What's your Favorite Essential Oil Contest!

What is your Favorite Essential Oil

Evryone Leaving a comment will be entered into a drawing for a

 "FREE Orange Essential Oil"  or a $10.00 Gift Certificate  

Winners Choice

If you're like me,  you'll find it hard to make a decision  to pick JUST ONE favorite Essential Oil as a favorite.   I it's a very close tie between the peppermint and the tea tree oils,  however when I look at the bottles, they tell me that I've used a lot more of the Tea Tree Oil,  But then again there is peppermint in my magnesium lotion that I use daily.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to share.

Drawing will be held at 9pm central time on April 30, 2014

Check out my Jordan Essentials Web Store

Fact Friday: Essentials Oils and the Plague

act Friday

Have you ever thought to stop and ask yourself  "How many of today's everyday items were the result of an accidental find".   Something that someone just stumbled upon? A lot of what I learn is shared by someone else,  but who was the first to learn that Orange Essential Oil  helps depression,  or that Lavender Essential Oil was great on burns (oh wait I know,  I addressed this a couple months ago on an earlier Fact Friday post).

Well here is an interesting fact about essential oils and the Plague,  a pure accident!

An interesting episode of essential oils was during the great epidemic of the Middle Ages known as the Bubonic Plague (1330 A.D.) that destroyed almost half of Western Europe’s population.  An enterprising band of thieves took advantage of the high mortality rate by robbing the dead without becoming infected by the disease. The thieves were eventually captured in Marseilles, France and put on trial.  The judge offered the thieves leniency if they would reveal how they managed to avoid the ‘Black Death.’ It turned out that the thieves were perfumers and spice traders.  By rubbing themselves with a blend of highly antibacterial aromatics, they had effectively immunized themselves.

Thank you to the Essential Oils overview and Reference guide.

Earth Day Recycling Tips . .

Tip Tuesday

Happy Earth Day!!

Here are a few great tips for recycling some of the Jordan Essentials Packaging in honor of Earth Day.

Lotion Bar Tin:   Use for storage of beads,  pins and other small items.   I've just sent some empty tins to my Niece for a girl scout project that she needed them for.

Salt Scub and Shea Butter Tubs:   These make great storage items for bitter stuff.  I keep one in my kitchen,  and put the  soda can tabs in (as one of the ladies in my office has a niece that saves them to make purses out of them).  When it's full I just hand the the tub and start on the next one.

Soap containers:  I keep one in my kitchen drawer,  and all the school award points that I get off the cans, bags and boxes that I use go in there.  Then when full I give it to my nephew for use at the kids school.

Fact Friday -- Essentials Oil use is Ancient!

act Friday

The use of essential oils is seeing a rebirth.  There has been a core group that has been using them all along,  but for many of us, it's something new, something that we want to learn more about,  myself included.  I'm on the search to learn more about them, how to use them and how they can be helpful to my family's well being.

We all know that the the "oil" are referred to in the bible,  but here is a little trivia fact from "Essential Oils Overview and Refernce Guide" that I found quite interesting and hope you will too.

Ancient Egyptians were among the first civilizations to recognize the therapeutic qualities of oils.  In the early 1800’s, papyrus, dating back to 1500 B.C., was found listing over 800 herbal prescriptions and remedies that included the use of many oils.  They had studied the chemical properties of essential oils, the development and refinement of the distillation process.  When King Tut's tomb was opened in the 1900s it had many jars with essential oil residue.  This story sometimes gets exaggerated but does confirm these oils have been used for millennia. 

Testimony Thursday! How it began . . .

This week I've been participating in "Open Heart - Open House"  on facebook.   I absolutely LOVE the testimony and the "why" of  their reasoning for starting a business.   For the first time Nancy Bogart, CEO of Jordan Essentials  shared her "why" of how her business got it's start.  It was very inspirational.

I guess I better share my JE story!

I started Jordan Essentials in my kitchen. We had three little boys at home and I did not want to go back to work when the bills were more than my bliss! 

My dear hubby kept saying “Nanc, you need to get a job.” What I heard was “Nanc bring in an income and you can be with the boys.”

