 Let me set the stage for you... doTERRA Global Convention. It is September in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's 95* outside (but it's a dry heat, right?!) and most likely about 50* inside the Salt Palace Convention Center. They told you to bring a jacket and comfortable shoes, but instead you are shivering and you have blisters. You don't care. They are announcing new products and you can feel it coming... your life is about to change. A doTERRA Executive walks onto the stage. Applause. Instant tears. You can feel their power, their love, their passion for wellness. All of it. Then, they announce the new product you've been waiting for... ONGUARD SANITIZING MIST!!! It's 99.9% effective at killing germs and bacteria. It's infused with apple extract so your hands don't dry out. It smells like freaking Christmas morning. AND you don't have to make your own anymore. Cue screams, sobs, and "Oprah's Favorite Things" type excitement from mothers all over the world. In fact. Let me just give you a glimpse into the matriarchal reactions all over the world:
The new OnGuard Sanitizing mist is effective for hands, hard surfaces, and more. I've already used on every hand in our family, my yoga mat, my steering wheel, a toy, a sip cup... It's amazing! If you are familiar with my daughter's science experiment last fall, you know that most hand sanitizers on the market may quote all kinds of information on their labels. However, when we tested those same products on bacteria we come in contact on daily basis, we found these other products to be completely ineffective. There were three doTERRA oils that blew the competition away at both killing bacteria and preventing future growth: Oregano, Purify, and OnGuard. To learn more about that science experiment, click here to see my report on her findings! We are really excited about this new product. One question I have already received a couple times, is "why does it have to contain alcohol"? The concern for many is that alcohol is known to dry out the hands, making them more susceptible to bacteria. The moisturizing apple extract is in place to counteract this very thing! So rest assured, doTERRA knows the research and has our best interest at heart. The addition of alcohol actually makes it the active ingredient and OnGuard the inactive ingredient. This means doTERRA is able to compliantly say that our sanitizing spray is 99.9% effective. If it were only OnGuard, we would not have access to that claim. This will be available on October 2 for only $6.50 at the wholesale price. Such a great deal for such a phenomenal product! 
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 The moment lots of oily folks have been waiting for... Rose & Jasmine are now available! These two are coming to us in doTERRA TOUCH rollers, prediluted and ready to use! Bonus: the diluted TOUCH rollers make these normally pricey oils more affordable! Let's start with JASMINE! Our Jasmine is sourced in India by a very delicate process. An interesting fact I learned is that Jasmine is a moth pollinator, so they open up at night, as opposed to the morning. The fragile Jasmine flowers then must be plucked in the early morning hours, before the sun is up, when the flowers are the most fragrant and have the highest amount of aromatic compounds intact. As they are only fragrant for 36 hours after the bloom, it also requires a very delicate process to extract the essential oils. In fact, the process is a little different than most of our other oils. Jasmine actually must be made into an absolute. Check out this video from doTERRA on the process of making this beautiful oil... So how can you use it? As a floral oil, Jasmine is very high is a chemical constituent called "Esters", which make it a calming oil, by nature. SO when you think calming, what does that actually mean...
