With summer around the corner for some, and here already for some, there have been lots of questions about sunscreen, bugs and other summer issues so here are some natural solutions for you:
From Dr. Mercola’s web site (www.mercola.com):
Dirty Little Secrets of Sunscreen and Bug Spray
If Your Sunscreen Contains Any of These Chemicals That I Consider Dangerous and Potentially Life Threatening, Do Yourself a BIG Favor…
Dump it in the trash now Dr. Mercola says. Yes, that’s right. Toss your sunscreen in the trash if it contains any of these questionable chemicals: [and you can look them up online to discover how they are petroleum derived products]
~ Para amino benzoic acid
~ Octyl salicyclate
~ Avobenzone
~ Oxybenzone
~ Cinoxate
~ Padimate O
~ Dioxybenzone
~ Phenylbenzimidazole
~ Homosalate
~ Sulisobenzone
~ Menthyl anthranilate
~ Trolamine salicyclate
~ Octocrylene
And, oh yes, let me not forget… Potentially harmful chemicals such as dioxybenzone and oxybenzone (two chemicals I just mentioned) are some of the most powerful free radical generators known to man! So if your sunscreen contains dioxybenzone, oxybenzone, or any of the other chemicals I just revealed, I highly recommend you switch to a formula that is safe and healthy for your skin.
And a note to moms … You are undoubtedly very conscientious about caring for your children. But when you lather up your son or daughter with sunscreen thinking you’re doing the right thing, you could in fact be doing more harm than good. So check the labels on your sunscreen, and throw them out if they contain any of the potentially dangerous chemicals named above. After all, your skin is your largest organ, as your child’s skin is theirs.
Fortunately, there’s a much better option than chemical-laden commercial sunscreens.
So what can we do to protect ourself and our children? Dr. Sabina DeVita has written a book, “Saving Face” by Dr. Sabina DeVita (available from essentialscience.net) has a suncreen and sunblock recipe:
“Certain natural vegetable oils and essential oils have been found to provide some protection against the sun. Sesame oil can block or reduce about 30% of the burning rays; coconut and olive oils about 20%, and aloe vera inhibits about 20%. Helichrysum oil has been researched for its ability to effectively screen out some of the sun’s rays.”
Sunblock:
Mix 3-6 drops Helichrysum with 100 drops of sesame oil or olive oil. Apply on skin every few hours.
Sunscreen:
1 oz. sesame oil, 1/2 oz. coconut oil, 1/2 oz. olive oil, 10 drops Helichrysum, 5 drops Lavender, 3 drops Chamomile. Mix and apply.
Here are some testimonials:
The most effective sunscreen I have ever found is ORGANIC AVOCADO OIL + LAVENDER essential oil. I have always had skin that burned very quickly, and I lived at the beach in South Florida and now in the tropics in Asia. I put a little avocado oil into my palm, add a few drops of lavender essential oil, mix with my dominant hand, and apply. If I need more, I repeat the process until my body is covered. Avocado oil also is very soothing and hydrating for the skin.
Many wishes for optimal health,
Frances Fuller
Singapore & Bali
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I am a redhead & burn just thinking about the sun. Last summer I had a contract to do that kept me out in the sun all summer & it was HOT!!! The first time my arms & face burnt I started putting lavender oil on it. Helped a lot. Then a friend told me to use coconut oil. I started using coconut oil & lavender oil mixed together & applying that to my skin. I didn’t burn for the rest of the summer & I actually got a slight tan for the first time in my life. I usually burn, peel, burn, peel , etc.
L&L
Adele
~~~
I am not a research scientist but I can read labels. I cannot understand why the ever trusting public chooses to block God’s healing light by placing man made chemicals on the largest organ He gave us. It is my belief based on my experience that if one of those “things” develops on one’s body, it is because of a weakness within and not from the warmth of the sun. I used Frankincense and Helichrysum to remove mine and then continued to detox my body. Granted, my dogs have long hair all over their body, but even with the long hair, in the cold or heat of the day, they each take several “sun baths” during the day. I prefer to learn by watching and being a part of nature rather than attempt to be a blocker. William Holt Jowell
~~~
Don’t forget Lavender and Lavaderm for sunburns!!
Feeling Buggy?
DEET — More Dangerous Than You Think! (www.mercola.com)
DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) is a chemical that was patented by the US Army in 1946 and is still widely recognized as an effective mosquito repellent. In fact, most commercial insect repellents are made of varying concentrations of DEET.
Every year approximately one-third of the American population uses insect repellents to deter mosquitoes and other pests. Currently, DEET is used in up to 230 different products in concentrations of up to an astounding 100%.
