Why would you need to make your own deodorant when you can easily purchase it at the store when you buy your weekly groceries? Deodorant is a product we use everyday and a staple in most peoples homes... this staple contains ingredients that have been connected to breast cancer and Alzheimers...


This recipe is straight from the pages of my book: ApotheKayla Year One and I have decided to share it with you here because it is such an awesome recipe and one that I know you all will love!

Lurking in the ingredient list of the average deodorant are harmful substances such as aluminum, parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates, & triclosan. Read more about why I quit using regular deodorant on my scoop-able deodorant recipe by clicking here.

On to the good stuff!! The recipe:

Ingredients:

I made three batches at one time (note the three Tablespoons of beeswax).

 -1 Tablespoon beeswax
 -2 Tablespoons Shea butter
 -2 Tablespoons coconut oil
 -2 Table spoons baking soda
 -2 teaspoons vitamin E oil
 -10 drops of essential oils

Directions:

1.On a double boiler or small crockpot melt down beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil. Stirring occasionally.
2.Remove from heat and stir in baking soda a little at a time, then add essential oils, and vitamin E oil.
3.Place into the container of your choice (I found mine at a thrift store and they are actually reuseable twist up push-pop containers, but you can also order deodorant containers online), let cool, and enjoy!

Notes:
You may choose any essential oils you prefer. Lime is a natural odor eliminator, or wild orange would smell nice.

Want to know more about where I purchase my essential oils? Send me an email.

Let me know what you think about this recipe, I love it because even in the summer when I'm busy & sweaty it keeps me smelling fresh all day long!

Thanks for reading & remember "sharing is caring". ;)

Hemp Oil Is Amazing! There are so many nutritional and medicinal qualities of this oil! Hemp seems to be a controversial subject at the moment so I felt this page was necessary! On this page I wanted to give you a few facts about hemp oil, and show you which recipes I use it in! -For those of you who love hemp oil as much as I do you already know the amazing healing benefits of it, but for those of you who are skeptic let me share some insights:

• Hemp is cannabis, but it does not include the THC that you find in marijuana. It is illegal to grow your own hemp (in most states), and process it for the oils. You can legally purchase processed hemp foods; such as hemp oil, or shelled hemp hearts.
• “Hemp oil is high in essential fatty acids. Omega 6 and Omega 3 are two main families of essential fatty acids that have therapeutic effects. Some use hemp oil to increase immune system strength, counteract aging, skin, and diseases such as cardiovascular disease. The essential fatty acids help correct oxygenation and skin hydration. Several studies indicate that the linoleic acid present in hemp oil can slow down the aging process of skin and fight psoriasis, a skin disease associated with dietary deficiency of fatty acids” (resource).
• “Moisturizing, regenerating and revitalizing, hemp oil is especially useful for dry, tired or dehydrated skin. Skin regeneration and hydration of dry mature skin are enhanced through the use of hemp oil. It increases the skin elasticity and water retention capacity in tissues” (resource).

In addition to all of these positive health benefits associated with the use of hemp oil, there seems to be a complete lack of negative effects from its consumption. To date, there has been no reported cases of toxicity from the ingestion of hemp seed oil. (resource)

How do I use hemp oil? Good question!

• Healing Salve
• Hemp Lippie
• Rejuvenating Lotion
• Paul-Screen
• Oil Pulling/ Swishing*
• In the kitchen**

With the oil pulling I mix 5 drops of peppermint oil, in 1/4 cup of Hemp Oil. Each night before bed I swish 1 teaspoon of this mixture in my mouth for 20 minutes. Then I spit it out, and rinse with water. My teeth and gums have never felt better! In the kitchen I replace hemp oil for vegetable oil in any recipe that calls for it! I even use hemp oil to lubricate the pan when baking or cooking on the stove top!

I began making this blend over a year ago. Each time I would run out of the perfume I was crafting for myself, I would create a new version with more knowledge about the oils than the previous time. After I changed the main essential oils around and selected the three that I would use, I had to experiment with the amount of each oil; drop by drop.

Part of the reason I took so long to perfect this blend was stubbornness, it was never perfect enough. The other things that factored in were the life events that took place during the last year of my life. It's wild to think about while I'm writing this post, but the photos were taken in our homestead.

When we moved out of our homestead it all happened so quickly that I misplaced my lovely blend. Instead of making a new bottle, I created an alternative version, a mist. I will share both versions with you in this post. The blend and the spray.

