Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Homemade Vapor Rub for Wellness Support

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Affiliate links may be included. I am not a medical professional and no information contained in this or any other post I have written about Young Living essential oils should be misconstrued as medical advice. Please consult with a medical professional for questions about how essential oils might interact with any medication you are already taking. Essential oils have not been tested by the FDA. 

Are you enjoying the simple DIY gift ideas I’ve been showing on the blog this week? I’ve been having so much fun making them! Today I want to show you a product that is oh so necessary this time of year, and that would make a fantastic gift idea for pretty much anyone (though I have made this with adults in mind…children need their oil ratio to be more diluted). Check out this homemade vapor rub and get ready to breathe a little easier!

homemade vapor rub

To make this homemade vapor rub, you’ll need the following items:

Heat up your 1/4 cup of coconut oil on the stove over medium heat, stirring until it is completely melted. Then remove your pot from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Pour the coconut oil int your container, and add 20 drops of RC and 5 drops of Thieves. Using a stir stick (this is what I use), gently stir the mixture together until well combined. Allow to cool at room temperature, or place the container in the refrigerator for a quick set method.

To use: apply as needed to the chest area for lung support. This should create enough product to get a family of 4 through the fall and winter months.

Why I Chose RC and Thieves

RC and Thieves are both proprietary oil blends made by Young Living. If you are new to the company and want to hear more about why I started using their products, click here. Now let’s talk about each of these fantastic oil blends!

RC is a blend that contains the following oils:

  • myrtle
  • eucalyptus globulus
  • marjoram
  • pine
  • eucalyptus citriodora
  • lavender
  • cypress
  • eucalyptus radiata
  • spruce
  • peppermint

If you have never smelled RC before, you can probably imagine what an invigorating scent it is (especially with 3 different types of eucalyptus in the mix!). I find this blend to be absolutely crucial in my collection during the fall and winter months, when I find that my lungs tend to need a little extra support for wellness.

I also added a bit of the blend Thieves because of how outstanding it is at telling microscopic critters to take a hike! I find it to be an amazing oil to support overall wellness, so adding it in with the RC seemed like a great idea. Plus, it smells fantastic! Here’s what you’ll find in Thieves:

  • clove
  • lemon
  • cinnamon bark
  • eucalyptus radiata
  • rosemary

Since one of my motivators for all these DIY projects was to come up with wallet-friendly gift ideas, let’s break down the cost. I’d estimate the cost of the glass container to be $1, the cost of the coconut oil to be .50, the cost of the RC drops to total $2.40 and the cost of the Thieves drops to total .67. This brings the total cost for this homemade vapor rub to $4.57. I think it would be SO awesome to give the gift of wellness to support to someone you love for under $5!

Young Living is a referral based business, so to order the oils you need to connect with a distributor. I proudly serve in that role and would love to help you get started on your journey to wellness. Both of these oils featured today come in the premium starter kit, which you can read more about here. I also place an order once a month and allow folks who are new to Young Living to order up to 3 oils from me at the wholesale price, which is what I pay. If you’d like more information, just reach out to me at stuffparentsneed (at) gmail (dot) com and I’d be happy to help you out!

 

Here are a few other homemade remedies that you might want to try while you in the DIY mood (or you can just pin the pages for future reference).

DIY shower disks

DIY Shower Disks to Support the Lungs

upset-stomach-remedies

Upset stomach remedy

DIY pain cream

DIY pain cream

swimsuit-ready-with-oils-6-672x1024

getting ready for swimsuit season with the help of essential oils

My #1 Back-to-School Purchase Recommendation

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Disclaimer: I am sharing my own personal experience, but I am NOT offering medical advice of any sort or attempting to diagnose or treat anyone for any condition. Please consult your physician should you have any questions or concerns. 

So my oldest is headed to kindergarten this year and my youngest is starting her first 5-days-a-week program. It’s a big school year for us, and I’ve already started on the process of gathering all the necessities like glue, scissors, school lunch ideas and a Hipsterpotamus notebook for myself. Because, obviously.

hipsterpotamus image

(Image from david & goliath. I found the notebook at Target, FYI). 

But last week brought the arrival of the one item I knew I wanted to get more than anything else on the entire list (yes, even more than a brand new pack of crayons, and everyone knows brand new packs of crayons are THE BEST THING EVER!).

It set me back $33.75 and while it’s only 15 ml in size, it is what I am personally choosing to use in my home, whereas in the past, I might have chosen to use several different types of products that all have various side effects. True story.

It’s called Thieves, and it is a blend of essential oils by Young Living that supports healthy immune function, especially when you are around lots of people (like in school!). A 15 ml bottle has roughly 250 drops in it, so one bottle will get my family through the entire school year, or at least most of it!

How I Use Thieves

The very moment that I realize that one of us is starting to feel some minor aches and pains, I put 4 drops of Thieves in the diffusers (I have two…one for upstairs, and one for downstairs) and get them running twice a day to provide some support to our immune systems. I also apply two drops of Thieves mixed with almond oil to the bottom of everybody’s feet. It needs 4 or 5 minutes to get soaked in, and then people can be on their way. I also will diffuse Thieves by the bedside when it’s time to sleep.

Why I Use Thieves

I’m very mindful of what I give to my children to help them out when their immune systems need some support, and I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable with many of the essential oils on the market, as essential oils aren’t regulated by the FDA, and 98% of them have fillers and additives and aren’t manufactured in a way to provide maximum therapeutic benefit. Young Living sticks out head and shoulders above other oil companies, based on my research, due to their Seed to Seal promise. These products are most definitely the right choice for my family. You can read more about how I reached this conclusion (as a skeptic, no less) here.

Other Back-to-School Oils to Consider

Thieves is the oil that I would suggest first and foremost for anyone with a child in school. But essential oils can help with so much more than simply aiding a healthy immune system! Here are a few key suggestions:

BACK TO SCHOOL 1.1 (1)

Of the 8 essential oils listed on this graphic, 4 of them are included in the premium starter kit, which is absolutely the way I recommend getting introduced to essential oils. You can read more about my love affair with this kit (I’ve purchased 2 and I’m aiming for a third in the next month or so!) and exactly how to get started with Young Living. You can also reach out to me (stuffparentsneed@gmail.com) if you’d prefer to just try one or two oils (such as Thieves) and go in on my monthly group order so you can buy them using my wholesale member discount. That’s just one way I give a little love back to my readers!

Why Amazon or Ebay is a Bad Idea

Whether you purchase from me, or not, I hope you will make your purchase through a Young Living distributor. If you purchase from a distributor, your products will ship directly from Young Living. If you purchase from someone on a third party site, you are taking the risk that the product has been tampered with in some way. Young Living does not sell on these sites, and Young Living does not allow distributors to sell there for less than the price that a distributor will quote you. If you see a “better deal” there, that should raise a red flag, because it likely means that a diluted or altered product is being sold to maximize profits. The wholesale, or discounted price, is the price every distributor has to pay, so selling it cheaper either means that they just want to lose money and not even break even, or that they are somehow stretching out the product so they can make a profit. You can even buy sealed caps online so that they don’t look like they have been tampered with. Just a word to the wise…get your oils from the source so you can feel confident about them!

Other Helpful Essential Oils Posts

I’ve done several posts on my oil journey, so feel free to grab a cup of coffee and do a little reading! And email me at stuffparentsneed@gmail.com if you have any questions at all. I’m here to help!