Peppermint Mocha Face Mask

 

You guys. I'm completely obsessed with this mask.

•Peppermint Mocha Face Mask•
1 TBSP cocoa powder
1 tsp coffee grounds (or instant coffee)
1 tsp Bentonite Clay
1-2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

•combine in a glass bowl with enough water to make a thin paste
•apply to clean face with brush or fingers
•relax and enjoy for 15 mins then rinse with warm water

Cocoa powder is packed full of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight free radicals. Free radicals are sad because they are imbalanced - missing an electron. Because they need that electron they go around attacking and stealing them from molecules that make up healthy cells. This kind of cell damage, if left unchecked, can lead to illness and disease. It can also make your skin look dull.

Enter antioxidants. They are your BFF because they give extra electrons to free radicals so they don’t have to steal them from your healthy cells. So generous.

There are many foods that contain antioxidants (blueberries, wolfberries, carrots) and dark chocolate is one of them. Get you some 70% or more dark chocolate and fight those free radicals! YOU’RE WELCOME.

Cocoa also contains flavonoids that help skin retain moisture.

Coffee. Oh how I love thee. The caffeine in coffee helps to reduce puffy eyes and can firm and tighten skin.

Bentonite Clay is made from aged volcanic ash and is super effective at pulling out toxins and impurities from your skin. I use it in my armpit detox too. It does make your skin turn red for about 30 mins...don't stress. I promise it goes away! You should not use metal with the clay - it deactivates it. Use glass or ceramic bowls and utensils.

Peppermint Essential Oil has many amazing properties, but I add it to this mask because it is energizing and invigorating. And it just smells dang good. It gives the mask a cooling tingle that really wakes me up! This should go without saying, but don't put it in your eyes. 

Let me know if you try this mask. I would love to know what you think!

 

Lemon EO to the Rescue

 

Did you know Lemon EO will remove gum from any surface?

Life with 3 kids is messy. And sticky. Someone got gum on their brand new shirt and didn't bother to tell anyone. I discovered it after it had already been washed and dried. I was pretty irritated, but then I remembered...there's an oil for that! 

Citrus oils (particularly Lemon) are excellent for removing sticky or greasy messes. I put a couple drops right on the gum and scraped it off easily with my fingernail. Then I used dish soap to remove the oil and tossed it in the wash. It looks as good as new!

Avoid the scissors and tears if gum gets in hair by doing the same thing.

 

Oils and the Limbic System

 

Have you ever smelled something and immediately been taken back to a specific time or place? What about a specific person?

That's because our sense of smell is directly tied to our Limbic System - the part of our brain that controls emotions and memory (among other things). The limbic system is also directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance (Higley & Higley, 1998).

This means that when essential oils are inhaled, they go directly to the brain. Our other four senses -- taste, sight, touch and hearing -- are first routed through the thalamus before reaching designated areas of the brain.

This is why essential oils can be used to support our emotions. The science behind this is real, and it's fascinating. 

 

Lemon & Lime

 

One thing you can do daily as a part of a healthy lifestyle to support overall wellness is simply add a drop or two of Lemon or Lime Vitality essential oils to your water first thing in the morning or as a treat throughout the day.

I love to add Lime to a La Croix, which is what I'm enjoying right now. It's also GREAT in margs, but day drinking with 3 kiddos running around is typically frowned upon, so La Croix it is until bedtime.

Lime EO supports a healthy digestive system and may aid in weight management. And it tastes dang good.

Lemon EO helps flush toxins from your body, and contains powerful antioxidants. It is also a tonic for supporting the nervous and sympathetic nervous systems. Because citrus oils are not nearly as acidic as citrus juices, you don't have to worry about them eroding the enamel on your teeth.

What's your favorite drink to add oils to?

 

Sunshine Smoothie

 

I turned all of this into a fresh juiced smoothie for the kids. It was a win with 2/3!

••☀️Sunshine Smoothie☀️••
Juice:
1/2 a pineapple
1 orange
1 cup raspberries
1 cucumber

In blender/Ninja:
Fruit juice 👆🏼
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp chia seeds
2-3 drops Lemon Essential Oil
--let sit for 2-3 minutes while the chia seeds expand--
Add 2+ cups of ice
Blend and serve 🍍🍊🍹

Chia seeds are loaded with fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acid.

Pineapple is a good source of Vitamin C and manganese, and also contains bromelain, the sulphur containing enzyme that we need to digest protein.

Lemon Essential Oil (yes, even one drop!) is excellent overall wellness support. It helps to flush toxins out of your body (preservatives, chemicals, food dyes, etc).

 

 

Vita Flex Points & EOs

 

Ever heard of Vita Flex points?

Vita Flex points are like a map of our entire body found on our hands and feet. 

This comes in handy when you don't love the smell of a particular oil and prefer to not have it on your body where you will smell it often. Also great if you aren't into ingesting yet. 

Look on the chart and find the area of your body that you are looking to support, add a drop of your oil of choice, and then apply pressure for 20+ seconds to that Vita Flex point. Then just put on socks so you don't have to smell it!

It sounds new-agey, but because our bodies are intricately designed and all the parts are connected, it actually works! 

Google it. It's fascinating.

 

Roasted Beetroot Hummus

 

••Roasted Beetroot Hummus••
- 2 beets
- 1 can chickpeas, cooked
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2-5 drops of Lemon Vitality* Essential Oil, to taste
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2-1 tsp cayenne, to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil

Peel and chop beets into cubes and toss with olive oil. Place on baking sheet. Roast at 400° until tender. Set aside to cool.

While beets are roasting, combine all other ingredients in food processor, adjusting seasonings to taste. Purée. When beets are roasted and cooled, add to mixture and purée. Garnish with dill, rosemary, or herb of choice. Chill and enjoy!

*I ONLY ingest Young Living Lemon Vitality. Do not ingest essential oils off the store shelf that say Not For Consumption.

 

When Hope Is No More

 

HOPE:

1- confident expectation

2- firm assurance of the promises of God
I had a conversation with a friend recently about Heaven and how there is no hope there.  

There is no hope in Heaven.

Wait, what?

You read that correctly.  There is no hope in Heaven - because you do not hope for that which you have already attained.

What incredible news!

Hope only exists now because everything in this fallen world is broken.  We have to hope for that which is to come.

Scripture tells us that Christ is our hope - everything is met and holds together in Him - and because He lived the perfect life (for us!) and died the perfect death (for us!) our HOPE is tethered and anchored behind the veil and we have every confidence that what has been promised will be attained.

So often I am tempted to put my hope in something other than His finished work on the cross on my behalf...and far too often it is in a false sense of my own righteousness.  What a joke!  None is righteous (no not one!) - least of all me. 

It is my prayer for us that we would fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, as our HOPE and look for the day that hope is no more.  

Because the day is coming, friends.  There will be no more night.  No more tears. No more pain. No more hope.

Who would have thought that "no more hope" could ever be a good, encouraging thing?

Oh but it is.

So let's fix our eyes, remain steadfast, and hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, because He is faithful.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf,. He has become a High Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:19-20