The amazing thing is the way I love them both, they are similar but vastly different. A good friend told me once to listen to my body. That I would know when I need something, and usually what it was. I didn't do a lot of research about the effect the oils in this blend have on the mind until after I perfected it.

There have been times when I feel my body craving this blend. I know, it sounds silly but I'm serious. Once I realized the physical, mental, and emotional aspects this blend helped to heal it made perfect sense. So I will share those with you as well.

At one point I thought I would bottle this blend and sell it as ApotheKayla Signature Blend. Instead my friends, I will share the recipe.

Oil Blend

Find a fancy atomizer bottle here.

In a 15 ml bottle fill with carrier oil of choice leaving enough room at the top for the essential oils. I have used both rose-hip oil and fractionated coconut oil.
11 drops of patchouli essential oil
7 drops of wild orange essential oil
4 drops of ylang ylang essential oil

Spray/ Mist
In a 4 oz glass bottle with fine mist atomizer spray attachment fill with witch-hazel.
15 drops of patchouli essential oil
10 drops of wild orange essential oil
6 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
*with the spray version you will need to shake the mixture before you use it each time.

Based on the book Emotions & Essential Oils, which a dear friend sent me, this blend was also developed on a deep level of intuition that I didn't realize I had tapped into. The oils used in this blend are healing for the mind and spirit on an aromatic level. The oils ylang ylang, patchouli, and wild orange all center around self awareness, spiritual healing, and clearing out negative emotions/ energies so you can be the dream version of yourself with new empowering emotions/ energies.

On a physical level the oil is revitalizing for your skin and your energy levels. It is healing for women, with essential oils that heal many known problems that women come across throughout life. It also balances the part of our brains that are known for chemical imbalance, so it is a mood stabilizer.

This blend is very dear to me. Not only do I enjoy the scent all day long, I enjoy the way I feel when I wear it. I love having friends and family say "what are you wearing... that scent is amazing". I also think that some people don't quite understand how excited I get to share a sample with them. I love sharing it with friends so I figured now would be a great time to add it to my blog!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm hosting at the end of the month!

Until next time, be well!

Do you enjoy the pleasures of homemade soap? So do I!

I have been making my own health and beauty products for almost two years now and I always wanted to make my own soap, but I was afraid of working with Lye. My first tip in this post: Don't let Lye scare you away from making soap.

We have made two different batches now and while there is a science to it, there is also a special sequence of events needed to make the perfect apple pie.

The rewards of making soap are many, and I knew I would love being able to customize my soap with different ingredients and textures but I was so afraid of the Lye. I had my bottle of Lye for at least four months before I attempted making soap. It sat high on the shelf mawking my fears... Okay so it wasn't that bad. We were busy and I knew making soap for the first time would require my full attention and a bit of research.

I am by no means a soap making expert, I wanted to write this blog post though to share the information that helped me when making soap as a beginner.

The first thing you should do is read over this post. It tells you which tools you will need and has a step by step guide for the process. This post does recommend to open plenty of windows for proper ventilation when using Lye but we prefer to take it outside until the fumes die down.

Once you have a good grip on the tools and basic steps you can dive right in to the fun part: choosing ingredients!!

You can use a plethora of ingredients in soap making but you have to start with a few basics. You will need to use a good base oil such as hemp, coconut, or extra virgin olive oil in any recipe you make. My preference of course is hemp and coconut oils but when we left North Carolina I left my hemp oil in my mother's refrigerator so we used coconut and extra virgin olive oil this time. In our first batch of soap we used hemp and coconut oil.

I suggest using this calculator when choosing your base oils to ensure you get the right outcome. This calculator helps you figure out exactly how much Lye and water to use based off of the oils you choose.

You can choose to make a plain, unscented batch of soap and then grate it down later to melt and add scents or you can go all out and add dried herbs, exfoliates, essential oils, and colorants.

I forgot to take photos when we made our first batch of soap, but this time I took some throughout the entire process. For our first batch of soap I used only patchouli essential oil because I wanted to make sure I had the process down pat before I started adding the fun stuff! We wanted to make sure if there were any problems we could easily replicate the recipe and figure out what went wrong.

When I say we I mean my husband and myself. My husband has helped me both times and I strongly suggest having a friend help you as well. Its always nice to have an extra set of hands and someone who can help measure the temperatures when you get to that point.

This time when we made soap, after doing research, I decided to replace water with organic green tea (make sure it has reached room temperature before mixing with Lye). I also chose to add used coffee grounds as a light exfoliant and we used patchouli, ylang ylang, and clary sage essential oils.

