Detox baths can be an incredible way to help your body through acute needs, help with skin issues, or help you and your family get back above the wellness line as soon as possible!
A perfect tool when you or someone in your family is feeling your defenses are going down...or they have already been breached, or are fighting an acute skincare or muscle need. Give your body comfort, support and a little TLC.
The combination of essential oils, baking soda, Epsom salts or magnesium flakes combined in hot water can help flush impurities from your body, helping you process and detox from those invaders, environmental exposures and more. So simple, too. Simply use very warm water, sit for 40-60 minutes, and ideally, sweat during that time. ;
BASIC DETOX BATH RECIPE
This is a super easy way to use essential oils and also help give your body some magnesium! Magnesium flakes are less processed so those are a great choice,, but epsom salts will work as well.
* 1 cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ½ cup high quality baking soda (https://amzn.to/499g4Hk) (optional)
* 20-40 drops essential oils of choice
* Simply add oils to magnesium and mix well.
* To use, run hot water into the container of salts and let it overflow into the tub!
When adding essential oils to detox baths, you can use your own judgment on the number of drops, but remember that you are using this for an acute need (versus a relaxing soak!). Because of that you want to use enough oil to give your immune, respiratory, or other body system the boost that it needs. For most detox baths, we use around 30 drops of essential oil. When you are making detox baths for your little ones, usually use about 20 drops of essential oil will suffice.
The goal with a detox bath is to sit in the bath with the water as hot/warm as comfortably possible. Ideally you are sweating as you soak so that your body is processing (detoxing!) the invaders! You want to sit in the bath for 40 minutes or so, up to an hour. The first 20 minutes will give your body time to remove toxins from your system while the last 20 to 40 minutes will allow you to absorb the minerals in the water and help you emerge from the bath feeling rejuvenated.
Some favorite oils for detox baths include:
* Cypress, Idaho Blue Spruce, Frankincense, Copaiba
* Dorado Azul, Ravintsara, Eucalyptus
* Cilantro Vitality, Lemon, Oregano
* Purification, Thieves, Aroma Siez
FLEW-AWAY DETOX BATH
Here is a recipe you will swear by for acute immune needs! If you don't have all these oils, use what you have on hand. Feel free to play with the number of drops for a recipe that is exactly what you want! Also, use tepid water in the presence of a fever for even more comfort.
* 1 cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ½ cup high quality baking soda (https://amzn.to/499g4Hk) (optional)
* 15 drops Ravintsara
* 6 drops Frankincense
* 6 drops Idaho Blue Spruce
* 3 drops Dorado Azul
* 2 drops Eucalyptus Radiata
* 1 drop Wintergreen
* Add oils to Epsom salt and mix well, then run hot water into the jar of salts/oils and overflow into the tub to mix!
RAINDROP DETOX BATH
This curated set of essential oils is a powerful tool for promoting health, wellness and vitality – both proactively and for acute needs since the oils included can be incredible tools for healing! We love using these oils in rollers, massages, and in detox baths.
* 1 cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ½ cup high quality baking soda (https://amzn.to/499g4Hk) (optional)
* 3-5 drops each Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Cypress, Wintergreen, Marjoram, Peppermint, Valor and Aroma Siez essential oils
ROARING 20S DETOX BATH
If you lived through 2020, then you know that Pine, Geranium, and Lemon are huge players in our arsenal for ‘that which shall not be named.' Grab this recipe to help provide comfort and support for your immune system!
* 1 cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ½ cup high quality baking soda (https://amzn.to/499g4Hk) (optional)
* 10 drops each Lemon, Geranium
* 15-20 drops Pine
SKIN SOOTHER DETOX BATH
This is a great winter time go-to. Adding oatmeal to the bath is helpful for more acute skin needs, especially for children. Think conventional oat baths but without the fragrance!
* 1 cup organic oats, ground (https://amzn.to/3esZqHN)
* ¼ cup organic powdered milk (https://amzn.to/3Hjburg) (or coconut milk) (https://amzn.to/3qvRIlI) (or goat milk) (https://amzn.to/3Jmacxz)
* 1 Tbsp liquid castile soap (https://amzn.to/3pERPMR)
* 2 tsp Vitamin E oil (https://amzn.to/3pvSfEX)
* 10-15 drops Frankincense
* 5 drops Lavender
* 5 drops Helichrysum
SOOTHING ACV DETOX BATH
This one is incredible for both the skin and for joints! An ACV soak with magnesium is a great way to support active lifestyles.
