Wellness Mama®
Simple Answers for Healthier Families
If you’ve followed my homemade cleaning and beauty recipes over the years, you know the important role aromatherapy and essential oils play around my home. (I might even be a little obsessed!) At the same time, you know that I’m careful to use essential oils safely and that I’m not afraid to speak out against the …
Essential oils are all the rage lately, and with good reason. They are, in a sense, a pharmaceutical grade natural remedy with incredible power. But with great power comes great responsibility, and there are many essential oil resources online giving worrisome blanket advice about their use. Don’t get me wrong. I love oils and I use …
Sometimes on this podcast we talk about all things poo (because it’s important!), and today is no exception. Dr. Marisol Teijeiro is a naturopathic doctor who took her own challenges with irritable bowel syndrome and created a platform with solutions to help others. Her patients have affectionately and humorously crowned her “Queen of Thrones,” a …
Aside from whole grains, vegetable oils and margarine are some of the most misunderstood and over-recommended foods in the health community. You’ve probably heard these referred to as “heart-healthy oils,” a good alternative to those “artery-clogging saturated fats.” Only one problem…. science doesn’t back these claims up! Vegetable oils are found in practically every processed …
I’ve said before that I am with coconut oil like the dad in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is with Windex! Coconut oil has a wide array of health benefits, hair and skin uses, and purposes around the home. I started using it a decade ago before it became popular and widely available in grocery stores. …
Ian Clark, founder of Activation Products, was diagnosed with a series of life threatening health issues in 2004 and was not expected to live more than a few months. Realizing that conventional measures of treating his illnesses had not worked for his family members in the past, he forged his own path to better health through …
I recently wrote about how olive oil has become my main dietary source of fat since I took a gene test that showed I don’t do well with saturated fat. Tony is the man behind my favorite brand of olive oil, Kasandrinos International, which he single-sources through family farms in Greece. In this episode we’ll …
Oil pulling is an age-old remedy rooted in Ayurvedic medicine that uses natural substances to clean and detoxify teeth and gums. It can also help whiten teeth naturally and evidence even shows that it may be beneficial for gum health. Using certain oils may help fight harmful bacteria in the mouth! What is Oil Pulling? Short answer: …
I am here today with someone I am so impressed with on many levels, especially his time management and everything he accomplishes. I thought I was busy, but I don’t hold a candle to Tony Kasandrinos, the co-founder of Kasandrinos Olive Oil. You’ve probably heard me sing the praises of this olive oil on the …
In healthy living circles, essential oil use is often an everyday thing. It seems like there’s no harm jumping on the bandwagon! Since essential oils are natural and have amazing benefits, they must be safe to diffuse at will and slather all over your body daily, right? You might guess that my answer to that …
Jodi Sternoff Cohen is one of my favorite people to talk to on one of my favorite subjects: the healing benefits (and safe use) of essential oils. Jodi combined her training in nutrition and aromatherapy to create Vibrant Blue Oils, a company that makes organic and wild-crafted essential oil blends carefully targeted to specific health …
I’ve already posted in depth about some of the major problems with modern use of essential oils (in one of my most controversial posts to date), but essential oils do have many benefits, so I wanted to cover the positive side as well. Benefits of Essential Oils Though essential oils do have a dark side if used …
If you’ve been a Wellness Mama reader for a while now you know that I’ve used coconut oil for everything from cooking to skincare to digestive help. Another of my favorite oils is argan oil. Argan oil benefits include skin, hair, and face support and can be used in many ways. What Is Argan Oil Argan oil …
Olive oil is well-known for its many benefits, but another oil is gaining popularity for its versatility and health benefits: avocado oil. Avocado oil is popping up as an ingredient in many healthy foods. People love it for its mild flavor in cooking and lack of scent in beauty recipes. It is the main ingredient in brands …
Maybe you ditched conventional haircare products years ago, or maybe you’re exploring more natural options. Whatever the case may be, essential oils for hair can be an integral part of everyone’s natural routine. Over the years I’ve found some favorite essential oils proven to strengthen and improve my hair, and they smell great too! Best Essential Oils for …
I wrote about oil pulling several years ago, well before it gained mainstream attention in the news and on fashion blogs. It is something I’ve been doing off and on for years and I’ve seen noticeable effects from doing it. I figured that whitening my teeth with charcoal would be my most controversial oral health habit, but …
With six kids, going into car travel prepared is a must. We often take games and activities, healthy snacks, and with all those bodies in the car… some ways to counteract the stink! I don’t take essential oil use lightly (they are much more powerful than many people think), but we do bring some essential …
I’ve posted before about why we don’t use scented candles and what we use instead. One of my favorite alternatives is to use an essential oil diffuser, and many people asked what type of diffuser I use and recommend. I’m not an herbalist or aromatherapy expert, but I have tried many types of diffusers and I wanted …
I’ve shared my favorite remedies for PMS and cramps before, but I’ve gotten a lot of questions about essential oils for hormone balance lately and wanted to share some experience with this as well. Essential oils can be very powerful and effective when used correctly, but because of their power they also carry their share …
I’m not big on sanitizing everything all the time, but some situations call for the big guns. This spray is like my homemade disinfecting wipes, but with a longer shelf life. It’s convenient, quick, and combines powerful essential oils with proven recommended disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. I based this recipe on careful research …
I love remedies that have many uses (like emu oil), and cannabidiol oil (or CBD or hemp oil) is gaining popularity for this reason. This oil extracted from the hemp plant has come under a lot of legal and moral questions. Opinions may differ but what can’t be ignored is the incredible healing power CBD oil …
These dog days of summer when the weather is hot, the children are restless and we all start to think about the fall are a great time to make herbal oils for winter remedies. As the name suggests, herbal oils are a great way to preserve the medicinal properties of herbs and plants by infusing …
I get more questions about essential oils than almost any other topic, probably because they’ve gained such immense popularity. Our family uses essential oils daily in our personal care products, homemade cleaners, and as natural remedies. The five essential oils I use most often for my family are: 1. Lemon Essential Oil We use lemon …
I’ve used jojoba oil for years in my homemade lotion recipes among other personal care products, so I’m well aware of the amazing moisturizing benefits of jojoba oil. But there are many more benefits than as a simple (but amazing!) moisturizer. What Is Jojoba Oil? Jojoba (pronounced hoh-hoh-bah) is a liquid wax that closely resembles the …
