teas are brewed with the leaves/parts from various different plants (depending on what kind of tea you are making) such as mint leaves, spearmint leaves, ginger root, and flowers from numerous different plants.

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Overall? Since I've started using these methods I can not believe the results I have been having! Not only has my skin (for the most part) been so soft and healthy, but my overall outlook has been much brighter, I feel healthier, and I feel confident in the ingredients I am using on my body! Like I said before, it's probably going to be a road of trial and error in figuring out exactly what works best for me, but so far? So far I can't imagine turning back and NOT using these things in my daily healthy routine. :) I feel so strongly that the field of alternative and natural healing in the field that I belong in, and these baby steps are just the beginning, I know it!

If you have any questions, comments, concerns... hit me up! And have the loveliest day!