Why Roller Bottles?

True story: When I truly fell in love with essential oils this is what it looked like around my house. Random containers all over.

Eventually, I would forget which oils were in which cup and I would have to whip up a new batch of whatever it was that I needed. Roxanne experienced the same scenario. We knew there had to be a better and easier method. That’s when we started making our own roller bottles. They are fabulous! You can keep them in your purse, even your wallet. I always have one or two with me depending on the occasion and my own personal needs. They are a staple in my bathroom cabinet, medicine cabinet and bedside. I can’t go without using several different roller bottles everyday!

We are starting out with several different roller bottles for you to try. A few must haves such as: Rest, Rise and Heal. These are perfect for getting to sleep, waking up and bug bites, scrapes and scratches. We use these every, single, day. If you skip a few days you too will realize, “Oh no, I forgot to put on my oils.” And that is why I’m having trouble with x, y and/or z.

You will be able to find our immunity blend, Protect, in our fall basket which will also include: fall scented foaming hand soap, all-purpose cleaner and a bottle of our natural hand sanitizer. This is a great starter kit touching on all of our products.

Finally, we have a few other blends that we like to use. Steady Heart is our blend to create feelings of peace, Bright Mind helps us focus on getting things completed, Blessed Spirit is a true favorite of mine. It amplifies the feelings of joy already within each of us. My son woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, which is rare because he is always so happy. I asked him if he wanted a little happiness oil, which he did, he loves essential oils. Then we read the devotion of the day and he was back to his own happy self. I’m still amazed each time something like this happens. Inner Strength is another great roller to use when you need a boost of confidence. Even as an adult I have to deal with one person in my life who uses the tool of intimidation. I always apply Inner Strength regarding tasks that require any thought of this person. This and praying for them is what gets me through the fact that it even happens in the first place. Lastly, we have our grounding blend, Stability. Roxanne here, I use this blend a few different ways, if I am tired, overstimulated and feel pulled in too many directions, I will often use it as I would Bright Mind. Also similar to Steady Heart, Stability is calming and focusing and allows me to release when I feel overwhelmed with tasks (the mental load) and not emotions.

For the Christmas season we are working on a limited supply of holiday blends. Merry, Glow and Bright will be available at our open house on Shop Small Saturday. They would be a great presents for gift exchanges or  for moms who do not get stocking stuffers, you will need to buy yourself these, wrap them up and stuff your own stocking!

Ultimately the point of this post is to help you get started on your essential oil journey in a much easier and cleaner method than Roxanne and I started on ours! We can’t wait for you to try them and give us your feedback. We recommend keeping them in sight in the places you frequent often so that you remember to rub a little on the back of your wrists, neck, and behind your ears regularly. We can’t wait for you to experience a better life than you already have by adding these to your everyday routine!

Tablerock Creek All-Purpose Cleaner

Did you know there is a warning label on the back of Clorox® wipes? Well, after years of using these wipes in my classroom, kitchen and bath I actually read the warning label one day. It clearly states to, “Wash your hands after use,” and “It is hazardous to humans and domestic animals.”

Needless to say, this is one of the first things I wanted to eliminate from my home because there have been too many times the kids have used these, not washed their hands and immediately had snacks after. My wonderful teacher friends, I know you are familiar with this!

First, I switched to plain vinegar and hot water instead of Clorox® wipes, but even though this is simple and easy, it is just a pain to do it multiple times a day. I now keep a bottle of Tablerock Creek’s All-Purpose Cleaner under every sink in the house. A quick spray and swipe in the bathroom each day keeps it spotless, while clean-up in the kitchen multiple times per day is super simple. Even my husband uses it like crazy! He likes the variety of smells and the squeaky clean feeling. I love knowing that there is nothing harmful that can trigger a reaction in my allergy kid. It’s a win, win all the way around.

More important to know is this cleaner contains essential oils that are anti-bacterial, anti-viral and some are even anti-fungal. This is the only thing I used last year when my husband brought home the flu. I wiped down door knobs, light switches and anything else that he may have touched. It worked perfectly keeping each surface germ free. (Keep checking back for my next post about essential oil use on my skin to avoid this same flu.)

When you get home today go check those warning labels! People with allergies, asthma, chronic illness or those just wanting to get healthy and live their best life should consider eliminating some of the harmful chemicals that are lurking around your home. You can start by ditching the Clorox® wipes and trying out our chemical free, but just as effective all-purpose cleaner! We can’t wait to see you at one of our upcoming parties, or our Shop Small Saturday open house!

All-Purpose (and more!) Cleaner

I say all-purpose and more because I use this cleaner for everything. The beauty of making your own cleaner is evident in how easily you can customize this one for heavy-duty, light-duty and everything in between and can scent it to suit whatever mood you’re in.