I figured if I made some things people might buy them. I was always crafty, creative and tenacious! I was at Barns and Noble on a rare day in town, no kids in tow to see my sister in the hospital. I found a book on pioneer women and how they made soaps and lotions. They used bars of lard to moisturize their hands. My Grandmother had solid perfume bars too my sister and I would play with as we dressed up at Grandmas house. I started gathering ideas and saw a few things that inspired me and I invented the Lotion Bar. I was sure it would be a cool product and yet really worked! My Mom helped me pour all night long as we got ready for my first craft fair. We sold out! One week later we did again and after just 3 events we had sold over $7000 and we knew we had something. We have sold and hand poured almost 3 million bars to date!

We incorporated on faith Feb 8, 2000 as BarnzB Inc doing business as Country Bunny Bath and Body. BarnzB is Ben- Alex- Annya (she came along 3 years later) Ron- Nancy- Zak- Bogart Barnz B!

I love what this company has become and now we do business as Jordan Essentials bath and body, a family skin care company with a focus on wellness and effective products for the whole family.

I am still in awe of what the Lord has done in my life and the lives of so many others. We see people transformed, loved, honored, get well, feel pampered and educated on so many levels.

I often pinch myself to think this little house wife is trusted to run the company and serve so many people.  . . . . . 

What is your why?  Why do you do what you do?  Are you looking for something different?

Mother's Day is right around the corner.

I know that Easter is this weekend and I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend with my Husband.  However I have to say that my eyes are looking forward to Mother's Day.  

We always spend some time with my mother,  and talk to my Mother-in-Law on the phone,  however when I was on a leadership conference call on Monday,  a comment was made and it really got me thinking.  What about those  "Mothers" that don't receive anything.

Maybe if each one of us,  gave a "Mother's Day Gift"  to someone that we know,  just to let them know that we appreciate what they go through..   What about those single mom's who are working hard just to make ends meet.    What about our Military Wives, who's husband's are so far away and are raising the children with his long distance help.

Or the Auntie's and Grandma's that step up to the plate whenever needed to help.   Or a Homeless Mother living out of a shelter with her children.

I know that I will be giving a few extra Mother's Day gifts this year to let them know that they are appreciated for what they are doing.

Which Essential Oils Help to reduce stress?

I was asked to do a follow up post on what some of the Essential Oils are that help to reduce stress.

Frankincense:  This essential oil is used to alleviate stress and relieve pain

Patchouli:   Helps with sleep, stress, and anxiety.  There is a reason it was popular in the 60's!

Ylang-Ylang:  Known to help with PMS and super stressed symptoms to chill out.  Melts away tension, anxiety and stress for centuries!

I am familiar with these three as it's what is combined with Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil in the "Peace" Blend that I use regularly.  I am sure that there are other oils out there that can help,  one just needs to do their homework.

Tuesday Tip: April 15th can you say Stress

April 15th is a MAJOR STRESS generator for many of us.   While I personally take the easy way out and file an extension.  I know many others are focused on getting this out of the way so that they don't have to worry about it further.

Essential Oils and Herbal blends are a GREAT way to help relieve some of that stress.

Here is a quick tip to help.   Take your herbal blend roll in a circular motion on one hand.  Rub hands together and cup hands together and breathe deep.

If you're able to take a 5 minute break at your desk or find a quiet place away from the kids and use the blend on pressure points on your hands or massage the back of you neck.   If you are a praying person, recite your favorite Scripture and breathe deep.  Apply to palms and behind the ear.

** On a personal note,  I take the easy way and just use the Jordan Essentials Herbal Support Blend "Peace"

Here I come!

So excited,  it's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to attend any of the 3 Regional Conference for American Business Women's Association.   I just celebrated by 24th anniversary of being a member of this wonderful organization,  and I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today as a person or as a business owner if it had not been for the organization and friend that I've developed along the way.

It's in my own back yard this year,  so I made plans to attend, and so looking forward to spending the time with some of  my friends and catching up with so many others.

I always seem to fill my schedule up,  when I'm not in classes,  or shopping with the vendors to socialize and network.   Just love it now,  20 plus years ago when I joined the organization, I can honestly say that networking with people I didn't know scared me to death. . . Now I'm addicted!