Check out these links for more info: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-using-jasmine-touch https://www.doterra.com/US/en/how-can-i-talk-about-jasmine-oil-a-limited-time-promotional-product-in-a-compliant-way This oil was formerly only offered as a limited time purchase, but will be available in the TOUCH roller permanently beginning October 2.  Now let's chat about ROSE! Rose is known as the "Queen of the Oils" and has a myriad of benefits that, according to doTERRA's Dr Hill, we are just beginning to even scratch the surface on. This is another that's previously only been available through special promotions, but is now available, beginning October 2, as a TOUCH roller! Rose is an essential oil that is great for the skin! It's clarifying properties make it useful for reducing the appearance of blemishes, evening skin tone, and promoting healthy complexion. It hep balance the moisture levels in the skin. In fact, it's already in doTERRA's Anti Aging blend, Immortelle for those very reasons! Another blend Rose is in... Console. Rose is extremely effective at supporting emotions & uplifting mood. Additionally, as a floral oil, it's fantastic at aiding in relaxation! Many use Rose, like Jasmine, in the bedroom as well. However, I think my favorite little tidbit was that the combination of Rose and Neroli stimulate feelings of happiness and contentment after childbirth! THIS is huge. I love that, as a Doula, I can now share these tools with new moms I work with who may be struggling with those postpartum emotions! Beyond these external uses, Rose is extremely effective at supporting a healthy immune response, which is something that most of us do not think about when we think of this oil, or any floral oil for that matter! Research is also showing that Rose oil may support healthy, rejuvenated nerves. And beyond that, it is a great support for brain health! So it's been suggested that this oil be applied on the back of the neck or on bottoms of feet for our kiddos during the school year! I love how versatile these new products all are!! Check out these links below to learn even more... Using doTERRA Rose Touch | dōTERRA Essential Oils Rose PIP - doTERRA Rose oil compliance | dōTERRA Essential Oils   This. Oil. If you haven't heard of Copaiba essential oil, you're in the right place. I have had some pretty profound experiences just in the last 2 weeks! Even better news is that doTERRA did an early release of this special oil. So, after reading this, you can go order it right away! First of all, I want to just highlight the spectacular chemistry of this oil. Copaiba comes from the resin of the copaiba tree in South America. It's not a thick oil, as some other resin-sourced oils are. Additionally, it has a surprisingly faint aroma. The main constituent in Copaiba is something called beta-caryophyllene. This is a chemical similar to cannabinoids found in cannabis that may protect nerve cells and have benefits for the cardiovascular and immune systems. Beta-caryophellene affects the endo-cannabinoid system of the body, which has 2 receptors, the CB1 and CB2. Because Copaiba does not affect the CB1 receptor, only the CB2, we can get the therapeutic benefits of the oil without any psychoactive effects. It's important that we make a distinction between Copaiba oil and Cannabis oil. They are two chemically different oils with different effects, and depending on your beliefs, I think there can be a time and place for both. So while I'm not here to discuss the pros and cons of Cannabis or CBD oil, I would like to point out that Copaiba IS DIFFERENT. In fact, Copaiba contains the highest amount of Beta-Caryophellene among essential oils on the market, at 65%. SO, now that we know THAT amazing information, let's talk about all body systems that can be positively affected by Copaiba:
How about some practical tips: AROMATIC
TOPICAL
AROMATIC
If you are ready to order right now, just CLICK HERE to place your order right now... or you can also contact us from the tabs above to make are there aren't any deals you should know about before ordering! https://www.doterra.com/US/en/p/copaiba-oil https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-using-copaiba More resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17446019 https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/beta-caryophyllene https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737359/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17029841 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842934 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291111/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22502624 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25153880 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387623/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-64402012000100006 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26352337    Neroli essential oil... I know I had never heard of it. However, now that I know what it can do, I'm wondering where it's been!
Here are some fun facts:
Those are some great uses for a normal, everyday person. Something else I find fascinating is that Neroli helps regulate healthy cell production! It also may regulate mTOR, which is an important regulator of cell death, also called apoptosis. So, if you are someone struggling with the "bad cells" trying to over take the "good cells", this is one to consider! I am just so excited for all the amazing possibilities with this special oil! Check out the following link for more information: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-neroli-touch   The first new oil we're going to highlight is Siberian Fir. It may be new to us as a single oil, but it's already in both our Purify, Cleansing Blend as well as the Holiday Joy blend! It comes from a Conifer, so it contains those naturally occurring compounds that characteristic of conifer oils like being great for environmental threats, respiratory support, promoting healthy circulation, etc... However, compared to other conifer oils, Siberian Fir has a more prominent chemistry. So, what that means is that research is showing us that it can affect more body systems in a more effective way! This oil is available to purchase RIGHT NOW since doTERRA gave us an early release of 2 oils last week.
