Using Rollerball Bottles with Essentail Oils

One of the wonderful things about essential oils is the variety of ways in which they can be used or incorporated into your lifestyle.  One of the most confusing things about essential oils is the variety of ways in which they can be used or incorporated into your lifestyle.  Yup.  You read that right.  For some this will not be a burden as they will love the idea of experimentation and the minimal rules but for others it can be hard not to be told exactly how something should be done.  Today I want to address just one issue that I get lots of questions on and that is rollerballs!

About Rollerballs
Rollerballs are glass bottles with plastic tops that include a little ball that allows the insides to spread along the skin as you move it, or roll it.  You can get all fancy and get metal tops too.  They come in a variety of sizes but the most common is 10ml.  Now for those of us that have not been keeping up with our conversion charts, it is helpful to know that 10ml is just about 2 teaspoons or 1/3 ounce.

Having a handy chart like the one pictured will give you all sorts of ratios and conversions so you don't need to do the math.  As implied we use rollerballs for topical application.  It can be used with essential oils neat but, in general, it is a popular way to dilute your essential oils which I feel is an important aspect of essential oil safety.  To learn more about essential oil safety and why you would use oils topically, see this prior post.

There are many online stores that provide supplies for essential oil usage and sell rollerballs in lots of different sizes.  I find the best deal for 10ml rollerballs on Amazon, usually getting 24 for $7-10.

Why Rollerballs?
Personally, I find using rollerball bottles incredibly convenient!  I can have my favorite single oils or blends or special recipes all set and ready for use.  That means I don't have to think about dilution each time I use them and my hands do not have to be covered either.  This is important to me when I use essential oils on others too.  I have small children and use much more diluted doses on them.  It's hard to accomplish using just a drop or two with so much carrier oil to get the appropriate dilution each time.  I'm also left with a greasy kid while it absorbs.  Finally, when I am applying essential oils to them for a specific purpose, I do not need to also apply it to myself.   In short, rollerball bottles allow us to have what we need when we need it in an easy to use method.

They are also easy to travel with!  Why take your entire essential oil collection when you can grab some pre-diluted mixes.  They are easy to toss in a bag or purse and have with you.  Yes, you can take them on an airplane.  The normal liquid rules apply.  In fact, they are just so easy to put anywhere.  Keep some on the night stand, bathroom, by your kids room, or take a few for work...one bottle has now gone a long way in your household!

How to make up a rollerball
The simple recipe: add your desired drops of essential oil, top the rollerball with your carrier oil of choice (such as fractionated coconut oil), add the roller cap and twist on the outer cap.  Done!  TIP: Guess what, you can even just fill one halfway (using half the recipe for your sized rollerball bottle) to see how you like it.  That allows you to experiment and add more essential oils or carrier oil if needed.

Of course you need to decide what oils to put in your rollerballs but once you know, you can consult a chart like the one above to determine the amount of drops you want to use.  I personally, like to start small for the simple reason that why should one use more when only a small amount will do.  There is some testing involved in essential oil usage.  What works for me, may not work for you.  Also, over time, you begin to learn how certain oils work with your body.

I know everyone would like me to tell them exactly how many drops they should use.  I really can't, it's personal and it can vary by the essential oil you are using.  I will say that for a normal, healthy adult, consider starting somewhere in the 2-4% range for daily or frequent use and see how it goes.

A word of caution
There are lots of essential oil recipes out there.  I would suggest that instead of taking each recipe you see for face value, that you get a simple reference guide to use as well.  Compare the properties of the oils used in the blend to understand why they would or would not work for your desired purpose.  Sometimes there is room for substitution.  And finally, consider the right amount of drops for you.  All blend recipes can be decreased in proportion as needed.

Love your Lemon!

Lemon essential oil is one of the least expensive essential oils yet is sometimes overlooked next to all those other ones.  Cold expressed from the rind of the lemon, it takes approximately 75 lemons to fill one 15ml bottle of essential oil.  So just what can you do with this amazing essential oil?  Well, here are some things to try:

• Cleanse and purify the air by adding it to your diffuser
• While you are cleaning the air, you will also be cleaning your diffuser.  In fact, many suggest running lemon through your diffuser at least weekly to help keep it running smoothly.  You can then wipe out the empty diffuser with a soft cloth.
• Use it to cleanse your body and aid in digestion.  It is a simple way to enhance your water but if you choose to ingest essential oils please be sure you are using a high quality essential oil.
• Support your respiratory system, especially when seasonal and environmental threats are high.
• Promote a positive mood.  Sniff from the bottle, rub a drop between your hands, or diffuse!
• Add a few drops to a spray bottle and clean your counters, bathroom, and other surfaces.
• Add to olive oil and use as a furniture polish
• Remedy the early stages of tarnish on silver or other metals
• Can't get that label off a bottle - use lemon oil to rub away the sticky residue!
• Remove stains, even permanent marker.

And there you have it!  Ten simple ways you can make this essential oil work for you!

Only one word of caution.  Lemon essential oil is photosensitive.  If you choose to use it directly on your skin, be sure to avoid direct sunlight for 12 hours.