* ¼ cup ¼ cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ¼ cup organic oats (https://amzn.to/3pkykIJ), ground
* 2 Tbsp sweet almond oil (https://amzn.to/3pkik9w)
* 10 drops each Cypress, Idaho Blue Spruce, Lavender
* ¼ cup raw organic apple cider vinegar (https://amzn.to/3IuFp10)
* Mix together and add to bath water. Then add ACV to the water and gently mix.
GENTLE DETOX FOR LITTLE ONES
This is a great recipe to tweak for your little ones! You can alter the oils as needed for specific issues, or you can add even less oils for younger children. If your child has trouble staying in the bath, consider reading to them or playing music while they soak!
* 1 cup magnesium flakes (https://amzn.to/3mzayHm)
* ½ cup high quality baking soda (https://amzn.to/499g4Hk) (optional)
* 15 drops Frankincense
* 5 drops Lavender
* 5 drops Oregano
* Simply add oils to magnesium and mix well.
* To use, run hot water into the container of salts and let it overflow into the tub!
OIL CHOICES BASED ON NEEDS
Detox baths are a really wonderful tool to have in your toolbox and can benefit every need that you have. Use the basic recipe above and customize it based on your specific issue at hand:
* Muscle love → Cypress, Idaho Blue Spruce, Oregano, Aroma Siez
* Aches away → Peppermint, Lavender, Clove, Cypress
* Immune needs → Oregano, Lemon, Frankincense, Thieves
* Shark week → Dragon Time, Copaiba, Aroma Siez
* Belly woes → Ginger, Peppermint + Lemon, DiGize
* General detox → Frankincense, Lemon, Aroma Siez, Lavender
Did you catch the news!? We have a brand new experience kit - the Make a Shift Reset Kit! It's available to everyone this month as a one time or Loyalty order. After that, it will only be available to new members of the YL family. Want to join me in a 14 day reset?? I'll be starting again January 15...Snag your kit, reply, and let me know you are in!!
What's the best that could happen??
Hey, hey, my friend! With all the illness we are seeing all around us lately, how about some lifestyle tips to help keep you above that wellness line??
Sharing some simple strategies from one of my favorite coaches, Dr. Edie Wadsworth, a physician turned incredible coach and mentor. Click her name to find her podcast and let her help you create the life you want to live!
*1. Real food, food that nourishes you, nutrient dense food. Shop the perimeter of the store (who said math wasn't important? LOL) Real food doesn't come with an ingredient label...if you are reading labels, you are buying the wrong food. Take a great probiotic to keep your gut microbiome healthy. Have you tried microgreens?? Kefir or any other fermented foods?
Processed foods, sugar, food that's hard to digest, antibiotics, stress, medicines, lack of movement, all damage that gut microbiome, leading to leaky gut, setting you up for all kinds of other issues. The best way to heal your gut is to eat your way there.
*2. Movement is so important! The amount of lean muscle you have on your body is one thing that determines your longevity more than anything else. As you age, if you are not actively building muscle, you are losing it. Muscle is the tissue of longevity, it is how you boost your metabolism, how you keep from having insulin resistance, balances your hormones, helps you age gracefully and more. Put your body under enough physical stress to make itself strong. There is nothing you can do like it that gives you the same benefit. You can't take a pill for it. You can't slather it on or breathe it in. You simply have to "put in the reps". ;)
*3. Good sleep and true rest. Are you getting in good productive hard work and movement, and then truly resting at the end of each day? Or are you getting some weird kind of in between thing? Are you getting enough sleep? Oils, supplements, a good night time routine, blackout curtains, a cool room, white noise...what works for you? Above all, get outside in the sunshine. Getting sun during the day helps you reset those wake/sleep cycles. Even losing an hour or two of sleep a night consistently over years can take years off your life...hmmm...Not sure I want to even think about how much I've lost over the years! LOL
*4. Reduce your stress...Easier said than done, I know. That's part of the reason you want to listen to Dr. Edie's podcast and teachings...a whole new way of looking at things...There is nothing worse for your body than chronic stress. We even create it for ourselves! Tell me you have never created a problem in your mind, then stressed about finding a solution to it, yet it doesn't even exist, hasn't even happened and probably won't happen at all!? LOL
*5. Reduce the amount of toxins you are exposed to. Dr. Edie shares that she has earned a "Ph.D. in natural health" over the last 10 years on this YL journey. She didn't learn this stuff in medical school, my friends. She learned it doing her own research, learning about her own body, making changes in her lifestyle and what she was or was not using or doing. You can, too.
