ILLNESS PREVENTION - AT THE FIRST SIGN!
1. Natural and homeopathic remedies generally work best for avoiding illness. So, apply preventatively or at the first sign of illness and you'll get more bang for your buck!

2. "Rinse and repeat." - when trying to nip an incoming illness in the bud, reapply your oils every 2-3 hours until symptoms are gone. Oils metabolize out of your body every 2.5 hours or so.

3. Vary the oils you use. There is almost always more than 1 oil to use for a given issue. My rotating through a few different oils, it keeps your brain guessing and the oils at their most effective. 

TO HELP ALLEVIATE A COUGH:
   Apply a few drops of frankincense or oregano to your chest to help with a cough.

   Fill a 2 quart pot with water. Add a cinnamon stick, 2 large cloves of garlic (peeled) and fresh oregano (if you have it). Bring it to a boil on high and then turn down and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low. To use oregano oil instead of fresh oregano - add a couple of drops after you done simmering the mixture and the liquid cools down. This will ensure that you get all of the medical benefits from your oregano oil. Add honey or propolio to taste and enjoy your tea. This is great  for coughs, nasal drip and upper respiratory support.How much of each ingredient you use is a bit of an experiment. Don't be afraid to make your own adjustments to this recipe!

WATER:  Remember, water drives oil in, so hop in the shower or apply a warm washcloth to the skin if you want to amp up the effect of an essential oil.

CARRIER OIL: Carrier oil refers to any fatty oil. Some of my favorites are extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil for their antii-nflammatory and antibacterial properties. Everyone's skin is different so experiment with what works for you. 

Carrier oil is your go to if you want to dampen the affect of an essential oil. It also makes it easier to apply a small about of essential oil over a larger surface area by massaging it in. Example. I applied peppermint to my stomach and then accidentally rubbed by eye. My eye is on "fire" from the peppermint, what do I do? Apply carrier oil around the orb of your eye  and you will feel it calm down. Note: It will calm down even without the carrier oil so don't panic; it just takes a little longer. 

CLEAN YOUR DIFFUSER:
Run your diffuser 1x a month with straight up white vinegar or a water and vinegar mix to clean it and prolong the life of the machine.

 

Look for - Cole Woolley, PhD -  Exploring Essential Oils on Facebook. He's got great photos of oils and how they kill staph bacteria+easy to understand discussion on the subject.

Some oils that you can use to disinfect your house...

*Cinnamon Bark, Clove (Thieves has both of these), *Lemongrass (Purification has this oil)

*Thyme
*Lemon
*Mix 15-25 total drops in 8 oz of water. Go with one oil, or create your own blend. If you aren't going to use the mix all in one cleaning session, use a glass spray bottle, as the oils (especially citrus) can start leaching the chemicals from the plastic bottle into your cleaning solution.