Essential Oil Series: How to Use Essential Oils

December 05, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments


In the first part of our Essential Oil Series we learned what an essential oil actually is and how the purity of the oil really matters. Just like we are passionate about the quality and sourcing of our food, we should be diligent about the purity of our essential oils. If you have one that is Certified Therapeutic Grade Pure, you can actually take it internally. Other oils without that certification could be up to 80% of fillers, contaminants and unwanted chemicals. No thank you.

Essential Oils are so versatile and can be taken in 3 ways.

AROMATICALLY  ________________________________________________________________

INHALING: This is the easiest way to use essential oils. Place 1 drop of oil in your hands and rub them together. Cup your hands around your nose and mouth while inhaling deeply through your nose. This is the fastest way to get oils into your body to start working instantly. If you don't want the oil on your hands, you could also just take a deep breath right from the bottle.

DIFFUSING: I love this method for purifying the air, mood boosting and just creating an overall healthy atmosphere be it at home, in the car or on your desk at work. It's as easy as it gets. Just add 5-7 drops of your favorite essential oil(s) to a diffuser with water and sit back and enjoy the benefits of aromatic use.

TOPICALLY  _____________________________________________________________________

This is just what it sounds like, applying directly to the skin. Essential oils are potent, that is why we love them, so it is recommended to dilute every oil with a carrier oil before applying to the skin. A carrier oil is an oil like fractionated coconut oil, olive oil, etc that can help dilute the essential oil and allow us to rub/ carry the same amount of essential oils to a larger area of skin without using too much. Place 1-2 drops of oil of choice on hand, dilute with carrier oil and apply to the target area. Some of the best places to apply oils are typically the bottoms of the feel until you are sure there are no sensitivities then you can move to inside of the wrists, temples, base of neck and along the spine.

INTERNALLY  ___________________________________________________________________

I would never recommend this option for any but DoTERRA oils because I can't speak to their purity. Always look for the Supplement Facts on the label to make sure it is 100% pure and safe for ingestion. There are many opinions regarding ingesting essential oils so make sure to do your own research and choose what's best for you. 

You can place a drop of oil under your tongue for immediate absorption, place 1-2 drops in a glass of water, or fill an empty veggie capsule to take the oils internally. One thing to note is that some oils, especially citrus can break down petrochemical in certain plastics so make sure you are drinking from glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers.



 *Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to doTERRA essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about doTERRA Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. If you are currently on medication, please do not stop.

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How to Dehydrate Garlic Cloves

December 04, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

So I am one of those people who buys garlic in bulk. Tell me I'm not the only one who gets annoyed with how much a single head of garlic costs? You can get like 4 x's that much for the same price if you buy it in bags; which I normally do to feel like I am saving money.

Well actually, I do save money. But then I am left with the problem of having a bunch of garlic that starts to send out shoots before I can get through them all. There are a couple things you can do with your extra garlic cloves that need to start being used up. You can freeze it raw for later use and pull out a few at a time as you need them; but I rarely have the freezer space (yes, even for something as small as a bag of garlic. Talk to my husband, it is his longest running complaint how full our freezer always is.) You could roast it whole in the oven and have on hand to throw into pasta dishes, sauteed veggies or any other recipe. You could also plant it, or you can dehydrate it. 


Dehydrating veggies is one of the easiest means of food preservation and pretty cheap too. I got a dehydrator years ago off a classifieds website for $15 that has served me well. You actually don't even need a dehydrator. You could use an oven on the lowest temperature or even just with the light on or if it is during the summer and you don't live in a humid area, you can dehydrate your food outside. I mean that's how food was dried for centuries and it works just as well today. Honestly, it's so dry where I live that my cloves will dry up right in the whole head if I just left them out. Especially during the winter when my house is really warm and dry.

I usually like to slice my garlic into about 4-5 slices. I feel like that is a more manageable size to use in cooking. It also makes them more even and allows for more surface face to dehydrate faster. Just make sure that if your dehydrator tray has slats like mine, that you don't cut them so small they will fall through once they are dried.

Lay them out evenly and not overlapping but they can be close since they will shrink as they dry. I like to put mine in around the afternoon and let it dry all through the night. When you check in the morning you need to make sure they are crispy and break when you bend them. There can't be any pliability. That means that they aren't all the way dry and they will mold in their container. If they are bendy and don't break, leave them on for a few more hours til they snap like a twig.

Once they are all the way dry, place the garlic slices in an airtight (preferably glass) airtight container and store in a cool. dark place. I don't grind my garlic into powder right now but you could. It is best to break, slice or grind right before using because it helps retain all its flavor and potency.

When I am ready to grind my grinder, I use a spice/coffee grinder because it breaks it down to a soft powder.

Let me know in the comments if you give this a try or if you have done it before. And check back for my posts about making homemade garlic powder and garlic salt.




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