Ardent Oilers

BUGS!

Isn’t it funny how when we are deprived of something (summer) for nine months of the year, we initially forget all of the trials and tribulations associated with it?

We will all too soon be plagued by mosquitoes, gnats, and flies when all we want to do is enjoy a bonfire or walk along the beach.

It’s tempting to reach for the classic insect repellant, but before you do that, flip over the bottle to see if DEET is an active ingredient.

DEET is a registered pesticide. It is a member of the toluene chemical family. Toluene is an organic solvent used in rubber, plastic cements, and paint removers. DEET is absorbed through the skin and can pass into the blood.

It can cause allergic skin reactions and eye irritation. A 2013 analysis of about 4,000 DEET-related calls to poison control centers found that 450 people needed medical treatment after applying DEET, and two were fatal.

Most cases of seizures, slurred speech, coma, and other serious side effects have occurred in people who ingested DEET or applied it for three or more days in a row or used products with 95 percent DEET or more.

No, thanks. I’ll pass.

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Feeling hopeless due to lack of EFFECTIVE DEET-free alternatives?

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Young Living came out with an Insect Repellent that has been tested to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas using 100 percent naturally derived, plant-based ingredients.

Pure sesame oil and a carefully selected blend of essential oils traditionally used for their bug-repellent properties come together to make up all 99 percent of the active ingredients in this formula. The other 1 percent? Vitamin E. That means you can use it on your little ones and not worry about the synthetic chemicals used in many traditional repellents. You’ll also love the pleasant, citrusy aroma and smooth, non-sticky application.

NOW we can have some

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What is your favorite activity outside that usually results in lots of mosquito bites?

Credit for this article goes to Jessica Shinn. Thank you Jessica. :-)

I love our new Young Living Savvy Mineral makeup line! I've been wanting to find a makeup without chemicals and things that are bad for my skin. I've sampled all the Savvy makeup and was very impressed! It doesn't highlight my wrinkles, like other foundations and powders have in the last several years and it holds up very well in hot weather! As soon as I get everything I want, I may actually be brave enough to do a before and after picture.

✨5 Reasons to Wear Savvy Mineral Makeup✨

💄It's Healthy. Pure mineral makeup binds to oils not water. This gives the makeup a natural water resistance and is much better for your skin then conventional cosmetics. Conventional makeup contains chemicals, oils and other additives that can either irritate sensitive skin or cause unnecessary breakouts. Makeup is actually good for people to wear, as long as they are not wearing products harmful to their skin. Most of the cheaper foundations on the market have a list of ingredients that potentially harmful to your skin. Mineral makeup is the safest because it adheres to the natural oils in a person's skin and doesn't seep into the pores. Makeup acts as a protecting agent against free radicals. Almost any barrier between your skin and the environment is good, so long as it's still letting your skin breathe, which most makeup doesn't. Mineral foundation allows your skin to breathe while still offering protection.

💄Versatility. When mineral makeup is done right, it is much more versatile than most makeup. You can mix the mineral foundation with water, moisturizers and cremes to make a liquid foundationconsistency if that's what you like. You can conceal with it or just use it as a light coverage. Loose powder mineral pigments can turn into anything you can think of. The loose powder pigments are what companies use to color cosmetics. Savvy Minerals carries these loose powder pigments with no additives, fillers, or dyes. It can be used as eye shadow, eyeliner, lip gloss, hair highlights, body shimmer, blush, etc. When working with the Mineral it blends with almost anything.

💄Shelf life. Most pure mineral makeup has a very long and stable shelf life. Everyone wants to have their makeup collection without having to worry about throwing items out because they have gone bad. Some women don't like wearing foundationeveryday, they want to have something that they don't have to throw away after spending good money on it. Most companies put fillers and additives in their products for that exact reason ... to make you use them up quicker, or make them go bad faster. Mineral makeup is simple and inert, it does not harbor bacteria because there is no organic material in it for the bacteria to grow. It is beautiful and comforting to know the same simplicity is on your face.

💄Quality. Savvy Mineral cosmetics have very few ingredients. Our mineral makeup has a base ingredient of mica. Mica does have a nemesis in the cosmetic industry, the nemesis is named "talc." Do beware that talc is technically a mineral and used by almost every cosmetic company as their #1 ingredient, however it is a cheap and wasteful filler. Talc is soft and appealing to the touch yet it's adherence to the skin is incomparable to the elite mineral, mica. Mica has incredible skin adhering properties and is less cakey then talc.

💄Long lasting. Mineral makeup is not only long lasting on your shelf but also on your skin. The pigment lasts a long time and a little goes a long way. With Savvy Minerals using very little can give a basic coverage. For extra coverage, after lightly applying the mineral base, women can use a more concentrated amount of foundation to conceal the areas that may need special attention. This makes mineral makeup last a lot longer on your skin.

This is pretty fantastic!

Our bodies are smart! When you drip a drop of essential oil such as Purification® on the bottom of your feet, in 20 minutes your skin will have a certain scent only noticeable to certain insects that will not be pleasurable to them. Some insects, however may be attracted to you, so make sure you know which ones to use for which types of outings. Why does this work? There are around 100 trillion cells in our bodies, and one drop of essential oil contains over 40 million trillion molecules! It takes 20 minutes for an essential oil to reach every cell in your body from the time you apply them. This means every single cell in our body, in 20 minutes, is covered by 400,000 essential oil molecules. Incredible!

Thank you for sharing this, Kristin Stauffer!
My quick reaction to essential oils when I've needed them has been proven over and over! Our bodies truly are smart.