Are you aware of all the unnecessary chemicals are in commercial deodorants?  We've covered this before on our blog, but we're thrilled to share this new natural deodorant recipe that is free of parabens, aluminum, and other harmful chemicals.

All you need is:
1. 1/4 cup of shea butter
2. 2 tb of coconut oil 
3. 3 tb of beeswax
4. 2 tb of arrowroot powder
5. 20 drops of Soulful Essence Ouh-La-Lavender Essential Oil

Instructions:
1. Add shea butter, coconut oil to top bowl of double boiler. One these melt, add the beeswax and stir until all ingredients are liquid.
2. Quickly add baking soda, arrowroot powder. 
3. Remove from heat and add essential oil
4. Pour deodorant into mason jar and let cool.
5. Once cool, scoop small amount of deoderant from jar and apply underarms.

Super easy and so healthy for you and your family.  Give it a try and let us know how it works out in the comments below.

 

If you’re anything like me, my home is my domain, the place where I can kick back and relax. However I can’t relax if I feel that my home needs cleaning. Needless to say, chlorine bleach or other chemicals are not an option. I know that nature can give me the same deep clean without the harmful side effects of these chemicals.

For those of you that have been seeking plant based alternatives for keeping your home clean, we have 6 recipes that can all be made in less than five minutes and most of the ingredients you already have!

General Purpose Cleaner: This cleaner is perfect for mirrors, countertops, mopping, and general surface areas.

All you need: 1 cup of vinegar, 3 cups of distilled water, 1 tablespoon of Castille dish soap and 25 drops of Soulful Essence Essential Oil Blend (we recommend bright and uplifting, Get the Funk Out).

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Pour this mixture into the toilet, let sit for 10 minutes, then scrub and flush.

All you need: 1/4th cup of baking soda, 1 cup of vinegar, 30 drops of Soulful Essence Essential Oil Blend (Get the Funk Out or Rina’s Blend is awesome for this recipe as well).

Tub + Tile Scrub: Perfect for kitchen and bathroom tiles.

All you need: 3/4th cup of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of salt, 1 cup of vinegar, 30 drops of any Soulful Essence Essential Oil

Grout Scrub: Apply to grout, let sit for 10 minutes and then scrub.

All you need:  1 cup of baking soda, 2 tablespoons Castille soap, 30 drops of Soulful Essence Essential Oil

Reusable Dryer Sheets: Awesome for adding a touch of aromatherapy to all your freshly washed clothes. Simply add during the last 5 minutes of the drying cycle.

All you need: 5-10 drops of any Soulful Essence Essential Oil on an old wash cloth.

Laundry Booster: Boost the power of your wash with this recipe! Add 20-30 drops of Soulful Essence Essential Oil of your choice to the rinse cycle of your washing machine.

We love to show you the many ways you can incorporate nature into your daily life. Please give  these recipes a try and let us know how they work for you in the comments below.  

We're so excited to be able to share this with you!

We've been working hard to develop this extra special gift for you and we're thrilled that it's finally ready! We created this special gift just for you because you know ingredients matter and you care about what you put on your skin and in your body. We also know that you love to create and spend quality time doing things that matter with people you love.

Watch the Video Now

That's why we've created our first ever Organic Skincare DIY Kit! Yep, that's right, we've put together everything you need to make your very own Organic Lavender Lip Butter.  There's no mess, no guesswork and no special equipment needed!

The DIY kit contains just four organic, all natural ingredients. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. When you use exceptional quality ingredients, their true beauty can shine through and there's no need to add too much or to complicate things.

Our DIY Kit Includes:

Organic Shea Butter - Ultra moisturizing and skin nourishing, shea butter helps with the skin's natural collagen production.

Organic Sunflower Oil - Protects the skin from environmental damage and is rich in vitamin E.

All Natural Beeswax - Creates a protective barrier on the skin while still allowing it to breath and helps to protect lips in the cold winter months. 

Ouh La Lavender Pure Essential Oil - Our lavender essential oil is calming and soothing and helps bring balance to overly dry and chapped lips. 

We've taken away the guesswork and saved the fun for you!

Our Organic Lavender Lip Butter DIY Kit contains everything you need to make 4 organic lip butters.

There's no mess and no special tools needed. There's no need to struggle to find exceptional quality ingredients in the quantities you need and no need to test, test and re-test recipes until you get it just right.

We've done all the prep work for you and all you need to do is gather with your friends and create your own organic lavender lip butters.  

This DIY kit is also a great way to create handcrafted gifts from the heart that you can share with the people who matter most in your life.

Quantities are Limited! Pre-Sale Starts in Just 2 Weeks!

