Essential Oil Necessities -- Jojoba Oil

Soap, cream, & essential oil people love jojoba oil.  It's pricey but most skin types love it since it's more similar than other vegetable oils to the oil that our bodies manufacture to keep skin lubricated. They used to slaughter sperm whales for oil this good.  You can use it straight on your skin and in your hair and even around your eyes.  They refine jojoba to be odorless, colorless and stable so it's also great for essential oils as a carrier oil to dilute the EO and 'carry' and absorb the EO's good stuff into your skin. And if that weren't good enough -- they say it also has a potential use as a biodiesel fuel.  It will probably cure all types of cancer and stop global warming if they study it long enough...

Things to do with leftover sweetened condensed milk (if you don't eat it straight first)

Sweetened condensed milk morphed into Caramel Sauce via the microwave:  Pour sweetened condensed milk into 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50% power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30% power (medium-low) 20 to 25 minutes or until very thick and caramel-colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes during the last 4 to 10 minutes.  If you use less than one full can, the cooking time will decrease so watch for burning

Coconut Easter Eggs - what could be better?

These are easy and very good.  Mix 1/4c butter with 1t vanilla, 1/3c sweetened condensed milk (yes, you'll have leftovers), 3c powdered sugar, 1/2c coconut.  Now form this coconut mix into eggs.  This is sort of messy (well, actually pretty messy).  You can make one giant egg or lots of other sized eggs.  Put on wax paper then put in fridge till firm.  Melt about 4oz chocolate chips (can do combo of milk and/or semi-sweet).  Dip eggs into chocolate to coat then put back on wax paper and fridge to harden chocolate.

Etsy finds - how in the world does she make these...

This woman is amazing.  But will she have any eyesight left at age 50?  I'm not sure what one does with a miniature tea service but it sure is cute...

aromatherapy.com's pretty exhaustive list of things to do with essential oils around the home

Keep in mind that not all essential oils will work with all of these suggestions...


Bath: fill the tub with bath water.  Add and swish 9-10 drops of essential oil into the bath water.  Some essential oils are more irritating to the skin than others.  Read the safety cautions for each essential oil. 

Liquid Soap: add about 30-45 drops of essential oil to 8 ounces of unscented liquid hand soap or unscented liquid shower body wash.  Shake vigorously.

Body Oil: add about 12-15 drops of essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil, such as jojoba oil and shake to blend.

Body Lotion: add 50-60 drops of essential oil to 16 ounces of unscented body lotion. Stir until smooth.

Body Mist: add 10-15 drops of essential oil to a 1 oz misting bottle filled with spring or distilled water.  Shake well and shake before each mist.

Liniment: add 25-20 drops of essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil, such as jojoba oil.  Shake well to blend.

Compress: mix 3-5 drops of essential oil to a bowl of warm or cool water. Soak a wash cloth, wring and apply.

Shampoo/Conditioner: add 12-15 drops of essential oil to one ounce of unscented or mild shampoo and conditioner.  Shake well to blend.

Hair Brush: place three drops of essential oil into the palm of your hand; rub over the natural bristles of a hair brush.  Brush your scalp and your hair.

Diffuser: add essential oils to a diffuser, candle burner or a lamp ring.

Room Mist: add 17-20 drops of essential oil to a 1 oz misting bottle filled with spring or distilled water.  Shake well and shake before each mist.

Scent:  add five drops of an essential oil to a hanky or tissue and carry with you throughout the day.  Or place under your pillow case to ease you into sleep.

Scent:  add five drops to a cotton ball and place in drawers and linen closets.

Place: a drop of essential oil in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and inhale. (Keep away from your eyes). (A wonderful way to encourage a deep breath).  this would be nice with spearmint e.o.

Safety Precautions

• Never take essential oils internally.
  
• Read about an essential oil before applying it.  
  
• Essential oils are very concentrated substances and should be diluted before applying them to the skin. Follow guidelines or recipes which recommend a 2%-5% solution.
  
• Have a recipe’s concentration of essential oils when using with children. Do not use essential oils with infants.
  
• Do not apply citrus essential oils, especially Bergamot before direct exposure to the sun. These essential oils increase photosensitivity.
  