Also looking forward to hearing Suzette Peoples a dear friend,  and Debbie Holliday my accountant who are both candidates for District II Vice President.   I wish them both well as well as the others who are vying for that same position.  Having held that office myself in the past,  I know what a growth experience this will be for them.

My poor husband can't understand why my choice to pay for a motel room when it's only a 45 minute drive.  It's because it give me "girl time with my best buds as we're sharing the room"  and when I finally finish for the day,  it'll give me a few more hours of sleep. (seems I'm not as young as I used to be).   Then it's up early to start all over again.  That he understands. . . What he has problems understanding is why if I'm only going for two nights and I'll be home Saturday evening. . . . why is there so much in my suitcase!

Well you need a change of clothes for every day,  then you need the dressy outfit,  and the kick back and relax outfit.  The extra tops in case something does not quite make it from the plate to the mouth.  Then an extra top just in case one of the others just does not look right!  Then add the makeup, hair stuff and other bathroom stuff and sure enough  a full suitcase!

Well I'm out of work at 4 and headed down to the Marriott Town Square in Sugar Land. . .


**  Note to my regular readers Thursday is normally "testimony day",  however since I'm participating in a blog challenge this month I'm changing it up for the moment.

Essential Oils -- What is Blending

"Blending"  Essential Oils . . .  was not a term that I was familiar with and then Jordan Essentials launched 5 blends that I'm loving.   So once again that NEED TO KNOW was driving me to find out more about the elaborate process of blending.

It turns out that I've been blending on my own with out realizing there was an official name!   It's been in several of my previous posts,  but without the "Official Name of Blending".   Taking both lavender and eculyptus and mixing together with lotion for my cough is "blending".    Taking Peppermint and Orange and mixing with sunflower oil is actuall y "blending".    I have to say that it's blending on the very basic level.

However,  when digging much deeper into the research,  Essential Oils container "NOTES"  and each of the oils falls into a different  note.   Some are TOP Notes,  while others are MIDDLE Notes and then there are your BASE notes.  One could spend a lot of time mixing and combining to find just the "BLEND" that you want.

Personally I love using the blends,  that are more complicated that someone else has taken the time and trouble to develop and test.

Here are some of my favorite blends:

Happiness:  I've been using this one for about a year,  and it's been a big help with my hot flashes.   It blends Rose, Sage, Citrus blengds, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine essential oils.  I use this in both a spray and lotion.

Lemongrass Citrus:  This I use whenever I'm outdoors to help protect me from bug bites.  It containers  Lemongrass, Orange and Geranium  (even my husband loves this one) and puts it on before going out.  Use it in both lotion and spritzer.

Engery:  Got me through work during the month of March when my allergies were so bad.  It's a blend of Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemon and Eucalyptus oils.

Sleep:   This one I use on my husband and it helps him.   Lavender, Neroli, Sweet Orange and Chamomile  (just put it on his big toes,  and he's sleeping so much better)

There are other blends that I'm looking to try, and can't wait to report back on how they are working.

Tip Tuesday: Try this Tip for sleeping better!

Tuesday Tip:
        Sleep Better


Spray Lavender Mint on your pillow to help you sleep

As you may notice,  my last few blog posts have been focusing on how to use "Essential Oils".   I love that blending them together (or in a pre-packaged blend) can help you.   This would fall in to the "Inhaling" category of use that we discussed in yesterdays blog post.   

Just a spritz or two can make all the difference between a restless night and a sound sleep.

Inhaling Essential Oils

As promised today I am sharing about the different ways to "INHALE" essential oils.    I've always been one for opening the bottle and breathing in.   I have used the Tea Tree Oil for years to help with my allergies.  The I did my research and  it was almost like a "duh" moment.   Thinking to myself why didn't I think of that!

One of my favorites is the  STEAM Method.   I've been using a version of this by dropping a three or four drops in a hot shower to help in clearing up my nasal passages,  in the morning.  Then I was out of luck.  For some reason I never thought about boiling a bowl of water adding the essential oils and breathing in while placing a towel over my head and breathing deeply (at least trying)  for relief during the day.   It is suggested that when using the towel,  to be sure and keep your eyes closed as it's very potent.   

