5 Non-Toxic Ways to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas

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Nothing spells Christmas like the familiar cozy scents of the holidays. Here are 5 non-toxic ways to make your home smell like Christmas.

Most of us enjoy having a lovely smelling home. Unfortunately you cannot just run to a local store and grab candles off the shelf and expect to have a toxic-free home. Thanks to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, companies that produce products like air fresheners for the home, are not required to put all the ingredients on the bottles and containers. So that why it’s important to only buy from companies you can trust to be 100% toxin free, or to make air fresheners yourself.

In my post, How Air Fresheners May Be Making You Sick, I covered just how toxic basically all traditional air fresheners are.  Whether it be candles, plug-ins, or room sprays, the chemicals in traditional air fresheners can leave you with health problems like allergies, sinus infections, asthma, and even contribute to cancer. This does not have to be!  You can make your home smell wonderful any time of the year with scents that actually make you HEALTHIER!   And since Christmas is right around the corner, I’m sharing Christmas scents specifically in this post.

So let’s make your home cozy and smelling like Christmas, shall we?

5 Non-Toxic Ways To Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas

1. Candles

Nothing spells home and coziness like the soft glow of a candle.  Just lighting unscented soy candles is cozy, but why not try some of these candles with a little scent derived from essential oils?  If you would like to add more scent to scented or unscented candles, just drop some essential oils on it before you burn it!

Here are some non-toxic candle options:

2. DIY Room Sprays

Room sprays offer a quick spritz of fresh air.  At this time of year they are a good option to use for spraying the Christmas tree with an oil like Pine Essential Oil to give it that pine smell, whether your tree is real or not.  I always have a real Christmas tree, but after a few days, the tree doesn’t give off its smell like it does at the beginning.

Basic Room Spray Recipe

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol or real vanilla extract (You can buy the real stuff or save a ton of money by making your own.)
  • 20-50 drops of essential oil
  • Spray bottle (preferably glass)
  1. Combine all ingredients in spray bottle and use!

Ok, so I know that 20-50 drops of essential oils is a huge range, and that’s because different essential oils have different strengths of smell.  You can really add as much as you wish.  You may want less than 20 or more than 50 when it’s all said and done.  I recommend starting out with 20 and adding more if you want a stronger scent.  You can use single essential oils (like cinnamon or peppermint), or you can use a combination of oils.  See the suggested oils to use and some recipe ideas below!

3. Wax Warmer Plug-Ins

Wax warmer plug-ins like this one,  this one, or this one are perfect for plugging in throughout the house while not taking up counter space! They can be used with essential oils instead of wax.  Simple pour olive oil or coconut oil in the warmer and add essential oils of choice.  The typical recommendation is 1 drop of essential oil to 1 tsp of olive oil.  You can add more essential oil if you wish since this is not a mixture you are using on the skin. Please note that heating the essential oils will kill the beneficial components, so you won’t be getting the healthy benefits out of the aroma (use a diffuser for that-details below), but using essential oils instead of wax is a healthier option than the toxic wax that is typical for the plugins.

Christmas EO

4. Diffuser

I absolutely love my diffuser.  Diffusers use only cold air to emit essential oil vapors, which does not damage the molecular structure or the therapeutic properties.  Diffusers can purify the air and send healing to your family.  They can also emit beautiful scents that put you in the mood for Christmas – it all depends on the essential oils you use!  This diffuser is one excellent option! 

5. DIY Simmering Potpourri

Simmering herbs, citrus peels and essential oils on the stove is another healthy way to fill your home with fragrance. I have used this homemade Christmas scent on my stove and everyone who walked in the door declared how wonderful it smelled.

Homemade Christmas Scent

  • 3 Cinnamon Sticks
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 1/8 Cup Whole Cloves
  • 1/8 Cup Peppermint Leaves
  • 1/2 Orange
  • 1/2 Lemon
  1. Combine in a pan and cover with water.  
  2. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for as long as desired.  
  3. Add more water as needed.

Try these other recipes too!

Christmas Essential Oils

Note: If you are not sure of good quality, yet affordable essential oil companies, Plant Therapy is a great option!

