Essential Oils for You and Your Home

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acne, anti-inflammator, antibiotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, anxiety, babies, bathroom, blisters, burns, chemical ingredients, chemists, chest balms, cleaning products, clear, compresses, couple of drops, dab, dandruff, diffuser blends, direct use, environment, essential oils, eucalyptus, family, floors, fridge, gingivitis, head, heady scent, health, home, humidifier, immune boosting powerhouse oil, inhalants, insect bites, lavender, lemon, Lemon essential oil, less drying, lifestyle, lift your mood, light clean scent, massage blends, muscle massage oils, natural goodness, natural menthol, pillowcases, purify, Relax, rubs, sedative properties, shake, shake off, shower gel, skin, sleep, slumber, smell, smell amazing, soap, steam inhalation remedy, stings, stubborn stains, sunshine, super popular ingredient, supermarkets, Tea Tree Oil, totally natural, universally loved, warm water, young children

Essential oils not only smell amazing, but they are totally natural and can be used on your skin, for your health and in your home.

You can create massage blends, inhalants, rubs, compresses, diffuser blends and cleaning products that won’t harm you, or the environment but could lift your mood and boost your senses.

We have looked at some of the most accessible oils out there and hope you’ll find one that suits you and fits into your lifestyle.

Lavender
This is one of the most universally loved essential oils and for good reason. This immune boosting powerhouse oil can be used as an antiseptic, antiviral, antibiotic and antispasmodic. It helps with sleep or anxiety issues due to its sedative properties. It can be used for treating burns and blisters, insect bites and stings. You can find it in most chemists and supermarkets, and a little goes a long way. You can help the whole family relax by adding a couple of drops to the bath, and if you dab on pillowcases, the heady scent could help ease you into slumber the natural way.

Eucalyptus
This is a super popular ingredient in chest balms and muscle massage oils because the natural menthol helps you to breathe easily and relax again. To make your own steam inhalation remedy, add one or two drops of oil to a bowl of hot water. Close your eyes, inhale deeply – draping a towel over your head to trap the steam – and say goodbye to your stuffy nose and painful sinuses. You can also add several drops to a humidifier to clear the air at home or work, but we would suggest you avoid direct use with babies and young children. You can add to a tissue or item of clothing to help keep your head clear and focus straight.

Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is antiviral, anti-inflammatory, it can be used to deal with gingivitis and helps shake off dandruff. It is also a gentle way to treat acne and is less drying than more common chemical ingredients. Simply add a couple of drops of oil to half a cup of warm water, shake well and apply to your skin with a clean cloth and let the natural goodness soak in. Not only is it effective on your skin, but tea tree oil can also be used to purify your home and can be added to soap, shower gels and even your surface cleaners to give them a boost.

Lemon
It might be the middle of winter, but lemon essential oil can bring a little sunshine to your life whatever the time of year. Adored for its light clean scent, this essential oil is perfect for homemade cleaning products as it is naturally purifying and can clear away stubborn stains and freshen the air. You can use lemon essential oil to freshen up your fridge, clean your floors, put a little on the carpets in your car and it will make your bathroom smell so much better than ever before.

What’s your favourite essential oil and how do you use it everyday? Let us know, we are all ears and open to new ideas.

Team Pure Beauty

Put soup on the menu this winter

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anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, carrot, herbs, mushrooms, potato, soup, soya, spices

If someone convince you that one little pill taken three times a day throughout the ‘darker’ months would prevent you from falling prey to colds or flu would you take it? Of course you would. A really bad cold or, even worse the ‘flu’ is guaranteed to make you feel totally miserable, be forced to take time off work and see friends and family giving you a very wide berth while you suffer!

Studies continue to show that a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals reduce our immune response and render us more prone to catching something but as cold and ‘flu’ viruses that sweep the globe each year are rarely the same as the previous year or the year before, there is unlikely to ever be one pill or vaccine that offers all-round protection so we are pretty much on our own on this one, I’m afraid!

However, there’s a lot we can do to up the ante and this is where soup can be our saviour!

Soup is so much more than just a warm and comforting bowl of deliciousness – a good soup is like a medicinal tonic, offering a whole host of natural, anti-viral goodies rich in immune-boosting micronutrients like folic acid, vitamins A, B6, C and E plus zinc, copper, iron and selenium. Not any old soup will do, however. It’s all about the ingredients and perhaps more importantly, the cooking method – the secret is in the simmering.

A great soup base makes for a great soup and a slow sauté over a very low heat until the vegetables used are soft (onions, leeks, garlic, celery, carrots and other roots) not only forms the basis of a really tasty soup but also helps the vegetables retain their disease-fighting nutrients. The addition of herbs and spices at this stage and another spell of slow simmering adds yet more immune-boosters. Thereafter, it’s simply a matter of slinging in all the other ingredients according to the cooking times required (e.g. beans, lentils, rice and other grains first, meat, poultry and game next and leafy greens and seafood last) until you have a pot of goodness you can’t wait to get your spoon into! The same goes for broths that involve meat, poultry or fish bones – keep it low and keep it slow for maximum protection!

Top foods with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties to include in your soups:

• the onion family (red and white onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, spring onions, chives)
• roots (turnip, carrot, parsnip, celeriac, sweet potato, beets)
• mushrooms (whatever is in season but particularly shitake)
• greens (everything from lettuce to spinach – the darker green the better!)
• the citrus family (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit)
• herbs and spices (everything from A to Z but particularly ginger and turmeric)
• bones (meat, poultry, game and fish)
• probiotics (yoghurt, kefir, buttermilk, fermented soya products)

For some excellent recipes take a look at Fiona Kirk’s website and be totally inspired and super-healthy this winter.