However, all is not well with DEET…
DEET is a pesticide intended to kill insects! In case that idea by itself doesn’t scare you, read on to discover the health issues it is known to cause. DEET sprays can melt plastic bags and fishing lines. Does that make you wonder what it can do to you? Please don’t use DEET! Duke University Medical Center pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia spent 30 years researching the effects of pesticides.
He discovered that prolonged exposure to DEET can impair cell function in parts of your brain — demonstrated in the lab by death and behavioral changes in rats with frequent or prolonged use.
When these rats had their skin treated with the average human dosage equivalent (40 mg/kg body weight) of DEET, they performed far worse than control rats on physical tests requiring muscle control, strength, and coordination.ii
This is consistent with reports of symptoms after military use of DEET in the Persian Gulf War.
Exposure causes neurons to die in several parts of your brainiii – including areas that control muscle movement, memory, concentration and learning. Abou-Donia says rats given small doses of DEET for 60 days had a harder time accomplishing even the easiest tasks, things as simple as walking.
Heavy exposure to DEET and other insecticides can cause eye and skin irritation, memory loss, headaches, weakness, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, nausea, tremors and shortness of breath. Symptoms can appear months or even years after use.
Abou-Donia believes that although short-term exposure to DEET might not be harmful, he warns against ever using any product with more than a 30 percent concentration. To me, even that seems a dangerous and risky amount to use.
But wait! It gets worse… “We found that the combined exposure to DEET and other chemicals is more dangerous than just DEET alone,” says Abou-Donia.
Exposure causes neurons to die in several parts of your brainiv – including areas that control muscle movement, memory, concentration and learning. Abou-Donia says rats given small doses of DEET for 60 days had a harder time accomplishing even the easiest tasks, things as simple as walking.
Insecticides aren’t the only problem though. Skin care products containing various chemicals can put you at increased risk of chemical contamination with DEET. Products you use on a daily basis, like deodorants, soaps, make-up and sunscreens (except Natural Sunscreen), when combined with DEET, create greater exposure than DEET alone.
Medications, both prescription and over the counter, can also react with DEET and increase your risk of problems.
Long-term and regular use of DEET – especially combined with these other chemicals or medications – can cause brain deficiencies in vulnerable groups, particularly children. Children are more susceptible than adults to subtle brain changes caused by chemicals in their environment, because their skin more readily absorbs them. Their still-developing nervous systems are potentially more affected.
Never, ever, ever use any DEET-containing product on infants! And be very hesitant to use it on anyone who you care about — including yourself. Other potential hazards can lurk in commercial bug sprays, such as the chemical permethrin. It’s part the synthetic pyrethroid family, all of which are neurotoxins.
Now for Natural Solutions!
What is effective against the harassment of biting insects!
We have essential oils that insect do not like. Citronella, Peppermint, Idaho Tansy. I have taken the peppermint floral water and added 30 drops of peppermint oil to it and mixed and spray that all over my arms clothes and head. That really works great for me. Now here is what you can do also. Take
10 drops Citronella
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Idaho Tansy
Mix thoroughly in that order and then add to Idaho Tansy Floral water, or water and spritz the body.
Nancy Sanderson
~~~
For pest control with animals, our Animal Scents Shampoo is designed to clean all types of animial fur and hair and it has insect-repelling an killing properties including lice, ricks and other insects because it contains oils of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemon, Geranium and Spikenard. Note it contains only All Natural Ingredients; No Mineral Oils; No Synthetic Perfumes; No Artificial Colorings; No Toxic Ingredients; Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. This shampoo is highly concentrated, so you may need to dilute it with water.
From Sandy@onehearthealingcenter.com: “The other Shampoos that I have also used with the animals are the Young Living Shampoos for People. They have a Lavender based Shampoo for fine hair, and also LemonSage Clarifying Shampoo that dissolves common product build up, chlorine residue, hard water deposits and excessive oils from your hair without stripping or drying. LemonSage clarifying Shampoo contains MSM, a sulfer compound that has a reputation for strengthening and speeding hair growth. Lavender Volume Conditioner™ gently conditions and volumizes fine hair. A fabulous follow-up to Lavender Volume Shampoo or the Animal Scents Shampoo, it is formulated with MSM, milk protein, and vitamins to strengthen limp and weak hair. Essential oils are added to ensure that nutrients penetrate the hair follicle and leave the hair clean and perfumed. I have found the animals get very relaxed with these shampoos and they also then act as a fly repellant from the essential oils. Dog Groomers have said that they especially love using Animal Scents Shampoo, that the coats get really soft and easy to groom. Plus since they do not contain perfumes or chemicals, it is significantly more enjoyable for them to use Animal Scents Shampoo all day!”