  • Cinnamon
  • Clove
  • Bay
  • Pine
  • Cedarwood
  • Mandarin
  • Orange
  • Tangerine
  • Frankincense
  • Myrrh
  • Cedarwood
  • Cypress
  • Peppermint
  • Sandalwood
  • Geranium
  • Ginger
  • Nutmeg
  • Cardamom

Christmas Essential Oil Blends

Here are a few essential oil blend ideas from The Complete Book Of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy. Double or triple these recipes if using for the room spray recipe above:

  • Pine 4 drops
  • Mandarin 2 drops
  • Cinnamon 1 drop
  • Mandarin 4 drops
  • Geranium 1 drop
  • Cinnamon 1 drop
  • Cinnamon 1 drop
  • Clove 1 drop
  • Orange 2 drops
  • Mandarin 2 drops

Here are a few blends from The Prairie Homestead:

Woodsy Air Freshener

  • White Fir 7 drops
  • Cedar Wood 6 drops
  • Frankincense 5 drops

Cozy Holiday Air Freshener

  • Wild Orange 6 drops
  • Cassia 5 drops
  • Clove 5 drops

You can really blend any of the essential oils together for the fragrance you love!  It’s fun experimenting!

Nothing spells Christmas like the familiar cozy scents of the holidays. Here are 5 non-toxic ways to make your home smell like Christmas.

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Christmas background with decorations and gift boxes on wooden board

Now it’s time for a giveaway!

Can you believe that this is the last Christmas in this decade?!  Where has the time gone? I have teamed up with some pretty generous bloggers for the 6th annual Christmas Blessings Giveaway with the hopes of making this a Christmas to remember for TWO families as we close out this decade. 

While we wish we could bless many more families, we were able to come up with a big prize for TWO families – $500 each (delivered via Paypal) – that we pray will make a big difference in their lives this Christmas season – whether it’s to fulfill their kids’ Christmas wishes, pay off some bills, or to help build some savings, our prayer is that it helps to lessen any financial burden and/or fills a specific need.

There are lots of entry options in the Rafflecopter form below – the more you enter, the better your chance of winning!  I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $500 worth it? I think it is!  Plus, all of these amazing bloggers donated their own money toward the cash prizes, so this giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them.  I hope you’ll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow.

The giveaway will run from Monday, November 18th through Wednesday, November 27th (ends at 11:59pm EST). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. You must have a Paypal account to win.  By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Rafflecopter terms and conditions upon entering.

(Click the link below!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

Linked to: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Vitamin C IV Therapy Benefits

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In this post I'm explaining what a vitamin C IV is and how it may be helpful in your journey to getting healthier!

Vitamin C IV (also known as vitamin C therapy) is one way to boost your immune system and possibly aid you in your journey to better health. I’ve long wanted to have one of these IV’s after reading about all of its benefits, and last week I found myself at a health and wellness center getting one- which was a first for me! I have since then had another one and have felt its benefits as well. In this post I’ll explain what it is and how it may be helpful in your journey to getting healthier.  

Why Vitamin C IV?

Many of you know that I have struggled every few years with things like adrenal fatigue, heart palpitations, anxiety, and panic attacks. Thankfully I have learned how to mostly get my health back on track with herbal remedies at home, but a few times I’ve needed the help of my natural doctor (I go to a Doctor of Chiropractic [DC]). In my recent visit I found that I’m deficient in magnesium (even though I take it at night in powdered form almost every night. I learned at this visit that our bodies can handle a lot more magnesium when we use it topically or intraveneously), I have adrenal fatigue (surprise, surprise….this is something I battle every few years and really need to get in the habit of supporting my adrenals better every day!), and I’m anemic (no wonder I feel like I need a nap in the afternoons!). On a side note about the anemia. You can be anemic even if your blood work shows that your iron count is OK. We can be low in our ferritin levels, which means we may have enough in our blood but don’t have enough iron in our body. So if your doctor tells you that your iron is fine but you are fatigued and know something is wrong, ask to specifically have your ferritin levels checked. MDs are not taught to check these levels and that may be something that needs corrected. More about this in another post! 

Here is my recent experience with this IV. I walked into my doctor’s office unable to walk straight and my head was very dizzy. It felt like it had a rubberband wrapped around it. I had felt this way in my head for 6 days straight 24/7, but was trying to do things at home to destress. However, when I woke up this morning of the IV, I was unable to walk straight or function like I needed to and I knew I needed some professional help. I walked out of my doctor’s office later that same day running to the car (because it was raining-which I could not have done before the IV) and the dizziness and rubberband feeling was completely gone! During the last 15 minutes of the IV I could feel my nervous system relaxing and a calm came over me because my body was getting nourishment that it was so deficient in.

