Hinoki Essential Oil

Hinoki

I discovered this oil a few months ago. I was looking for something to diffuse in the mornings when I did my devotions. I also love saying the name. Haha. This oil intrigued me because it was said to have calming potential. Young Living's website says

Hinoki’s woody aroma has been known to energize and uplift the mind and may help calm and relax during brief periods of agitation.

All good things, right?? Well, I used it a few times, it went back up on my shelf, and I kinda forgot about it. I ended up caving in and finally reordering some Frankincense (another post on that later!) and that has been my go-to for the last few months when I am extra stressed, or looking for better focus during church and bible study. 

However...I have been feeling like my Frank hasn't been having the same effects lately as it did when I first started using it. I decided to welcome back my old friend, Hinoki, and get to know more about it. I found out some very fun facts!

Hinoki is a Japanese cypress wood. It is a highly prized wood in Japan, and has been used for thousands of years to build shrines and spiritual buildings. Awesome, right?? It is a key wood because of its ability to resist rot.

Another fun fact: The wood is also used for wooden bath tubs! The daily bath is a valued act in Japan and is seen for a way for the body and mind to relax and be purified. 

What is it like??
Hinoki oil has a woodsy, citrusy aroma. If you like Cypress and Cedarwood, I highly recommend giving this one a try next!

Other uses
Besides grounding and spiritual awareness, Hinoki oil can also be helpful in supporting hair loss due to aging, digestive support, and odors.


How Do I use it??
My favorite way to use Hinoki is to inhale it. If you follow Jen O'Sullivan, she shows to put a drop in your left hand, rub it clockwise to activate it, and cup both hand over your nose and inhale deeply. 

You can also diffuse it, or mix with a carrier oil and apply to your temples, back of your neck, or behind your ears. 

Have you used Hinoki before??
Are you excited to try it?

Let me know! ♥

XO,
Keli

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Cooking with Essential Oils - Lemon broccoli pasta with chicken

Hey y'all!!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today! I posted a peek of it a few weeks ago on my Instagram feed, but it took me this long to get a chance to sit down and type it all up.

We have had such a busy summer. The kids made a bucket list of some things they wanted to do during their break, and we almost have it all crossed off! Just a few park visits this week and we are done! Between that, swim lessons, birthday parties, homecomings, school for me, business, and just doing life, it has been a little crazy. But we love it! What exciting things have you accomplished this summer so far?

I made this pasta dish based off THIS recipe I found on Pinterest. It's pretty standard - pasta, broccoli, & chicken (I added the chicken to ours) - but you can customize it to your liking in so many ways. I decided to use my Lemon Essential Oil instead of fresh lemons. I regularly forget to buy lemons when I need to cook with them, or I use them up before our planned meal, so I wanted to try another alternative for those meals.

Annndddd....Since I just started doing the Whole30, I can't have pasta right now, so I thought I would share with y'all so you could tell me how good it is! Haha!!

So...I started off by cooking the pasta. (We chose penne) While the water was heating, I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and got it cooking in a pan.
Once the water was boiling, I added the pasta to the pot, and got some butter melting to saute garlic and red pepper flakes.

 I added a 1-2 drops of lemon to each of my pans so that I had a good lemon flavor throughout. This can be adjusted to your liking!

A few minutes before the pasta was done, I added the broccoli to the pasta water and cooked until the pasta was ready. It all got drained and put back into the pot with some more lemon. then I added spinach and some chopped kale since I had some on hand.

Once everything was dished, I added some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. My husband and kids devoured this dish! They kept asking why I had never made it before. I had mine with a glass of La Croix & Ningxia. Everyone had seconds, and there was even some left over for lunch the next day, which, by the way, was even tastier! We will definitely be having this again. After the Whole30, of course! :D

Have you cooked with lemon essential oil before? You should definitely try this one and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
* Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
* Pasta of your choice
* 2-3 fresh broccoli florets (removed from stems)
* 2 cups fresh spinach
* 1 1/2 cups fresh kale
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
* Young Living Lemon Essential Oil
* 4 Tablespoons butter
* 1 cup fresh Parmesan
* salt & pepper to taste
* Olive oil to garnish

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2tsp oil to pan & brown chicken. Add 1-2 drops lemon oil to chicken.
3. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. When 3 minutes remain, add broccoli to pot with pasta.
4. Drain pasta and broccoli, and return to pot. Stir in spinach and kale. Add 2-3 drops lemon oil to pot & stir to distribute.
5. Melt butter in saucepan. Once melted, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Turn off heat and add 1-2 drops lemon oil. Add mixture to pasta and stir.
6. Dish up! Stir in Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Leave me a comment and let me know if you try it!! :D

♥
Keli

I got my curls back!!! :D

I have gotten SO many messages about THIS picture/post!  I decided it would be easiest to write up a post about it so it is easier to find later!

**DISCLAIMER*** - The opinions in this post are 100% mine. I am not getting any type of compensation for anything I post about this product I'm sharing today! ♥

okay...Here is the photo. Yes, that is my hair. Yes, it looks amazing! No - it does not have any sulfates, parabens, SLS, SLES, MEA, DEA, TEA, petrochemicals, animal byproducts, dyes, phthalates, or other harsh chemicals!

I took this photo right after I woke up. I took a shower the night before, and fell asleep with wet hair. That is all! It was so soft (it still is!) Usually when I fall asleep with wet hair, there's more frizz than anything. Not this time! And it was CURLY! This may not look like a lot of curl to you, but compared to how not curly my hair has been lately, it totally is!

WHAT?!?! You heard right. All natural baby! My hair has not looked this good in years, especially since it has gotten so long. I always assumed that my curls were just pulled out from the weight of my hair. Even when I would put in curling products, it still just looked like a frizzy mess.
Now, you know, I am allll about my Young Living products. Always will be.
But - one night, I was up late browsing the interwebs, and came across this company called Puracy.

Let me tell you why I fell in love:
1. Developed by doctors. Always cool
2. None of the gross stuff that is in 99% of the other products on the market. Yay!

3. That artwork on the bottle?? Made by local artists. Awesome.

4. And - guess what?! It's made in Austin, Texas. I was born there! ;)

5. Bonus - pretty great price!

Check it out.

 I noticed a difference right away. Then - the detoxing process happened! I'll spare you those details, but you can Google hair detox and get a pretty good idea what happened over the next couple days!
I wasn't quite ready for that. It was pretty gross knowing that I had so many 'things' built up in my hair over the years. I have never been a huge product person, thankfully, so I can't imagine what it would have looked like if I were! My parents came to visit, and my mom got hooked on this shampoo, too! She ordered some as soon as she got home!


After my experience with this shampoo & conditioner, I ordered the baby wash & lotion, too! They should be here in the next couple days. I can't wait!

And - I will NOT be going back to any of those chemical-filled products! EVER!


Let me know if you try it! I would love to hear about your detox!! :D