And if your pet has a cut or wound, using the Animal Scents Ointment will help it heal and also keep bugs away. A great remedy for fleas is Lemongrass, Melaleuca Alternifolia, Eucalyptus (all of them), and Peppermint and Purification. You can also add 1-2 drops of Lemongrass to the Animal Scents shampoo to bath an animal with fleas. You can also make a spray of 8 ounces of water, 10 drops of Citronella, Purification, Eucalyptus globulus and Peppermint and then alternatie with 2 drops of Pine and spray the coat. For ticks, again for animals, apply 1 drop of cinnamon or peppermint on a cotton swab and apply to tick or on location, then wait for it to release the head before removing from the animal.
~~~
From David Stewart, PhD (www.raindroptraining.com):
Pest Control
As YLEO distributors, we don’t need poisons to kill pests. We can repel them (and even sometimes kill them) with substances that are not only harmless to us but are actually healthful to us. To the right is a list of oils that will solve most of your pest problems around the house.
And how do you use them? One way is to get a pistol-grip squirt bottle. Mix a few drops of the oil with some water, shake it up, and start firing. If you have bugs on your plants, like aphids on your roses, you can squirt the leaves and drive the bugs away with no harm to your plant. You can do the same with the other pests. As for ants, you can smear a line of peppermint or spearmint across your kitchen counter or floor and the ants won’t cross it. If you already have a line of ants invading your house, just draw a line of oil across them and they will turn back. It is fun to watch. And as for flies, you can knock them dead right out of the air with one shot from your pistol grip.
Specific Oils for Specific Insects:
ANTS: Peppermint, Spearmint
APHIDS: Cedarwood, Hyssop, Peppermint, Spearmint
BEETLES: Peppermint, Thyme
CATERPILLARS: Spearmint, Peppermint
CHIGGERS: Lavender, Lemongrass, Sage, Thyme
CUTWORM: Thyme, Sage
FLEAS: Peppermint, Lemongrass, Spearmint, Lavender
FLIES: Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage
GNATS: Patchouli, Spearmint
LICE: Cedarwood, Peppermint, Spearmint
MOSQUITOES: Lavender, Lemongrass
MOTHS: Cedarwood, Hyssop, Lavender, Peppermint, Spearmint
PLANT LICE: Peppermint, Spearmint
SLUGS: Cedarwood, Hyssop, Pine
SNAILS: Cedarwood, Pine, Patchouli
SPIDERS: Peppermint, Spearmint
TICKS: Lavender, Lemongrass, Sage, Thyme
WEEVILS: Cedarwood, Patchouli, Sandalwood
As far as repellants go, when you go into the woods and fields, put a little lavender around your ankles, wrists, and waist-band and you won’t have to worry about chiggers or ticks (or Lyme Disease of Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever). Lemongrass, sage or thyme would work, too, but might irritate your skin so put it on your pant cuffs and shirt sleeves. As for your pets, you can put oils such as Purification, around their necks and backs, but watch to keep oils from around their eyes. So there you have it. Non-toxic pest control.
~~~~
From TheVeryEssence.com ~ Palo Santo is the remedy for Ticks!
Put one drop directly on the embedded tick and be patient for about 3 minutes, then you’ll be able to dislodge the tick easily (I think if you were even more patient and also have a patient dog that you would actually see the tick drop dead without having to easily pull it out). Then, just for good measure, take the tick and put it in a jar that contains 2-3 drops of Palo Santo essential oil. Bye-bye tick!
Specials:
FREE Essential 7 Kit
Just invest 195 PV or more on a single order between now and May 31, 2009. Simply increase your monthly order to 195 PV or more, and Young Living will automatically send you a FREE Essential 7 kit! But that’s not all—your FREE Essential 7 kit also comes with a complimentary Missing Link CD! Don’t you want the take-anywhere benefits of Young Living’s seven most versatile oils, PLUS the added bonus of an inspirational CD recorded by D. Gary Young, himself?
AND,
Live Copaiba Conference Call with Marc Schreuder!
Marc Schreuder, Young Living’s director of product formulation, will be hosting a conference call on Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. MST for all Young Living distributors. Marc will be discussing his recent trip to Brazil, where our newest essential oil—copaiba—is sourced. Join us to hear Marc’s insights on the following topics and more:
- The benefits of beta caryophyllene (key constituent in copaiba).
- Traditional uses of copaiba.
- The important role copaiba plays in the Deep Relief™ and Breathe Again™ Essential Oil Roll-Ons.
- How real copaiba essential oil is exclusive to Young Living.
To take part in the conference call, dial 1-641-594-7500 and enter code 1022143. Space is limited, so dial a few minutes before the call begins to ensure you can enjoy this special occasion.
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
~ Winston Churchill
What oil are you using now?
