As the gatekeepers of our homes, we have a great opportunity to bring in healthy products and create healthy habits for ourselves and our families. Let's talk about how we can fill our homes with the scents of the season using diffusers instead of scented candles! Fair warning: this post is a DOOZY, but it's full of valuable information so please keep reading!  I have a reward for you at the end...clickable shopping links!


WHY WE LOVE DIFFUSING
It is no secret that we love diffusing - our diffusers are going 24 hours a day! One of the best things about essential oils is that they not only smell incredible but they have a huge positive impact on our health. We can diffuse blends that support immunity, our respiratory systems, healthy sleep, focus and mental clarity, emotional support, and more. We can fill our homes with the scents of the season without burning chemicals or using ingredients that harm our health. 

“I used to burn scented candles all the time, so I was a little worried when we switched to diffusers. I wanted my home to smell inviting and cozy, and I have not been disappointed! Seven years later we no longer burn candles or use wall plugs, and our home still smells incredible. So much so that my husband's friends comment on it when they come over!”  - Ashley C.

A FEW NOTES ON FRAGRANCE...
If you turn over your favorite products, you'll often find the word ‘fragrance' in the ingredients. But what is fragrance??
Fragrance chemicals are organic compounds that volatilize or vaporize into the air, which is why we can smell them. They are added to household and personal care products to give them a scent or mask other ingredients' odor. Unfortunately, the volatile organic chemicals (VOCs - think the smell of paint or paint thinner) emitted by fragrance products can contribute to poor indoor air quality and are associated with a variety of adverse health effects. They are pretty much the last thing you want in a product you are burning for ambiance and aroma.

But it gets a little bit worse...
Did you know that to protect trade secrets, makers are allowed to withhold fragrance ingredients, so consumers can't rely on labels to know what hazards may lurk inside those festive scented candles (and room sprays.. and wall plugs… and perfumes.. and cosmetics). This is called the “fragrance loophole” in federal labeling law. Although all other ingredients in your scented household and personal care products must be disclosed on the label by their specific name, this loophole means that ingredients added to provide a pleasant scent or to mask a bad one, need only be listed under the generic term “fragrance.” 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that, while many popular candles and room sprays contain trace amounts of natural essences, they also typically contain a dozen or more potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals, some of which are derived from petroleum. 

According to the EWG, “Exposure to fragrance chemicals can cause headaches; eye, nose, and throat irritation; nausea; forgetfulness; loss of coordination; and other respiratory and/or neurotoxic symptoms. Many fragrance ingredients are respiratory irritants and sensitizers, which can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate sinus conditions.”

One example of a harmful ingredient (there are many!) when it comes to fragrance, is styrene, an ingredient added to a wide variety of consumer products. A 2011 finding by the National Toxicology Program (endorsed by the Academy's National Research Council) found that styrene is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”
We know only that styrene might be an ingredient in any fragrance because the International Fragrance Association, an industry trade group, publishes an online “Transparency List” of ingredients perfumers say they use in formulas for consumer products. Styrene is one of the 3,000-odd ingredients on the list. 

According to the EWG, When you add up the number of products in your bathroom cabinets and under your kitchen sink that contain “fragrance” – and may contain styrene – the total could be many exposures to a substance we now know is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”

THIS is why we are so passionate about ditching conventional products and switching to Young Living's clean, effective, and safe options! 

Young Living NEVER uses fragrance in their products - they don't even need to because of the incredible essential oils. All the Young Living products are infused with the highest quality, therapeutic grade essential oils, which not only make fragrance unnecessary, they actually improve our health! 

Make a simple switch with a huge impact, and join us as we switch out scented candles for diffusers and delicious oil blends!


Here are some fall diffuser blends you can try!