Using Essentail Oils for Weight Management

I am always learning more and more ways that essential oils can support us in our overall wellness in a natural and safe way.  I have watched others pop pills or follow fad diets to lose or maintain a good weight.  It scares me what some people are willing to ingest for this effort and rarely, under either method, do I witness them being successful with their maintenance.  I am a clear advocate for trying your darnedest to just eat real food.   Really.  I'm not good at depriving myself of food groups and since I don't have any food allergies, I don't see why I need to. I try to eat good, whole food at least 90% of the time.  Yes, I still like to indulge.  Again, no depriving here.

However, it is not always simple to steer clear of the delights or cravings and that is where we can use our natural, plant-derived friendly essential oils to help us when we need them.  Here are some oils and how they can help you with your weight management.

Please note that most oils can be used in three methods: aromatically, topically, or by ingestion.  You should only ingest essential oils of the highest quality and purity.  If you do not know how to use essential oils safely, please take the time to learn before trying any of the items mentioned below.  I am happy to help educate you.  Only high quality essential oils should be ingested.

1. Grapefruit.  Not only motivating and uplifting, this citrus oil can help you curb your cravings.  Ingestion or diffusion are the preferred methods for this purpose.  Topically, grapefruit can also help your body with gentle detox along with breaking down those "storage areas" that have built up and are preserving toxins within.

2. Ginger.  This one is super useful for easing digestion.  If you are changing your diet, you may notice a period of detox that is less than pleasant.  Ginger is a great tummy soother and can help ease any bloating or gas.  It is also a great energizing oil that can help you get through that afternoon slump.  You can ingest ginger or apply it directly to your stomach.

3. Lemon.  Not only can this fresh scent put you in a positive mood, but it naturally cleanses the body and aids in digestion.

4. Citrus oils.  Sometimes it can be hard to stop drinking sugary beverages or even sports drinks that may not be that good for you.  Try adding citrus oils to your water for a fresh, energizing taste.  Aside from grapefruit and lemon, try lime or tangerine!

5. Cinnamon.  Another supporter of healthy digestion, cinnamon helps provide you with an balance that will keep your cravings in check.  Please do not apply cinnamon bark essential oil directly to your skin, dilution is required.

Dishwasher Detox

Interesting story, well, maybe not, but it proves a bit of a point so bear with me.  When building our home my husband and I were picking out new appliances and saw a dishwasher that was self-dispensing.  What?  We just dumped in the detergent and pushed a button every time we needed the dishwasher to run and didn't have to think about filling it up for months.  Sounded quite perfect for two busy professionals.  Then something happened.

The Governor of Wisconsin at the time signed a new law limiting the amount of phosphates permissible in dishwashing detergent.  This isn't a bad thing.  The issue was that the store shelves now had a mix of phosphate and phosphate-free products on the shelves.  And so our purchases followed suit.  The "bad thing" was that we were not aware that mixing phosphate and phosphate-free detergents caused them to solidify a bit.  Yeah, not so great for an automatic dispenser.  Sadly, it took a while for us to notice but we eventually did and try as I might, I just didn't want to take the entire dishwasher apart to fix this issue since I could still add detergent the old fashioned way.

I had been making cleaner and greener choices for the rest of our cleaning products but the dishwasher was last on the list.  Why?  I just never found good reviews on eco-friendly products!  Well, I decided it was time to give something new a try, and we tried a few products that weren't so great and finally settled on something so-so for a time being. You want to know the most interesting part of this??  I bet you do!  A short time later our dishwasher dispenser was clogged no more!  These environmentally friendly cleaners had done their job, and then some.  Our dishwasher had detoxed! And that my friends is very interesting to me.  Doesn't that say something about the power of green cleaning?

Well, I bet you are wondering what we liked, didn't like, and now like.  Our first step was the Seventh Generation Dishwashing Pods.  They get a positive rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) as an "A" on a scale of A to F.  However, we did not like them.  Our dishes were not clean and a bit streaky.

Next we ventured over to The Honest Co. and tried out the Auto Dishwasher Gel which is also an "A" product according to the EWG.  Same problem.  Next up, The Honest Co. dishwasher pods which get a "B" rating.  They work pretty well and we used them for quite a bit of time.  We did have to be diligent in rinsing our dishes, but it seemed to at least be working out ok.

Several months ago we tired two new things.  First, Branch Basics cleaner concentrate, a 100% plant and mineral based cleaner.  This product is not listed in the EWG database.  All that is required is 1-2 tsp of the concentrate per wash.  You can also mix up the all-purpose blend (which I use for my counters anyway) and spray the dishes that may be tougher to clean before putting them in.  Works like a charm!  It does take some experimenting to get the right amount so you do not get streaks, but that is simple enough and soon you are just squirting in the right amount.  The second item we tried was Ava Home Dishwasher Detergent by Ava Anderson Non-Toxic.  These pods are also not listed in the EWG database.  We found these too work great!  Cleaned well and dishes came out streak-free.

I currently have both in my home.  Although I most often reach for the Branch Basics because I am able to wash my dishes for about 20 cents less than with the Ava Home pods, but it is also not a huge price to pay for the conviences of a great non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaner!

If you want to review your products, you can check out the EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning.