Steps to Shalom
June Newsletter
Greetings and blessings to you!
Summer is coming and the kids are out of school! This time of year can be very busy and overwhelming. Summer travel, crowds, and traffic can turn a pleasant weekend into a stressful event. Never fear! Serenity is here! During times of high summer stress, Serenity calming blend helps to release tension and slow down the autonomic stress response.
Serenity calming blend is a delicate mixture of lavender, marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, and Hawaiian sandalwood, with a touch of vanilla absolute. This blend has a warm floral aroma that soothes feelings of stress and calms emotions. During those times when the mind won't wind down or the children are cranky, diffuse Serenity to encourage a restful environment.
Serenity is also useful for physical tension. Like many, I struggle with TMJ. During times of tension, I find that while I sleep I clench my teeth and wake up with sore, swollen jaws. When applied topically, the lavender, marjoram and roman chamomile in Serenity help my jaw muscles relax. I simply dilute a drop or two and apply to my jaws before bed time.
For general body tension, you can mix 2-3 drops of Serenity with a carrier oil and epsom salts and add to a bath. Allow the scent to take you away to a place of relaxation while the lavender and marjoram go to work on stressed muscles.
Recipes
These make great gifts!
Ingredients:
1 cup citric acid
2 cups baking soda
10 drops Serenity essential oil blend
5 drops lavender essential oil
1 tablespoon almond oil, jojoba oil or other skin conditioning carrier oil
a tiny bit of water
Directions:
Mix together the citric acid and baking soda in a glass or metal bowl. Make sure they are mixed thoroughly. Add the essential oils and the carrier oil and mix well. The texture will still be powdery and slightly damp. Now for the tricky part: adding the water. The mixture won't require much water, despite how crumbly it is. Too much water will begin the fizz process of the citric acid and your bath bombs will not set. You want the consistency of the mixture to be crumbly, but hold its shape when formed. Try adding 1/4 tsp of water at a time. In case you add a little too much, you can offset it by adding slightly more baking soda and citric acid.
Next, pack the mixture into a mold. We used a mini cupcake tin. You need to pack firmly! Once packed, allow to dry and set over the next few hours.
Raspberry Limeade With Lime Essential Oil
Yum! Limeade is definitely one of my favorite drinks during summertime! Check out this recipe for a healthier DIY alternative this classic drive thru beverage!
Ingredients:
Raspberry Puree:
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1 cup water
Note: This recipe makes about 2 cups of puree and you only need to put 1-2 tablespoons into each cup. Therefore the 1/2 cup of sugar will be divided into about 20 cups of limeade. If you prefer, you could also substitute the sugar with honey or add more raspberries.
Drink:
Limes
Sparkling water
Lime essential oil
Ice
Directions:
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar or honey, and 2 cups raspberries.
- Cook until sugar has dissolved.
- Cool and strain.
- To serve, add raspberry puree (around 2 tablespoons), ice, juice of one lime, and 1-2 drops Lime essential oil to a glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with limes and raspberries. Enjoy!
For more recipes, be sure to check out my webpage https://www.mydoterra.com/stepstoshalom/#/
Essential Oil Safety Notes
Certain essential oils are phototoxic. This means that when the essential oil is exposed to a UV light such as sunlight, a chemical reaction occurs that results in a serious sunburn! The primary culprits are cold pressed citrus oils such as lime, bergamot, wild orange, tangerine and lemon.
If you desire to use these oils before you go outside, please use them internally or aromatically.
Connect With Steps to Shalom
Email: stepstoshalom@hotmail.com
Website: https://www.mydoterra.com/stepstoshalom
Phone: (719) 354-3249
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stepstoshalom/