Feather your Nest Friday, 16th November 2018.

It has been a really good week!  And a busy one with all our Show and Tell posts included!  There is still another one coming too!

The biggest thing would be that we settled the sale of our house!  And I completely finished unpacking the very last things that we brought home at the last minute.  (And everything else as well.)

Also I came home with rosemary cuttings and I dug up little bits of violets to plant under my roses at the farm.  So that is it for the old house!

I am heading to the city today just for one night.  Chloe and I are going together!  She is Christmas shopping.  I will see the girls and do a grocery shop and have a few appointments.  Anyway it is good fun just having girl time.

Some of the ways I feathered my nest this week included:

I made two impossible pies with several cartons of cream I got for 40c. Bargain!  This made a dinner and most of the weeks lunches.  For impossible pie I just add some gluten free flour. This saves needing pastry.  So easy.

If I see cream on special I buy it and freeze it.  Once I had Harper with me and she was pushing one of those little kids trolleys.  There were cartons of cream for 8c!  So I started putting them into her trolley since she likes to be in charge. After about ten she said "Nan Nan Bel I think that is enough cream..." haha 

We had a big day with our ride on mower being delivered!  

This is such a good thing. It is not just to keep things nice but also for the purpose of fire season, snake safety etc.  Andy got a little trailer also to pick up wood for our fireplace.

I have been watering the fruit trees.   The fruit is growing!  The mystery tree is an apple I think...

Whatever it is I hope the fruit is good as there are THOUSANDS of them.

We invested in bird netting.  This was an adventure.  It involved ladders, poles, cooperation and a lot of muttering...  but we did it!

This is a pretty big tree... around four or five meters high!  So you can imagine the fun of this. We decided this should be an olympic sport as it would be hilarious to watch!

Meanwhile we rescued a baby cockatoo one evening as it fell out of the nest. It was almost ready to fly. We interfered as Magpies we attacking it.  The next day the parents came looking for it and we put it back on the lawn and they fed him.  We watched all of this all day to see if he was going to be alright!   On the third day finally he flew!  Who needs TV?

Also we relocated our own bird into a big old cage that we found in the shed. We planned this but it was too heavy to move until Luke came and helped.

Luke always looks like he is having fun... because he is!  But truly he is so helpful!

I did make him a chocolate thank you cake.

My niece is rising "good laying hens" in her ag class at school which is also a school fundraiser as they then sell them.  I ordered five.  Five of these are coming my way when they are old enough...

They are kind of strawberry blonde!  They are at that awkward teenage stage...

I gave myself a hair trim.

I made up a bunch of essential oil gifts.  Apart from moving house learning about essential oils would be the best thing I did this year.  It is a life changer.  Health wise it made a huge difference.  

I made beauty serum for a friend.  I use this and love it.  In a small bottle I put Emu oil then I add a few drops of Lavender, Frankincense and Geranium.  That's it!  I copied this from a website where they charged $50 for it!  It is lovely and deeply moisturising.

Then I made my copy of Clary Calm which I use coconut oil (the type that stays a liquid) in 10ml roller bottles.  I get these from eBay.  To this I add Clary Sage, Lavender, Bergamot, Chamomile, Cedarwood, Ylang Ylang and Geranium.   Generally I do ten drops of essential oils to 10mls of oil.  This is a bit flexible.  This blend is divine and so relaxing.   I basically wear this every day.

I made myself a hair treatment oil.  I added Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Sage, and Ylang Ylang to Castor oil.   When I do a treatment I use this on my scalp.  I have a thing about having thick hair...

I made several that were already purchased blends i.e. On Guard,  Console, Germ Fighter... just adding ten drops to my 10ml roller bottles and labelling these.

Then I made my ULTIMATE sleep blend.  I made this up and now re make it often.

It is coconut oil and add several drops of each of Lavender, Vetiver, Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Sandalwood, Cedarwood....  It is divine!  I think I am addicted to this!  If I wake up in the night I rub it on my wrists and it is genuinely dreamy.

This all gave me several gifts.  Some I used my little boxes Lynette gave me and some went into little purses.  When you have all the oils on hand it makes it so easy to make beautiful gifts.  

I have a Home Pharmacy section in my index, there are lots of posts on Essential oils in there.  You can get very good priced excellent quality oils!  And they go a very very long way aS they need to be strongly diluted.  

Next year I hope to post much more about oils.  Now I have some essential oil jewellery so I will cover that down the track.

A really good thing happened toward our preparedness.  I contacted one of our neighbours who is on a property out the back of us.   It is someone I used to know years ago!   She knew my voice instantly and she sounded just the same too!   We exchanged numbers and caught up.  We came to an agreement to help each other out.  If she is going to town and I need something she will get it.  If I go to town I will ask her what she needs. She is caring for her elderly Mum.   Also in the case of a fire we need to be in close communication. This is so good. She is so lovely and now I have a friend nearby! 

My garden has grown so much!  I have loads of baby tomatoes, the rhubarb is growing, the spinach and silver beet is almost worth picking.   Ten weeks ago there was no garden at all!  

I will do another wave of planting yet. I have Jane's seeds in pots.  Once they are big enough I will find spots for them.  I always find Basil doesn't do well until after Christmas so I will put in a lot more later.

If I go away for one or two days I can see things have grown when I get back.  Things grow fast!

I strung up loads of outdoor solar family lights.  I love them! 

So that is pretty much my week.  It is a beautiful day today, perfect Spring. 

How did you build up your home, preparedness, pantry or savings this week?

Have a wonderful weekend!  

