I’ve also heard that you all have extra essential oils laying around. Maybe you never opened your box or you bought some BOGOs and promptly forgot why.

Never fear! I’m here to help you get the most value out of your investment.

No matter which oils you have collecting dust in a box, you can pair them with some simple ingredients for useful gifts for everyone on your list!

Recipes for citrus and mint essential oils

Room Spray

1. Combine water and essential oil in an 8-ounce glass spray bottle or continuous mist sprayer.
   Tip: Use more or less essential oil to control the strength of the aroma.
2. Shake before each use.

Sugar Scrub

Instructions

1. Combine sugar and Fractionated Coconut Oil in bowl.
2. Divide mixture equally into two bowls.
3. In one bowl, add red skin safe food coloring.
4. Layer red and white scrub to create a ‘candy cane’ effect.

Recipe for floral essential oils

Bath Salt Ornaments

Instructions

1. Mix desired amount of Epsom salt in bowl and add some skin-safe colorant if desired
2. Add dried herbs or flower petals to mixture for color and added aroma
3. Add the essential oils of your choice; mix well
4. Add the bath salt to plastic ornaments until full
5. Once full, put the top of ornament back on
6. When ready to use, add desired amount to warm bath

Recipes for herbaceous essential oils

Dipping Oil

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1–3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to taste
1 dried pepper (optional)
1–3 drops Oregano oil  (start with a toothpick and progress toward drops for desired flavor)

Instructions

1. Gently mix together all ingredients in a bowl large enough to dip into.
2. Dip favorite Italian style bread into bowl and enjoy.

Gift dipping oil with a loaf of no-knead bread. The dipping oil recipe calls for Oregano, but I’ve also used Rosemary, Basil, and Thyme.

What are your favorite DIY gifts? Comment below or post your ideas in our FB group.

My first experience with African black soap was at a farmer’s market last summer. I bought a bar on a whim. I’m not sure why because bar soap is one of my pet peeves. I just prefer pump soap. Extra points if it’s a foaming pump.

The bar got lost in our van because it’s a 15 passenger van and that’s what things do in it.

I eventually rescued it and searched “African black soap benefits.” Go ahead. You try. Basically it’s going to solve all the world’s problems.

For starters, our 12-year-old daughter agreed to wash her face with it. She never washes her face (ewww), and she hates all my natural solutions. I told you…this stuff is magical. First miracle aside, it actually did clear her face up.

I generally scrub my entire body (face included) with a coconut oil sugar scrub. But sometimes, you just want a sudsy, soapy clean.

This is a great way to turn that bar of African black soap magic into an easy to dispense and use shower gel. It also makes a great face wash because who needs another product in the shower?

[bctt tweet=”DIY African black soap shower gel and face wash. #magical” username=”corkboardblog”]

What You’ll Need

Kitchen scale

2 oz. African Black Soap

6 oz. water

small saucepan

whisk

wire strainer

glass measuring cup

1 tsp guar gum

1 tsp vegetable glycerin

1 tsp liquid oil, optional*

15 drops essential oil, optional**

pump bottle (use #1 or #2 plastic or glass if adding essential oils)

Instructions

1. Crumble the soap or cut into pieces using a sharp knife.
   
2. Add the water and soap to a saucepan.
3. Stir gently over low to medium heat until the soap is dissolved.
4. Strain into a glass measuring cup.
5. Let cool.
6. Mix in guar gum, glycerin, oil, and essential oils.
   
   
7. Immediately pour into pump bottle.

The mixture will thicken over time. I love the consistency and the rich lather. This photo honestly doesn’t do it justice. I tried to make a video tutorial that is better at showing the steps and the consistency, but it ended up being a huge time suck and generally a #fail. #videoproduceriamnot

*Liquid oil will up the moisturizing benefits. Fractionated coconut oil or almond oil are great choices. If you have acne-prone skin, try jojoba.

**Essential oils can scent the soap to your liking but can also provide additional skin support. I used doTERRA’s Frankincense (10 drops) and Roman Chamomile (5 drops) in mine.

I’d love to hook you up with the best quality oils at the best price, so let’s connect if you want to learn more!

Do you have a favorite all-in-one body and face soap?

Do you remember when Stain Stick was a big thing? Do people still use that? We’re lucky clothes see the washing machine let alone get pre-treated.

Then recently someone mentioned on Facebook that Eucalyptus was a great oil for stain treatment. I was surprised that a quick Google search supported the claim. Try it.