Look around you for a moment. What is surrounding you? We are swimming in a sea of toxins. The average woman uses 300+ chemicals a day...80-100 of those before she has even had breakfast. Newborn babies have over 200 toxins in their umbilical cord blood that were passed from momma.
Research those candles, room sprays, cleaners, warmers, dryer sheets. Research the toxins they fill your body with. You don't know what you don't know. Get curious and see where the adventure leads you! Reducing toxins is way easier than you think. You already know my easy button. YL for the win! ;) Check out the new online catalog here.
I challenge you to try one or more of these simple changes this week. What's the best that could happen?
To hear more strategies, join us in Intentional Wellness, my free online community.
See you there!
Do you have a weakened immune system? You might if...
1. Your stress level is always high. This means your adrenal glands (your stress and energy glands) are shot and your cortisol gas pedal is pressed to the floor (stress hormone). You’re spending way too much time in flight or fight mode, leaving you exhausted. Your immune system will suffer greatly if you aren’t allowing your body to spend time in rest and repair mode.
2. You’re always sick. Typically when a person falls ill, the body’s adaptive immune system creates antibodies and learns how to defend itself against that intruder if it shows up again. If your body seems to “catch” everything that’s going around and continually does that cyclically, your immune system could need some serious attention.
3. You have regular stomach issues. Did you know that nearly 70% of your immune system is in your gut? Yep! There’s actually GOOD bacteria present there that supports a healthy digestive system - and immune system. If you’re noticing things like diarrhea or constipation becoming part of your normal routine, chances are your immune system isn’t functioning optimally and your gut health needs work.
4. You don’t heal quickly. When your body is injured - like a cut, bruise, or burn - nutrients within the blood rush to the area to help it heal. Quick healing requires healthy immune cells. If your immune system isn’t being properly cared for, your blood may not have the nutrients it needs to rebuild and regenerate like it should, leaving the wound susceptible to further injury or infection.
5. You battle frequent infections. If you’re noticing things like 5 ear infections in one year, pneumonia twice a year, several cases of sinusitis a year, or finding yourself constantly needing antibiotics… you could have a weakened immune system in serious need of some attention.
These are just some of the signs of an immune system in distress. It’s very important that you listen to your body and keep mental tabs on how your body acts and responds to the world around it.
Last, but certainly not least, has to do with how you live your life on a day-to-day basis. Do your best to manage the stress in your life. Stimulating the vagus nerve (the longest cranial nerve in your body) can help you relieve that stress. So how do you do that? Well, it’s really pretty simple. You can gargle water, hum, sing, meditate, get adjusted by a chiropractor, laugh, exercise, or immerse your face in cold water. Next up - get quality sleep! Get at least 7 hours a night and you will have a better chance at keeping your immune system running optimally. You may also want to consider your water and air quality. Tap water is typically laden with chemicals, an average of 7000, the last I heard... Drink filtered water and go outside to breathe in fresh air!
Your body is an amazing web of intricate systems, all working together for one goal - to keep you alive and well - and feeling amazing, of course. The immune system has one of the greatest jobs of protecting you from intruders. I think we can all agree that it deserves all the support it can get!
Me and Dr. Jim Bob Haggerton popping in again this week! As you know by now, mindset and emotions are two of my passions, so hold on!
Everything in your body starts with your mind. Those thoughts you allow to run rampant in your mind create changes in your body… Lao Tzu, a mystic philosopher of ancient China, said,
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words;
watch your words, they become your actions;
watch your actions, they become your habits;
watch your habits, they become your character;
watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Your thoughts become the hard-wired part of your brain that you run off every day – your reflexes, your go to mannerisms, whether you reach for water or Diet Coke, it all started as a thought.
Let’s compare symptoms in your body to the check engine light in your car. They are basically the same thing. The check engine light is just telling you that something isn’t working great…just like a symptom in your body.
Picture yourself driving down the interstate, 70+ mph, listening to your favorite music, singing along, life is good. The check engine light comes on. What do you do??
Do you think, “Oh, my gosh!” then you pull the car over, jump out, run around the car panicking two or three times like a Chinese fire drill, throw open the hood, take a hammer or an axe to it, start pulling stuff out, or dumping oil or gas in, because you need to take something out or put something in, rip that belt off, whatever it takes right now because something is wrong and you need to fix it, no matter what.
Or do you put a little duct tape over the light or even unplug it and think, “Phew! That’s better…I can’t see the check engine light, so it must be good…”? Instead of freaking out about the possibilities, you just cover it up and don’t acknowledge it, and just keep on driving. In either case, you might have a sickness mindset…
A wellness mindset would think, “Oh, the check engine light is on. I wonder why.” That simple. It doesn’t mean you don’t pay attention, you just trace it back to its possible cause.