I know I have at least one more Show and Tell to post yet as well! xxx

The Home Pharmacy. Medical alternatives when you need them.

Recently I have made a few curious discoveries that I thought might be useful to consider with our home pharmacies.

Firstly I heard a lot about an antibiotic cream available in the USA called Neosporin.  To my knowledge here in Australia we cannot buy antibiotic cream, this is a prescription item only.  But I thought this would be very useful to have on hand and I ordered some (I think from Amazon) and it arrived fast with no problems.  

Next I read that Zovirax cold sore cream is a very expensive thing in the USA requiring both a prescription and a lot of money.  I found this out when I saw (on a budget group)  someone saying they could not afford cold sore cream and what could they do instead as they were desperate.  I started checking into this and it turned out our cheap (around $15) over the counter cream is over $80 with a prescription only in the USA and this is if you have insurance otherwise it is something like $800!  I could not believe it.   At the time of writing this I am finding various prices quoted.   I am even seeing it is $1500 a tube without insurance.   But lets just say it is $80 in good circumstances with a prescription.  Surely not everyone can afford $80... just like the person in the group asking for help. 

So pretty obviously what is available over the counter and prices of items vary incredibly from one country to another.  Just much more than I ever imagined! 

Next I have heard several people saying the chemist has not been able to fill a prescription due to a shortage of a drug.  What do you do then?  It can be very hard to get ahead with prescriptions as they limit you so much. 

So I really started to think that as part of preparedness I should find out a few things.   First of all we have tried to get away from any unnecessary prescriptions.  Apart from health and costs all medications do have side effects.  And if there was a crisis or shortage I don't fancy on becoming unstuck because of a prescription I am on.   So if it simply a matter of losing weight, exercise, life style change, diet change then I would really rather do that!   

But as we all know when it is necessary medications can be life saving.   Andy has a stainless steel heart valve due to a replacement he had as he was born with a heart defect.  So he is lucky he has benefitted from modern medicine but he needs blood thinners for life.  

Because of this we have made it our business to know what to do if for some reason he could not get his hands on blood thinners.  Plan B, C and D! 

Homeopathic remedies tend to have mysterious names! 

I write on the back of each one what it is for and anything else I need to remember.

This makes my kit easy to use when I need it. 

Next I have spent this year learning as much as I can about essential oils and Homeopathy.  From this I have found several things that have worked better for me than regular medicine.  I did give myself 55 years to try everything possibly available for severe sore throats which I think is a fair test.   But it turned out Oregano Oil is the first thing that actually worked.  So essential oils won that round!   Now I would not ever be without oregano oil.

I asked Karen (who is kind of our resident Homeopath)  about this Zovirax issue and what to tell the poor person who could not get theirs.  Cold sores are so common and dreadful to have.   Karen said there is in fact an excellent  Homeopathic option that is very effective.  She even went off and formulated a special cream when I told her there are people out there paying $80 for coldsore cream! 

You can find this cream here and read about it's ingredients. 

Karen also suggested some natural alternatives to some common issues:

Poke Root liquid extract  -  for infections on the skin, especially with puss.

Golden Seal Cream -  for scratches, bites, rashes.

Homeopathic Aconite 30c drops - for the onset of a virus & as a shock remedy

Lavender essential oil - 1 drop on the pillow for anxiety and to help with a restful sleep.

Mullein liquid extract - for a dry cough

Thuja 30c - for warts

Aloe vera & cucumber gel - for burns and scalds

Comfrey cream - for sprains, strains and broken bones.

Marshmallow glycetract - for heartburn

Meadowsweet extract - for Bloating

Have a look at the homeopathic Emergency Kit 

 https://www.herbsonlineshop.com/product-category/shop/homeopathic-remedies/emergency-kit-18-remedies/

Also the essential oil kit.

https://www.herbsonlineshop.com/product/essential-oil-emergency-kit-100-pure-10-x-10ml/

I have found it incredibly helpful to have a Homeopath I can ask anything.  You can contact Karen via any of the links above.  She can make you up custom blends and remedies.   Several Bluebirds have had absolutely amazing results with her help since I mentioned her in an earlier post.   One of these cases was a post traumatic stress issue.  I have heard that the progress they have now made (and after ten years of trying pretty much everything...) is life changing. 

As always I suggest doing loads of research on what ever your concerns are.   Ask your doctor what would you do in the event of isolation or a shortage?  And chemists/pharmacists are a gold mine of information.  Honestly I have found chemists to be incredible and so willing to give you advice. 

Our current chemist points out natural alternatives to almost everything as well.

Then consider possibly your much needed item is a fraction of the price elsewhere, there is an alternative,  or maybe there is a generic version at a lesser price?  I am sure there are a ton of rules and regulations too about what we all can and can't buy online, import etc.  I guess we better consider those!  

My life story really shows that things that regular medicine just can't figure out can still have an answer.   Never give up!  If something isn't working try something else!  I only tried going wheat free as an experiment and even though I was highly doubtful... but it cured 55 years of aching legs in four days. 

Also I have seen some amazing and some horrific things.  Even top medical professionals might disagree on a diagnosis or treatment.   A friend of mine called Wendy came to me utterly devastated with terrible diagnosis.  She was told by a specialist that she had a disease in the bones of her face and that literally her face would collapse as the bones degenerated. She needed more than fifteen operations and that her appearance would change.  Can you imagine? 

My Mum is related to a very famous cranial facial surgeon  (you can google him his name is Dr David David) and my Dad's life long best friend is a consulting physician.   I asked Mum to see if Wendy could get a second opinion.  She ended up going to see Dr. David David. 