Then I remembered a graphic (probably from Pinterest) where someone put dōTERRA’s laundry soap in a roller bottle as a DIY Stain Stick. Except this one is better because there are no nasty chemicals and it’s less expensive (a whopping $0.70 of product goes inside).

Then this cute little stain pre-treatment roller was born in our house. I kinda wish I had labelled it the Stain Eraser.

I used it as a giveaway during dōTERRA’s BOGO event last week. Everyone who didn’t win it wanted the recipe which is why I’m posting it here.

[bctt tweet=”This cute little stain pre-treatment roller was born in our house. Call him Stain Eraser.” username=”corkboardblog”]

Make One for Yourself

1. Label a 10mL roller bottle and seal label with clear packing tape. (This protects the label from probably spills along the way.)
2. Fill the roller bottle half way with doTERRA’s onGuard® Laundry Detergent.
3. Add 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil.
4. Top with water.
5. Shake gently.
6. Carry it around with you wherever you go and roll on dirty spots as they happen.
7. Launder the item as normal.*

*I posted a while back about my homemade laundry soap recipe. I still use it but add a teaspoon of the doTERRA’s onGuard® Laundry Detergent to each load that’s really dirty or stinky. The enzymes and extra On Guard make a HUGE difference.

Testimonial

The morning that I was concocting this roller, Mia noticed that our favorite feather down throw on the sofa had become someone’s napkin for Chinese food the night before. EWW!

I wish I had taken a picture, but like a third of one side of the blanket had greasy, saucy nastiness all. over. it. I set to work with my new stain eraser roller. Some of the marks literally disappeared as I was rolling. The rest I just rubbed the fabric together until the visible sauce spots were gone. The grease spots were harder to tell the status of. Then I threw the blanket in the hamper where it sat for another 3 days because that’s how laundry rolls in this house sometimes. Guys, I’m not kidding. There is not a single stain on that blanket!

Okay, some of you may be thinking you need doTERRA’s onGuard® Laundry Detergent and some Eucalyptus essential oil. No worries. I’m already doing a Customer Appreciation Wholesale Discount weekend where I’m letting folks order using my discount (25% off) as an expression of gratitude for being an awesome customer. I’m super thankful for blog readers, too! So the same offer is officially extended to you. If you want to order the detergent and Eucalyptus oil (or something else), just shoot me a message, and I’ll hook you up.

You know you’re a mosquito magnet when other people use you as their insect repellent. That would be me.

One summer, an Independence Day gathering, I was standing outside waiting for the fireworks so start when I announced that I was being eaten alive and would enjoy the show from indoors.

“I’m not getting bitten at all,” Hubby smuggly said.

5 minutes later. He comes inside.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“As soon as you came inside, I started getting eaten since you weren’t there.”

I’ve tried everything from deet-loaded sprays to Skin-S0-Soft, besides making my skin feel weird and killing brain cells with their stink, they are ineffective.

A couple summers ago, I started using this blend in a 10 mL roller bottle topped with carrier oil:

10 drops cleansing blend
10 drops eucalyptus
10 drops lemongrass
10 drops outdoor blend

Simply apply to back of neck, ankles, and knees, and inside your elbow crease. I love that I don’t have to spray my entire body down, and it smells amazing!

The best part is that even if you do get bit (because I still do occasionally), if you rub this blend on the bite as soon as you notice it, it will not itch! I carry it with me at all times.

As you can tell, I’m a faithful doTERRA user. The chemistry of essential oils varies from one geographic location to another, so I can’t speak to the effectiveness of this blend when using another brand.

If you don’t have a place to purchase doTERRA oils, I’ve love to help. We have an awesome team with exclusive discounts and product training. doTERRA does not authorize selling on Amazon, so for the love of your health, buy from any person in the world but not Amazon. I don’t say that lightly, because Amazon Prime and I are in a pretty committed relationship.

What is your go-to bug blend?

One could go crazy bouncing between the sunscreen-all-year-round-anytime-you-go-out-of-doors camp and the we-need-more-vitamin-D-in-our-lives-and-sunscreen-is-in-the-way camp. I haven’t really given much thought to it because I’m really not together enough to sunscreen my kids religiously–or even semi-regularly. I do know, however, that when I decide we need sunscreen I want one with minimal to no toxins. The last thing I want to do is slather my children’s largest organ with chemicals I cannot pronounce.

[bctt tweet=”Turns out that #DIY #sunscreen is pretty easy and used ingredients that mostly I already had on hand.”]