 Another great oil that is new to doTERRA is Blue Tansy! Blue Tansy is what gives both Deep Blue Soothing Blend AND Balance Grounding Blend their blue color. This oil is literally blue! In fact, it can actually turn your skin blue (only momentarily)... which means my kids love it! Haha! By nature, Blue Tansy is a soothing oil. It also is amazing for the skin, carries great antioxidant support, and is an excellent mood booster! Here are a few ideas for you: AROMATICALLY
TOPICALLY
For more on these oils check out the following links:
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-using-siberian-fir https://www.doterra.com/US/en/p/siberian-fir-oil https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-using-blue-tansy We got home on Sunday night, after being with over 30,000 other oily folks at doTERRA's Annual Global Convention. I liken it to church camp. You go, get excited, listen to powerful speakers, hear musical numbers that make you tear up, then vow to change your life forever, and go home all fired up! There are also a lot of T-Shirts and "swag". Haha! I joke. But really. This year though, I experienced Convention through a Leader's eyes. I was honored to attend with 5 of my own team members, also doing the doTERRA business. We had meaningful conversations, explosions of laughter, and walked through the entire experience together. I saw them have those lightbulb moments. I saw their eyes well up with tears like mine did my first year. I watched them catch the vision of doTERRA right before my very eyes! I'm super excited to see where the post-convention momentum takes us. I'm also ready to share everything I learned!! If you're already a wholesale member on Team O Oilers, you're getting to experience the education in our Facebook group. However, luckily, I am just overflowing with information right now! Beginning tomorrow, we will start learning about the NINE new oils that were released from doTERRA last week. I hope you're excited to get the scoop!! I can't wait to get started!! XOXO Kourtney  Yesterday we chatted about typical, mainstream hair products and the nasty chemicals that can cause yucky side effects in our bodies. There are lots of DIY options, as well as the "no poo" options that many in the natural community use. However, my life was changed the day doTERRA announced their hair care products. I am a busy mom of seven children, 6 of whom have hair in need of GOOD products. I run two businesses, drive kids to all their activities, and plan 7 birthday parties and at least 6 school parties each year. Luckily my husband does the cooking and dishes, but I cover the laundry and there is A LOT of it. Do you see anything on that list that leaves room for DIY shampoo and conditioner? Do you see nay of those situations that it would be okay to be detoxing my hair for two to four weeks? Enter doTERRA's magical, delicious-smelling hair products: First up is their Shampoo and Conditioner. Here's what the official info says: "doTERRA Salon Essentials Protecting Shampoo and Smoothing Conditioner is a hair-boosting duo that work to protect your scalp and hair while enriching it with doTERRA essential oils, giving your hair the healthy and smooth look it deserves. doTERRA Salon Essentials Protecting Shampoo is a professional formula with an invigorating complex of CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils, gentle cleansers, and botanical ingredients that keep the hair looking clean and healthy. A unique combination of plant extracts, along with Wild Orange and Lime essential oils provide gentle lathering and cleansing to remove impurities collected on the hair and scalp. Light moisturizers leave hair salon soft, shiny, and touchable. doTERRA Salon Essentials Protecting Conditioner is a professional formula of conditioning emollients, botanical extracts, and natural proteins that leave hair looking luminous and healthy. It also includes a proprietary blend of CPTG® essential oils specifically selected to bring hair to life. Other natural ingredients keep hair looking strong and healthy. Nanotechnology smoothes hair and provides an antistatic effect that keeps hair shafts aligned during styling for a smooth, finished look." Here's what I say: This stuff smells delicious, does everything is says it does, and helps me love my hair again. My hair needs to be trimmed less often now, while growing just as fast (if not faster), because the ends are SO HEALTHY. I've also had strangers comment on how great my hair smells. Lol. Weird, but I will take it! Also, we use it for the entire family! Just keep in mind, it's not tear-free, so use caution there for little ones. Now available in both 8.34 fl oz bottles OR 1 liter pump bottles! Can you guess which one we use?