• TIP:  Try using swimming goggles to protect children's eyes when using this method.

Humidifiers:  Like many of us,  we keep a humidifier at home for the kids.  I keep a small one in my travel bag as I never know when the extremely dry air will bother me.   Never though of putting the essential oils in it,  until the doctor told me to add some eucalyptus oil to it to help with my allergies last month.  I travel with my essential oils,  so adding them when needed is not a problem.   Might even add the Orange and Peppermint for a great smelling motel room  next time.

Dry Evaporation:  Add several drops of essential oil onto a cotton  ball and set on your desk,  or by you while you are watching TV.  Need a stronger dose then just pick it up and sniff it.  

• TIP:  I'm told that if you have a spider problem,  put some peppermint on a cotton ball and stick it in a corner near where you are having the problem,  it will help take care of the problem    

Spray:  Mix a few drops of essential oils in a water based solution an spray the sir  to deodorize a room or set a mood.     Personally I love mixing it with a base spray that I get from Jordan Essentials.

• TIP:   Try mixing Orange and Peppermint together for that Holiday feeling,  or peppermint for to stimulate alertness.

I have to admit that I'm learning daily about essential oils,  some of it is by trail and error,  but I'm enjoying the discovery.   Please feel free to check out some of my older posts for more tips and information about essential oils.

You are invited to contact me directly for more information while I continue on my quest for more knowledge on healthier living with essential oils.

Topical Use of Essential Oils

Topical:  Applying directly onto the skin

One of the hardest things for me to understand was how many drops of essential oils to how much of the carrier.

One of the first things that I learned was that Essential Oils when used Topically should always be mixed with a "carrier".  Some of the common carriers are   coconut oil,  sunflower oil,  nut oils, vegetable oil, grape seed oil and my personal favorite lotion.   Personally I use the unscented lotion then add whichever essential oil(s) I want to use.

I place about a  half or full teaspoon of the carrier in my palm,  and about 3 drops of my desired essential oil and rub into the chosen area.

Headaches -- I get a lot of tension and allergy related headaches.  So my first line of defense is peppermint and the lotion.   I'll rub it in the back of my neck, behind my ears and at my temples.   TIP:  One thing that I've learned is that when rubbing on my temples to be sure to bub closer to my hairline and into my hair line, as when I put the  peppermint/lotion to close to my eyes they water a lot.

Cough --  I had a horrible time with seasonal allergies for the entire month of March,  and had a horrible cough set in.    I took  Lavender and Eucalyptus 2 drops of each and rubbed the bottoms of my feet.  It lessons my cough enough to help me and let my husband get some sleep.

Insect Bites  --  I'm one of those people that when bitten by a bug,  it gets big and huge and itches to the point  that I just know I'll go insane.   Tea Tree oil has been my favorite,  mixed  with oil or lotion,  I rub it on the bit and immediate area and I have almost immediate relief from the itching,  and it helps prevent the swelling that I get.

Burns:  Ever tried using your curling iron when you start coughing,  not a smart thing.  I had been told and read over and over that Lavender was great on burns.  However I was Leary about using it for the first time because of my "floral" allergies.   But a curling iron burn is no fun,  so I mixed a little lavender oil with our sunflower oil and rubbed it on.  Immediate relief and no ill effects from the scent of lavender.   While the sunflower oil does not contain a real scent,  I was hoping that it would dilute the "scent enough".

I am becoming a true believer in the use of essential oils in the day to day lives of my family.

The Question: How do I use Essential Oils . . . .

Personally I was so excited when Jordan Essential came out with the Essentials Oils.  It's something that I always wanted to know more about,  however I was totally clueless on where to start.    So with the Training that we received from the home office when they were launch, it provided me the base to move forward, and move forward with excitement I did.    I can honestly say that I will turn to my essential oils before the medicine cabinet.

Like many people I had made a "lot of assumptions" about essential oils,  and I have to be honest and admit that many of them were WRONG!