Guess what?   While he agreed she did have the diagnosed disease he said she needs no surgery and there wold be no change to her appearance either.   This specialist is miles more experienced than the other Doctor.  She saved herself the drama of fifteen operations and the worry of how her face would look.  How could this happen?  Well it did.  Always get several opinions! 

Do your research.  Check everything.  If you feel uncomfortable with a treatment or diagnosis get another opinion and get more options.   If you are told you can't be helped take that to mean the person you are talking can't help you, it doesn't mean no one else can!  If a Doctors says he/she cant help you believe them and go somewhere else! 

I feel much more armed with alternative plans and options than I did before.  I have a long way to go! But recently I have been able to go to my own home pharmacy and reach for remedies and with success!   It is a very good feeling.  

If you have any good ways to get ahead with medications,  ways to reduce medication costs,  alternatives and back ups,  general first aid tips... please share.  Even something that worked for you when all else failed!   

Be encouraged and prepared! xxx

The Home Pharmacy. Homeopathy.

Thanks to Lana we had such big response to last weeks post on preventative health care and early intervention.  I am going really well with drinking my water!
This week I want to include Homeopathy as this is a big part of my home medicine cabinet.  I am not even attempting to explain Homeopathy but years ago I had a practitioner who was so remarkable and she could give me answers in minutes about myself that no doctor has ever been able to.   For instance she told me she understood I have to have the windows open (therefore plane travel is difficult!)  and that I don't like too much noise or crowds.  She also saw me in the waiting room and said "hello Annabel! Oh you are having a baby!"  which doesn't sound amazing until you realise the doctor could work out if I was pregnant or not and my tests showed negative... yet yes I was!

The Royal family have followed homeopathy for generations and if you consider the incredible ages, staying power and youthfulness of the Queen Mother and the Queen that is enough to be impressive!

My Homeopath retired and I didn't find another but I persisted with using Rescue Remedy and our whole family has used that always.  I would never be without it.

Just recently finally I found a wonderful Homeopath online.  Karen is so good and I have asked her advice now on several issues.
This is her website Herbs Online Shop Australia.

The amazing thing is you can email Karen (or phone her)  and she will advice you free of charge.   She will also dispense remedies and you have them in a couple of days.  Just go to the contact link and she replies to you right away.
You can read through the remedies and their uses as sometimes something will strike you as exactly right.  Homeopathy is so interesting!

This is Maria's Essential Oil Cupboard.

With Mother of Pearl! 😍

I explained to Karen what we are doing here and that I am trying to build a home pharmacy as I want to be prepared and also we may be in the country which places me a fair way from a town.   So from a medical point of view what should I stock that would cover most scenarios?
Karen has a list to help with this.
This is her list of Homeopath Remedies for Emergencies  here.
You can assemble this yourself or buy it as a kit.  If you have extra specific health care concerns you can ask Karen what you should add to this and she will help.
There is also a more basic kit here. 

I thought I had struck gold that after all these years I can get remedies via the post and talk to a Homeopath and get advice for free.  Well, I have struck gold.  It is amazing.  I am sure a face to face consultation would be wise in many circumstances but so far Karen has been so helpful and I am back up and running with Homeopathy.

Next I asked Karen what should we stock Essential Oils wise from a medical perspective?  There are so many oils, how do we choose a wise selection to meet most health needs?
So off Karen went and she prepared us this list.   Essential Oil Emergency Kit.
I was amazed as I explained to her I have a small blog and what I am trying to do.  She made this up and it is so helpful.   I have some of these oils and can add others that are needed.  A list like this helps you to work out what to stock and what it is used for.  A great place to start.

Jane has a gorgeous set of drawers for her essential oils.

So now I feel I am really getting somewhere with my medical cabinet.   I have my conventional medicines and first aid kit well set up.  There is first aid in each car and the house.  With winter coming I am stocked in the kitchen too with the things I like to have such as Olive Leaf extract, Vitamin C, Zinc etc.   Now my Essential Oils and Homeopathic Remedy supplies are looking pretty good too.   It is amazing if you keep at something week by week you make progress.

Last week when we talked about early intervention I could see that the key is having things on hand and knowing what to do with them so you can act fast.  I am working on that!   I still do not have a home pharmacy cabinet.  Meanwhile I have these little shelves from Kmart.  I can see what I have. I know how to use each thing.  And this sits in a place out of direct light.

There is something else I love about Homeopathy.  It treats the emotional side of an injury, the shock, the fright, the upset to our system.   This is so important.  On the outside we might have healed but how often does a serious incident or illness actually scar us somehow on the inside?
If this interests you then study the Flower Essences here as these are remarkable.  You will likely read a description of yourself.  A description no one knows but you.  If you do, this is the remedy for you...
Flower Remedies.
I have only tried Flower remedies once but with success!  So this is an area I need to study much more.

If anyone knows of a Homeopath or Naturopath that is wonderful near them or who will give advice online (or possibly in a forum)  in the US please let us know for the USA readers.   Some health food stores have visiting practitioners in certain hours that will give some advice for free.  It could be worth asking.   But we have Karen and I am so grateful to have found her!

If you contact Karen do tell her you are a Bluebird!    I hope that for someone this is information that will make a difference.   When you have a problem conventional medicine cannot help with you have lots of alternatives.  Do not give up!

"The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth:
and he that is wise with not adhere them"
Ecc 38-4

I think everything we need is provided.  We just have to find it!