We really love what we do and quality is important to us.  We like to ensure that everything we make is absolutely 100% perfect, if it were anything less, we'd rather not make it at all.  Because they are entirely handcrafted and take a lot of work to assemble, we are making just 150 kits, so they won't last long.  The DIY Kits retail for $38 and will be available for pre-sale at the discounted rate of $34 starting November 10th.  Once the pre-sale begins, you can purchase them here. THE PRE-SALE WILL LAST FOR ONE WEEK ONLY.  After that, any remaining kits will be sold at the regular retail price of $38.  

Mark your calendars. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get your Organic Lavender Lip Butter DIY Kit before they're all sold out. 

Give Gifts from the Heart & Share Time with Loved Ones

We made our DIY Kits with the intention that they should be shared and to give you a way to flex your creativity.

We encourage you to share these Lip Butters with the people who matter most to you.

Gather your tribe and create them together or make them with love and give them to those you care about most.

Share your creativity. Share your love. 

Is your skin freaking out? Is the change is the seasons throwing you for a loop? Yes, I know I live in Miami, but the weather does change here too; it goes from unbelievably hot and sticky to not so hot and really windy. I’ve noticed that my face has been extra dry lately, even though I haven’t changed my skin care routine. What that basically means, for me, is that my skin is out of balance. As someone who is a DIY freak, when I think balance my brain automatically turns to lavender.

That may sound a bit strange to you because so many people associate lavender with a calming affect and it’s true, a good quality lavender can be very calming. But, one of lavender’s best kept secret is its ability to bring things into balance. It’s one of the reason’s why I love it so much. It amps up whatever you mix it with and just makes everything better.

So since my skin has been acting up lately, I’ve tweaked my skin care routine to compensate. I’m usually prone to breakouts, so all those blog posts that tell you to put oil directly on your face don’t apply to me; or so I thought! The idea of adding coconut, or baobab oil (my favorite!) directly to my face would be absolutely unthinkable, unless I added a few drops of lavender essential oil to the mix. So this is what I do:

I start with a toner. And when I say “toner”, I’m talking about hydrosols AKA flower water. They are the only toner I use and frankly they blow everything else out of the water (pun intended). Since my skin is out of balance I use a lavender flower water. I spritz in on right after I wash my face. Then, I make a mixture of baobab carrier oil and lavender essential oil (about 6-8 drops per ounce). Just before the lavender water dries on my face, I put a few drops of the baobab/lavender mixture on my fingertips and glide it all over my face and neck. It’s amazing how quickly it works. My pores instantly shrink and my face is absolutely glowing.

Since I’ve started this new, fall regimen my skin is looking better than ever! Do you have a fall skin care secrete you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Today is Earth Day. Set aside some time to see where you can incorporate green practices in your daily routine. Remember that every little bit counts!

Try making your own green cleaning products. It's easy, fun and will save you a ton of money, not to mention how helpful it will be to our natural environment. We've created a recipe sheet to get you started.

Also try eliminating chemical air fresheners from your home, car and office.  Not only are they better for your health and indoor air quality but they also keep tons of waste out of our environment. We offer a great selection for every taste. Check out our aromatherapy mists now!

 

 

Spring is in the air!  Make sure your home feels fresh and clean! I always recommend spraying your home at least once a day with your favorite aromatherapy mist. I love Meditation Station for the spring time because it's so purifying. It helps to clean the air and also creates a calming and inviting environment that's perfect to come home to after a long day of work.

What's your favorite way to unwind after a long day?

A warm, cozy bed is probably one of the best things in life. It's one of those simple pleasures that we all can enjoy. All you need is decent quality down blanket, nice pillows and soft sheets. There's no need to break the bank or go nuts with the thread count. I like clean, white sheets. They always seem fresher to me and they just look great! 

My favorite part of a fresh and cozy bed is the linen spray. I spray my sheets twice a day, once in the morning before I make my bed and once about an hour before I go to sleep. It helps to set the mood and keeps my bedding smelling fresh and clean all week long.

I sometimes change up the spray I use, depending on my mood, but during this time of spring cleaning and renewal, I like to use Meditation Station. It helps to calm and quiet the mind and relieve muscle tension and works with your body to provide a great nights sleep. It also helps to purify and freshen your sheets so they stay welcoming and inviting all night long.

What's your favorite way to make your bed cozy?

JMB

If you google "DIY Natural Cleaning" you will literally find millions of results to sort through. However, the problem with DIY cleaning is that it requires a bit of extra time, first you have to make the products, then you have to get to the actual cleaning. Are you kidding me??? I hardly have time to clean in the first place! So here is my solution: I don't make DIY cleaning products (gasp!). 

Here's what I do: I keep a shaker (reuse an old cheese shaker) full of baking soda and a spray bottle full of vinegar and essential oils (2-3 drops/oz, don't forget to shake as you go) under my skin and just mix them together, as needed, while I'm cleaning. I just shake and spray my way around the house. It works for floors, toilets, tubs and counters. It also saves a heck of a lot of time!