Only two things cause symptoms in the body – toxicity or deficiency. Too much of something you don’t need, or not enough of something you do, and it creates change in some part of your body.
Rob Wolf, author of Wired to Eat, writes about all the things (paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, history of diet, genetics…) but he also adds that you can do all the things, the diet, the oils, everything you want, but if you don’t have community that you do life with on a consistent basis, you can’t be fully well.
We are created for community, connection, togetherness. Have you found your people? Your community?
Do you journal?? It can be a notebook, filler paper, a pretty leather journal, whatever works for you. Vent your brain on paper. Get your thoughts out. Review how the day went, allowing you to wrap your brain around situations so you can see if you are falling into sickness mindset or to see lies you are believing so you can get into that wellness mindset.
I have been keeping a gratitude journal for almost about 3 years now. I started out with jotting down 3 things I am grateful for each morning, and now I am writing out 10. Some days are definitely easier…and some days you may or may not see things listed like “I am grateful the day is only 24 hours long…” LOL
A wellness (or growth) mindset is acknowledging where you are, and simply choosing to see the potential, the truth, or the steps to get you or your family to a better place, to move past where you are, to get to where you are called to be.
It is not “everything’s fine” (we all know what that really means, right? LOL) Acknowledge it, but don’t get lost in it. Focus on change, movement, or progress out of the pain or situation.
One of the most effective ways to help the brain not get stuck in this one mindset is to introduce a different sensation while you are in the middle of stress – a smell, vibration, or movement. Pull out that Peace and Calming, Valor, Lavender, Stress Away, Palo Santo, Believe, Tranquil…find one you really love. Dance it out. Crank the music and sing along. Go for a walk. Bake. Find something that works for you.
Remember…anything going on in the body always goes back to the brain.
Taking pre-orders for my next batch of elderberry syrup available in pint jars. Ready for your next bottle? Never tried it before? What's the best that could happen?
Fights infection. Calms nausea. Eases arthritis symptoms. Lowers blood sugar. Eases menstrual pain. Offers digestive support. Pain relief. Improved brain health. Protects against heart disease. Reduces inflammation. Anxiety reduction. Liver support. Antifungal. Boosts immune system. Provides energy. Cleansing and detoxifying. And more.
Simple ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, clove, honey and elderberry provide this type of powerful support. It is so much easier to live above that wellness line than to continually fight your way back up like a yo-yo. Message or reply to reserve yours.
A friend of mine shared this, quality of life is worth fighting for. You, your life, your kids. Every moment should feel better. Health comes from making the changes. There is no magic bullet. Digestive health. Emotional health – stress impacts cortisol, hormones, weight… Movement. Sleep. Lifestyle. It’s not too late. It’s not too hard. It doesn’t have to stay the same.” She said she’s no miracle, but she’s worth the work, and so are you.
Be well,
by: Vicki Lyn Merrill©, CRTS, LSH
Thought we’d revisit a class I did a couple of years ago based on a video series by Dr. Jim Bob Haggerton. Just seems like a good time to be talking about building your wellness toolbox as we go headlong into sugar poisoning season.
Think about it…we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines and Easter…all holidays loaded with sugar…that shuts down your immune system for 7 hours each time you consume it…each time…and affects your brain like cocaine does…it’s not flu season, my friends…it’s sugar poisoning season.
So, let me ask you, do you approach life like a carpenter or a fireman?
If you are going to do a job, you grab specific tools for doing that job, right? All tools have a purpose. A hammer isn’t a screwdriver. You can use it to put a screw in the wall, but you are just going to make a hole. There are different tools for different jobs.
Let’s talk about building your wellness tool box…NOT a sickness tool box…btw…how many of you have a “medicine cabinet” in your house??? Think about that…I have repurposed mine into a wellness cabinet…The words we speak matter…they have power.
If you are building a symptom or sickness toolbox, you are always chasing results, never the problem. If you can get to the original issue/problem, supporting and building from that space, you never have to build a symptom toolbox.
Consider a Carpenter or home renovation expert vs firefighter… the different sets of tools they bring to their job each has a different reason/purpose.
A firefighter is putting out a symptom – a fire in your house. They come in with water hoses and axes, attack your house and try to save the health of the house. That’s it. If they get to your house on time and use the tools correctly, the house lives. You don’t call firemen out to remodel the kitchen or to add new tile in the bathroom, or to shiplap the dining room.