• Essential oils are not soluble in water. Make sure you dilute or fully disperse them when using water as a base.  
  
• Essential oils can cause a prickly, irritating sensation to the skin. Do not rub water on the area. Doing so will cause the oil to spread. Apply any vegetable/carrier oil to the area; this will cause the essential oil to be absorbed and ease the irritation in minutes.
  
• Keep essential oils away from your eyes.
  
• Keep essential oils out of the reach of children and animals.
  
• If skin irritation occurs or an allergic reaction occurs with any essential oil or product with essential oils in it, discontinue use.
  
• Essential oils should not replace proper health care. If you are under medical supervision consult with your health care provider before using essential oils.
  
• These suggestions for Your Safety are not to be considered complete and all-inclusive.

Using Essential Oils Around Home

Essential Oils aren't just for soap makers or perfumers.  Anyone can enjoy them -- if only for their amazing fragrances.  There's a lot of homeopathic use for essential oils.  You have to be careful, though, since not all of them can be used directly on skin let alone ingested.  And there's always that disclaimer:  "...not to be used by young children or pregnant women without a physician's advice etc...".  You can put a couple of drops in a stinky garbage can, vacuum cleaner bag, laundry rinse.  Some people make a spritzer to spray onto sheets.  Wake up a limping potpourri.  Patchouli typically isn't sensitizing and so is used in bath water and mixed with a carrier oil to use in massage.  And the uses and different essential oils go on and on...

Kid's Activity: scary story with tactile props (dead witch parts)

This is great fun to watch everyone's faces...  Everyone is in a circle.  They all cheat if you tell them to close their eyes so instead you put things in plastic bags covered with a brown paper bag.  First tell them in a low scary voice that you CAUGHT A WITCH!  And then she withered up and died so all you have left are some of her body parts; they're too gross to look at so you have them covered with the brown paper bag in deference to their sensibilities.  Have first kid put her hand in first bag so she can feel HER EYES! (peeled grapes), next bag -- her teeth (unpopped popcorn), her ears (dried apple slices), her nose (avocado), her tongue (wet tea bag), her brain (moist natural sponge), her hair (corn silk), her guts (cooked, cold spaghetti), and all that is left of her pet cockroaches (small dried leaves).  You can get really messy with pudding and jello but you're just asking for clean up trouble.  It's not just for Halloween -- we did this as a campfire game.  A little too scary for little kids but great for mid-elementary and older.  It's especially fun to gross-out the parents...

It's March -- so where's the Irish Soda Bread?

Irish Soda Bread looks like one of those "peasant" foods that's impossible to recreate without a thatched roof over your head and chickens running underfoot.  But not so!  The great thing about "peasant" foods is that they're typically hearty, uncomplicated and with simple ingredients.  Irish Soda Bread is no exception.  Here's James Beard':

Mix 3c whole wheat flour, 1c white, 1T salt, 1t baking soda, 3/4 t baking powder (can play around with the 4c flour: 3-1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat, etc).  Add 1-1/2 to 2 c buttermilk to make a soft dough.  Knead 2-3 minutes on lightly floured board till smooth and velvety (James Beard's words).  Form into round loaf and place on well buttered cookie sheet.  Cut a cross across the top with a very sharp, floured knife.  Bake at 375 35-40 minutes or till browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom with your knuckles.

Etsy Finds -- Duck Hat

Everyone needs one!  This is one of those things people oooh and aaahh over and say, "Idn't that speshal!".  Of course, it really is cute and very special and just begs to be given to a really cute two-year-old.

Spearmint Essential Oil

Most of the time I have little expectations that gum will taste much like it's supposed flavor.  Cinnamon gum never reminds me of a cinnamon roll.  Juicy Fruit just tastes sweet.  But Wrigley's Spearmint Gum really tastes just like spearmint essential oil smells.  A nice, warm mint.  Not biting like peppermint.  Just a nice, warm mint.  Apparently that bite is because of the menthol (or lack thereof) -- alot more of it in peppermint compared to spearmint. You can take a tip from the ancient Greeks and add spearmint to your bath; it's supposed to be calming.  Plus it smells good!