The day I almost fainted in the washroom

I almost fainted in my office’s washroom just now. Why? Because the cleaner was spraying lots of air-freshener all over the washroom when I was inside. Small enclosed space and lots of air-freshener, not a good combination. I was trapped in that toxin-laden enclosed space for a good 10 minutes. I was doing my business halfway, and couldn’t leave fast enough. Now my throat has this weird uncomfortable feeling, and despite drinking a bottle of mineral water, I can’t get rid of the feeling.

WHY TOXIN LADEN?

Air-fresheners are used to create a pleasant smelling environment, and are readily available in all supermarkets. Are you aware that they contains lots of chemicals to neutralize offensive odors?

The basic ingredients in air fresheners are formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, 1,4 dichlorobenzene and aerosol propellants. Recently many of these chemicals have been investigated for their safety. Some common chemicals found in air fresheners have been found to be toxic to humans and may increase the incidence of many different health problems. Natural and healthy air fresheners are now being used as alternatives to conventional air fresheners in order to minimize health hazards and environmental pollution.

FORMALDEHYDE

Do check out my earlier post on the harmless effects of formaldehyde on our body.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/essentialwellnessyl/permalink/771105233067393/

PETROLEUM DISTILLATES

Petroleum distillates, also known as petrochemicals or hydrocarbons are extracted by distillation during the refining of crude oil. They are commonly used in heating agents, gasoline, and of course, solvents. Research shows that being exposed to petroleum distillates increases the risk of developing undifferentiated connective tissue disease. UCTD is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that can include symptoms from or lead to connective tissue diseases such as lupus, scieroderma, polymyositis, vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, or fibromyalgia. Petroleum distillates can also cause chemical pneumonia and interfere with the lungs’ functions. And of course, death is a possibility if inhaled or swallowed.

1,4 DICHLOROBENZENE

1,4 dichlorobenzene can affect us when breathed in and by passing through our skin, it should be handled as a carcinogen. Breathing 1,4 dichlorobenzene can irritate the nose and throat causing coughing and wheezing, while exposure to  1,4 dichlorobenzene can cause headaches, dizziness, swelling around the eyes, nausea and vomiting. Repeated exposure can damage the nervous system causing weakness, trembling and numbness in the arms and legs. It may also damage the liver, kidney and affect blood cells causing anemia.

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I am definitely not going to use these toxin-laden air-freshener in my household. Ruining our health for the sake of nicer smelling environment doesn’t make sense at all. And why do we need to use these toxin-laden air-freshener when there are nicer smelling and healthier alternatives available to us. I will use Young Living essential oils to freshen my air anytime, and at the same time supporting our overall well-being.

There are many simple ways that you use Young Living essential oils to freshen up your air and environment

– DIY Spray – In a 100ml bottle, fill it with 50% distilled water and 50% witch hazel, and add 10-20 drops of your favorite Young Living essential oil. Purification, Lemongrass, Orange and Lemon essential oils are some of my preferred choices. They smells nice, neutralize odors and are relatively inexpensive. The prices start from S$18 for a 15ml bottle (member price), and they can last you quite long.

– Drip a few drops of your favorite Young Living essential oils on a cotton ball, wooden scent ball, or even on your toilet paper roll to freshen up the space instantly.

– Diffuse your favorite Young Living essential oil using a aroma diffuser and enjoy hours and hours of fresh and lovely smelling air.

– DIY Reeds Diffuser with Young Living essential oils. A simple recipe to follow

1 small glass bottle

Reeds

1/3 Distilled Water

2 tablespoon of Rubbing alcohol

20 drops of your chosen essential oils

These are just some ideas to freshen your air with essential oils, there are many many more options!

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I’m still stuck in the office now, I shall do a steam tent with RC essential oil to cleanse out my airway and hopefully reduce whatever toxins that my body have come in contact with in that 10 minutes.

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.

Palo Santo aka Holy Wood

Palo Santo essential oil should only be distilled from Palo Santo Trees that have been dead for a while; the longer the tree has been dead, the more powerful the oil is. Palo Santo wood has been used traditionally for spiritual purifying, energy cleansing and healing; it inspires creativity, evokes protection, infuses blessings and brings love and good fortune.

Because I only have 1 day of lead time before I move in to cleanse my new house, I didn’t have the luxury to diffuse a few essential oils. Hence after my research, I have decided Palo Santo is the one. Given more time, I will have started with Sage, White Angelica and lastly Palo Santo.

Why I wanted to diffuse Palo Santo in my new house?
– To cleanse the house of any negative energies and also energies of the previous occupants. And to protect the house from ‘new’ negative energies.