To make a diffuser bomb, multiply the quantity of each oil by 10-20 and place in a dropper bottle with a pretty label. (You can also reuse old YL bottles and add a bamboo dropper top.)
  • To make a 10mL roller, have the total number of drops around 30-50 and fill with carrier of choice.
  • To make a 2oz spray, multiply the drops by 3-5, add a splash of witch haze and top with water in a glass spray bottle and add a label.
MULLED WINE
  • 2 drops Clove
  • 3 drops Orange
  • 3 drops Cinnamon Bark
  • 2 drops Nutmeg
PUMPKIN CLOVE
  • 3 drops Stress Away
  • 3 drops Clove
  • 2 drops Nutmeg
  • 2 drops Vanilla
  • 3 drops Cinnamon Bark
FALLING LEAVES
  • 1 drop Vetiver
  • 3 drops Sage
  • 3 drops Nutmeg
  • 4 drops Idaho Balsam Fir (or other tree oil)
SUGAR COOKIES
  • 4 drops Vanilla
  • 4 drops Cinnamon Bark
  • 2 drops Lemon
  • 1 drop Nutmeg
Shopping List:
Find my favorite oil accessories for blending/spraying: https://amzn.to/3ErwL3a

PLUS...if you're like me and want ALL THE FALL IDEAS, click here!  My autumn handbook contains cooking recipes, blends, and fall projects!




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Meet Sherri Sharpe Herzberg

 
Hi, friend!  So happy to "meet" you here!  A little about me...

My name is Sherri and along with my husband Andrew and our two kiddos- Casey and Anna- I currently live in Pensacola, Florida.  We are a military family- both my husband and I are retried Army Helicopter Pilots. We were both officially retired in 2021 and our last assignment brought us to Florida and for the foreseeable future, we will call this home!  After 20+ years of moving around every 12-36 months, its both amazing and terrifying to be putting down some roots.  Fun Peek at the Future: we have a 35' RV and we are planning to take this show on the road in a few years though.  So, stay tuned!

I got started with Essential Oils in 2014 just after our son was born and a few days after my husband deployed to Afghanistan.  I was still on Active Duty with the Army myself and trying to navigate my new role as a mom while working full time and it was...brutal.  My friend Shannon (an Army Labor & Delivery Nurse) was doing the same...with triplets!  She shared about getting allllll the sleep, boosting her milk supply and keeping the family's immune system in tip-top shape using essential oils and I immediately jumped in.  

I knew nothing about essential oils or the various brands out there.  I knew nothing about the toxins lurking inside our bath, kitchen and laundry cabinets.  I just knew I needed more sleep and stress support STAT!  

Thankfully, I had stumbled into Young Living and a team full of nature + science minded mamas dedicated to educating, empowering and supporting others on their wellness journeys.  I learned about the YL Seed to Seal promise...I got to visit 3 of their farms to see it in action for myself...and I was so grateful that I landed in the very best the industry has to offer.  

At first, I was just interested in diffusing and replacing candles.  But, slowly I started the process of ditching and switching out toiletries, supplements, cleaning products, baby and beauty products.  I was worried this would be an expensive change for my family but...the versatility of the oils and products blew me away and when you can use one thing to replace four or five...the savings adds up quickly! And the peace of mind that I'm using healthier, cleaner and more natural products on and around my family...priceless.

As my excitement grew, so did my business and here we are...in something completely unexpected.  

Favorite products: Stress Away (everything its name implies and more), Gentle Baby (skin, relaxation, tantrum tamer), Ningxia Red (antioxidant goodness at the core of my family's secret to staying above the wellness line), Thieves Household Cleaner (truly an all purpose, green cleaning powerhouse) and Manuka (along with saline rinses & lymphatic massage, this oil replaced my 10 year allergy med habit and annual sinus infection antibiotics).  For real...Manuka BLEW MY MIND. 

Fast fun facts about me:
1. I'm from Martinsville, VA...where are my Nascar short track fans at?
2. I'm an ESFJ, 6w7, 4/6 Manifesting Generator (any personality type geeks out there?)
3. Tacos and Margaritas are LIFE. Fight me.
4. Everything in life is an excuse to eat cake...coconut, chocolate or lemon especially.
5. Late blooming mama- I was considered "elderly" on the maternity ward at 36 and 38 when my kiddos were born!
6. My favorite colors are blue & green which works well in a beach town.
7. I hate sand.  Yep...I live at the beach.  Meh...win some, lose some.  

Okay, now hit that contact me button and tell me about YOU!  What brought you here? 

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