Just this morning I made a heavier duty version for kitchen and/or baths with Tea Tree (melaleuca) + White Fir and another more all-purpose spray with my go-to Orange + Lavender. Another lovely consequence is that I clean SO much more when I have these ready to go. I think it’s because I don’t have to worry using these around the kiddos and picking my own scents is motivating too. Plus this stuff works!

Tablerock Creek’s All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate

• 1 cup Hot Water
• 1 Tsp Borax
• 3 Tbsp Castile Soap
• 15-20 Essential Oils

Mix Borax into hot water until dissolved. Add Castile soap and let cool. Pour into 32oz. bottle and add essential oils. Fill remainder of bottle with water (about 3 cups).

We like to quadruple (or more!) this recipe and store in large jars until we need to refill one of the cleaning bottles. The ratio is 1 part cleaner concentrate to 3 parts water. So you can fill any spary bottle you find with cleaner! I personally like to use 16 oz. bottles so I can have more variety of scents.

Favorite Scent Combinations:

• Tea Tree (Melaleuca) + Lemon/Orange – Great for Kitchen!
• Tea Tree (Melaleuca) + Eucalyptus or Lavender – Great for Bathroom.
• Orange + Lavender – Good all-around cleaner
• And seasonal! How about Clove + Orange as we head into Autumn?

And if you would rather us make some for you, just let us know. We love mixing up batches for delivery right to you and can probably make any custom scent you desire!

Natural Daily Remedies

I’ve been realizing there a handful of remedies/products I reach for daily or multiple times per day that most people might not even realize could help them.

Let’s start with coconut oil. You’ve seen it everywhere, but there’s good reason. I will talk about the ways I use it and begin with the obvious. Without getting too crazy about all the technical aspects, I’ll tell you what I know/remember from loads of research. It is naturally antimicrobial and antifungal, helps with digestion since it is easily assimilated into your body, is a great source of healthy fat for a well-rounded diet. I would highly recommend only purchasing unrefined, organic oil because I believe it retains more of the benefits than versions of oil that have been taken further from their natural state through processing. This Wellness Mama list is a helpful place for more information.

• Kitchen: Coconut oil has a high-heat smoke point so that makes it perfect for cooking almost anything. I use for sauteing vegetables, popping popcorn, shallow “frying” when making salmon or vegetable patties, and as a straight substitute for butter in baking (cakes, quick breads, muffins, etc).
• Bath/Personal: Use as a dilution to add essentials to the bath. Body lotion – I’ve not purchased body lotion in years and although coconut oil is not the only oil I use for this purpose, I do certainly use it most often. For teeth and gum health, for oil pulling purposes and/or taken internally to remineralize teeth. On my face for moisturizer or cleaner using oil cleansing method (makes an excellent eye make-up remover).
• Baby/Toddler: I think this is all I used on my first baby for any skin abrasion, diaper rash, help to remove cradle cap, and lotion after bath. I still use it (daily almost!) for cuts and scrapes and any other event that you would normally pull out the antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin®).

Second, I reach for the following essential oils (usually in roller bottle form) all the time. I think one of the biggest hurdles to incorporating the healing properties of essential oils into daily life is the start-up factor. That is one of the main reasons Dana and I are making roller bottles ready-to-go pre-mixed with useful blends or made-to-order with custom blend requests. Before I used the roller bottles, I would scoop out a spoonful or two of coconut oil into a small jar, gently heat in the microwave, drop in my essential oils, mix with a chopstick and then scoop out with my finger to use. I cannot tell you how many times that whole (easy, but still…) process kept me from using the oils as the tools they are meant to be.

• Lavender – For burns, cuts and scrapes.
• Lavender+Frankincense – For any skin irritations including the above but more for bites,
• Tea Tree (Melaleuca) – Added to an equal solution of vinegar + water for quick clean-ups when I am in need of mixing up a new batch of cleaner. It’s antibacterial properties are a great reassurance especially when cleaning the kitchen and bathroom areas.
• Lavender+Lemon+Tea Tree or Peppermint – For allergies.
• Peppermint – For headaches or a little pick-me-up, diluted on temples.

Third, I feel bad even including this, but a glass of water. So many things get better when I am fully hydrated. And remember, if you need to make sure you are hydrated for something like a sports event, start two to three days early if you are not in the routine of continually staying hydrated.

• With half a lemon juiced into it, I use to wake up in the morning. I always make healthier eating choices all day if I start out this way. This routine from the Food Babe is even better.
• If I feel a headache beginning.
• If I’ve eaten too much junk food.
• If my feet are feeling sore and tired.
• If I find myself in the kitchen looking for snacks but am not hungry.

Okay, if you are still here, thank you!!! I have so much more to say about almost every line item on this list. So if you are at all interested in more of anything, please let me know. I am trying to balance between keeping things attainable and still being somewhat helpful without coming across as cryptic.