– I am a little superstitious when it comes to moving into a new house. It has been left empty for 2 months, and I am worried about unseen guests. (dun judge me k 😛)

– To bless the new house with everything good. After diffusing Palo Santo for 2 hours, I stopped the diffusers for an hour before restarting again. This time, I started activating the house with positive intentions. Say a positive affirmation, like “May we be blessed with joy, harmony and abundance in this home”.

Palo Santo is also an essential oil that will seal in your intentions. When using Palo Santo for sealing intention, you got to be very clear and focus about your intention. I like to apply a drop of Palo Santo on my 3rd eye chakra clockwise direction, while speaking my positive intention. This has worked very well for me!

Palo Santo also has a lot of therapeutic health benefits, will have to share that in another post next time!

#essentialwellness#essentialwellnessyl#steffiesam#newhouse#energy#intention#palosanto

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.

☠ Formaldehyde – BAD BAD TOXINS ☠

Formaldehyde is a cancer-causing chemical. However, exposure to formaldehyde vapors can also produce a variety of short-term symptoms such as headaches, itchy and/or burning eyes and nose, asthma, respiratory difficulties, depression, insomnia, mental confusion, epistaxis (nose bleed), rashes, joint pains, disorientation, fatigue, laryngitis/hoarseness, nausea and vomiting.

Sound horrible isn’t it?

I just moved into my new house a few days back. Before we moved in, I was already here for 2 days cleaning up the place.

In areas of the house where there are more new cabinets, we felt a eye stinging effect and caused us all to become upset people, tearing away.

The worst area is in my walk in wardrobe, there is alot of carpentry work in a small enclosed area. OK, I spent a lot of time in that space, packing my clothes and looking into the mirror.

I have developed some discomfort with my eyes and throat. I have sensitive eyes and respiratory system. While the husband has the burning eyes effect.

That got us researching and found out that new manufactured wood furniture emits the highest amount of Formaldehyde, and lots of people associate Formaldehyde as the new furniture smell. 😱 No wonder we felt so awful.

Also note that Formaldehyde exists in alot of products we used daily
Air refresheners
Synethic essential oils
Cleaning products containing terpenes
Paper towels 😭
Cigarettes
Vehicle exhaust
Clothes treated with Formaldehyde
Body-care and skincare with Formaldehyde-donor preservatives
Coventional nail polish and nail polish remover
Toothpaste and dental products

And the list goes on…

I checked in the EO app that Purification essential oil blend helps to remove Formaldehyde. We have been diligently diffusing Purification essential oil throughout the house. I have diffuser running in each space, and wiped all my cabinet with thieves household cleaner.

On top of that, keeping the house well ventilated will help to get rid of the Formaldehyde in the house.

From this episode, I also realized the importance checking the ingredients of all the products we use for our family members and in the house.

Pm me if you like to find out how to buy Young Living products and how to live toxins-free.

#steffiesam#essentialwellnessyl#essentialwellness

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.

Itchy Itchy Scratchy Scratchy… No more with Melrose!

My house is super messy and super dusty now. We have dug out stuff that have been hidden for years inside the cabinet, buried under thick layer of dust.

Some are dumped into garbage bags, while some are given a good wipe and went into boxes.

My floor is dusty and my bed is dusty too. We are moving out in 4 days time.

Last night, I woke up middle of the night feeling itchy all over. I probably scratched for quite sometime before I got irritated enough to wake up. The itch is like under the skin, no matter how much I scratch, the itch just won’t go away.

I have parked almost all my essential oils into boxes, and there is a bottle of Melrose lying around. Because there is only a little bit left, and I wanted to diffuse all of it then throw away the bottle.

So I squeezed out the remaining few drops and applied all over my arms, legs, neck and body. I guess the itch went away, because I went back to sleep.

I will go dig out fresh bedsheets from the many many boxes and change my bedsheet tonight.

Melrose Essential Oil is a marvelous blend of essential oils that supports healthy skin. The oils in Melrose have traditionally been used for soothing skin.

These are the 4 essential oils in Melrose

Melaleuca alternifolia Essential Oil (Tea Tree Oil)
Melaleuca quinquenervia Essential Oil – a cousin to Tea Tree Oil
Rosemary Essential Oil
Clove Essential Oil

#essentialwellness #essentialwellnessyl #steffiesam #itchy #dusty#melrose

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.

Smudging with essential oils

Recently I got myself some white sage smudge sticks and got started with smudging the house weekly.

What’s smudging? It’s a traditional Native American practice to purify spaces and get rid of negative energies. It’s done using sacred dry herbs like Sage, Palo Santo and Lavender, and tied into a smudge stick. You burn the smudge sticks and infuse the space with smoke from the smudge sticks.

My first smudging was done by Faith using Palo Santo wood at a balcony, and the wind carry all negativity away from me. I was quite intrigued since that 1st experience. Hence I got my own smudge sticks.