I hope you have a wonderful week!  It is set to be raining here and that is good for us!
xxx

(I do not make money from my blog and I do not sell anything.  Any recommendations I make are just because I think something is worth sharing and I do not get any kickbacks or any such thing. I thought I should mention that!)

The Home Pharmacy. Early intervention.

A life of migraines from childhood and it still took me so long to understand early intervention!  My friend Nerile and I were talking about this. She suffers shocking migraines too.
Eventually I understood I needed to take action on the very first sign of migraine pain.  This helped.  One day watching Dr. Oz (years ago!) he explained the very first signs of a headache are like the ocean with gentle ripples.   As the migraine grows worse it is like an ocean with waves.  Once it is fully up and running it is like a raging sea.  You have a chance against a ripple.  You have no chance against a raging sea.
This finally really clicked with me.  I had resisted medication but leaving it too late actually meant I took a lot more medication overall than if I acted early.  Not to mention how sick I was.   In my old hometown (when the girls were little) the local Doctor had a regular routine .... after the surgery was closed he would come over to my place to give me an injection to stop me being sick.   Then the next day I would start recovery.

It was still not until much later that I learned to act well before the first pain of a migraine.   Instead I learned the signs one was coming... feeling overtired,  feeling grumpy,  a general feeling I could recognise that trouble was coming!    At this point I was really getting somewhere.  This was my turning point and since then I get far less that actually make it to the really bad stage.   Life is so much better.

When I started this series it was Lana who mentioned early intervention again.   She said with essential oils and homeopathy you want to act IMMEDIATELY.
The first big success I had was with my rotten sore throats and the Oregano oil.  I did act immediately.  The very first sign I applied my Oregano Oil to the glands on my neck.  When I went to bed I put it on my feet.  In the morning my sore throat just wasn't there!  It never made it past "the ripple".
Sometime later I woke in the middle of the night with a sore throat.  I had the oil next to me on my bedside table.  This was a good move as I could apply it without getting up or thinking about it... and again in the morning my throat was fine.  I do think this very early intervention is the key!

To achieve early intervention we have to know what to do, have things ready to go and on hand,  have things with us wherever we go as well.   Also I have noticed that when not well I will forget things.  Like in the moment I will forget I even have a homeopathy remedy!  So I need to have my medicine cabinet well set up,  know how to use things and remember to use them!  It seems the middle of the night is a time for me when a sore throat will start up.   So I keep my bedtime oils and my oregano right next to me on my bedside table.

I have a rubber band around the bottom of the oregano oil so I can tell which on it is in the dark.   Lynette suggested that the acrylic lipstick stands work really well to keep little bottles oil and rollers neatly in place. I am going to try and get some as Andy now has four rollers of various blends near the bed and without fail he knocks them over every night!  (But he likes them heaps!) 

I also have two oils that come around with me in my handbag and a little purse of oils plus some homeopathic tablets that travels with me if I go away.  

Talking more about this with Lana she gave me other wonderful tips which I am sharing with you.
Lana is not a Doctor.   Be sensible and seek medical advice and do your own research on things.    But Lana has helped me enormously and everything she has suggested to me has helped me so much.

So I will share her letter in full... even the bits she wasn't sure I should! 😊

The number one thing is keeping the body hydrated.  The world's population is chronically dehydrated.  Alternative and natural medicine professionals estimate that 80% of disease would go away if the body is hydrated.  Everyone needs half their body weight in ounces of water everyday.  Fresh lemon juice can be added to the water if wanted for taste but those ounces need to be water, water, water.  If the body is really dehydrated, and that was me, then drinking all that water will make you feel ill until the body adjusts and begins to get hydrated.  This does no happen overnight.  You can build up your ounces over a few days if that helps.  If you consume caffeine then you need to add 2 ounces for every ounce of caffeinated beverage.  Once the body is hydrated it can flush toxins out like it should.  This will takes some weeks to accomplish. I have friends that I treat and the whole family is always dehydrated even though they swear to me that they drink tons of water.  90% of the time they are fine after drinking 3 big glasses of water.  You really have to measure your water to be sure you are getting it down everyday.  If you start having headaches then you may be flushing too many salts from the body in the process of getting hydrated.   We use Hyland's Bioplasma to replace lost salts that the body needs.  We hold the tablets under the tongue for 10 minutes.

Thanks to Lana I now have a big jug of water to work my way through everyday,

this is in addition to what I normally drink. 

The first day I thought I would drown but now I am really liking it! 

The number two thing is diet.  A big green salad every day will help flush toxins out of the body and also help neutralize the body's pH.  A body that has an acid pH is wide open to infection including cancer.  You can buy pH test strips to test using your saliva. There is quite a lot of information online about eating to neutralize the body's pH.  Artificial sweeteners should not be a part of anybody's diet.  The body has no idea what to do with them so it stores them.  I often have people come to me asking why their feet hurt so much and so often they are diet soda drinkers.  The artificial sweeteners seem to be felt in the feet first.  If you get up the morning and just feel sluggish and toxic then eat raw food such as an apple for breakfast along with a good bit of water with it and it will get the body detoxing.   

Climbing stairs or swinging on a swing so that the legs are worked at the hip joint area gets the lymph system going and that is very beneficial for cleaning up the body.  If you are aching or feel like you are getting sick and have been watching your water and eating well then this is the best thing to do to get the junk moving out.   (You probably don't want to post this but sex is wonderful for keeping the body healthy and the lymph system working and for treating illness.  God had many purposes behind that!)  We don't take over the counter painkillers because they shut down the lymph system.  The only one that does not is plain old aspirin.  If you are not feeling well then try drinking a good amount of water and eating something raw and climbing some stairs to get the body on the mend instead of compromising it even more by taking chemicals.