Here are some reasons you may want to consider a vitamin C IV (my IV had added magnesium and B vitamins as well), especially if you are dealing with immune problems, infections, or a lot of stress. Our body becomes really deficient in vitamins and minerals when we are over busy and/or over stressed.

Here I am SO happy to be feeling better!

IV Vitamin C Therapy Benefits

  • Vitamin C reaches much higher levels in the body when taken intravenously than by mouth. You can only take vitamin C by mouth according to bowel tolerance, which is much less than through an IV.
  • When taken by mouth, vitamin C is not completely absorbed by the body. When it’s delivered by IV, it’s 100% bioavailable.
  • Supports adrenal glands
  • Helps energy levels – a 2012 study showed that intravenous vitamin C gave a reduction of fatigue and oxidative stress for 24 hours after treatment. [3]
  • Improves skin
  • Boosts the immune system and fights against bacteria [4] and viruses [5]
  • Used as part of a cancer healing protocol by its ability to fight cancer cells.
  • Makes side effects of chemotherapy and radiation less severe
  • Helps body recover from great amounts of stress
  • Helps extreme fatigue [3]
  • Boosts collagen production for stronger bones, blood vessels, ligaments, tendons, and thicker skin

I am not against medical doctors and do go to them when needed, but when it comes to dealing with anxiety, heart palpitations, panic attacks, etc., prescription drugs are just not for me. I recommend a natural doctor or DC. When we deal with these symptoms, our body is crying out for help and letting us know that something is wrong. If we take prescriptions that only deal with the symptoms, we are supressing our body’s cries and not dealing with the problem, but are actually making things worse. It’s always best to find out WHY our body is going haywire and deal with it at the root so we can HEAL!

    Resources:

  1. “High Dose Vitamin C IV.” IV For Life, https://www.ivforlife.com/treatments/high-dose-vitamin-c-iv/.
  2. “IVC Protocol Vitamin C Research.” Riordan Clinic, https://riordanclinic.org/research-study/vitamin-c-research-ivc-protocol/.
  3. Suh, Sang-Yeon, et al. “Intravenous Vitamin C Administration Reduces Fatigue in Office Workers: a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrition Journal, BioMed Central, 20 Jan. 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22264303.
  4. Helgadóttir, Saga, et al. “Vitamin C Pretreatment Enhances the Antibacterial Effect of Cold Atmospheric Plasma.” Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, Frontiers Media S.A., 22 Feb. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28275584.
  5. Hemilä, Harri. “Vitamin C and Infections.” Nutrients, MDPI, 29 Mar. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409678/.

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Here's an easy, healthy chickpea cookie recipe full of plant-based protein and without flour or sugar!

 I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen on making these cookies when I first saw the recipe on this website. How is it at all possible for chickpeas to be appetizing in a cookie?   

I then began loving the possibility of finding another tasty, healthy cookie that contained no flour or sugar. And after reading so many positive comments about how good the cookies are, I decided to give them a try. 

I have to say that I was surprised when I tasted the cookie! I could not taste the chickpeas at all. I found them delightfully good.  There’s no guilt when eating these!  

I have a few quick tips: 

  1. These ARE healthy cookies. Don’t expect them to taste like the ones your mom bakes on Christmas morning. ;) If you want to eat sweets that are good for you, this is one great way to do that.
  2. Using a food processor to blend these is essential! It’s possible that a really high speed blender would work. The cookies taste much better when the ingredients are thoroughly blended without a chunk of chickpea anywhere. This is the food processor that I use.
  3. Make these without telling your kids that they have a ton of chickpeas in them. That can kind of mess with their mind and affect their taste buds. ;)

Here's an easy, healthy chickpea cookie recipe full of plant-based protein and without flour or sugar!

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Ingredients: 
  • 1¼ cup cooked or canned chick peas 
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup of peanut butter 
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips 
 
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Blend all but the chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth.  
  3. Stir in chocolate chips.
  4. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  5. Enjoy!
Optional: To make them more chocolaty, add 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder! 
 
Have you ever made cookies with an ingredient replacing the flour?
Updated from the original publishing date of October 25, 2013