I find it quite therapeutic to walk around the house with a smoking Sage smudge stick and fanning the the smoke with a feather. The house smells sagely (pun intended) after a smudging session. The kids think it’s a game and wanted to take turns walking around with the smoking smudge stick. Much to my hubby’s annoyance. At the same time, the hubby is quite concerned with the fire, smoke and ashes. We came to a compromise that I will do smudging with the smudge stick max once monthly.

Oh well, I can do smudging with my Young Living essential oils! I have Palo Santo essential oil, Sage essential oil and Lavender essential oil!

2 ways how to “smudge” with essential oils.
1. diffuse the selected essential oil in a diffuser, and let it run in each room for 30 mins.
2. Use a spray bottle with distilled water and add in a few drops of selected essential oil, then spray everywhere.

I personally prefer the diffuser method, as the mist from the diffuser can get to every corner of the house. Even to the dark corners in the wardrobe.

Remember to do “smudging” during the day when it’s bright and sunny. Cover all the corners in the house. Think and say positive affirmations while smudging. Keep a window or door open so negative energies can exit.

Some ideal (or necessary) times to smudge your aura and/or space would be:
1. When you move into a new living space
2. When you begin a new job or start your own business
3. Before and after guests enter your home
4. After an argument or any illness
5. Upon returning home from crowded situations, hospitals, funerals

#essentialwellness #smudging #youngliving

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.

House for Sale

So I’ve recently sold my HDB flat. It’s my first time selling a flat, and I didn’t realize there are so much administrative work and so much preparation work to do. My flat is definitely not in show-flat condition, and my property agent has advised me to ‘dress’ up my flat before he snap photos for marketing, and before potential buyers come view my flat. Later I realized ‘dress’ up my flat means to pack it neat, remove kiddo stickers on the wall, wipe off obvious stains on the walls, pack/throw away all my Young Living paper bags, boxes and etc.

Checklist
– Property Agent Hired – Checked
– Dress up my flat – Checked
– Marketing Photos – Checked
– Advertisement – Checked

I thought can sit down shake leg, and wait for potential buyers to grab my unit. Not wanting to leave things to chances, I google “how to sell a house”. There are interesting results. Apparently, scents play a HUGE part in house marketing. Some people will bake apple pie so that the house smell nice, inviting and conjure mental images of themselves cooking and enjoying a good meal in the house. Sorry, Steffie can’t cook or bake. If I attempt to do that, my house will be filled with burnt food smell, not too inviting.

No fear! I have Young Living essential oils. Apple pie baking in the kitchen is so amateur…. and so this is what I did (not all on the same day). I did take care that the scent are faint and light, so that it doesn’t seems deliberate.

Spa like House
Create a spa-like feel in your house. Remember how you feel when you step into a spa, soothing scent that relaxes you even before you undress, soak in an onsen and having the masseur work on your tense body. Diffuse Lemongrass/Purification in the living room. I also drip a drop of Lemongrass/Purification on the toilet floors to make them smells nicer (read no yucky smells).

Lemony-Fresh kitchen.
For me, when I view houses, I tend to spend a little more time in the kitchen to get a feel of the space. If any odors could be quite a turn-off. While a lemony-fresh kitchen conjures images of a clean and green kitchen, where I will whip up a feast for the family. Diffuse Citrus Fresh/Lemon/Lime/Bergamot/Orange/Tangerine in kitchen. Citrus oils are also good option to diffuse anywhere in the house, like the Dining room and Study room.

Sensual Master bedroom & Walk-in-Wardrobe.
Alright, I love Geranium and you know Geranium is a natural aphrodisiac right? (If you dun, I know you didn’t read about my Stop & Smell the Roses post :(). Master bedroom should feel inviting for the couple, and they should be able to imagine themselves relaxing in the room.
Walk-in-wardrobe is a my favorite place in the house, the lady in the house should be able to imagine herself getting dressed and looking sensual in that space. So I diffuse Geranium in the master bedroom and walk-in-wardrobe.

Peaceful and Relaxing Bedroom.
Bedrooms should be peaceful and relaxing, hence diffusing essential oils like Lavender/Peace & Calming/Citrus Fresh will helps. cough My kids do drool, and I may not be able to change the bedsheets before each visit, so thankfully the essential oils help combat that. shhhhh…

Tweak around the oils and see what works for your house k. Do try to diffuse oils that are generally accepted by most people. Diffusing Immupower or RutaVula may be big NO NO, even though they are so very useful.

#essentialwellness #houseforsale

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If you like to get in touch with me, please drop me an email at mailsteffie@yahoo.com.sg or sign up here to purchase Young Living essential oils.