FACT:  There are 3 basic ways to use essential oils   "Inhaling",  "Topical" and by mouth.   Turns out that this was the one thing that I knew going in that was not wrong.

FACT:  When using on your skin directly it should always be combined with a carrier oil or lotion.    This one surprised me as I had been using Tea Tree oil on my bites and allergies for sometime.  However,  when I purchased the Tea Tree Oil (numbers times) no one ever mentioned this.   So,  I started doing research on my own on the trusty web,  in books and asking more questions.    Everything I read told me that yes "high grade therapeutic essential oils"  should be combined with a carrier oil.

FACT: To inhale there are numerous ways not just opening the bottle and smelling,  or dropping a few drops in the shower.    There were both ways that I was doing it . . . but there are some other great ways to do this that I will be sharing in the days to come.

FACT:   Essential Oils are not just for allergies and bug bites.  I've enjoyed learning about some of the wonderful other things that Essential Oils are good for.  There are so many more for me to research but some of my favorites are stress reduction,  help with acid reflux, help with headaches,  IBS,  Menopause and I'm looking forward to learning more about.

FACT:  That the best place to apply the oil is on the spot in question.  To my surprise there are so many places to apply your essential oils that have nothing to do with the location on your body.  Never would have thought about ears and feet.

Over the next few Blog posting I'll be sharing more about the various uses of essential oils and other interesting facts.

Fact Friday: Women Owned Businesses

Women Business Owners have always been near and dear to my heart.   You see having been through the struggles myself in starting our Industrial Storage business,  I firmly believed that when you are starting a business you are going to make mistakes,  a lot of it trail and error to see what works and what does not work.  Heck I'm still finding new mistakes to make 20 years later.

In the past I spend a lot of time mentoring women owned businesses,  in the hopes that I could help them avoid making some of the mistakes that I've made in the past.  For awhile I sat on the Women's Advisory Board at one of the incubators helping start up businesses as a volunteer.

I gave a presentation last month about how I've grown my business with help from other's, to one of the local business leagues of American Business Women's Association and was asked by several how to go about starting a business or entering direct sales (blog post on how to choose a Direct Sales Company), so I thought I would take some time to share some great information.

The below are some of the highlights from an email from Yolanda Garcia Olivarez from the SBA.

By Yolanda Garcia Olivarez, Regional Administrator

In the last several weeks, I have travelled around the Region to visit with mayors, chamber presidents and economic development leaders.  At each stop, from Houston to Albuquerque to Austin to Brownsville, Texas, I had the pleasure to meet with our women’s business center directors and tour women-owned businesses. 

I continue to be inspired and energized by their creativity, passion and strength.  Women prove every day they not only build families, but they build enterprises.  They are changing lives and changing communities.  Today, women-owned firms are strong in 8 of the 13 most popular industries, especially construction and transportation.

It’s a good time to be a woman-owned business.  If you are still wondering where to begin, I encourage you to connect with one of the SBA’s Women Business Centers.  There are 19 Centers in the South Central Region states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, waiting to provide the advice and resources you need to start and thrive. ..............

• Over 8.6 million women-owned businesses in the U.S.
• Women-owned businesses generate over $1.3 trillion in revenues.
• Women-owned businesses employ 7.8 million people. 

Between 1997 and 2013, women-owned businesses increased by almost 60%, a rate 1 ½ times the national average. 

Some experts predict that in the next three years, women’s businesses will create more than half of the new small business jobs and a third of the nation’s total new jobs. 

There are also a lot of women entering  Direct Sales as a full time career. . . I've represented Jordan Essentials (A women owned business) for 14 years as not only does it give Women an opportunity to reach for something better,  adjust to leaving corporate America.   But the Direct Sales Industry brings with it considerable mentoring and training which ALL NEW business owners need.

There is NO doubt that women contribute very heavily to the success of the American Economy 

ThursdayTestimonial: Winning the Battle of Acne

When you look at my skin now,  it's hard to believe that I spent so many years battling acne.  Not only the pimples,  but the black heads and the white heads.    Yes,  a lot of my friends were going through the same thing,  however when their battles ended mine seemed to be ongoing.  Right through my teen years, into my 20's.   At 30 it was still a battle but luckily it was a fight that I was winning.

