Allergies - How We Handle Them

With allergy season rapidly approaching (or already here for some of you) I thought I would share how we deal with allergies in this house.  The little guy and I both have allergies.  His manifests with dark circles under his eyes and he looks "strung out".  Since he is only 4 I know the circles are not from any undesirable activities.  :)
He was taking kids Claritin every day to manage it but dang, that stuff is expensive!
I never had allergies till I was 25, then boom, like a light switch on my 25th birthday I suddenly had them.  Mine showed up in the form of full body itchiness and of course accompanied by sinus infections.  After going to an allergy doctor I think she said it was dust mites, something or other in the air, and maybe a few other things.  This was a while back and obviously I was not paying great attention, I just wanted it to go away.  So Zyrtec D is what I was given.  I took it for years, then halfway through my first pregnancy I was told maybe I should not be taking that. Oops. I was switched to the non D kind, then eventually to Clairinex.  Blah, blah, blah.  The point is, I was always on meds to keep the itching at bay.
Then I started using essential oils and found out about the amazing combination of lemon, lavender and peppermint.  There are a few ways to take it but I like to mix it in equal parts with a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil, olive, grapeseed, jojoba, almond) and roll it on our feet in a roller bottle.  We do this in the morning and at night.  You could also put 3 drops in an empty gel capsule and take 2-3x a day but since I already make the roller for Maddox we just do it together.
We have been doing this since October and we are both off our allergy meds completely.  It took a few weeks of consistently using it to be totally off the meds but whoa it really works!  When allergy season gets really bad and I feel a little itchy I just do an extra application or two.  The key is consistency. At first we were not in the habit and we would forget and I would look at the boy and see his dark circles and remember.  Now we always remember. It has become a part of our routine and we will never go back.

Here is another blog post from Rebecca at Camp Wander who explains it a little more in depth and gives another testimonial.  She has a great blog and is very well versed in all things essential oils.  I learn a lot from her, go check it out.  http://campwander.com/2013/06/allergies-inflammation-power-of/

Need some oils? Here is a good place.

www.sparknaturals.com/?affiliates=157
Use coupon code Crunchyurbanmom for 10%off

Here is what our little magic bottle looks like.  Very simple, yet effective.

The recipe for LLP is easy.  You can buy the LLP blend from Spark Naturals already blended then add equal parts carrier oil, or you can mix up equal part lemon, lavender and peppermint with carrier oil.  Recipes would look like this:
In a roller bottle
30 drops LLP
30 drops carrier oil

 or

In a roller bottle
10 drops lemon
10 drops lavender
10 drops peppermint
30 drops carrier oil


-Crunchy Urban Mom

101 Uses for Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint

Yesterday I talked about how we use lemon, lavender and peppermint to combat our allergies.  Here are 101 other ways to use them in your every day lives.
We call this the beginners trio and these three oils are a great way to get your feet wet and try these 100% Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils.  In addition to using them for allergies all three of these get used in our house every day.
Check it out.

http://www.doterraeveryday.com/101-uses/

Jennie

Breathe Chest Rub

I made some Breathe chest rub (think healthier version of Vapor Rub) today for 2 reasons. One, we are almost out because we use ours a lot and the other was so I could send some off to a certain friend in OK with 3 sweet boys who I know will also get a lot of use from it.  Here is how I did it, pay close attention, it is very technical.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond oil (I have also used olive and/or grapeseed oil before)

1/4 cup beeswax

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 T shea butter

1 tsp vitamin E

30 drops per 4 oz container doTERRA Breathe

10-15 drops per 4 oz container doTERRA eucalyptus

5-10 drops per 4 oz container doTERRA rosemary

This recipe will make 2- 4oz containers.

I had all of these ingredients on hand because I use them to make lotion as well  - I just use different oils.  I have made lavender for the baby and used Citrus Bliss and grapefruit for me and for gifts.  They are all yummy and everyone at Christmas seemed to really enjoy it.

The process is very easy and literally took me about 10 mins to do.  Now getting a shower or the kitchen clean, that took forever today!

Pour everything into a double boiler type contraption.  I use an old olive jar that I keep only for this purpose and it sits in a pot of boiling water.  Like so.  I use a wooden skewer to mix it up and when you are done you can toss it.  Wait for it all to melt then pour it into your containers where your drops of essential oils are waiting.  Now go grab a cup of joe and wait for it to cool.  It will look like this.  . I know, this is almost rocket science.

Then you can jazz up your container a little if you feel it is necessary.  I felt it was necessary and because I have a new love of funky duct tape, here they are with a quick wrapping.  Literally 10 minutes to make, and this will last us a while.  Plus it is perfectly safe for the whole family to use, even our tiniest member who is only 3 months old.

The recipe for lotion not my own, it was found here.  Thank you Nikki for sharing it with me. The containers I used are from Aroma Tools but you can use any glass container.

The easiest ways to use this rub is to rub on chests if your "patient" has any breathing issues due to asthma, sinuses, allergies, cold, flu, or bronchitis.  Sometimes I will dab a little under my nose or put a little behind my ears. Although this is not a good idea for kids that rub their faces because you don't want them to get it in their eyes.

The feet are always a great place to apply essential oils since the pores are so large. They get absorbed in the blood stream very quickly.  As you can see from the picture if you are having breathing issues then a good place to put some Breathe rub (or oil) would be the top of the feet near the toes or the bottoms of the feet on the points for bronchials, lungs or sinus.  When you put oils on the feet it is best to put on some cotton socks on after to keep all that healing power on your skin since some can evaporate in the air.

Now go get cooking!

Be healthy,

Jen