We don't use antibacterial anything here.  Some of those antibacterial products actually contain pesticides!  We do not use insect sprays on our body as this IS putting pesticides on your skin and the body absorbs it.  We think about everything we use such as shampoos and soaps since it is absorbed right into the body.  

Once you have your water intake up everyday and your pH corrected and it is time to get the kidneys cleaned up.  Put a drop of lemon essential oil on each kidney at bedtime for 3 weeks.   After the kidneys are flushed out it is time to work on clearing up the junk in the liver.  Three capsules of dandelion root daily for 3-6 months will go a long ways toward clearing up and getting the liver working better.  (We use Nature's Way dandelion root here.)  It is really important to keep the water intake up while doing the clearing up of the kidneys and liver as you want the junk to detox and not be stored by the body somewhere else. 

I'm sure you are thinking that this is hard but it is not and you will benefit so much from these things.

A few essential oils things-I can tell when I am coming down with a cold because I almost always get a sore throat and itchy feeling nose.  I do test myself but even if I could not I would put a drop of Plague Defense on the bottoms of my feet and put on socks for 4 hours.  I would also drink a lot of water to flush out the virus that dies because it can really make you ache if you don't help it flush.  I also use Plague Defense if I feel that I am getting sick with a flu like illness and drink the water.   A new product we found this winter is Sinupret.  It is an herb blend and it seemed to be useful for one of the flu strains.  Anytime we feel nausea or indigestion that feels like a sick stomach we take a drop or two of Tummy Soothe in water.  Warrior can be used on a cut or break in the skin to kill bacteria.  Our youngest daughter gives blood and I try to get her to use Warrior on the site afterward because she has picked many infections.  If I have to have blood taken or even a finger stick I put Warrior on the site.  Even though it is supposed that everything is sterile I often find that I picked bacteria so I just go ahead and take care of it rather than get a full blown infection.  Sometimes if I have been through a big detox of something and my kidneys feel achy I take hydrangea root tincture for a few days to clear up sludge in the kidneys or use lemon essential oil as mentioned above.  Kidney stones are treated with hydrangea root tincture, take a one ounce bottle as directed on the label until it is gone.  It will dissolve the stones.  If you have recurring problems with kidney stones take 3000 mg of magnesium every day but get it in capsule form not a tablet.  Many report that they never have a kidney stone again after starting to take the magnesium. If we  get into a lot of smoke or something toxic in the air we use 10 deep breaths of Lung Support to heal and clear the lungs instead of waiting for trouble to develop.  It is good to use some Sunshine if we are going to be in a stressful situation.  We usually just carry a 2 ml bottle of it in our pocket and an take it out a breathe some of it if we need it.  One morning we were out with some friends for breakfast and they had just gotten up on the wrong side of the bed and were so cranky.  I took out my bottle of Sunshine and waved it around and soon all was well.  :)  A few weeks ago my Mom called and was upset because my Dad had fallen and I told her to get the Sunshine and put a drop on the back of hers and Dad's neck just to calm them down.  It really works for them but they do not think to use it if they are upset.

Disclaimer-I am not a doctor and I am making these recommendations based on my training and what I have learned from treating myself others with the kinesiology that I have been blessed to be able to learn.  

I hope you find something useful here!


Thank you Lana!  I sure did find useful things here.  I immediately set up a system to drink much  more.   I also have ordered Warrior and Sunshine.   I already have the other oils mentioned.  All oils that Lana lists are from Hopewell Essential oils.   I find them wonderful. 
If you want to use another company and want an equivalent then look up these oils and note the ingredients.  Sometimes I do this and make my own blends.  

This is an endless subject!  I believe there are times when information comes to us just when we need it.  I really like my GP and I am thankful for Doctors and hospitals.  But there have been a list of things my Doctor really has been no help with... these things include years of aches and pains,  a burning sensation on my tongue (burnt mouth syndrome)  restless leg syndrome  (this one nearly drove me bonkers) and ongoing sore arms and elbows since painting too much,  getting tennis elbow and two spider bites!  Oh and also insomnia... and re occurring really terrible sore throats.  My poor doctor has been absolutely useless at any help at all with any of these things.  When I was really stuck information came my way and each of the things was fixed virtually overnight with either vitamins, diet changes or essential oils.  So when medicine has nothing for you what do you have to lose!? 

Do you have any early intervention health tips?  Have you had any good results for persistent illnesses, aches and pains etc?   It seems almost everyone has some issue they are prone to.  Something that is usually the first sign they are coming down with something,  over tired or stressed...

It is absolutely beautiful here today.  Gorgeous sunshine and we hear rain is coming.  This is perfect! 
Have a wonderful week! 

The Home Pharmacy. Essential oil gift making.

Early in this little series we covered how far a bottle of essential oil will actually go.  It is a long long way!   This means you might have sufficient oils on hand to make gifts and beauty supplies.

I have been dabbling a bit in both.  I keep hearing of people with great essential oil supplies that they have bought as some time and not used very much.  Turning these into gifts is a great idea, as well as putting them to work for you! We also might have oils that we love and work for us and others that sit there unused.... these might still be perfect for someone on your gift list or to go into a blend or even a cleaning product.

Someone told me about a site called Camp Wander.  I forget who and I am sorry I lost track, this is how things have been lately... well THANK YOU!  Her information and her products are amazing.  I wrote to her and but does not ship to Australia sadly.   The things I was learning studying sites like this led me to google lots of information on beauty products using essential oils and gifts too.