But when I see others going through the same problem,  I understand that it's just not about the battle of the bumps,  but can quickly become a battle of selfesteem.   Trying to blend into the background,  hoping that no one will notice all the blemishes.    That maybe if you  aren't around people,  then no one will stare at you or be insensitive enough to comment about the newest outbreak.

Since joining Jordan Essentials,  I've learned a lot more about acne.  Including that for many it's not simply a matter of washing your face daily,  but a bacterial problem.  I've seen how that effects the selfesteem of those fighting the battle.

One of our Jordan Essentials customers  (pictures shared with permission), was fighting the Acne battle,  and agreed to the before pictures,  even though she was uncomfortable with anyone taking her pictures because of  her problem.

In winning her battle was important to understand it was a process  but one that helped her to improve her selfesteem.   

The world is tough enough and we're happy that we were able to help Marianna WIN!

Face Care Steps

Why Wednesday: How do you decide?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be interviewed during a "google hangout" sponsored by "Shepreneur's Virtual International Trade Show".   It was a great experience,  I spoke a little about Jordan Essentials and why I choose it over every other company that I looked at 13 years ago.  I know how hard of a decision it was for me then.  So with so many more companies out there it has to be even more difficult now.

While I LOVE to talk about Jordan Essentials.  Our discussion was based on HOW and WHY I made my decision and how does someone made the decision to join  "ABC Direct Sales Company".   You can fill in that blank with any type of company.

For me it's a process.  I wanted to make the right decision,  at least the right decision for me.   A lot of people that join a direct sales company get caught up in the excitement of the party.  While like most I am an emotional buyer,  when it comes to business I like to believe that I'm very level headed.   After spending years mentoring women's start up businesses as a volunteer mentor I was able to see first hand what tools and resources are available,  how they make a difference.  I could see the difference the change in mind set could be.   I was in awe of the women who knew what they wanted and went after it virus those that just grabbed at the first thing the saw because the were trying to stay afloat.

The REASON for joining a company is almost always a perceived need or wish,  while the decision to work your business and stay with your business may evolve into something completely different.

My first step was to decide what I wanted in a company . . .  training? great products?  consumable?

Next was what I did not want . . .  requirements for certain things?  (be sure to read the fine print here)

Flexibility in my business . . .  so that I work it when and how I want

Training  . . another important thing for me

Other items that made my WANT list:

          American Made Products

          Family Friendly Products

          Marketing support

          Would I be alone or was support there . . . 

Other people have other things that are important to them . . .but make your list.   Make your pros and cons for each company you are considering. . . What do you LOVE about them?   What do you NOT like about them?   Do the Love's outweigh the don't likes?     Are there trade offs your willing to make?

When you have your short list,  talk to the consultants,  see if the personality of the person you are looking at signing up under and your personality are compatible.   Is she the mentor you need,  or the task master you require?  A drill Sargent or more laid back and relaxed?   You know what you need,  so don't be afraid to ask.

This process is much the same for all successful  "Shepreneur's",  the questions can and will be different at some point.  With a little bit of homework,  you can be successful in the Direct Sales business of your choice. 

Tuesday Tip: Help for Colds and Allergies

Those that know me,  know that at least twice a year I have a major allergy attack,  as I'm sensitive for almost anything that blooms.   Here in Houston,  Mother Nature could not decide if it was going to be winter and spring. . . so I've been on an allergy roller coaster ride.  

However I have to say the our Jordan Essential Oils   "Tea Tree" and "Eucalyptus".    I would just remove the cap and breath in deep.   I would drop a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in the shower with me.  In addition I would add our Eucalyptus oil to our humidifier. . .

Here is a GREAT and EASY tip to follow to help you through, oh what a different it made for me.

Cough and cold? Want some relief from the congestion naturally? Try using Jordan Essential Tea Tree Essential Oil.

Tea tree oil is a powerful immune booster, making it great for any sort of infection of the respiratory system. Boil water ...

and add a few drops of tea tree oil to the water. After removing the water from the heat, put a towel over your head and breathe the healing comfort for 10-15 minutes.