 Next up is another one of my favorite hair products: doTERRA Salon Essentials Healthy Hold Glaze What the official info says: "doTERRA Salon Essentials Healthy Hold Glaze is an all-in-one flexible-hold styling aid that protects, nourishes, and fortifies for smooth, shiny hair. This exclusive formula provides thermal protection, and protein-rich nanoparticles that work to promote improved moisture and softness. A light hold offers perfect support for beautifully styled hair." What I Say: A great, delicious smelling option for heat-protecting & a light hold. I use before I blow dry. Our 12 year old uses this in place of pomade or gel for his super cool, pre-teen boy hair. Lol. We are both fans!  Lastly, is the product that is basically unicorn oil. This stuff is MAGICAL! I'm not kidding. doTERRA Salon Essentials Root To Tip Serum What the official info says: "doTERRA Salon Essentials Root to Tip Serum is a salon professional formula infused with essential oils and protective lipids to promote smooth, shiny hair and a healthy-looking scalp. The carefully chosen CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils of Lavender, Peppermint, Marjoram, Cedarwood, Lavandin, Rosemary, Niaouli, and Eucalyptus are known for their ability to rejuvenate the scalp while supporting the appearance of healthy hair. This powerful, lightweight serum provides extended protection and moisture without weighing hair down or leaving an oily residue." What I say:
To order any of these products or to just check out more about them, visit our ordering website by clicking HERE! As always, the most cost effective way to purchase will be through a wholesale membership where you can get 25% off. You can check out that info by selecting "Join and Save" from that link. You can also comment below or click on "connect" at the top of this page to ask any questions you may have! For some extra fun, check out this perfect, yet cheesy commercial that my fellow doTERRA Wellness Advocate did:  Hope you all enjoyed learning more about what's been going on our faces! Just for fun, here's a great link to lots more DIY beauty products. Now today, we learn about what's going on our HEADS! That's right. HAIR PRODUCTS! It should be no surprise after learning all that we have so far, that most hair products are loaded with parabens, phthalates, and sulfates which are highly toxic to our reproductive and endocrine systems! Not to mention, these are all irritants in many people and some are known carcinogens! http://www.organiccolorsystems.com/5-of-the-most-common-toxins-you-dont-want-in-your-hair-products/ http://healthychild.org/chemicals-to-avoid-in-your-personal-care-products/ http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2013/01/study-links-hair-products-early-puberty-girls  So, we're going to skip the science today & get right to what you can use instead!!! Homemade Hairspray Recipe https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/diy-herbal-hairspray Homemade Hair Gel http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-natural-hair-gel/ Homemade DRY Shampoo (all the mommas said AMEN!) https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/diy-dry-shampoo NOW... let me knock your socks off with this. Have you ever heard of going NO POO?  I'm not talking about anything potty related.
I'm talking about using no shamPOO! If you're even the slightest bit crunchy, you'll probably know the term. The idea behind this is that shampoos not only contain dangerous chemicals and toxins, but that they are extremely harsh on our hair. It is not recommended to wash your hair daily, especially not with shampoos. Our hair actually needs those oils to stay healthy and strong! Often, when we remove standard shampoos and conditioners, it takes a few weeks for our hair to "detox", but the finished product is healthier, shinier, stronger, more vibrant hair. http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2008/04/going-no-poo.html http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html BUT What if you're a busy mom with no time for DIY? A mom-trepreneur who can't go 2 weeks with oily hair as she's detoxing? Enter doTERRA's Salon Essentials Line! I'm not kidding. Our beloved oil company has oil-infused hair products that have been a GAME CHANGER for this girl! Watch out tomorrow for the scoop on these fabulous hair products that are a great, all natural, delicious smelling option! XOXO Kourtney Welcome back! Today is the day, ladies. Today is the day we hear about what's REALLY been going on our faces. It's scary, I know... but there are some great alternatives & we can totally do this! So, when you're a tween, the greatest thing you can imagine is the day you get to shave your legs, wear a bra and put on make up! Right? Now, WHY we all want to do these things is beyond me. WHY we want our chests to be bound, our faces to be covered and to forever be forced to shave your legs... I just don't understand. Nevertheless, most young girls want to! Now here we all are, glowing at the young age of 25... Wait! You don't get older either? ;) Well, maybe not 25... but here we are. All these years later it's not for fun. We are putting on makeup to cover the imperfections, make ourselves look more awake, and possibly help us forget the wrinkles even if just for a moment. I could give some inspirational post here about loving the imperfections. I could encourage you to embrace the wrinkles and love your body because the wrinkles simply show us where we've smiled, laughed, grown, stretched. But like I said... here we are. Learning about the INGREDIENTS is what our focus is going to be on today. When we reach for the foundation