Because I am messing around with oils Chloe gave me a bottle of hemp oil.  No hemp is l not like weed lol it is a great source of Omega's and I was keen to try this!  It is an interesting very dark green...
Mum gave me a bootle of Emu Oil.  This is rather interesting. Unlike baby oil it is actually extracted from what it is called and I think they do not necessarily fully cooperate.  So that is a bit off putting.  (To say the least.)   But then I thought ok Emus are raised as meat in many places and I eat chicken, duck and turkey.... so I decided to think of it as a large turkey!  Emu's I might say do not look moist.  I had a close up view of one the other day as it ran in front of Dad and I in his ute.  We missed it by about one inch I think!  Anyway I have this oil and Mum is saying this has helped her sore knee more than anything she has tried so far.  And that is a lot of things.

On Camp Wander she has a beauty serum she called Ultimate beauty Serum.  The ingredients are listed and so you have the basic recipe.  As it turned out the number one ingredient was Emu oil.
If you search the internet for serum recipes you will find many with Macadamia nut oil and others.  I think you can successfully substitute oils.  Mimi has her recipe here which as Vitamin E, Neroli and Jasmine.    Most beauty products you buy are full of fillers and preservatives. the actual active and good ingredients are usually well down the list.  Most times the jar has cost them more to produce than the actual product.  With good ingredients we can replicate many of them and make a better quality version.
The Camp Wander ingredients were seven things and I have five so I made this up for myself.

The ingredients I used were Emu oil (most by far) Lavender 4 drops,  Frankincense 3 drops,  Geranium 3 drops, Rose 3 drops.  The bottle is a small bottle I think maybe 50 mls.  Anyway this is so nice!  It leaves your skin feeling heavenly and with a velvety texture. Not oily at all, just like silk.  I love it and so I thought given serums are $50 to over $100 then it is a lovely gift too.

The next one I made was Hemp and Lavender.

This is sold as a antimicrobial,  it is good for nails,  known to reduce redness and eczema, anti inflammatory and antioxidant and anti ageing... (what more do you need, really?!) oh and full of Omega 3 and 6.  Then bonus... it can be used to remove eye make up and at the same time moisturise your lashes and make them grow better.   So I made up some of these.  And it does remove eye makeup beautifully and you then feel as if you have moisturised already.

I made up some gift packs of both oils and I am thrilled with the treats I have made myself.

In an earlier post I showed how I made cleaning products and hand wash with On Guard oil blend and used this pack as a gift.  I made room sprays and hand sanitiser and these all add up to very nice themed presents also.

Last week I made two gifts using my oils.  You have to be the judge of who you think a gift like this is suitable for but I think anyone who is into natural therapies, has a particular health issue, is interested in alternative medicine... they might really appreciate something like this.  Chloe first gave me some blends she made up to try and this is what got me started.  I am so grateful as it lead to so much more!

Here with  Autumn setting in anything that fights germs and flu is a well timed gift.  I gave Allie two little rollers of On Guard and a cold and flu blend for breathing...

So far I have ordered my roller bottles with metal rollers from Amazon. They have cost $20 or so for a dozen.  This is where I get them from here.

I made my stressed and worried friend some relaxing and sleep blends and packaged them into cute little paper bags.

I also made Vanilla Spray.  This is with Vanilla Essential oil and it smells amazing.  It could be a perfume or a fridge spray.  I made some for both purposes...

In the war years my Nanna and her friend used Vanilla essence as perfume. They both ended up with brown patches behind their ears but still they smelled really good!   I love Vanilla and this is a stronger version than an essence.

Finally I made up some spray purse sized bottles.  I found these thanks to Mimi!  You can find them here.  For around $1 each they come in pretty colours.  I used half vodka and half water in these and made up a heap of germ busing sprays plus perfume sprays!  I go by ten drops of essential oil to one bottle.  I have found these suitable for purse perfume, sanitiser, On Guard mist, calming blend...

They are just lovely.  To make a perfume spray just go by scents you love.  You can google the main ingredients of any perfume and it will tell you what it is made up of.  I also made a sort of copy of Clarycalm which I love and that has Clary Sage, Lavender and others.  I really like that one.  That is a doTERRA Blend that I recommend as it is so calming.  It could be called Crisis Care! 

Since all of this I have ordered some other items on Ebay, some little velvet bags to put small bottles in and some lovely rollerball glass containers.  

You might have essential oils and carrier oils already on hand to be able to make up gifts and put them to good use for yourself.  If you have something and you are just not sure what to do with it then google away!  Many things are amazingly versatile and have many uses and something will be good for you or good for gift giving.   Look around and see how much these things cost ready made!  It is a lot! 

I just realised this is a Christmas Challenge, Money Saving, Beauty and Essential Oil post all in one!  

I will be making some more gift and beauty products so we will have more on this!

Do you have supplies you could put to use?

If you have an oil and don't know what to do with it then please post in comments as between us we will come up with ideas!

And if you have a recipe using essential oils for something beauty or gift related or an idea on this please share.  

Today is sunny and lovely. I am going to see Hilde and having a bargain hunting afternoon.  Mainly I am hoping for lots of veggies for soups and stews.  But I never know what I will find and I know Hilde has a basket of lemons for me and bunches of Thyme.  I have printed some of Mimi's recipes for her as I know she will love them (she doesn't use the internet...)

I hope your week is going well! xxx

The Home Pharmacy. Cleaning products.