The carpenter comes in with tools to build up and make your home better than before. They rebuild. They find the area that needs love and support and they build that up, not tear everything apart. Yes, symptoms will happen, but much less often.
So...what can you do as you build your wellness toolbox?
*Be intentional. Do the best carpenters/workers coming into your home with random tools? Are they just grabbing a big bag and chucking a bunch of tools in? Dumping a bunch of junk in and hopefully they have the right thing? No!
If they are working on plumbing, they bring in tools for plumbing. Windows. Tile. Wood. Hang things on the walls. They have the right tools.
Ask yourself, “What am I dealing with all the time?” I am very intentional about the products I use to support myself and my family every day. That’s my reality. It will look different than someone who is single and works all the time. Or to a woman whose kids are grown and gone who is taking care of herself and her husband. Totally different tool bags, though some products may overlap.
Just simply ask yourself, “In my season of life, being intentional, what am I going to need right now?”
*Ask “good” questions when you are setting up your health toolbox (not a sickness toolbox…remember, we are breaking up with our medicine cabinet…it’s a toxic relationship….)
In my wellness mindset, I want to have things that will support all my systems. Digestion, sleep, emotions, immune… You get to choose whatever you like or that works for you, that you could use in various situations.
*Are you pro-active or reactive? Are you stuck in a rut because everything you do is reactive?? By the time you have a symptom and something going on…it’s too late. Support it anyway, even if it’s in overdrive, but it would make a big difference if you got a head start on it. Hydration perfect example. When you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. If you don’t have water with you, you can’t drink it.
How do you get more proactive? Educate yourself. Learn what you can about the things you need around you all the time.
Being consistent brings the biggest benefit. You don’t go for a run once or twice and think you are ready to run a 5k. You don’t go to the gym once a month and expect to be fit and able. It’s the little things we do consistently, day in and day out, that make the difference.
*You can’t use what you don’t have…Inner Defense, Stress Away, Thieves Chest Rub, sunscreen, bath bombs, digestive enzymes, fill in the blank….Loyalty Rewards and shopping from you own online store is such a huge benefit, especially in this crazy economy! I just ordered $400 worth of product and only paid $8.40 for shipping…This is also how I have found many new favorites…products I wouldn’t have necessarily purchased, but I tried because they arrived free with my order each month.
*Use what you do have for oils and supplements! Do you have them just sitting on a shelf? Open those bottles. Smell away. Apply them. You can’t go wrong. I’ll let you in on a little secret Dr. Jim Bob shared...ALL Eos are good for stress and immune support. You need them in your toolbox!
Some of you are whacking away at your body, at your health, trying to support it like you are a five-year-old at a birthday party. They hand you a bat, put a blindfold on you, and you just keep blindly swinging that bat, hoping if you swing long enough and hard enough at that pinata, you’ll knock some candy out. You’re doing the same thing with your health…whacking away at your body, trying to support it, doing all this stuff…even using oil every day consistently, but you are still eating junk, drinking Red Bull, you never work out or go for a walk, you are still in a toxic or emotional environment, you hate your job and you wonder why that lavender doesn’t help…
Stop treating your body and your health like a pinata…
*Don’t have to do all this at once (I tend to be an all or nothing type of girl…I dive in headfirst, but…) Take it room by room, car by car, bag by bag…supply each situation. You are not going to need the same tool bag for every spot you are in. Your bag/purse/backpack looks different than mine depending on your season of life, and your situation. What you need for one child can be completely different for another…ask me how I know…
The great thing about the tools YL has for us is that even if you grab a sledgehammer (like Thieves, or Oregano or another powerhouse oil or supplement) you are not going to mess up your house. YL tools are safe, effective, fantastic, and are only going to help your body work better. You just might not get as much change as you want if you are not using the right tool. That’s why I am so passionate about sharing my Insights health scanner with everyone! It is an amazing tool that shows you how your body systems are doing (detoxification, gastrointestinal, sleep, hormones, hydration, immunity, lymphatic, respiratory, even emotions and more) and it tells you which YL products your body needs the most! No more guess work! Then we rescan as needed to keep taking the layers of that onion off until it brings us to the core issue. I have used it with my family for years and I’d love to share it with yours! I even offer individualized wellness plans, so if you are interested, let’s chat!
So, simply put, supply the situation you are in. Build your toolbox intentionally. Use the things you have, but remember, you can’t use what you don’t have. Be intentional all the time. Nothing gets better when you are being random. And definitely don’t treat your health and your body, or your family’s health, like a pinata. 😉