One variability that we didn't account for was the temperature differences we go through on any given day while living in an RV. While our soap did set up in the end it took longer than normal and I'm guessing it may take a little longer to cure as well.

Yes, that's right we made soap while living in an RV so if we can do it in our tiny-home you can too!




When choosing essential oils for soap I like to look at their properties before I decide on the scents that I like. That may seem a little backwards but the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of the soap are amazing in the long run.

Once I chose the oils for their properties I took care to blend them properly and make sure I would like the scent. When blending oils you should not just add 10 drops of each oil, you need to blend them in a precise manor.

For essential oil reference I suggest these books: Modern Essentials and Emotions & Essential oils. Modern Essentials is my essential oil bible and I was just recently introduced to the Emotions & Essential Oils book, I love it already.

The soap we made from the recipe above has the physical benefits of healthy cell growth, balance of skin and scalp (helps with healing skin including wrinkles, stretch marks, and dandruff on the scalp), soothes nervous tension, and hormonal balance (men and women).

Along with the physical benefits of the essential oils in this blend there are emotional benefits as well.

Patchouli "supports individuals in becoming fully present in their physical body... patchouli brings confidence in the body, as well as grace, poise and physical strength" (1).

Ylang Ylang is the oil of the inner child. Emotions & Essential Oils says: "Ylang Ylang reconnects an individual with the child self and the pure, simple ways of the heart... this oils allows emotional healing to flow naturally, nurturing the heart through the process" (1).

According to that book Clary Sage "assists in opening creative channels and clearing creative blocks. It eliminates distractions from the mind and assists individuals in finding a state of emptiness where creative forces may be realized" (1).

So... if you are thinking about creating a home made product that can help to restore your mind and body soap should be at the top of your list. Again, there is a science to it and you should make sure you plan research time and adequate prep time.

Making soap on your own is very rewarding and a useful way to be creative. Let me know in the comments below if you have made soap before and which ingredients you like to use!

Looking for essential oils? Send me an email, I can give you all the details!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my DIY pH perfect shampoo!

 Sources:
1:Emotions & Essential Oils (Second ed.). (2013). American Fork, Utah: Enlighten.

After reading about how to make a diffuser necklace and seeing one of my favorite bloggers write an article about them a while back I thought I would give it a try!

Diffuser charms are very interesting but simple to make.

When you wear the Terracotta against your skin and your body heats up the clay, it diffuses the scent of the essential oil into the air.
Terracotta sculpting clay is extremely inexpensive and easy to work with.

The first thing you have to do when working with the terracotta clay is to warm it up by squeezing it in your hands like a stress ball. Then when the clay is easily mold-able you will lay it out on an old cookie sheet.

Use cookie cutters or an X-acto knife to cut the shape you plan to work with.Then use a small straw or instrument to make the hole at the top, where you will later place the string.

Here is the fun part, the design! You can use rubber stamps, the x-acto knife, a regular pencil with
sharpened point or just use your fingers to create the perfect charm for you!

You can press tiny shells or crystals into your charm as well!

Pre-heat your oven to 275 degrees. Then place the cookie sheet you used to make the charms into the oven for 3 minutes. *Please keep a close eye on your charms to ensure they do not burn*

From my experience you may want to use bake a test charm. Make sure the thickness of the charms you are not testing are the same size as the test charm and you should be good!

Once your charms are out of the oven give them a few minutes to cool, pop them off of the tray, and add your hemp cord or string to turn it into a necklace!

Drop one drop of your favorite essential oil onto the grooves of the charm. Allow the oils to soak into the clay for a few minutes.

Then all you have to do is wear it and bask in your cleverness and aromatherapy all day!

I'm sure you have heard the old saying: "A place for everything and everything in its place"! Do you know why this phrase is so important? Let me tell you!

When you begin the switch to all holistic products, and you plan to create your own having all of your tools, ingredients, and containers in one place makes a huge difference.

At our last house my wonderful husband built me a custom desk with little nooks and crannies for ingredients and tools. I also had an Italian built cabinet that displayed my collection of tiny vintage bottles.

Since we are moving into our camper over the next two weeks I have had to really consider the space I will have to store my apothecary goods. I have narrowed my bottles/ containers down to a small box.

A photo of my old desk

All of my ingredients are in one huge Rubbermaid tote and will have to be organized to fit in the few spare cabinets we will have left.

While I may not have a lot of space I feel it is very important to keep all of these items organized because when I need to find the ingredients for my all natural stomach soother in the middle of the night I don't want to have to dig through every cabinet.