While cleaning products are not strictly part of the home pharmacy they are strongly related.  I began with wondering how can I use On Guard or any of the germ busting essential oil blends to kill germs on surfaces, wash hands and so on.

For a long time I have used Miracle Cleaner knowing that the vinegar and  Eucalyptus oil in this does kill germs and sanitises really well. Plus it smells so clean!  And I use the wool mix with Eucalyptus  in it that also has the same effect.  This plus sunshine is so good and things are so fresh and beautiful.  I will keep using these as they are great and so economical.  I have loved this as it is not full of chemicals and does not take my breath away when I use it.

More recently I have been shocked to find that many cleaners we use on things like dishes have toxic chemicals.  I sort of expected toxic chemicals in bathroom cleaners yet no so much in dish detergent! You can find a list of really common cleaning products that contain toxins that are known to cause cancer... (yet they are sold anyway) here on the Hopewell Essential Oils - Cleaning with Essential Oils page.  They have recipes for cleaning products plus down the bottom this most interesting list.

I saw that the big essential oil companies sell whole ranges of cleaning products. These appeal to me greatly.  The prices are high i.e. one product is 1.8 litres for $189!  They are diluted for use but still so is Miracle Cleaner for a couple of dollars a bottle.  So this is how I decided to experiment with making some of my own cleaners.
Because I am planning to use some as gifts I decided to go all out and get some lovely bottles and labels as these would also be endlessly re filled.

I ordered some labels and am so happy with them.  I got them from Mella + Moi on Etsy.  They make everything look professional.  I need to get more now!  They are easy to apply and there are so many choices.  I am kind of thinking my whole pantry needs these!  Mella+Moi also do roller ball labels which I would love.  They look amazing.  Making up roller balls to give as gifts is quite economical and a great way to get someone started in essential oils too!

I called my germ busting cleaner Thieves as to me that is the traditional name that goes along with the legend of the thieves that beat the plague.   This is said to be how this combination of oils came about.  That's good enough for me!

The larger spay bottles came from Essentially Audrey.  They came with a letter thanking me for supporting her small business. She has raw ingredients, bottles and recipes!
You will find recipes there for everything I made except I have used On Guard as my essential oil.

This is all very flexible...  On Guard is made up of Orange, Clove, Cinnamon,  Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils.  Thieves is made up of much the same with the difference of Lemon.  Plague defence is the same as On Guard ingredient wise.... Germ Fighter from Plant Therapy is another... they are all so similar.   So if you have some of these essential oils or all of them you can make a sanitising mixture without buying the actual special formula.

One batch I made is half water, half Vodka plus the essential oils. My ratio was one cup water, one cup vodka,  20 drops essential oil.   Vinegar could be substituted for the Vodka.  This is suitable as a room spray or a cleaner for things you want to disinfect.

I also have tried using my regular Miracle Cleaner recipe and adding Rosemary, Clove and Lemon to this (as I have those) or adding a few drops of On Guard.
I am very happy with this!

For my hand soap I just used a plain liquid soap and added some On Guard to it.  There are also Foam Soap dispensers available and they make soap go a really long way.   Again there are so many ways to do it.

Trying all this out I ended up with a great supply plus presents.

I also wanted a sanitising spray i.e. to wipe a surface when out and about.  I got some small spray bottles for this.   I decided to carry little packs of wet wipes and use a spray of this and then just wipe over the surface.  I used Vodka in mine but you could use vinegar also.  Both work.

Ok I need the nice labels on these too but I had to improvise! 

Currently I am waiting on tiny spray bottles i.e. purse perfume size.  It never ends once you get the bug!

I was listening to a Doctor being interviewed on TV last year and the subject was avoiding the flu.  He said hand washing is still the number one thing you can do to avoid picking up things.   This basic thing is still number one.

The scents of Eucalyptus,  Lemon,  Rosemary etc are all so good.  Things smell clean.   Of them all I slightly prefer the scent of Germ Fighter from Plant Therapy.  But they are all good and I have used more On Guard than anything else.  It is very satisfying cleaning with something that leaves a good scent.

If you have any tips on sanitising with essential oils,  recipes for cleaners you make,  tips for household management when there is illness in the house please share.  I am learning.  We are all learning.   I chose this subject today over The World Within Your Walls yet it goes together as a clean house is also something lovely.  I love it when I feel everything is clean and fresh!  So satisfying!

We have a public holiday here today and the weather has cooled. It is lovely.
Have a wonderful week! xxx

The Home Pharmacy. Essential Oil company comparisons.

I am sorry I am out of my usual order today.  It was this or nothing!  But I have been waiting to post this as I am so excited by some of the things I am learning.

The most helpful thing I have found so far with getting started with essential oils is beginning with what I need to know the most and with the oils that suit our own needs.   I do not have to know about every essential oil, I can start out with the ones that are going to help with our current concerns.   So I first looked for an oil to help me get to sleep, something to kill germs, something to build up immunity and something for Andy.   It quickly turned out his "thing" is doTERRA Easy Air.  He loves that stuff.
It is way less daunting when you start out with one or two things, research those, and build up some confidence.

My goal is to have an Essential Oil and Homeopathic medicine cabinet that addresses the most likely things that are issues for us.  This includes flu prevention and treatment.   I feel like I have come a long way in a few weeks and had chances to test things well.   A few things have amazed me... the Oregano Oil for my sore throat,  the Easy Air for when Andy couldn't stop coughing and the germ fighter blends in the diffuser.  I have loved all of these.

To build up your collection as you identify what would be good for your own family is gradual as it is a considerable investment.  Although I have found the oils go an incredibly long way, they are used diluted and they last a long time (see my post about that here) it is still going to take a while to buy the oils you are wanting.

I have found the price variations between brands of essential oils staggering.  I naturally assumed cheaper oils just equal less quality.  Lana was the first to point out that simply isn't true.   First of all you need 100% pure Essential Oils.   Anything the uses the word fragrance i.e. fragrant oil or anything other that 100% PURE essential oil is no good.  There are a lot of variations to consider.
After that there are probably hundreds of essential oil companies.  Some that come up time after time when you look for reliable, reputable, pure etc are Plant Life, Young Living, doTERRA,  Eden's Garden, Rocky Mountain Oils,  Stillpoint, Floracopeia,  Aura Cacia, Rhada Beauty,  Hopewell,  Nature's Sunshine .... the list just goes on and on.   I can't hope to cover or mention them all.

So far I have tried doTERRA,  Young Living,  Lively Living  and Hopewell.
I will always love doTERRA since it was the first I used, it is great quality,  reliable, locally available.
So I think I will end up with two or three favourites.  Also this way you can take advantages of specials like last week doTERRA had buy one get one free promotions on certain oils.  I am certainly open to trying more.  I want to have the best selection I can and feel confident with using them.  As Lana pointed out when trying to prevent illness fast action/early intervention is required. Things need to be on hand.

Lana is really experienced with essential oils and she put me on to Hopewell Oils.
Glenda is a fully qualified herbalist, nutritionist  and Naturopath and she recommends Nature's Sunshine and she has toured their facility.  So I know both these brands are used by professionals.

I am working in Australian dollars and with international orders you have to factor in exchange rates and postage.  
Here is a quick example of the price differences in four companies with 100% pure oils.
For each one  I include their version of the flu and germ fighter.

Young Living.
Lavender 15ml  $51.65
Frankincense  15ml $162.25
Thieves 15ml $76

doTERRA.
Lavender 15ml $37.33
Frankincense 15ml $114.33
On Guard 15ml $53.33

Plant Therapy.
Lavender 10ml $6.95
Frankincense 10ml $14.95
Germ Fighter 10ml $9.95

Natures Sunshine.
Lavender 15ml $20.25
Frankincense 15ml $104.95
Shield 15ml. $31.45

Hopewell Oils.
Lavender 15ml $8.40
Frankincense 15ml $19.00
Plague Defence 15ml $14.00

So you are seeing what I mean!   It is not a few dollars we are talking about it might be over $100 a bottle!   This made no sense to me at all...
Going into the WHY of this is a can of worms involving claims made on bottles, insurances,  multi level marketing vs buying from a home company, advertising and more including giant court battles!
One thing that seems to have big factor is the companies that say you can ingest the oils are paying big insurance premiums.  Other pure essential oil companies do not say you can ingest them although they may be the same thing and thus avoid some of the liability and necessary insurance cover for that.   Anyone I have spoken to who is qualified advised not ingesting oils without professional guidance.  (And more... you must be sure you have no adverse reaction, no interactions with drugs you might be taking or even other natural remedies).

I read up on about fifty companies.  I found I was put off some i.e. they were too new age for me and I was drawn to others... I was impressed by disclosure of how the oils were made, where the plants are sourced,  safety guidelines,  being able to ask for help,  extensive information and education that you can access for free.  I also liked a larger range with explanations of what they are used to treat.  So after you have a list of reliable companies your own personal presferecnes will come into it.

As I have only tried out a few I can only comment on those.  As I said I love my doTERRA oils, everyone so far.
I love the Plant Therapy ones I have and the Germ Fighter is beautiful... it does not smell conventionally nice... it just is somehow addictive to me!
I bought two oils from Lively Living, an Australian company. I am happy with those although they had a smaller range and no "thieves" equivalent which I am am looking for.

I am so impressed with Hopewell Oils.  Even though they are in the USA and I need to pay postage they are so fast to arrive.  The postage included I still come out much cheaper.
Their parcel arrives with a hand written note, detailed usage and safety information,  what carrier oils to use, a dilution chart to help with mixing, how to test for sensitivities before you get started,  and info about their business which is a Christian Family business.   I made a second order with them. Within hours they have emailed me to say it is in the mail.

I would say do your own research. I am just starting out!  But just my little bit of research has helped my medical cupboard along a lot.   Now I can allocate funds to expanding my supply and trying new oils and get a lot for my $$$.   Really I had no idea of the variations.  With so much confusing information I think asking someone who is a Homeopath, Naturopath or Herbalist is a big help.  They are unlikely to be using substandard oils.

I also would say if in doubt then stick to what you know to be reliable.  There are many shops that sell little bottles that say "Essential oil"  but they are not and the words "100% pure" are missing, they are just a fragrance oil and not therapeutic at all.  Probably the opposite as full of artificial things.

If you have a brand you trust and like please share.  If you see a professional natural therapist then what brand are they using? This is interesting!
We want the best quality and reliability that we can trust and we want to be able to afford it.  This is going to make a big difference to the kind of complimentary medical cabinet we can have and to what we are willing to try.

I am finding it so interesting!  Now I am on to making my own cleaners with essential oils. Some brands have large cleaning item selections from dish and laundry detergent to room sprays.   There are some that are over $100 a bottle!  I am pretty sure I will have some recipes coming up that will be comparable for very little!

Have a good week!  It is cooler and lovely here.  Some true Autumn has arrived! xxx