Ingredients for Sunscreen

• 1 oz. beeswax pellets
• 2 oz. cocoa or shea butter
• 3 oz. coconut oil
• 2 oz. liquid oil (search the internet for oils with natural SPF, then choose based on how sensitive your skin is to UV exposure)
• 1 oz. zinc oxide powder 
• Lavender, helichrysum and/or myrrh essential oils* (optional)

The How-to

Before you get started, gather a kitchen scale and double boiler. I actually use glass jars in a pot of water and have a separate glass jar that I use just for sunscreen. Beeswax is really a pain to clean up, so I opt to just not clean it up and re-use the same glass jar. You may also want a set up stirring utensils that you designate for only this task.

1. Melt all the ingredients (minus the zinc and essential oils) in the double boiler. Stirring frequently.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the zinc until all lumps are gone.
3. Stir in 10 drops of essential oils (optional).
4. Transfer to a squeezable container.
5. Apply as you would any other sunscreen.

*Essential oils can improve the smell of your sunscreen but also provide additional support for your skin. Do not use citrus oils as they may make the skin more photosensitive.

*All links are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

2 Ingredients. A crock pot. Multiple applications or uses. This is a DIY win-win.

No matter how “natural” or “hypoallergenic” creams and lotions claim to be, I find that they can still cause skin sensitivity and have ingredients I can’t pronounce. When I figured out I could use my crock pot to melt down ingredients for a salve, I was sold.

The Base.

Place 4 parts* coconut oil to 1 part beeswax pellets into a lined crock pot and turn on HIGH for about 2 hours or until all ingredients are melted. Stir occasionally.

*If you’re partial to shea or cocoa butter, you can replace some of the coconut oil with some of either of these. The “recipe” is pretty forgiving.

That’s it. Really.

I’m trying to use up some solid bees wax, so I had to grate mine. I suggest pellets

The Fun.

Once you have a base, you can scoop it into 2 oz. containers and add an array of essential oils and stir them in with a wooden toothpick. Here are some of our favorite recipes.

Boo-boo Care

5 drops melaleuca, 4 drops frankincense, 2 drops lavender, 2 drops helichrysum

Muscle Rub

10 drops soothing blend, 5 drops white fir

Chest Salve

12 drops respiratory blend, 3 drops protective blend

Skin Care

4 drops lavender, 4 drops cedarwood, 2 drops melaleuca, 2 drops myrrh

Sweet Dreams

5 drops lavender, 5 drops vetiver, 2 drops calming blend, 2 drops grounding blend, 2 drops ylang ylang
Massage into bottoms of feet or pulse points before bed or during a stressful situation.

Last Thoughts

• Because bees wax is challenging to wash off, I recommend having some scoops/measuring cups and utensils that are specifically for these project so you don’t have to wash them.
• Once the base is made, it melts down pretty quickly again if you wanted to make it in bulk and be able to add oils later.
• If you want a really convenient way to carry some for your lips, pour some into extra contact cases and pop it in  your purse.
• Feel free to experiment with your own recipes. I find that about 15-20 drops total in 2 oz. is a good ratio.

Which one(s) will you make?

We’ve chosen a specific brand of essential oils because of the company’s commitment to safety, sustainability, quality, and support. We believe life (including essential oils) is best done in community and this company has a similar mindset. Unfortunately, to protect myself from scrutiny from the FDA, I’ve chosen to not disclose the brand on my website. It’s crazy world we live in! If you want to learn more about who we chose and why, send me a message here. You can also sign up for my newsletter where I send out wellness tips, event invites, and ways to get FREE oils.

]]> https://www.thecorkboardonline.com/2015/11/how-to-make-a-felt-roller-bottle-case/ Mon, 02 Nov 2015 01:02:40 +0000 http://www.thecorkums.com/?p=6929 Carrying a set of glass roller bottles around can get a little tricky. Sometimes they clank. Sometimes they leak. And always they end up at the very recesses of my bag, impossible to find.

This easy to make carrying case keeps them safe and easy to find and absorbs any little leaks.

Materials

• 10″ x 10″ piece of felt
• Elastic ribbon hair tie
• Matching thread

1. Fold up one side of the square about 3 1/2 inches.
2. Sew the first side using a zig zag stitch.
3. Sew straight lines about every 1 1/2 inches.
4. Tuck the elastic in between the layers before sewing the last side shut with a zig zag.

Voila! That was easy.