There are also times when I have friends or family around and I am so excited to share holistic remedies with them that I find out what ailment I can provide a remedy for and head straight to my apothecary station.  

In my book, the first thing I recommend is to set up your space.  I also give a complete list of the tools I like to keep on hand and suggestions for setting up your own space.

I wanted to talk specifically about organization though.

When you begin thinking of a place you plan to keep your apothecary station think of a temperate location that is out of direct sunlight. Exposure to sunlight will decrease the shelf life of natural ingredients and essential oils.

If you have small children or pets you will want to keep your items out of reach, or inside of cabinets if you have cats like we do!

My vintage bottle collection, at our last house.

Start collecting small containers to corral small items. Install small hooks for things like measuring spoons and pot holders.

I asked my awesome husband to install bookshelf's on my desk for reference books, this really came in handy.

I also have office supplies on hand for labeling purposes; like labels, stickers, and permanent markers.

A spare notepad comes in handy when you are experimenting with a new recipe and want to write it down in-case it is a winner!

When you have a home for every item you will be more likely to return that item to its home so that you and your family (if they are allowed to use your space without supervision) will know where to find the goods!


I can't wait to share my new apothecary space with you all. It will be tiny, but it will also be efficient. I will make sure of that.

Do you have a personal apothecary space? Share it with me on my facebook page I would love to see it!

Thanks for reading and let me know your favorite organization tips in the comments section. I may just use one of them in my new space! -Kayla

So many people tell you to avoid tanning beds or getting too much sun.. and they are right. However if you enjoy a good tan, but don't want to ruin your skin the best way to go is with exfoliation before sun exposure.

I highly advise the use of an all natural sun screen, and yes you will get a tan through the sunscreen. So be "sun-smart". Exfoliate in the shower,
slather on sunscreen, and limit your time of exposure.

This recipe is the same as my all natural sugar scrub, but this specific recipe is sun safe!

You will want to avoid using any citrus oils during the summer on your skin, specifically if you use the oil in a spot that gets a lot of sun; i.e. face, arms, legs.

The recipe is:
-1 cup of Raw sugar
-1/4 cup of carrier oil*
-5 drops of therapeutic Lavender essential oil.

-Mix together in the container of your choice & use!

I used Lavender in this recipe because Lavender is soothing, healing, and protective.

If you want to avoid the pesky skin fungus so many people get in the summer Lavender will help that too because of it's anti-fungal properties!

*for the carrier oil, naturally I prefer Hemp Oil. You can use sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, or fractionated coconut oil.


"Wait one second.. why should I care about exfoliation?"

Good question!!

Exfoliation helps to break away the old dead skin on your body, exposing healthy skin and helping to maintain the balance of your skin cycle: & yes there is such a thing!!

Exfoliation is great before going into the sun because your skin is able to evenly absorb the sun rays, and does so more quickly.

***Which means you don't have to get a sunburn to prove you enjoyed your Summer!***

Let me know what you think about this recipe in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, make sure to stay safe in the sun and remember Sharing is Caring! Share this post with those you love!

This may be a very random post, but it is one that I wish I had read before we went to the beach last summer. I have several essential oils and home made toiletries but which ones are important enough to carry with me to the beach for family vacation and which ones would be useful in an emergency situation?


You never know which oil you will need but if you know your families health well enough you can plan ahead and pack for things that you, your husband, or your kids experience often (such as heartburn, nausea, sunburn, headaches, etc). Each family will be different because we all have different needs.

This is the list I made:

Single Oils: Eucalyptus Oil, Wintergreen Oil, & Peppermint Oil (email me to find out where I buy my oils).

Oil Blends: Stomach Soother (Includes Peppermint, Lemon, and Rosemary) which works wonders for nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, and helps my husband if he has a gallstone attack (literally stops the attack from happening).

I also carry: Healing Salve, Dandy Oil, Hemp lippie, and mineral makeup(for a light sunscreen on my face and because I love it)!

I carry the basics as well; homemade fluoride-free toothpaste, deodorant, hairspray, perfume, & soap (recipe coming soon).

Believe it or not all of these items fit in a very small space. I want to continue making conscious choices while we travel as well as at home. Last summer I forgot to bring any oils and we had to leave the family trip early to come home to get my oils... not fun.

I could also condense these items down into travel sized containers, but for the most part I make small batches of everything to ensure it doesn't spoil (no problems with that so far).

I guess I should quit blogging and start packing, I may not have internet access so if I'm quiet for a few days you know why!

Thanks for reading, remember.. "Sharing is Caring"!