or the mascara, we probably aren't thinking about what is in it. BUT WE SHOULD. Because it's not good! The big concern here is that toxins and metals can be absorbed through our skin. In particular, products put on lips, can then be ingested. Even fingernails are not exempt. Especially when put on little girls who might put their fingers in their mouths. The Environmental Defense organization did a study where they tested different cosmetics for heavy metals. Why do heavy metals matter? According to Environmental Defense and numerous other articles and studies, they can build up in the body over time and are known to cause varied health problems, which can include: cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, neurological problems; memory loss; mood swings; nerve, joint and muscle disorders; cardiovascular, skeletal, blood, immune system, kidney and renal problems; headaches; vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea; lung damage; contact dermatitis; and brittle hair and hair loss. Many are suspected hormone disruptors and respiratory toxins, and for some like lead, there is no known safe blood level. So... yeah. Bad news! Here's what their study found:
The most notable part of this to me is that the products that contained the highest amounts of metals like arsenic, cadmium, and lead (all of which do build in the body over time) were LIP GLOSSES, which means they are most likely getting ingested into our bodies! No thank you! And this is not the only study! There have been studies on cosmetics done by Contact Dermatitis, Environmental Working Group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and the US-FDA. An Environmental Working Group analysis even found that at least 146 cosmetic ingredients may contain harmful impurities linked to cancer and other serious health impacts and that 80 per cent of the 9,747 personal care products studied contain these potentially contaminated ingredients, including more than 80 per cent of all lip balms (EWG, 2006). AND... lead, arsenic, heavy metals, and mercury were estimated to be potential impurities in 3.6, 3.5, 2.6, and 1.9 per cent of products. An example of ingredients that may have lead and other heavy metal impurities are D&C Red 6 and aluminum starch octenylsuccinate. Here's a fun fact, taken straight from the FDA's site though: "The law does not require cosmetic products and ingredients (except for color additives not intended as coal-tar hair dyes) to have FDA approval before they go on the market..." So, what does this mean? It means cosmetics are not regulated. It means that buying your makeup just got more complicated. So what are our options? First of all, we can use cosmetics less often. When you're home relaxing or just running to the grocery store... consider going makeup free. Or at least wear less. Embrace your face! Secondly, there are lots of DIY recipes. Check out the great pins for DIY cosmetics on my pinterest board! Third, there are a couple of great companies that are making efforts to provide safe, toxin-free cosmetics. I've linked them below. http://beautycounter.com http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ http://www.spiritbeautylounge.com/ http://www.afterglowcosmetics.com/ https://www.youniqueproducts.com/ So. That covers our faces, but what about another cosmetic that doesn't go on the face? NAIL POLISH Here are a few of the chemicals in nail polish that you should be aware of: Formaldehyde- a known carcinogen (cancer-causing) Dibutyl Phthalate- (recognize that word?) endocrine disruptor, harmful to reproduction, linked to liver and kidney damage Toluene- The paint thinner smell that can be found in human milk when the mother is exposed & can cause toxic developmental hazard Formaldehyde Resins- skin irritation, dermititis, environmentally toxic Camphor- nausea, headaches, dizziness Luckily there are some great options that are 5-free, removing these 5 toxic chemicals: www.pritinyc.com Occmakeup.com www.rgbcosmetics.com http://www.mineralfusion.com/ There's one company I've really fallen in love with though... JAMBERRY NAILS!!! They're non-toxic, gluten-free, latex-free, made in the USA, vegan-friendly nail wraps & 5-free nail lacquers. The wraps stay on my fingers for 2 weeks, on my toes for way longer. Honestly, even at 2 weeks they still look great, but my nails have grown out by then so that's why I remove & put fresh ones on. I just really love these & because they never chip or peel, I always look clean & professional. As a doula, I use my hands for my work. These help me look and feel put together, even if I am not! Haha!
As always, here are a few links to keep learning. There are links within these articles as well that could keep you researching for hours! New Study Finds Major Toxins in Many Cosmetics 99% of Breast Cancer Patients Have Parabens in Their Body Chemicals in Cosmetics |
Kourtney OwensI am a mommy of SEVEN (yes 7) beautiful kids! They are amazing, wonderful, hilarious & the greatest babies I could ask for! I am married to my best friend & high school sweetheart, Michael. Categories
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I love to craft. I love to decorate. I am passionate about natural living & natural birthing. Sometimes I write stuff. I plan parties like my life depended on it. My favorite color is pink. My house is definitely NOT taupe. I typically cannot keep plants alive. I am only allowed to have dogs as pets because all others tend to have the same end result as the plants. Luckily my track record with kids is pretty good! Also, I drink a lot of coffee. And I really like tacos. |
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